Today we hiked up Rumiñahui (4,721m). We got our breakfast, eggs with salsa and some fruit, filled up the water and thermoses and then it was time to head out. It was an hour's drive from the hostel to the volcano to begin hiking.
We started at 3,860m (big jump from the sea level we were at 24 hours ago). The hike had a lagoon at the start with lots of small birds. Then, the trek began.
There was a lot of tall grass that crowded the narrow path and made it difficult to see at times. It was a zigzag pattern: it was steep, and then flat, steep and then flat in repeat. Then Allan informed me that we only had about 500m (distance) of climb left to go, but still had 200m of elevation to go.
After a steep part, our guide stopped us for a break and told us to put our helmets on (not a good sign in my opinion).
The next part was very difficult because of the loose rocks and dirt (scree) up a steep part of the volcano. We had to stop often here just to avoid sliding at times from tired missteps. I was beginning to feel defeated, but Allan spurred me forward. Then the last part of the hike was a scramble up some rocks, which again seemed daunting, but I could see the top now which motivated me. It was such a relief when we made it.
We sat at the top and shared a snack and some tea as well as the coffee we brought. The warm drinks at the top were perfect. But then it was time to go down...
We had to use a rope to get back down from the rocky part we scrambled up. My fingers were a bit numb, so holding on to the rope was proving tricky. I took my time, and then the daunting steep scree awaited.
Everyone went ahead running and sliding down the volcano. I also slid, as there was no other choice with the thick dirt and rocks, but much slower in an attempt not to trip on a bigger rock and go flying! I was a little bit scared, but I could see everyone at the bottom and hoped I'd make it down too. I also didn't want to be stranded there because I was the last one on the scree hill. When I made it off that section, everyone was dumping dirt out of their shoes. I was lucky, because my pants covered the top of my boots I had no dirt in them.
The next part of the walk back was pretty uneventful in comparison. We got to enjoy the views on the way back down, but after about two hours I knew we should be getting close, and we were going fast, so I was starting to feel a bit bored 🙈.
When we finally made it back to the jeep, we had a quick stretch and a quick tactical stop at the Tambopaxi Lodge to try and upload some things on their wifi and use the bathroom.
It was a bumpy hour back, and we managed to get back in time for lunch of some very crispy falafels and Russian salad.
We each took turns in an ice cold bath to help our legs recover. Allan has always been better at cold plunge than me. I managed a minute and 20 seconds the first time compared to his five and then I managed four minutes so I redeemed myself. We went for a quick dip in the jacuzzi and then had hot showers.
I had started getting a pretty sore headache that developed into a migraine, so I ate a small portion of dinner and then took myself to bed to relax. No idea if it was the altitude or not enough water, but it was not fun. Good for Allan though, he basically got two dinners!
Allan is climbing Iliniza Norte tomorrow with an early wakeup, so it was definitely good for us both to get an early sleep (but I think it was a similar time to yesterday). The fire in our little cabana is great, but it does make things a bit too hot for bedtime, so might need to work out a good time to let the fire start dying instead of topping it up.
Allan:
Rumiñahui was recommend by the hostel (after consultation with the guides) as my first climb after the Galápagos. Based on discussions with other guide/companies, my original suggestion was Pasachoa (4,200m) as the first climb on day 2, followed by Rumiñahui (4,721m) as the second climb on day 3 (followed by Illiniza Norte (5,126m) as the third climb on day 4). My thinking was starting lower after sea level, but the hostel recommended skipping Pasachoa and having an extra rest day after Illiniza Norte. Not wanting to be the idiot who disagreed then failed to summit Cotipaxi (5,897m) and/or Chimborazo (6,263m) because I was tired, I followed the hostel’s suggestion.
Kaitlyn and I went for a private guide. It was the same price for 2 people ($50 per person) as it was for a big group, so it made sense to go private.
The climb was pretty easy, apart from the last 500m distance/200m+ elevation at almost 45° gradient on scree.
I was pleasantly surprised at Kaitlyn’s climbing. She keeping up with three other guys in another group from our hostel.
We had great views all the way to Quito from (near) the summit. Unfortunately, the three guys from the other group hogged outcrop on the actual summit. I let them have their time at the summit as we ate lunch.
However, I got pissed off because they summitted after me and were clearly aware that the area they had hogged for 15 minutes was the actual summit. Take your photos, then fuck off and give other people the chance to summit. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when the Australian guy, who also happened to be the weakest in both groups, realised he had a (weak) signal and attempted a WhatsApp video call. I had to tell him to fuck off. I’m not quite sure he understood what I was saying but he shifted when the wee angry Scotsman started moving towards him.
The initial part of the descent was a an interesting combination of an unharnessed down climb on the wall we scrambled up, followed by some skiing down the scree. When I saw the guides skiing down the scree, I joined. The three guys in the other group were shitebags, giving the skiing a half-arsed attempt then congratulating each other on how fast they (thought they) descended. Kaitlyn wasn’t so confident, but, again, she wasn’t much slower than the guys from the other group.
The rest of the descent was pretty boring. But it was: 1. volcano one completed without too much effort; and 2. sea level to 4,621m in around 24 hours.
Statistics:
Start time: 10:40
End time: 15:41
Time: 05:01
Distance: 12.60km
Active Kilocalories: 1,005KCal
Total Kilocalories: 1,388KCal
Elevation Gain: 784m
Average pace: 23’53”/km
Lowest heart: 80BPM
Highest heart rate: 169BPM
Average heart rate: 127BPMRead more