Climbing Volcanoes - in the footsteps of Edward Whymper

Why are there streets & businesses in Quito named for this guy?

Who was Edward Whymper.....Whimper...?

"Born in London, a renowned climber in the Alps, Greenland and the Andes.  Whymper organized an expedition to Ecuador designed primarily to collect data for the study of altitude sickness and the effect of reduced pressure on the body.  (yup, altitude is definitely a factor).

In 1880, Whymper made two ascents of Chimborazo, also claiming the first ascent.  He spent a night on the summit of Cotopaxi and made first ascents of half a dozen other great volcanoes in the Andes."

We arrived in Ecuador in August 2013.  After living at sea level for over 35 years, it was quite a change!  Maintaining what could be called a fairly comprehensive fitness regimen our whole adult lives, we handled the adjustment to our new living conditions at 9,500 ft, better than most.

While many fellow teachers packed boxes of clothes, bedding, kitchen items, books and more; we filled 2 of our allotted 4 boxes with climbing gear:  ice axes, crampons, climbing packs, climbing boots, pants, jackets, glove ‘systems’ harnesses, helmets, headlamps…you get the idea.  My husband agreed to accept another year of teaching – after 30 in the US – on the condition that we make climbing some of the major volcanoes a priority. 

Sorting gear before the Cotopaxi climb.(photo L)

Staging at the refuge for a 1:00am departure. (photo R)

Living in Guapulo fit right into our training program.  We continued our regular regimen of lifting/running/swimming in addition to the built-in ‘stairmaster; that’s unavoidable in Guapulo.  (see blog on Stairways to Heaven)

Rucu Pichincha – the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly.

The Good:  It’s close to Quito.  At 15,406 ft - it’s big.  It’s great peak to climb for training and altitude acclimatization.  Transportation access is relatively simple via bus &/or taxi to the Teleférico. It’s inexpensive to ride - with our work Visas - $4 each. The views of Quito, from the moment one exits the Teleférico throughout the ascent, are fantastic.  What a city at the base of the Andes!  It can be done in roughly 5 hours- rd trip- depending on the pace set.

The Bad: It is necessary to use the Teleférico to get to the trailhead.  The Teleférico does not begin operations before 9:00am.  This is BAD because the views from the top are lost around 11:00 EVERYDAY.  We’ve been observing the weather pattern on Pichincha for 6 months and note, with little exception, that the peak is shrouded in clouds by late morning.

Although it’s been a great day hike, a great training tool, a great city-escape, with the 9:00 start time, after 3 summits, we’ve yet to see the Avenue of the Volcanoes. 

The Ugly: Due to its close proximity to Quito, ease of access with the Teleférico, there are many users.  With users comes trail erosion and trash. (below: Once a Park Ranger; always a Park Ranger!)

Volcan Cotopaxi (19,997 ft)

There's a website called "mountain forecasts" which we used to monitor the weather regularly.  Trying to coordinate a climb with the time constraints of a teacher's work schedule is challenging.  In late September we found a weather window that was a dream;  clear skies, full moon and calm winds.  After living and training in Quito for 5 weeks, we made arrangements with the Ecuadorian Alpine Institute to climb Cotopaxi.  Ecuadorian Law requires one guide for every two climbers.  The service provides transportation, overnight access to the refuge - if there is one - food (more on that later), the equipment, knowledge and experience of the route. Our guided trip (one overnight) to Cotopaxi-whether you summit or not-was $200 each.  Normal rate was $240, but we had our own gear. For comparison sake: as of this writing, a guided trip up Mount Rainier with RMI costs one climber $1,006/person for the 'classic two-day climb" 
So while some would think our mandatory guide service was spendy, we knew otherwise.

The refugio for Cotopaxi is reached after a steep, sandy 800ft scramble from the parking lot.  Most guides use the speed with which their party attains the refuge to determine their departure time for the summit. 

Sleeping, and I use that term loosely-in a crowded
refuge with 35-40 fellow climbers has its challenges.
Perched at 15,953ft, you're breathing in some thin air. The other climbers fidget, cough, burp, fart, get up to use the bathroom.....sleep really isn't on the
agenda.  The bathroom at this refuge is located in an adjacent building (see photo R). Using the bathroom is a "tip-toe-crossing" of a long upper dorm room, a stairway descent-another long room crossing to the outside.  Using a headlamp, and stars if you're lucky, the unisex toilets have no toilet lids, no paper, no flushing capability.  After use, one dips a Clorox bottle into a barrel of water, pours it into the bowl and "voila!"  Yeah, baby, it flushes!
Our climb began at 1:30am and we were the last to leave the refuge.  Guess our guide was impressed with our speedy climb to the refuge the day before.  In our party:  two Ecuatoriano guides and 3 climbers. At 59, we were the oldest couple attempting Cotopaxi that morning. Our trekking poles were older than most of the other climbers!
It was glorious.  The lights of Quito and communities to the south twinkled in the distance throughout the climb.  Ramiro (lead guide) timed it perfectly.  For our efforts, we were treated to sunrise on the top with an incredible panoramic view at 6:30am on 26 September.

Statistically, we beat the odds.  Records for Cotopaxi state that 40% of those who attempt the summit are successful.  Mindful that getting to the top is only half way, we braced for the return. The descent was difficult. Glacier conditions were rough and there was little fresh snow on the mountain.  Down, down, down, we arrived at the refuge at 10:00am after an 8 1/2 hour 'marathon' of steady effort and full concentration.  Quite a day!

(Volcan Antisana was in full view for the descent)

FOOD - Guide services provide food for the climbs.  Dinner is prepared at the refuge, typically a pasta dish and served around 5:30-6:00pm.  Breakfast is served at 12:30am.  Sort of tough to choke it down at that hour. It can be granola with yogurt on top, lots of bananas, tea, coffee.  A 'snack/lunch' for the ascent is provided as well.  We found the snack to be poor fuel choices for our needs.  Also, it's quite to difficult to open individually wrapped candy bars, chips, crackers when one is perched on windy, exposed ridges -trying not to lose gloves- but needing them off to eat the snacks!

  For Volcan Nevado Cayambe, we learned our lesson and took pancake wraps with peanut butter and raisins and bean burrito wraps.  Open the foil cover and get complex carbos, protein and fat. Simple, efficient, important.  No Hammer Gel, or Gu here.

Volcan Nevado Cayambe (18,997ft)

Next in our sights was a mountain we see from our living room window almost every day:  Volcan Nevado Cayambe. Located northeast of Quito, it is the highest point on the equator with year round snow. How cool is that? Due to its proximity to the Amazon, it experiences the most severe weather of all the major Ecuadorian volcanoes. That part is not so cool. 

Statistically, the best months to climb Cayambe are December and January.  Back to "mountain forecasts" we went with guide service coordination with Ramiro, again from EAI.  

We had a guide we knew; a 'lucky' date 1/4/14;  and a lunch-stop sighting of a magnificent condor soaring above the hillside farms.

Surely Cayambe would smile on us for the climb as it did for our night at the refuge.(above/below)

We rested, waited and read while Ramiro cooked the pasta. 

 Wind gusts buffeting windows does not make for a gentle lullaby when you know what's ahead.  After interrupted sleep, we headed up Cayambe at 1:04am on 1/04/14.  No lie. Not planned, but I took it as another 'sign' of good fortune.  

With a mixture of ice pellets, crystal star-filled skies, soft snow, wind-whipped snow, more star-filled skies - we pressed on and hoped for the best.

(top; equipment adjustments; lower; a precious fluid break) Taking pictures in those weather conditions is extremely challenging.  Our gear was ice-covered from beginning to end.  Tennis had a plan to keep his camera close at hand and protected.  It wasn't sufficient for the conditions. Time on summit?  - about 2 minutes.(below)

In spite of these compromised pictures, the climb/descent was incredible.  The weather was a mixture of clear views, howling winds, double rainbows, brilliant stars, white-outs, ice walls, and steep 80M walls to ascend/descend with limited visibility.  "MOT" (mind on trail) was my mantra throughout. Focus, center, breathe.

I promised my husband I'd climb 2 big volcanoes with him while living here.  Promise made and kept.
In spite of what may look like  'terrible' conditions for a climb, it was an impactful, intense, unforgettably moving experience. 

We might just keep following in the footsteps of our friend, Edward Whymper....  Chimborazo, con permisowe've got our eyes on you!
(below; watching over his sheep on the road back to Quito)