We are greeted bright and early by our guide, Jose Luis Peralvo, and we quickly load our gear into his car and head off to the trailhead for Pasochoa Volcano Reserve about a 45 minute drive outside of Quito. Hiring a guide is always a bit of a toss of the dice, of course you can screen for the most important stuff- experience, safety records, etc., but you never know if your personalities will mesh. Our lucky stars were shining when we hired Jose. From our initial "hello" we liked him, very professional, organized, ready to get started, but also friendly and talkative. Later I would find out that Jose was also much more qualified than we had even hoped, having guided people on Aconcagua (South America's highest peak) and other peaks, including 3 summits of Mount Everest! I was impressed and feeling comfortable that we were in good hands for the next several days. We were taking the hydroelectric trail, meaning we started at the hydroelectric plant where Jose parked his car and said his "holas" to the caretaker who would keep an eye on the car. The trail starts off on a dirt road for a short bit but eventually leads to a gated pasture with some gazing bulls.
Jose exchanges a little friendly conversation with the farmer at the gate, pays our entrance fee and we continue on after the obligatory inspection by the watch dog. The trail slowly gains altitude as it traverses through the paramo. The volcanic soil in this area has resulted in a very uneven terrain, not advantageous for farming and thus the area become a reserve. Although somewhat lush in appearance, the ground is comprised of tuffs of grass which make for interesting walking - although my ankles are less than excited.
We had heard this was a popular trek, but the trail we are on seems unused and we see only a few other people all day. As the peak comes into view the trail gets steeper with its own version of a
stairmaster kicking into play. My legs are starting to burn ...
But before you know it we reach the top.
What a fantastic view!
The top is 4200 meters (13,780 feet) but this peak was harder than Pinchicha (15,750 feet) as it was steeper and less even terrain.
For the better acclimatization we need to stay at the peak for an hour or so before heading back down to thicker oxygen so we find a comfortable spot and just relax. The skies are clear and we have a great view of Volcano Cotopaxi while we eat of delicious lunch of ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato sandwiches along with a variety of power bar type of snacks. Jose had prepared us lunch bags for each day with more than enough food. Thanks Jose! The weather is so perfect today - we hope our summit day on Cotopaxi will be as good.
Now the fun part - I'm joking. I hate the downhill. Its hard on your joints, especially your knees and there is nothing you can do about it. Luckily we brought our hiking poles which help a little. 3 hours up and 2 hours down. Back to the car and now off to our hostel in the village of El Chaupi, closer to the base of our next challenge - Illiniza Norte at 512m (16,817 feet)Now its off to the La Llovinza. Hostal which is closer to the base of Illiniza, our climb for tomorrow.
