Acclimatization Day 1 - I really had hoped to go do the Quilitoa Loop which is a trek from hostal to hostal between 2800 and 3600 meters including a stop at a beautiful volcanic crater lake, but Andres at Compania de Guias (CdG) said the weather may not hold and it was best to start the trek to Cotopaxi asap. So we opted for a day hike out of Quito which starts with a ride up the telefriQo or cable car.
This place has an amusement park next to the parking lot and apparently is quite the happening family spot on the weekends. Luckily it is Wednesday and the place is dead. The telefriQo takes you from 2800m to 4100m or about 9,100 feet to 13,450 feet. From there you can follow a walking path to a mirador or look-out spot. Of course the whole area is a lookout spot with fantastic views of the sprawling city of Quito below and the mountain ranges bordering the city. But I'm a bit on edge after the shooting last night and I'm totally paranoid about walking anywhere secluded or isolated. I asked the ticket clerk if the trail was safe. She said yes of course. Then we saw a few mountain bikers and John went over to talk to them about the trails. It was a German guy who was on the Ecuador race team and he was guiding a couple of German tourists. The trail looked great, very technical in spots and there were some drops and jumps. But it was unclear where to rent good bikes - they had brought their own. Before heading down the trail I asked again about the safety of the trail and the guide said it was very safe.
As we continued on the trail we saw several policemen with dogs. We stopped to talk to one briefly. They were doing exercises with the dogs. Someone had walked ahead and stashed dynamite along the trail and now the dogs were suppose to find it. (Hopefully before some unsuspecting hiker!). Again I ask about the trail - third confirmation on safety. Ok - now I can stop dragging my feet.
The trail is easy to follow, well worn and gradually climbing up to 4800m or 15,750 feet. We stop about 2 hours up and have a snack - tuna in a can - then push forward.
The wild flowers are blooming and the sun is out. That is until we turn the bend and the wind attacks. After about 3 hours climbing I stop before the final summit section as there is a big scree field and I decide to save my knees. (From the downhill that is).
John trudges ahead making it to the top in another 30 minutes after taking a little side detour (false summit). The wind has picked up and I am freezing waiting for John to come back down. The fog has starting to roll in at the top so I have lost sight of him. I am jogging in place to try to stay warm. I tried finding a sheltered spot but the wind is gusty and coming from several directions. I've got to move down to find a sheltered spot. I head down the trail only about 5 or 10 minutes and then wait - still no John. I head back up to where I was and see him just starting down and there is another guy with him. Cool they will catch up and off I go.
Once you make the traverse to the other side of the mountain the wind mellows and the sun is shinning. The clouds even dissipate enough to show us glimpses of Cayambe and Cotopaxi off in the distance. Jay, who John met at the top, joins us the rest of the way down. We jump in the tram and reach the base of the mountain only to find out there are university demonstrations going on and no cabbie wants to take us back. Looks like we are walking! Luckily Jay walked there and had a map. Unfortunately I am so done for the day the last thing I wanted to do was keep walking for another 1 - 2 hours - oh and it will be dark soon so my nervous level is going up. We make it back shortly before 6 pm, all the while I'm constantly looking over my shoulder. I'll be happy when we get to the mountains in a few days so I can stop watching out for the next pickpocket, scam artist, or robber.
We spend the next two days running errands, making trip reservations with CdG, getting fit for mountaineering boots, making numerous trips to the ATM to get sufficient cash to pay for the trip and our hotel, buying last minute things like gloves, batteries for the headlamps, snack food, and probiotics for my stomach which is still not back to normal. And of course nothing is as easy as you hope and everything takes twice as long. Then on Friday we switch hotels to Hostal San Blas just down the road from our hostal. I had been misinformed about our current hotel's ability to store our bags - but it was too late to change the plans now. Our guide will pick us up tomorrow morning at the Hostal San Blas. We spend the evening unpacking our backpacks and repacking them with just what we need for the mountain trip - everything else stays behind.
