What It Was Like To Climb Cotopaxi, The World’s 3rd Highest Active Volcano
By: Andrew Mahowald
Tags: Adventure Travel, Hiking, Ecuador, Trekking, Mountains

Friday

20:00 trying to sleep…cold… wind howling… is that an avalanche?!

21:00 finally toasty warm in sleeping bag… sleep at 4,800m/16,000ft is hard… was that some sleep or just a daydream

23:00 ffs, there’s only like 6 other climbers sleeping here and one has to be snoring like his life depends on it from the other room

23:30 earliest wake up call ever. game time

24:00 3 layers on bottom and 4 layers on top. helmet, harness, ice axe, lfg. “don’t forget the crampons or sunglasses”, I am reminded for the 4th time

Saturday

00:30 used the boiled hot water to fill up the camelbak water container. plastic stretching, sagging unnaturally under the weight and heat. dear god, please don’t rupture in my backpack

00:45 ¡vamos afuera! me and my 52 y.o. guide Julian set out with our partner group, Americans Noah and David and their Ecuadoran guide. Noah feeling pretty bad stomach pain and both guys reporting tingling hands. is it the altitude, or the Diamox (it’s definitely the Diamox)

01:00 slow and steady gana la carrera

01:30 crunch sounds the snow underfoot. crisp, clean smelling air. the darkness interrupted only by our head torches and the distant yellow glow of Machachi and Quito. temperatura comodo sin sudor

02:00 reach the beginning of the glacier. take the crampons out the pack. my pair has apparently been to the summit of Mt. Everest! I got this shit!

02:05 right crampon not fitting. Julian fiddles with setting. realizes I simply fucked up placing my foot inside. has to fiddle back again with freezing fingers, slightly annoyed. I got this?

02:15 Julian ties us together with climbing rope, harness to harness. I wonder to myself what situations look like where the rope is needed

02:30 I step close to the rope with my crampon. Julian advises me I owe a beer for every time i step on his climbing rope (fast forward: I owe one beer)

02:45 wind really picking up. cold punishes any momentarily exposed fingers

03:00 the hike up is largely a solitary, mental experience. breathe, step, think

03:15 unable to hold back the tears thinking about mom stuck in the hospital from severe multiple sclerosis attack. I remember how wonderful she is, how much love she shares, and let the feelings wash over me with each step I crunch

03:30 hmmm… steep slope to left… can’t see where it goes… is that a crevasse in the glacier? I think we’ve entered the “no mistake zone”. I am thankful I have a great guide

A massive “serac” (glacial ice wall) we took a break beside.

03:45 5–10 min break under massive “serac” (glacial ice wall). over halfway. altitude ~5,450m/17,880ft, higher than Thorong La Pass on Annapurna Circuit, my previous highest. first waft of sulfur hits the nose

04:00 steep, steep slopes. iceaxes out. more crevasses and steep cliff-like ledges I don’t want to see any closer. legs feeling some definite fatigue. water hose frozen solid… no more water for rest of climb

04:15 enter final section, “rampa de yanasacha”. colossal exposed black rock wall to the left. super steep. every step a challenge

04:30 really not sure this is worth it. pure effort and discomfort. not sure I could ever handle Everest or anything remotely like it. sulfur smell again

05:00 needing more breaks. no sign of the sun yet. progress slow. altitude ~5,750m/18,864ft. wind insane. give knocks and a “you got this man, hang in there” to the American with stomach pain, clearly also struggling

05:15 can’t go around it. can’t go under it. no way out of this but to go through it. left foot, right foot, repeat

05:30 OMFG! I see some light blue over that ridge! potent sulfur smell. visibility poor and wind ripping across our backs so Julian says we’ll wait here before final 5 mintute push to summit. 15 minutes to chill, literally. reach hand down into 2nd layer sweatpants pocket for GoPro… you’ve got to be fucking kidding me… 50+ minute pocket video recording & 14% battery… facepalm. plop into selfie stick anyway. time to summit this bitch

05:45 we fucking did it! three small groups on top in mutual ecstasy. rope untied with a warning from Julian, “don’t go close to that ledge”. hugs and high fives. all smiles. photos and a few short vids. smoke and fog swirling and totally obscuring the inside of the 500x800m wide conical crater. I so wish I could see down inside the top of Earth’s 3rd highest active volcano. visibility off volcano low as well. these things we cannot control… we accept gratefully what Pachamama and the mountain give us