Climbing Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador

From AZ Central: Climbing Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador

The conquering of Cotopaxi was a great introduction to mountaineering and was the most challenging of my trekking experiences.

Cotopaxi is in the Andes Mountains just south of Quito, Ecuador. Its summit is 19,347 feet. My team consisted of four climbers and two guides. We began our ascent at 1 a.m. after a night of limited rest. Unfortunately, the sudden altitude change the day before gave us headaches on the morning of the climb.

After 20 minutes of ascent, however, we were faced with a more pressing dilemma: Brent and Danny had begun to break a sweat and requested that we continue at a slower pace. Perspiring as you climb is a mountaineering hazard because the moisture freezes during your brief rest periods. Rather than slowing everyone down, we split into two groups. Meghan and I were assigned to one guide and the three of us set a pace swifter than before. We passed countless other groups while never being passed.

However, we were tested farther up the volcano. At 16,400 feet, I had a misstep on a particularly narrow stretch (the trail was about 8 inches wide). Fortunately, I stopped the fall by forcefully striking my ax into the ice. Using the spikes on my boots and my ax, I climbed the 2 meters of icy slope necessary to rejoin my group.

Within 15 seconds of my recovery, we watched as the group in front of us slipped off the trail and slid down the mountainside. It was still dark and we were unable to see their bodies, only their headlamps as the glow of their lights became more distant. Their attempts to halt the plummet with their axes proved futile, and we stopped and waited as our guide set an anchor and climbed down for a rescue.

After rescuing them we continued the climb. The volcano teased us with a series of ridges that appeared to be the summit, but upon reaching the top of each one, we were confronted by another, steeper stretch of mountain. Our persistence bested the cruel illusion and we reached the summit just after 6:20 a.m. We gazed at Ecuador's volcanic peaks as the morning light began to appear. We forced oxygen-deprived breaths as we basked in the glory of being atop the volcano.

When the cold began to turn our hands red, our guide signaled for me to lead the descent. I gladly led the charge downward, and the morning light made for a scenic voyage. We could see all of the volcano's beauty: giant ice walls, large caves, untouched mounds of snow, 15-foot-long icicles, and other trekkers crawling on their hands and knees as they tried to equal our accomplishment.