After retrieving my passport, I left Quito for a visit to Cotopaxi National Park, a little over an hour southeast of the city. The lodge where I was booked offered a pickup in Quito for $60, but I decided I would take a bus instead for a mere $3. I could then take a taxi from the little town of Machachi, on the outskirts of the park.
At the last minute I got cold feet about the bus (because I couldn't find out what the schedule was) and decided to take an Uber To Machachi. Only $8.
Well, the Machachi Uber routed me to was not the Machachi I need to go to. My driver was willing to take me to the right one for $20. Seemed reasonable, still cheaper than $60. Once we got to Machachi, the driver offered to take me the rest of the way for another $20. Okay, I'm still ahead.
The road from Machahi climbs about 2,500 feet to the base of Cotopaxi at about 11,000 feet. After about a mile the road becomes rutted gravel. Very slow going. I was beginning to worry about the car, but my driver kept plugging along without complaint. Suddenly it was nicely paved again, and we began to make good time. Just as I began to relax, the road turned to mud. Lots of mud. The mud got deeper and deeper until finally the ridge in the middle of the road too high for the car to traverse.
My driver offered to take me back to Machachi, but Google maps said it was only 2.2 miles to the lodge. So I gave the driver $40, shouldered my two backpacks and started slogging.
Walking through mud carrying two packs at 11,000 feet was not easy. Luckily, this section of the road was mostly flat. A bit worrisome, however, was the constant mutter of thunder, at first far off toward the mountain, but gradually getting louder and closer.
It began to sprinkle, so I spread my raincoat over my packs and kept walking. Finally, I found the lodge, and as I stepped into reception, it began to pour.
The staff escorted me to my room and lit a fire in the wood-burning stove, and soon I was cozy and dry.
The Chilcabamba Lodge sits in the Valley of Seven Volcanoes, five of which are visible from the lodge itself. Once the clouds clear up.
Nice warm ponchos in every room!
The next morning, my guide, Patricio, picked me up to take me to the park. His English was a bit worse than my Spanish, but we were able to communicate reasonably well.
Cotopaxi is an active stratovolcano, the highest active volcano in Ecuador at 19,374 feet. We drove up the side of the mountain to about 14,000 feet, then started walking.
Soon the sandy volcanic soil gave way to snow. The wind was intense and so was the effort it took to breathe.
We were the first climbers that morning, but soon others started to arrive, and soon overtook me as I slowly continued to climb.
I wasn't sure how high we were going, but I was determined to make it the whole way. I had to make frequent stops to catch my breath.
Finally we rounded a corner and saw the refugio. Patricio had pointed it out to me from the valley, high up on the slope of the mountain, but I had no idea we were actually going to climb to it.
It was a welcome resting place, just short of 16,000 feet. Hot coca tea was waiting for us.
And then we had to climb back down. The track was steep and the snow was slippery. It was touch and go, but I managed to keep my feet. And then it started to sleet.
But eventually we descended out of the snow zone and the going got easier.
We ate lunch in the car gazing up at the mountain. Patricio asked about my family and was surprised that I was a great-grandfather. He owns a small finca nearby with three cows, five horses, and three children, the oldest 27. He offered to drive me back to Quito the next day, and I accepted.
The next day the sun came out, though Cotopaxi was still wreathed in clouds.
They parted just long enough to see the snow-covered summit venting clouds of steam and gas.
As it turned out, Patricio didn't drive me back to Quito, his son Ariel did. I was happy to pay $60 to ride in a 4-wheel drive, mud-defying SUV.
I got back in Quito just in time to meet Ophelia at my hotel. She had just flown in from Boise, and we were able to have lunch and walk around town for a bit before she had to go to the airport to meet her women's group. She's part of an organization called the Waterbearers, a group of women who take water filters to indigenous communities that have no access to clean water.
So while I'm headed for the coast, they are headed to the Amazon to do good work.
P.
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