climbing cotopaxi

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Went looking for tour agency for cotopaxi and it turns out that being solo for these sorts of excursions was a real liability. i ended up paying $220 for a 24 hour tour when the two or more price would have been $160. oh well, there is substantial advantage to climbing with just two people, the guide and me, because the pace catered to my ability and rest stops were of my choosing.
so we drove to the parking area in cotopaxi national park and hiked the 600 feet up to the refuge which took an hour because i was loaded with all my traveling gear as well as the things needed for climbing the volcanoe. the refuge was located at just above 16,000 feet and physical exertion is more difficult than near sea level.
there were about 11 travelers that attempted the summit (most had their own guides) and I was one of only four that made it. How can i describe the climb but windy and cold...windy, very very windy with no respite on the way up or down or on the top.
Everyone retired around 6 p.m. to try (no sleep for me) to get some rest before the 1 p.m. departure time. we hiked by occasional moonlight until the sun rose. Crampons and ice axe were used by all hikers and this was my first experience with such equipment and glacier travel.
I was roped to the guide (milton) for safety and a good thing it was since i slipped alot on parts of the glacier with loose snow. it was six hours up and three hours back. I took very few photos since it was so cold, every time i took off my gloves the windy chill froze them and they were nearly blown away several times...which would have been a catastrophe to be without them. the view from the top in all directions was obscured by clouds so the satisfaction of completing the climb was mostly in arriving at the highest elevation (19,350) of my life. prior to yesterday´s excursion, my highest elevation obtained was mount whitney which stands at about 14,500. climbing cotopaxi necessitated a rather slow pace because of the reduced oxygen content of the air.
When i returned yesterday afternoon, i had pizza and a couple beers then slept for about 14 hours. later today i´m going to see about climbing illinizas, which is above 18,000 feet but has no glacier to contend with.

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Photos

cotopaxi volcano
this volcano had been mostly obscured by clouds until today (lucky for me) and here you can see it almost completely

la cumbre (the top) of cotopaxi
as you can see, it was cold, cold, cold, and the wind it did howl.

view from the top
no view in sight but i have the personal satisfaction of achieving the highest elevation of my life

Comments

[Mari]

¿cansado, hambriento, y frío?
Hi Kevin....wow, what an experience! The only climbing I did was on Mr. Jujii, but that's nothing compared to what you are doing! Take care and enjoy your trip!!!

[Jo-Momma]

imagine the possible factors involved ...
Dude, Imagine the G-Factor there, that would be a definitely an E-Ticket ride .... way to go with the monumental summit. Dave