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Published: April 8th 2008
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Cotopaxi
half hidden in the cloud, it is really twice the height hello!!
back safe and sound from Cotopaxi, it was a bit of a crazy weekend. (This is my main news so I´ll start with this)
On Friday we left our hostel early, or intended to, as the bus was an hour and half late. We weren´t too fussed though, we just sat outside in the sunshine. We then drove a few hours to the Cotopaxi national park and pitched our tents in some ominous looking gravel/grass. We met our guides who looked very rugged, who then took us up in the bus about 1000m to do a small climb to help us aclimatise. We walked so incredibly slowly, but apparently this was vital to not be all headachy and sick. We made it to the refuge which is like the base camp for climbers and luckily I didn´t feel too bad. We then went back down to the tents and attempted to get a decent night´s sleep.
The next morning we did the same walk up to the refuge but a steeper path, and this time with our big rucsacs with everything we needed including ice picks, special boots and crampons (for anyone who doesnt know, these are
my group and guide
5600m where we finally stopped like spikes you stick on to the bottom of your boots to climb ice and snow). We got to the refuge by lunchtime and had a tiny meal consisting of popcorn and crisps due to trying to stuff ourselves at an early dinner. We dumped our stuff in the big bedroom all 20 of us were sharing, which had bunkbeds 3 storeys high. We then went out for a few hours with the guides to learn how to use all of our equipment, which was quite fun. We had a big dinner at 5, not so big for us, but maybe for them, it consisted of soup, some pasta and tuna, and half a warmed tinned peach. We then went to bed about 6ish and tryed to get as much rest and possibly sleep that we could.
We got up at 11pm to leave at midnight, and were divided up into twos and threes, roughly according to fitness levels and how we were coping with altitude, and each group had its own guide. We had a really funny guide, who made me laugh all the way up even when I was really struggling. We began at midnight in the
sunrise
the first mountains visible out of the clouds pitch black with head torches and right from the beginning it was incredibly tough. I´d climbed that height probably before, but never with ice climbing equipment, up constant 40 degree slopes, in the night and starting at 4800 m (roughly 15,000 ft). We were also linked by a rope so that if one of us fell, we would be caught. It was so so hard, every step was a effort as you foot sunk through the snow and it was the steepest thing I´ve ever climbed, I couldn´t even look back when I stopped because I was so scared of how sheer the drop was. I wouldn´t have even attempted to ski down it probably. One girl in our three was really struggling from altitude near the beginning, she had to make her self sick a couple of times because she felt so terrible. My main problem aside from my legs feeling like lead was my breathing. After take a few steps, my heart rate would just soar, and felt really scary and uncontrollable. I was also at the back of the on the rope so I had to set my own pace really really slowly as I felt like
I was always trying to catch up.
Cotopaxi is 5897m, and at about 5380m the other two girls were really really struggling so much that they wanted to turn back, about 7 people had already done so. Even though I felt like I was pushing my body to the max, I still felt I could carry on for a bit. Our inspiring guide however made us all stick together as a family and we went on. Four people were quite a way ahead and could hopefully made it to the summit. However everyone else apart from us three girls had now turned back. Our new aim was to get to 5500m and the climb got a bit easier, although the altitude and temperature didn´t. We finially stopped at 5600m after taking a tiny narrow path next to a huge cravass. We were told that we couldn´t make it to the summit because it had taken us too long to climb the really steep bit and that the conditions wouldn´t be good enough for going down and that it was too dangerous. This was about 6 o clock just as the sun was about to rise. However we were in
total cloud, but as we began to descend we started to see mountains appearing over the clouds, it was absolutly incredible, although my camera couldn´t do the sight justice.
We half walked back down, half slid on our bottoms which was really fun and we eventually got back to the refuge about 8 o clock, absolutly shattered, both pyshically and mentally. The 3 guys and one girl that tryed to make it to the summit never actually got there because the snow was unclimbable for the last 80 m. I´m almost glad we didn´t attempt the last few hundred metres because I would have found that really fustrating. ( I might try and upload a photo or two but if not there´s a few of me tagged on facebook which are good, if you have access)
Apart from that mammoth adventure, we´ve mainly been exploring Quito, learning spanish and having salsa inspired nights out (costing me less than a tenner to get drunk, amazing!). My favourite spanish phrases that I´ve learnt so far are:
Tengo una tortuga, se llama Cedric (I have a tortoise called Cedric) and
Yo creo en hadas (I believe in fairies)
Um,
don´t think I have much other news. Hope everyone´s well, love getting all your messages. I´m not feeling homesick but I miss news from everyone.
lots of love Bex
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Sean: The Gay
non-member comment
oh my oh my
Oh my god Becci, i was fully enthralled in your writing there... I was loving it - i got how life changing this is... It sounds amazing - how FIT are you? Oh good god... I am amazed... No news here - you know about Laura Nuttall and David Massam? Other than that - i dont think there is any my darlin' Yours is so much more interesting! Miss you x x x