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Published: August 6th 2008
Day 33: Friday 1st August - Acclimatising (?!?) on Illiniza North
Cotopaxi is the goal at 5897 metres, but first we must acclimitise by climbing Illiniza North at approximately 5200 metres. I'm joined on my climb my Joe, an American guy and our guide Nicolas. We have an early lunch and then drive an hour or so into the Illiniza National park and start our climb at around 4000m. We make the refuge at 4700m in good time, and after dropping most of our gear off we decide to press on to the summit. Almost as soon as we step out of the refuge it starts hailing (and they're big enough to hurt) and then after a further few minutes it starts snowing quite heavily. We must ascend a further 200m up a steep cliff face which is at least a foot deep in snow before it starts lightning. At this point the guide decides to call it a day and head back as he deems it is too dangerous to attempt to reach the summit. Its dark by the time we get to the refuge, and as soon as we reach it I start getting the worst of headaches
which despite taking aspirins refuse to disappear. After getting some dinner its off to bed in cold, damp conditions but thats the least of my worries....if my head doesn't improve my chances of getting to the summit are slight.
Day 34: Saturday 2nd August - Altitude Sickness
We awake at 4am with the attention of starting to do the 3 hour climb to the summit at 5am. After some discussion with the guides we decide that its not worth me making the attempt. My head hasn't got any better, and climbing higher with altitude sickness isn't recommended. Return to bed disappointed, to catch up on some more sleep. I awake feeling slightly better.....and Joe and the guide have just returned and unfortunately they didn't make the summit. They reached 100m from the summit before Joe wasn't confident in the absence of ice gear (crampons/ice axe/harness/ropes). The bad conditions on Illiniza that we experienced the previous afternoon had continued through the night, we're told this is unusual and its normally a relatively easy mountain to climb.
We head back down to the 4x4 and then head back to the hostel. The hostel is at 3500m and is situated
on Volcano Avenue with the view of 16 peaks over 4000m. I still feel lousy despite the lower altitude and despite getting a nap in the early afternoon. Spend the rest of the day watching a few movies as there is nothing much else to do. By now Joe is feeling similar to myself and has also got altitude sickness.
Day 35: Sunday 3rd August - Rest Day
Today is our rest day but we're both still suffering with altitude sickness. Joe decides to throw the towel in and head back to a lower altitude at Quito. I'm still feeling rough but I'm determined to give it another day, its still 24 hours before I've got to make a decision on Cotopaxi. I jump in his ride and head to Machachi 15km away. I do little more than spend a few hours in an internet cafe. Its a very useful couple of hours though......Machachi is 500m lower than the hostel and my altitude sickness is clearing up. The last 48 hours have been rough, as anyone who has experienced altitude sickness will bear testament to. You suffer with terrible headaches, lethargy and aches, and you can vomit as
well (luckily I avoided the last of these). The only real cure is to head to a lower altitude.
Walking back to the hostel after being dropped off by the bus, Cotopaxi looms large on the horizon. The rest of the evening is one of introspection.......I'm seriously doubting whether i'll be in shape to climb Cotopaxi (I'm still not 100%), whether its possible (after failing with Illiniza North I haven't had the required confidence booster. Also, I'm on a bit of a low for my adventure to date....I've had illness, I'm in the middle of nowhere and the hostel staff speak no English.....my thoughts inevitably tun to home...
Day 36: Monday 4th August - Just about ready for Cotopaxi
I spend the morning as I finished the previous day.....one of introspection. My guide turns up at 1pm and as I feel okay, I'm going to give Cotopaxi a go. Whether I'll make it is a different matter, but I'm determined and pleased to be moving on from the hostel.
It takes an hour and a half to reach the car park at the foot of the climb to the refuge. The car park is at 4600m
and the refuge is a further 200m up. The climb to the refuge is steep but thankfully short and in 45 minutes we reach the refuge. My guide this time is Patricio and I'm happy as he speaks more English than Nicolas. After dropping my gear off in the refuge I get some ice climbing expereince from another guide, Iban. The lesson lasts no more than an hour, with half that time spent climbing towards the glacier which starts at about 4950m. After trying on crampons, I start having a go on the ice sheet together with ice axe. I'm deemed ready to climb Cotopaxi after my half hour of training.......tomorrow it will be almost a kilometre to climb on ice not 10 metres!! After an early dinner get to bed at 6.30pm. We will awake at midnight in preparation for the climb. Must only get 3 hours sleep at most with all the noise and the unnatural bed time but thankfully my head in fine, just full of nervous energy....
Day 37: Tuesday 5th August - Climbing Cotopaxi
Awake at midnight and after some breakfast (its got to be the earliest breakfast I've ever had!!) and last
minute preparations with the gear its time to go. Cotopaxi isn't technically difficult to climb (you walk up) , which is why mere novices like myself attempt it but it is difficult in other respects (1. You climb in the dark after not much sleep, 2. At the time you start you don't feel like food, which is important for climbing 3. Its 6 hours up and 3 hours down which at 5000m plus requires stamina, 4. Of the 1100 metres climb from the refuge, all but 100 metres are on the glacier making things more difficult and of course 5. the altitude).
Start in the dark with only my headtorch and my guide for company. The first 100m or so to the glacier is straightforward. Thereafter, the climb is extremely tiring, step after step at a slow pace (you can't manage any more) and you can only see a few steps in front. Every now and again (maybe once an hour but it could be more) I need to stop as I'm exhausted. At each stop I again start doubting myself.....can I do this?? I distinctly remember the first time we stop at around 5200m at just after
3am thinking there's no way I can do this if we're only a third of the way.....my legs are burning and I'm exhausted. I decide to keep my thoughts to myself......I'm going to keep plodding on.
Near the summit and dawn breaks, I can see the summit now and with less than an hour to go my spirits rise, it also seems to give my near empty energy reserves a boost. This beast is not going to defeat me. At a little before 6.30pm after climbing for five and a half hours I reach the summit. Although elated, exhaustion is paramount. I can barely be bothered to take photos, Patrice is on hand though. Its wierd staring down into the volcano cone. Cotopaxi is still active, although it hasn't erupted since the 19th century so I'm realtively safe!!! I'm not hanging about on the summit, although exhausted its freezing and there are very strong winds.
The descent seems harder than the ascent in some ways. I guess its because I'm more tired but descending a glacier with an ice axe rather than walking poles as would be normal is hard on the knees
and the legs. I
must have to stop every 20 minutes or so absolutely shattered. How Patrice remains patient I don't know but there is no other way. Reach the refuge at 9am, its taken two and a half hours (the longest two and a half hours I can remember) to descend. I have barely any energy to take my outer layers off, or eat or in fact do anything. This is definitely the closest to exhaustion I've felt but I've done it................YES!!!!!!!!!!! Start reflecting on my achievement, its undoubtedly the most difficult sporting thing I've acheived, 8 hours of physical pain. What makes it feel better and its always the same with any achievement of this nature is the self-doubt beforehand. Sometimes before achievements you have a lot of self-confidence and almost expect to achieve.....not this time for me.
The climb of Illiniza although a failure at the time was critical to the acclimitisation for Cotopaxi.
After an hour of so, commence on the descent down to the car park, its only 200m but with no energy, a bloody toe after a battering from boots/crampons its extremely slow going. I collapse into the 4x4 but my climbing is done. Its 10.30am and
I've got the rest of the day to enjoy if my body allows!!!! After driving back to the hostel to pick the rest of my stuff off Patrice drops me off at the Machachi toll on the Panamerican highway. I'm stood by the side of the equivalent of the M1 waiting to flag down a bus to Banos!!! Quite why I'm trying to catch a bus when all my body wants to do is curl up and die, I don't know, maybe its because I don't fancy another night in the hostel or maybe its the attraction of hot baths in Banos to soak my aching bones in.
After waiting 20 minutes or so I flag down a bus heading to Banos. Its an uncomfortable 3 hour journey which I seem to know little of (I'm too tired to enjoy the scenery, and keep drifting in and out of consciousness). After dropping my bags off at the hostel, grabbing a bite to eat my thoughts turn to the hot baths. Banos (Spanish for Baths) is famous for its hot baths (how appropriate!) and they happen to be just at the end of the street I'm staying at. Although it
starts to rain, it can't dampen my enthusiasm for the baths, and spend an hour relaxing in them in the early evening in the dark before getting an early night......knackered but elated.....outside higher peaks in the Andes, The Himalayas and a couple of peaks in Northern Canada/Alaska Cotopaxi is as high as they come (19000 feet in old money!)
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Worthers
non-member comment
You did it....!!
Oh my god, I can't believe you did it.... sincerely Chappers, Well done.. thats some achievement!!.... We were all with you and although 8 hours of physical pain is way beyond my personal pain threshold.. the feeling when you reached the summit must have been amazing. Make sure you chill out for a good days now... you deserve it! xxxxxxxxx