What It Was Like To Climb Cotopaxi, The World’s 3rd Highest Active Volcano
Inside my mind as I grapple with one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
Thrilling, adrenaline pumping experiences are kinda my thing. I love nature and I love a good challenge. Coming to Ecuador I wanted to hike some mountains but wasn’t sure yet which. Cotopaxi is the world’s 3rd highest active volcano, a famous climb at a towering 5,897m/19,347ft (7 feet higher than Mt. Kilimanjaro!), so naturally it got my attention.
Before we dive in, a few key disclaimers for anyone considering such activities:
- It is critical to prepare properly for it by spending sufficient time at high altitude to adjust your body to low oxygen conditions, and to train for the immense effort it takes to reach the summit by doing other hikes beforehand. Not doing so risks seriousinjury or death from conditions such as H.A.P.E. (high altitude pulmonary edema).
- It is also critical to have a good guide, and to listen to everything that guide tells you. The mountain is their “office” and they will keep you alive to talk about your epic experiences with your friends later. 5,000 people summit Cotopaxi every year with almost no fatalities, but it is inherently dangerous and to be respected at all times.
The following are my unadulterated, minute-by-minute trip notes scribbled 24 hours after my climb.
Friday
20:00 trying to sleep…cold… wind howling… is that an avalanche?!
21:00 finally toasty warm in sleeping bag… sleep at 4,800m/16,000ft is hard… was that some sleep or just a daydream
23:00 ffs, there’s only like 6 other climbers sleeping here and one has to be snoring like his life depends on it from the other room
23:30 earliest wake up call ever. game time
24:00 3 layers on bottom and 4 layers on top. helmet, harness, ice axe, lfg. “don’t forget the crampons or sunglasses”, I am reminded for the 4th time
Saturday
00:30 used the boiled hot water to fill up the camelbak water container. plastic stretching, sagging unnaturally under the weight and heat. dear god, please don’t rupture in my backpack
00:45 ¡vamos afuera! me and my 52 y.o. guide Julian set out with our partner group, Americans Noah and David and their Ecuadoran guide. Noah feeling pretty bad stomach pain and both guys reporting tingling hands. is it the altitude, or the Diamox (it’s definitely the Diamox)
01:00 slow and steady gana la carrera
01:30 crunch sounds the snow underfoot. crisp, clean smelling air. the darkness interrupted only by our head torches and the distant yellow glow of Machachi and Quito. temperatura comodo sin sudor
02:00 reach the beginning of the glacier. take the crampons out the pack. my pair has apparently been to the summit of Mt. Everest! I got this shit!
02:05 right crampon not fitting. Julian fiddles with setting. realizes I simply fucked up placing my foot inside. has to fiddle back again with freezing fingers, slightly annoyed. I got this?
02:15 Julian ties us together with climbing rope, harness to harness. I wonder to myself what situations look like where the rope is needed
02:30 I step close to the rope with my crampon. Julian advises me I owe a beer for every time i step on his climbing rope (fast forward: I owe one beer)
02:45 wind really picking up. cold punishes any momentarily exposed fingers
03:00 the hike up is largely a solitary, mental experience. breathe, step, think
03:15 unable to hold back the tears thinking about mom stuck in the hospital from severe multiple sclerosis attack. I remember how wonderful she is, how much love she shares, and let the feelings wash over me with each step I crunch
03:30 hmmm… steep slope to left… can’t see where it goes… is that a crevasse in the glacier? I think we’ve entered the “no mistake zone”. I am thankful I have a great guide
03:45 5–10 min break under massive “serac” (glacial ice wall). over halfway. altitude ~5,450m/17,880ft, higher than Thorong La Pass on Annapurna Circuit, my previous highest. first waft of sulfur hits the nose
04:00 steep, steep slopes. iceaxes out. more crevasses and steep cliff-like ledges I don’t want to see any closer. legs feeling some definite fatigue. water hose frozen solid… no more water for rest of climb
04:15 enter final section, “rampa de yanasacha”. colossal exposed black rock wall to the left. super steep. every step a challenge
04:30 really not sure this is worth it. pure effort and discomfort. not sure I could ever handle Everest or anything remotely like it. sulfur smell again
05:00 needing more breaks. no sign of the sun yet. progress slow. altitude ~5,750m/18,864ft. wind insane. give knocks and a “you got this man, hang in there” to the American with stomach pain, clearly also struggling
05:15 can’t go around it. can’t go under it. no way out of this but to go through it. left foot, right foot, repeat
05:30 OMFG! I see some light blue over that ridge! potent sulfur smell. visibility poor and wind ripping across our backs so Julian says we’ll wait here before final 5 mintute push to summit. 15 minutes to chill, literally. reach hand down into 2nd layer sweatpants pocket for GoPro… you’ve got to be fucking kidding me… 50+ minute pocket video recording & 14% battery… facepalm. plop into selfie stick anyway. time to summit this bitch
05:45 we fucking did it! three small groups on top in mutual ecstasy. rope untied with a warning from Julian, “don’t go close to that ledge”. hugs and high fives. all smiles. photos and a few short vids. smoke and fog swirling and totally obscuring the inside of the 500x800m wide conical crater. I so wish I could see down inside the top of Earth’s 3rd highest active volcano. visibility off volcano low as well. these things we cannot control… we accept gratefully what Pachamama and the mountain give us
06:15 would stay on the summit for 24 hours if possible, it is truly a beautiful moment. but it’s cold as fuck, fingers hardly function, and no sign of visibility improving. we soak in our last views and turn to begin our descent
06:30 let there be light! everything shrouded in dark mystery on the way up is now revealed; an icy glacial winter wonderland
06:45 I notice fear has been replaced with excitement, heads down focus with wide eyed curiosity as I soak in the fierce natural wonders around me. I begin to reflect on how my narrative of this immensely challenging experience is changing inside me with each passing minute. maybe higher mountains could be worth it someday after all
07:15 Julian and I have some fun crawling to the edge of a few stunning crevasses to see down inside them. we take a few edgy photos. a few crevasses he tells me to stay away from
07:30 we find the most epic ice cave I’ve ever seen. I climb down inside momentarily to retrieve someone’s lost glove (mountain garbage). snap a few photos and scamper out. not a great place to spend more than a few seconds
08:00 so, so much easier going down. the crampons slice through the crusty snow like… crampons through crusty snow. fog/clouds roll in and suddenly I can hardly see the route or footprints. Julian takes the lead from me so we don’t get lost
08:30 the long slog back to the refuge mercifully comes to an end. the moment the boots are pulled off is simply orgasmic. the fatigue is real, the hot chocolate beyond delicious. I joke with the American guys… “dudes, how much would you need to be paid to do this again TONIGHT?” we laugh our asses off (the answer? $11,000)
This trek takes its place firmly amongst the hardest things I’ve ever done. At times it was scary. At times I doubted myself. But the determination came through in the end and the reward was a deep, unforgettable kiss with nature that few will ever know.
We are all capable of so much if we choose to believe it. I am grateful to be alive, to be able to experience the most wild and free places on Earth, and to share this beautiful life with those around me.
To those who follow in my footsteps, as they say in Ecuador, “que te vaya bien” (“may it go well for you”). Enjoy the ride.
