Nov 23

Time to hit the hills, well, at least a volcano. Went to Cotopaxi today and had a great time. The park is still under some restrictions due to previous threats of volcanic action, but the mountain was very kind to us today. In spite of bringing many layers of clothing, it was surprisingly warm and sunny. We had some clouds wander by of course, but there were so many sunny moments where we could see the peak.


We drove up as far as possible (4500 metres), then hiked up to the refuge (5000 metres) for some of the best hot chocolate on record. Made with Ecuador's finest of course. I was very slow getting up there since I am still not feeling 100%, but I made it. The refuge is not at the peak (5897 metres), but even if it were possible to climb higher now, it would require climbing skills that I don't have. The hike down was much easier and faster of course!


After getting organized, we hopped on some mountain bikes and road down some 19 or so kms to a lake. It was a blast riding down the gravel road, bouncing along and sneaking peeks at the peaks all around us. Very exhilarating. On the way back to Quito we stopped for a nice lunch and some of us might have napped for the rest of the drive! No names of course....