Ecuador Day 7 – Illiniza Norte (16,817 ft)

November 26th, 2014

Ilinizas Map
The Map

The Misty Ridge of Iliniza Norte
The Approach

Climber Congo Line up Iliniza Norte
Congo Line at the Top

Clare and Tilden on Summit of Iliniza Norte
The Summit

Our 4th mountain of the week was Illiniza Norte. To climb this mountain, we went roughly 11.5 km with 1,128 m (3,700 ft) of gain. The whole thing took us 7 hours and 10 minutes; including a lengthy stop for tea and another one for lunch.

For the first time during the trip, I had a headache from the altitude. It was just after we crossed 16,000 ft and it disappeared once we began descending. Tilden, on the other hand, finally started feeling good at the altitude and he did awesome.

We were both really happy Rafael knew the route so well. When we got to the top, there were a couple of huge tour groups and we were able to bypass them without roping up. Also, since most of them were stationary on the summit, we didn’t have to worry about them knocking rocks down on top of us while we descended.

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Ecuador Day 6 – Rucu Pichincha (15,413 ft)

November 25th, 2014

Guagua and Rucu Pichincha Map
The Map

TeleferiQo in Quito
Riding the Gondola (TeleferiQo) in Quito

Rucu Pichincha: A Lovely Ridge Hike
The Approach. It starts on the ridge, then it climbs ever steepening terrain until the last wee bit is 3rd class. The summit is in the clouds, left of frame!

Tilden Stepping up on Rucu Pichincha
Third Class Section…Most Fun bit, but unfortunately only 10 minutes!

Rafael and Tilden on Rucu Pichincha
Rafael and Tilden Enjoying The Summit

For our 3rd mountain, we climbed Rucu Pichincha. It is a unique ascent because it is very close to Quito and the trip starts with a ride on the Gondola! From where we got off on the Gondola, it took us 2 hours and 50 minutes to summit and just under 2 hours to get back.

It’s a great half day acclimatization. While the navigation and hiking is relatively easy during the ridge traverse to the peak, the ascending of the peak itself is not for the beginner. There are cliffs surrounding the entire base of the mountain. Thus, it’s really important to go with a guide on this mountain, or be in the company of an experienced mountaineer who is already familiar with the peak. Clouds are pervasive threats to navigation and the terrain at the top is steep and chossy!

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Ecuador Day 5 – Imbabura Summit Rim (14,764 ft)

November 24th, 2014

Imbabura Map
The Map

Rafael, Tilden, and our Perra
The Approach

Imbabura View in the Morning
The View

Clare Near Imbabura Summit
What I Thought Was the Summit!

Our next mountain, Imbabura, is the prominent mountain of Otavalo. According to Yossi Brain, “A large hill with a long walk up it, Imbabura is good for acclimatization and fitness.” I have to agree. The route we took ascended 3,905 ft and took us just over 4 hours to accomplish. At the time, I thought it was the summit, but later we figured out that we were on the summit ridge (since it’s a volcano, it’s not obvious if you’re in a cloud, to see the highpoint!). Read the rest of this entry »

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Ecuador Day 4 – Fuya Fuya (13,986 ft)

November 23rd, 2014

Fuya Fuya Map
The Map

Fuya Fuya Trail Head
The Trail Head Signage

Mojanda Lake
Laguna Mojanda

Guide Rafael Testing Tilden's Vital Signs
Rafael Checks Tilden’s heart rate and blood oxygen saturation.

Clare on Fuya Fuya Summit
Banana on the summit!

It was our first day of acclimatization, so Rafael selected Fuya Fuya, which means Cloud Cloud. It is a 13er just about 45 minutes drive from Otavalo. It took us 1 hour and 40 minutes to get to the summit, from Lake Mojanda. This is excellent time as it’s ~1700 ft of gain. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ecuador Day 3 – Quito to Otavalo

November 22nd, 2014

Rafael and His Truck
Our Guide, Rafael, and his trusty truck!

On Saturday afternoon, I met our mountaineering guide and driver for the week, Rafael. He is short, probably 5 feet tall, but with broad shoulders and calf muscles the size of my thighs. Within the first 30 minutes of our meeting, I was informed that he had summited Everest twice, Manaslu once, and Denali eight times. It was an impressive resume. He explained to me that he also does personal training and fitness coaching, along with running his guide service. He trained in Chamonix and he happens to have climbed Cotopaxi over 670 times! We were in good hands and I couldn’t wait to climb some mountains!

Our first order of business was to went to fetch Tilden at the airport, then we would travel straight to Otavalo. It took us a couple hours to reach Otavalo and we stopped once for coffee and biscochos (like biscotti). I was so excited to see Tilden and we were both equally stoked to be climbing mountains in Ecuador.

The Famous Otavalo Market
Craft Market in Otavalo, Ecuador

Transporting Goods at Market
The vendors routinely carry these bags to and from the market to the trucks for transport! It probably weighed 400 pounds and I couldn’t even lift it an inch!

After the craft market, we met up with Rafael for dinner and then walked around Otavalo. It would be an early start, for our hike up Fuya-Fuya, so we didn’t stay out too late.

Ruminahui Commemoration
Tribute to Ruminahui

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