The First Excursion to Cotopaxi National Park

To sum up this weekend in two words: exhilarating and exhausting.  I rolled over to turn off the loud alarm, which pierced the dark silence of 5:45 in the morning.  It was Saturday, and it was far from over.  I hopped in the shower, made a solid breakfast—with the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, and caffeine—and threw my things together for the day’s journey.  The day before, my good friend Craig and I decided to go to the highest active volcano in the world: Cotopaxi.  Cotopaxi triumphs over the background of Quito, on clear days only—and Saturday it was waiting patiently in the bright distance; the perfect snow-covered cone smiled at us as we ventured toward it in a taxi that we rented for the day.  We arrived at the base of the mountain ready to go, and it was a steep, difficult climb.  Craig and I paced ourselves, and we reached the refuge from the parking lot in about thirty-five minutes: half the estimated time.  We paused at the refuge, took a look around, and headed for the snow-line.  We reached the snow and ice in about thirty more minutes, and were at an estimated 15,000 feet: the highest I have ever been on this earth.  We were fortunate, for the weather was so good that we could see the peak throughout most of the afternoon.  Being that close to such a stunning and powerful work of nature was vitalizing.  We rested for a while, taking beautiful photos of the peak and the surrounding natural Ecuadorian architecture.  After climbing a little further into the snow, we decided it best to wait until we can summit the great mountain—hopefully in the next month. 

Sunday I spent the day traveling alone to the artisan market in Otavalo.  The scenery on the bus was amazing, but the ride was long, and I was still tired from the journey the day before.  Also, compared to the adventure to Cotopaxi, I was not as thrilled about my present trip, although it was enjoyable.  I spent a couple of hours in the unique city of Otavalo—enjoying its views, and conversing with the Indigenous Ecuadorians, who were selling beautiful hand-made crafts.  I bought a few things for my girlfriend, my parents, and myself, and headed back to Quito, tired and ready for the adventures of tenth grade.