Cotopaxi

In December we finally took the time to go and visit a part of Ecuador recognized by many who come visit Quito, Volcano Cotopaxi, which in Quichua means "throat of the moon".  About 30 miles from the heart of Quito lies an impressive snow covered volcano which many come to visit for it's breathtaking view.  At 5,897 meters above sea level, and rising majestically above the Andean mountains, the Cotopaxi mountain is Ecuador's highest active volcano - as well as being one of the most active volcanoes anywhere in Ecuador, but with no erruptions since 1904. It has an almost perfect symmetrical cone shape and is easily recognized by climbers as a well known piece of Ecuador.

For those who can manage it, and weather permitting, a climb of Cotopaxi mountain takes approximately 6-7 hours. Also, in order to maximize the view, climbs to the peak of Cotopaxi mountain usually set off around midnight - with the aim to reach the peak at around dawn, or slightly after dawn.  We met up with a group in the refuge that was getting ready to bed down in the bunk house so that they could leave around 1am for the hike to the top.  To leave much later could mean a fight against the daily winter storm that comes through around 12pm. 

We ourselves experienced an amazing thunder and lightening storm with what we called "dipping dots" falling from the sky in torrents.  It was amazingly white, but the little balls were not too unlike hail falling in great waves with gusts of wind.  Although climbing up from the parking lot to the refuge (a 1 hour endeavor with the kids- Cade on my back about 1/3 of the way) was quite a challenge, coming down was even more so after the "dipping dots" created quite a slippery path to follow at about a 45 degree decline.

One of the fun things about visiting the refuge is the hot chocolate.  They make it there in the refuge from scratch and although the kids said it wasn't quite as good as Mommy's, it sure was a welcome refreshment after a cold hike up the side of a mountain for an hour!

One more thing I wanted to share with everyone was a comparison photo from when we climbed up to the refuge to when we returned just one hour later.  It really didn't start storming until we had been there at the refuge for about 20-30 minutes, so you can understand why the climbers want to leave so early in the morning to avoid this daily snow/ hail storm.

We decided to make this an annual Christmas trip while we are here as we certainly felt like it was winter!  Next time we want to go to Cayambe (the only snow covered volcano on the equator in the world) or Antisana as they are both visible from Quito on a clear day and quite beautiful.  I think we may need to stock up on a few more winter clothes though before leaving.  It was cold, brrrr!  But then again, I may have become a little Latina over the last 2 years as I have adjusted to to the warmer climate.  Hope everyone in the states thaws out too!