Cayambe/Cotopaxi Jan 2-11, 2015 Dispatch #2
Guide: Romel Sandoval
Climbers: Rod N. and Tommy N.
January 4, 2015
The team called again on Sunday, January 4th with the following news:
“We climbed Pasachoa today. It was a good work out! We left town at about 8:00 after a good breakfast and starting hiking at 9:50. The whole climb up and down took us 4 hours and 20 minutes. We felt comfortable moving at a medium pace.
Cotopaxi had a cloud cap on it, but we could see most of its glaciers quite well. The weather continues to be excellent – a little windy but wasn’t a problem. We also had good views of Guagua Pichincha which we’ll climb tomorrow, and views of the city of Quito and a couple of other peaks.
Tommy is an amateur botanist, and he knew all the plants on Pasachoa. I know he's good at this, but I was impressed by how much he knows. It’s a beautiful landscape on and around Pasachoa, and it was great to be up there getting the amazing views.
We could feel the altitude today. I had a little headache, but it wasn’t that bad. I’m taking diamox, and I am sure that is helping me. It’s so good to be doing these acclimatization hikes before heading to the big peaks.
It is such a great thing to be down here with my son. He’s moving to Seattle soon from our home area in South Carolina, and it really feels good to be out in the mountains with him.
This is the most surreal thing I have ever done. The beauty here is inspiring, and it is such a wonderful experience to share. I have this feeling I’m going to be hooked on climbing. I’ll need to visit Tommy in Seattle and start exploring the North Cascades together.
OK – that’s it for now. On to Guagua Pichincha!”
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