Sir Edmund Hillary Started Small Too

Once again, it was my "determined" goal to climb a snow covered peak during our trip. For months Catherine skillfully distracted my desire, but finally, billing it as our last Ecuadorian adventure, she conceded. Although my initial wish was to climb Ecuador's 3rd highest peak, Cotopaxi at 6000m, I conceded, and we decided instead on the beginner peak of Carihuairazo at 5100m.

We responsibly prepared with several high altitude hikes including a hike from 4000m up to 5000m at the base of Chimborazo, at 6310m, Ecuador's highest peak. Excited and overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the peak, I walked briskly and unfocused, and within thirty minutes I was spent. Every ten steps I had to stop to catch my breath. I got an intense stomachache and headache and thought, "Shit, I'm not going to make it today and certainly not up that peak tomorrow." Catherine, calm and determined, encouraged me to drink water and slow my pace. Luckily, two hours into the hike we spotted the first refuge at 4800m. A sense of relief coupled with my hydration solution found me re-energized and capably fit to ascend to the first refuge, and then quickly up to the second refuge at 5000m. The towering white peak framed perfectly by the piercing blue skies gleamed brightly under a coat of snow like a blanket gingerly placed over a resting body.

We left Chimborazo feeling completely prepared for our Carihuairazo attempt. Of course, we still had adventure to contend with.

The following morning's hike to base camp was preceded by a stressful two hours working to push our pick up truck out of a mud ditch. "Work" out of the way, we hiked to our barren destination and hurried to set up camp while a steady freezing rain impeded swift progress. Muddy, wet and extremely cold, we got in our tent at 2pm for our afternoon siesta while it was still "warm" out.

Dinner was quick and by 6pm we bundled ourselves in everything we brought in the feeble hope of staying warm. Two pairs of thick wool socks. Long underwear, hiking pants and snow pants. T-shirt, long sleeved shirt and outer shell. Balaclava, wool hat and hood. Wool gloves and mountaineering mittens. Me. All stuffed in a sleeping bag and still, very cold. At 4600m the cold and the altitude joyfully join forces to scare off sleep. Although our official wake up call was at 4:30am, my last toss and turn occurred at 2am. I then waited for our 5:30am summit attempt.

We left the tent and it was completely dark, snowing and absolutely freezing. Our guide fed us and we were swiftly off. Catherine quickly got in her groove working crampons and ice ax to near perfection. True to form, my mountaineering boots were a tad oversized and I soon felt heel pain that prevented me from finding my own groove. As the sun rose over the volcano I struggled with the conditions. Knowing that the summit was not too far up I trudged on keeping in step with our guide and Catherine. For sure, the climb was more challenging than I had anticipated. The harsh conditions and the cumbersome gear made for a difficult climb. After three hours, we made it to the summit. Although exhilarated to meet our goal, within minutes we were ready to descend dreaming of a warm shower and warm bed.






The ascent fell into that category of activities we loved accomplishing but would not really consider repeating. Take me to the beach!

Check out the pics:
http://www.juicycat.smugmug.com/gallery/4925310_hDu8S#294274049_mqQky

RSVP 2010

Our very wet and cold arrival to the Quilotoa Crater Lake.

A better day for our hike to the Black Sheep Inn in Chugchilan.
Quilotoa Crater Lake

Lounging at the Black Sheep Inn

Finally, responsible tourism. No wonder it was also the most we have paid for accommodations in eight months. The Black Sheep Inn, owned by Americans Andy and Michelle, is in Chugchilan. That means it is in the middle of nowhere. We hiked four hours to get there and five hours to get out.

Andy and Michelle have been in Chugchilan for fifteen years developing a true ecolodge supporting sustainability through permaculture design. They have cabanas made of adobe and recycled materials, fully composting toilets for all guests, a net zero waste production, community education projects and countless other measures supporting their vision of environmentally sound tourism.

Of course, being at such an innovative place we met one of the most progressive and chill groups of people in all our travels - Canadian Annie and her Venezuelan husband Rodney traveling for a month in Ecuador with there super cute nine month old Lucia, Australian park ranger and cartographer Joel whose humbling sweetness soothed us all, and Americans Natasha and Jesse who live in a converted school bus and canvas tent on a sustainable commune in Southern California.

We lounged on the vast grounds for two days enjoying captivating and intellectual company. We often meet intriguing people but this group felt perfect for our surroundings. In a few years we hope to invite you to a gathering of the minds at our own lodge tucked deep in the forest of Colombia so brush up on your reading.

Check out our pics of the Black Sheep and our hike on the Quilotoa Loop:
http://juicycat.smugmug.com/gallery/4925203_jvgDj#294266219_28stK

I Spoke Too Soon

Sure. After 8 months of travel a horrible day is bound to arise but must it be so bad. Today has been the first day that I have wished to be home. (Even that prospect is depressing since I don't actually have a home.)

Yesterday afternoon we excitedly arrived to Guaranda, happy to be off the beaten path. We checked into our hostel and quickly made it to the town's eccentric and artsy cafe where we enjoyed yummy hot chocolate and games. We returned to the hostel and warmed up while reading our books. A while later I went looking for our iPod to enjoy some tunes before sleep. Surprisingly the iPod was not in my pack. I thought I left it at our previous hostel and immediately called to inquire. I was told to call back in the morning when the regular staff was on duty. I tried to stay positive but could not manage to fall asleep. The iPod is expensive but more importantly it drowns out noise on buses and in hostel rooms. While at home an iPod is just another electronic device, here it greatly contributes to our mental well being.

I awoke early and phoned the previous hostel only to be informed that no iPod was found in our vacated room. We then thought that maybe the staff at our current hostel may have snatched it the previous afternoon while we were gone. When we checked in the owner did warn us that some foreigners just a few days earlier had made accusations of stolen shoes. So instead of leaving our big packs at the hostel and traveling with just a our small daypacks, we left Guaranda fully loaded and quite dejected as we headed to the even smaller village of Salinas. We hoped that the infamous cheese and chocolate of the village would cheer us up.

Salinas was very wet and very cold. Since we arrived the afternoon before May Day, most of the community co-ops on our tour of the town were closed. Instead we walked in the freezing rain looking in through windows as our guide propositioned us with unwelcome overtures. We arrived at noon, by 1:30pm our tour was over, and by 2pm we knew we would be on the 4pm bus back to Guaranda. No amount of chocolate or cheese could make Salinas appealing. The previous day they euthanized their stray dogs and had not collected the bodies off the streets. Around each corner lay dead dogs. For lunch we had unrecognizable meat that Catherine swore was dog meat. I had no proof to dispute her assertions.

As I was feeling sorry for myself trekking back to the bus stop with my heavy and wet pack, a truck sped by and dumped mud all over me. We barely caught the last bus out of town which also happened to be the super local bus. That means packed to capacity with loopy loops (folks chewing the coca leaves) and their countless rice sacks. Within 20 minutes my bladder felt close to explosion. 20 minutes later I maneuvered my way over people and sacks and told the driver I had to pee. Shortly after the bus stopped to get gear off the top and I ran to the side of the road, apologized to the driver for my indiscretion, and squatted for relief...which didn't actually come. Performance anxiety! I got on the bus and shortly after had to beg the driver again to stop and let me get off. Painful.

We made it back to Guaranda and immediately realized our Lonely Planet Ecuador was gone. Lost, forgotten, stolen. Who knows. It was the breaking point. Catherine hopped in a cab headed in one direction and I hopped in a different cab in another direction.

Tonight I sleep alone and with a fever. Yeah, I got sick today!

Starring Jessica Tandy and Hume Cronyn

Baños is likely the most touristy place we have visited in Ecuador. Hotels and travel agencies share countless blocks in the small town. Take any step outside and you are hounded with propositions for ATV rentals, bike rentals, hikes and even promised volcanic eruptions.

Baños is famous for thermal baths found in and around town. Given their lack of luster they should consider a new name for the town. You can actually only enjoy the baths at dawn on weekdays when the crowds are still in bed. At 5am we pool hopped from one Cocoon group to another in avoidance of two persistent hirsute hippies.

The soaking served its purpose after our 60km bike ride from Baños to the jungle town of Puyo. We encountered dozens of waterfalls en route and after about 20km lost all the other tourists who avoided the uphill climbs. Catherine once again proved her adept capacity for high altitude bike climbing. Although no formidable competition I did manage to keep my bum on the bike on hill after hill.

I suppose my self imposed ban on drinking finally paid off.

Check out the teeth on the guinea pig bbq lunch.

Pics of Baños: http://juicycat.smugmug.com/gallery/4924891_5wtAx#294242028_Wk26G
Pics of Zamora and Parque Podocarpus: http://juicycat.smugmug.com/gallery/4925151_v7JF2#294262037_BYVB5