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We had originally planned to tour the Equator today and maybe do some birding in a cloud forest, until Kimberly suggested we climb Rucu Pichincha. Nuff' said. So we woke up early and prepared to climb higher than either of us had ever been. At 6:00 AM, the sky was overcast with less than a mile visibility. I don't have much confidence in the local weather forecasts, so we loaded up a backpack with enough gear to cover any conditions we might encounter. The climate at high altitude has a mind of its own and conditions can go from good to bad, and from bad to worse in the blink of an eye... as we learned today.
Initially, conditions started to clear. we saw some blue sky peeking through the clouds as we left the hotel and were optimistic that things would continue to improve throughout the morning. By the time we reached the Teleferico gondola which would take us to the trail head, the air was almost balmy. There were no lines and we boarded the gondola hoping
Country: Ecuador
Elevation: 18,996 Feet
Northern Quito from the gondola.
We reached the trail head by 10:15 and started off on what proved to be an exciting and rewarding day of hiking , scrambling and climbing. The lower portion of the trail was gradually sloped and we encountered a pair of llamas and a rare hummingbird, the Andean Hillstar. The Hillstar is a robust, purple headed hummingbird that only lives above 13,000 feet and feeds off of the high altitude flowering bushes.
to grab some good views of Quito as we rode to 12,900 feet. The gondola took about 15 minutes and we were able to see the enormity of Quito through the haze and cloud cover.
Pretty flowers on the left and Andean Hillstar on the right. Llamas below.
As we approached the rocky summit, we weren't sure how things would unfold. The wide, dirt paths that took us to 14,000 ft couldn't continue as the terrain turned to steep rock and scree. We were also fortunate to pick up a hiking companion, Jerry from Luxembourg, who was wanting to reach the summit. Jerry flies 747s for a European cargo company and was in town for three days before eventually working his way home.
Jerry on the right. The steep summit climb looming in the background. Below is the far away view of the steeper summit portion of the climb.
Then it started to sleet. Slowly at first, then more quickly. Apparently, when it sleets at 14,200 feet, there's not a lot of wind resistance and the pellets fall a little faster than at sea level. Kimberly noted that it felt a little like acupuncture on your face. I thought it felt more like a barrage of pellets from from a BB gun. What was a pleasant hike was turning into a challenging climb. The weather was deteriorating and the terrain was becoming much more technical. Everyone we passed on the trail was heading back, but we pushed forward.
As I type this, Kimberly just informed me that she read a rock slide had wiped out the trail over the last 1000 feet of vertical. The picture above sums up our push for the summit. In places, the rock was loose and we took care not to shoot rock bombs at each other. As we neared the summit, the terrain steepened even more, and when Jerry called out that he saw the summit sign, Kimberly and I made quick work of the last 50 feet.
So that was our day... we also saw and eagle on the way down and plan to hit 16,000 feet tomorrow at Cotopaxi. No geek notes today. I don't think anyone really cares. All indications are that no one reads that portion anyways.
Geek Notes
-Ok, maybe just one geek note. First, I have a Suunto Ambit Altimeter/Barometer/Compass watch with a heart monitor. It collects telemetry as I climb. Afterwards, I can download it and share the information. I've never shared it before, but figured this was as good a place as any. Not sure what this will do, but here's the link to the data for this climb:
http://www.movescount.com/moves/move47778784#.VJKcIc0_IsQ.email
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