The Vagabond Hiker

Hiking, trekking, and climbing the world

Culture, caminatas, and climbs in Ecuador

Nearly six years ago I returned from Ecuador with some unfinished business high in the Andes. Recently I attempted to address this situation by climbing two of Ecuador’s three highest peaks: Volcáns Cayambe and Cotopaxi. Read on to see how I did as well as some of the other highlights from this amazing country. This blog is arranged thematically rather than chronologically.

Culture

Our group of 5 Mountain Madness clients began the acclimatization process with a tour of the historic center of Quito and up to the Mirador del Panecillo. Certainly, staying the first three nights at the Hacienda Rumilomo above Quito assisted us as well.

The Mirador del Panecillo Virgin overlooking northern Quito. Panecillo means roll or muffin, and describes the shape of the hill on which the monument stands.
Vista of Quito, the capital and 2nd largest city in Ecuador from the Mirador del Panecillo. At about 2850m (9350 ft), Quito is the 2nd highest capital in the world.
Hacienda Rumilomo (stock photo). We were here a total of five nights over three separate stays at this fantastic hacienda, beyond the hustle and bustle of Quito. (Though, to be honest, a rooster crowing at all hours of the night made sleep a challenge at times). Importantly for acclimatization, it also stands 400m (1300 ft) higher than the city.
My bedroom in the Montana suite at Hacienda Rumilomo
Relaxing in my sitting room at the Hacienda Rumilomo

I returned to Quito for three days at the conclusion of the climbing for some more culture. . .

View west from my balcony at the Ikala Quito Hotel. A stylish in-town option in La Mariscal at a fraction of the cost of Rumilomo, the Ikala was my home for three nights last week after the climbing.
Pre-Colombian ceramics at the Museo Nacional del Ecuador. I used a stock photo here as flash photography was not permitted and the lighting made it impossible to photograph otherwise. With the lack of background information on the cultures and no placards in English, the visit was a bit frustrating. But free entry and the amazing sculptures from La Tolita – Tumaco cultures (600 – 300 BCE in coastal Ecuador and Colombia) made the visit a worthwhile way to spend a couple of hours.
The historic Hacienda Pinsaqui. Simón Bolívar planned the battle of Ibarra from here in July 1823, the only military action directed personally by Bolívar in Ecuadorian territory. We spent a night here after visiting the famous market in Otavalo, north of Quito and near Volcán Cayambe.
Traditional Andean music at the bar in Hacienda Pensaqui

Caminatas

While sightseeing and sleeping in Quito helped, caminatas (“hikes” in Spanish) were the best way to acclimatize for our subsequent climbs in the Andes. Because of poor weather and our time constraints, we completed only two of three planned acclimatization hikes, one to the summit of Rucu Pichincha high above Quito, and the second a short hike up towards a glacier on Volcán Cayambe.

Ossy explaining the Rucu Pichincha hike. We took the teleferico (cable car) to 3945m (12,940 ft) to start the climb to 4700m (about 15,400 ft). Oswaldo, a very experienced high altitude mountaineering guide, is the director of mountaineering in Ecuador for Mountain Madness.
Chuquiraga (Chuquiraga jussieui), the flower of the Andes, on Rucu Pichincha
A traverse on the hike to the summit of Rucu Pichincha. The weather became increasingly overcast and rainy as the day progressed.
The misty scramble up the Rucu Pichincha summit block. I’m in the orange helmet at the back here. (Helmets were worn to protect against rock fall). Our guides took scads of photos which they shared with the clients. I have borrowed liberally from them for this blog post.
A Caracara on the summit of Rucu Pichincha. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: “the Crested Caracara looks like a hawk with its sharp beak and talons, behaves like a vulture, and is technically a large tropical black-and-white falcon.”
A feral canid surveys its surroundings near the Refugio San Gabriel. Brand new and at a far lower elevation than the trailhead, this refuge was an ideal place to stay before our final acclimatization hike on the lower slopes of Cayambe the following day.
The road between Refugio San Gabriel and the Cayambe trailhead at upper refuge (4600m, 15100 ft.) was a challenge after all the rain.
Our group descending during the Cayambe acclimatization hike. I’m in the orange hard shell on the left. Poor weather and the late hour kept us from reaching our objective of the glacier at 5100m.

My final caminata was after climbing Cayambe and Cotopaxi, but for want of a better place, I insert it here.

Bamboo loggers, Mindo Cloud Forest. Bamboo (an exotic invasive) was planted a few decades previously for use in construction. I had never visited a cloud forest before, and hired a private guide for what turned out to be a 13 hour day trip from Quito.
Río Pachijal, seen here on our hike
At Cascada Tatala, the objective of the hike. Apart from the bamboo harvesters, we saw no one else the whole time.
Plate-billed mountain toucan (Tucan Andino). My guide and I spent an hour bird watching at a finca (farm) before the cloud forest hike. At dawn with a 1″ sensor, this photo was as good as I could get. We then spent an hour at another finca enjoying a tour and tasting from the fruit trees. A variety of jack fruit was my favorite, but the flesh of a cacao was tasty too and a mandarin orange sublime.

Climbs

Of course the main reason I traveled to Ecuador was to climb, the focus of the rest of this blog.

Volcán Cayambe from the Refugio San Gabriel two days prior to the climb. At 4790m (19,000 ft), Cayambe is the 3rd highest peak in Ecuador. Its South slope (4690m) is the highest point in the world crossed by the Equator.
My rope mate, Todd, and I resting before final Cayambe summit push. We started at 12:30 AM for what turned out to be a nearly 6.5 hour climb.
Some of the rest of our group arriving on the summit at sunrise. Each rope consisted of 1-2 clients plus a guide.
Our leader and my rope guide, Pablo, brought his drone to the summit to capture some video. After processing, this was the result. I’m seated here, hydrating and fueling up after the challenging (for me) ascent.
Summit vista with Antisana, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo far in the distance. Together with Cayambe, they comprise the four highest mountains in Ecuador.
Me leading the Cayambe descent with Todd following, over some easy terrain. For safety, the guide anchors rather that leads the descent.
Another photo with Todd descending Cayambe
Glacier near the upper Cayambe refuge. It has retreated hundreds of meters over the past couple of decades and its broken nature make it no longer suitable for climbing school.
With other clients at Chilcabamba lodge, following the successful ascent of Cayambe. The lodge was quite comfortable and in an ideal location for many hikes and climbs around both Cotopaxi and Pasaohoa Parks. Highly recommended and less than a 2 hour drive from Quito.
Nele drying her mountaineering boots. She was a definite positive addition to our otherwise all male group of clients.
Volcán Cotopaxi (at 5897m (19,347 ft) the 2nd highest mountain in Ecuador) from Chilcabamba lodge prior to our summit attempt. A very aesthetic peak, here it looks somewhat benign. . .
Cotopaxi’s Jose Ribas Hut. Despite its spectacular location and ideal starting point for the climb, not a very pleasant experience.
Seracs on Volcán Cotopaxi, an additional hazard on summit day. The main issue, though, was the 30-60 cm (1-2 ft) of new snow at higher elevations, creating hazardous avalanche conditions.
Cotopaxi climbers near dawn. I’m at the far right. Todd and I, with Pancho guiding, started at around 12:30 AM. These alpine starts got tiring!
I turned around at 5600m (18,370 ft), and the rest of the group after another hundred meters due to the extreme avalanche hazard.
The Vagabond Hiker taking a photo from below Jose Ribas Hut on Volcán Cotopaxi after the failed summit attempt
Volcán Chimborazo. Chimbo was our group’s ultimate objective, but we did not attempt it due to snowfall creating unacceptable avalanche hazards during our trip. Apart from yours truly, who returned to Quito and the Mindo Cloud Forest, the remainder of the group split, two climbing Cotopaxi successfully three days later and the others summitting the more technical (i.e. steep) but far lower, Illiniza Sur. (I wish this were my photo, but in fact one of the guides took this great shot).

Writing this blog from my base in St. George Utah, I’m preparing for my winter road trip through the desert Southwest. First stop for four weeks will be southern New Mexico, near the Arizona border and the Chiricahua Mountains. Stay tuned. . .

The Vagabond Hiker

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