Witness: Cotopaxi

On the short road from Hosteria La Cienega back to the Pan-American Highway, we came upon a lovely, wide view of the Cotopaxi volcano.  Throughout the day, Cotopaxi's snow-capped peak had been hidden mostly behind clouds, with occasional quick glimpses of the snow line.  

But the mountain still had such a presence for us.  It reminded me of Denise Levertov's wonderful poem, "Witness," which she wrote about another volcano: Mount Rainier in Washington.

Witness

Sometimes the mountain

is hidden from me in veils

of cloud, sometimes

I am hidden from the mountain

in veils of inattention, apathy, fatigue,

when I forget or refuse to go

down to the shore or a few yards

up the road, on a clear day,

to reconfirm

that witnessing presence.

Denise Levertov

The "witnessing presence" of Cotopaxi.

 Cotopaxi Volcano

Ecuador

June 2011

The Cotopaxi Climb

After two doses of coca tea and various breaks to get our bodies accustomed to the altitude, we finally made it up to the snow line on Cotopaxi.  From there, we got out of the car and started our climb.  

Here comes the snow!

Our guide told us to carry as little as possible (though our water bottles were a must), so we grabbed our cameras, and I tucked Mr. Hunter into my jacket pocket.  He emerged for a couple of poses, even thought the cold and the wind and the sleet and the snow made taking pictures a bit of a challenge.  Those of us who'd had the tea avoided altitude sickness, but the climb was still strenuous, and we all got quite a soaking.

Standing together at 15,456 feet

GPS proof

Out of the car and ready to start the climb.

Early on in the climb

A snippet of the weather at 15,500 feet:

Brrr!

15,546 feet up Cotopaxi Volcano

(which rises 19,347 ft)

Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

June 2011

Hall of Fame: The Hunter is Hunted

What's going on here?  

Is somebody getting ready to pounce?

Steve suggested I pose Mr. Hunter on the Lake Limpiopungo sign, but of course it was SO windy. It took a minute to get Mr. H to balance there, and even then he was in danger of toppling at any moment, so Steve crouched nearby, ready to catch Mr. Hunter if he fell.  And he didn't realize that the first shot I took of the scene was a wide shot.  

When I was downloading my photos back at the hotel that night, I saw this picture and cracked up.  It looked so much like Steve was getting ready to attack Mr. Hunter.  

Mr. Hunter looks happy,
even if he is about to blow over.

A slightly steadier perch.

Lake Limipiopungo

Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

June 2011

Big Sky at Lake Limpiopungo

As we made our way up towards our Cotopaxi climb, we'd stop occasionally to spend a little time getting our bodies acclimated to the progressively higher altitude.  At Lake Limiopungo, our guide let us out to take a walk, and to enjoy the scenery.  The most amazing thing about this place: the big sky.

A shot of my brother and the big sky, for a little perspective.

On one side loomed the Cotopaxi Volcano; on the other, Ruminahui Volcano.

Hints of Cotopaxi

About Volcan Ruminahui

The cloud in the middle
was shaped like a little ghost.

A lovely place.

Lake Limpiopungo

Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

June 2011

Our Destination: A Little Climb on Cotopaxi

After we drank our second servings of coca tea, we ducked into the small museum nearby and then braved the cold again to look up at what was visible of Cotopaxi.  We were headed for a brief but intense hike up there at the snow line.

Map of Cotopaxi

The museum had some information on the history of the Cotopaxi volcano, as well as some of the creatures of the region that had been preserved.  Mr. Hunter posed with this Andean Condor.

A model of Cotopaxi.

Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

June 2011

Mate de Coca

Mr. Hunter continues to prepare for the high altitude.

This second serving of coca tea was tea made from actual coca leaves.

This cup of tea was served in a much colder location.  

The inelegant but apt phrase "butt cold" comes to mind.

About coca tea...

My mom was especially intrigued to see that mate de coca might help alleviate arthritis pain.  The coca tea was not very tasty, but it certainly seemed to help ward off altitude sickness.

Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

June 2011

Find Mr. Hunter

Can you spot Mr. Hunter near the Parque Nacional Cotopaxi sign?

We were at #1 on the map (Control Caspi) when we took these photos.  

Our next stop: #4... Laguna Limpiopungo

Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

June 2011

At the Cotopaxi Indigenous Market

Our next stop in preparation for our little Cotopaxi climb was just outside the entrance of Cotopaxi National Park, where there was an indigenous market.  We walked around to get ourselves further acclimated to the altitude, and we also did a bit of shopping.

I bought a scarf made by this lady, whose name was Laura.

She seemed to be intrigued but also puzzled by Mr. Hunter.

Trying on warm hats --
which will be useful when we get onto the mountain.

Cute hat, Mom!

Mr. Hunter hangs out with some other carved faces.

Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

June 2011

Shaggy Donkeys and Llamas

We turned off the Pan-American Highway and started driving down a bumpy dirt road that led to Cotopaxi National Park.  One farm we passed was home to some very shaggy donkeys.

Such satisfactory shagginess!!

The llamas started to scoot away while we were busy admiring the donkeys, but I did manage to capture a sweet (at least I think it was sweet) moment between two llamas in the herd.

Mr. Hunter and the llama farm,
with llamas in the distance

outside Cotopaxi National Park

Ecuador

June 2011