Ecuador I

 Ecuador has captured me completely! After returning from Galapagos, I am traveling the Sierra, the highlands now. What a contrast!

Hiking up Rucu Pichincha (4784m) after taking a cable car from Quito.

 

I´m amazed how green the landscape is on 4500m!

View of Quito down in the valley. A charming city, despite all the fumes and potential danger of getting robbed. I stayed there for five days, living cheap, eating good and getting prepared for the mountains.

Papallacta is a small town 2 hours from Quito, known for it´s thermal baths and great landscape! In the valley you can see the road we hiked and in the background snow covered Antisana (5758m).

Guides are offered for almost any thinkable excursion. And people make believe you need them. Off the beaten track with Aurelie and Leon, exploring the enchanted forest.

Ecuador is called Ecuador because it is on the Equator...
Of course there is a monument located at Mitad del Mundo and of course once visiting Ecuador you cannot miss out on this site!

Standing on the equator! Left leg north, right leg south, it´s so incredible...

 I managed to balance an egg on a nail and got a diploma for the achievement. Have been tested harder, but I´m sure without exception this can only be accomplished on the equator...

Volcán Corazón (4790m) was my next acclimatisation hike after climbing Rucu Pinchicha twice. I went to a town called Machachi, south of Quito, to be close to the mountain. It turned out to be the most untouristy place. Had a good time at the fruit market, talking to a nice couple and their daughter who attended German classes!! Well, her German was even worse than my Spanish, but her parents found that 27 was a good age. Whatever that means...

Summit Pic at Corazón

The Ilinizas! Seen from the small village of El Chaupi (3300m), a place comparable to my hometown Giessenbach. The Iliniza Norte on the right side of the picture is 5126m high.

Most people do the Iliniza Norte in two days and take a guide. My homeboy Holzi told me that he had done the tour without. I also met a guide who told me the tour could easily be done in one day. His name was Estalin. Funny facial expressions by a Polish group of climbers after he introduced himself as E-Stalin! Reached the refuge after 2 hours walk and had a magnificent view:

The sun rising next to the massive Volcán Cotopaxi (5897m), my next goal after Iliniza Norte.

View from the Refuge, the summit still covered in clouds.

Tracking up the ridge, Cotopaxi in the background.

Close to the summit!

Standing on top of Iliniza Norte, my first summit over 5000m!

Looking down south...

...to impressive Iliniza Sur

Stoked!!!

Home sweet home! This is the Hacienda San José, 3km from El Chaupi, a cosy place to stay after serious mountaineering!

The place was kind of hippie!

Definitely no need for a lawn mower!

I guess her name is Nocho, she was my best friend at the Hacienda, always good accompany on my walks to El Chaupi.

Parque Nacional Cotopaxi

Standing in front of Volcán Cotopaxi! At least double overhead...

I made this short video on the same day, standing at the parking lot underneath the refuge of Cotopaxi, on 4600m, just where the snow begins. I had my backpack with all necessities with me and decided to make a spontaneous attempt to summit Cotopaxi. It wasn´t possible to hire crampons and an icehack from the refuge, but I managed to organize a truck that brought the gear from the valley. I had to decent to the parking lot and wait there. And since this is Ecuador, the guy came an hour late, I was standing there and it wasn´t getting warmer on 4600m...

I got my equipment in the end and hiked back to the refuge. The deal with Cotopaxi is that you need to start hiking at midnight in order to reach the summit for sunrise. Unluckily I got pretty sick that night, stomach cramps and fever made it impossible to make the attempt.
Got through that night alright, caught a free ride back to the valley in the morning and now I´m resting, trying to get well soon. In any case I have the time now to write the blog...

Sometimes while traveling not everything works out as smooth as you would like. But ultimately I realize that I was born in a rich country, am blessed with caring parents and friends, I possess more money than the majority of people in this country and am able to travel and don´t need to work (for now...). So I wouldn´t dare complain, but rather smile about the fact of being gifted and having the opportunity to make such valuable experiences.

So go, but be kind
you have love on your side
born into a family with 

food in their bellies
and a car 

for them to drive
People sleeping on the concrete
still smile 

behind their signs
So go now be happy and be free you, 

you have so much time

If you go, chances are you'll come again
if you come, chances are you'll go
so be mellow let it flow, let it bend
I'll see you somewhere at the end

So go, but be kind

By Xavier Rudd