Quito’s volcano: we couldn’t say no.

Since Ecuador itself and also its Galapagos Islands are both crammed with snowy-peaked volcanism, you might have expected that, after a full two-week expedition there, we’d have been to the top of at least some volcanoes. Well, I guess I would have expected the same too. However, we were on a take-it-easy, contemplative/meditative trip – not a high-octane, stamina-stretching, intense, head-down, onward-and-upward marching one. And one other not unimportant reason – actually, more important than the one just given – is the fact that the snow-capped peaks here are all almost stratospheric – clocking in mostly above five, and sometimes even six thousand meters high. And as any keen volcanist knows – that means acclimatization needs taking very seriously and lots of specialized kit is required; but, like I said – we were in chill-mode throughout the whole expedition, not serious-mode.

However, we did get one teenie-weenie bit of volcanism in – up the ‘easy’ volcano that shrouds Quito: Pichincha. Here are some pics therefrom:

Here are olly_ru and DZ not believing their eyes, and so getting the volcanic view down on digital storage so they can really believe it all later ). Both of them also couldn’t believe we’d just been up to the top of that there volcano and come back down again all in just a day, and both are experienced volcanists.

We’d been told how you can get almost to the top in a cable car, and then there’s just a short stretch to cover on foot to make it to the very peak. Well, we’d been told right: there is indeed a funicular goes up the volcano. Not many cars, but, then again, not that many punters wanting a ride either…

Just before setting off we passed two… optimistic signs: the peak is at a height of almost 4700m; the walk to it takes five to seven hours; and altitude sickness first affects the head, then the heart, then the stomach. Hmmm – no mention of the lungs swelling, but maybe that’s because the altitude wasn’t crazy high like, say, Kilimanjaro.

So, into the cable car we climbed and up the volcano the cable car whisked us – straight up into the middle of the cloud that had been above us since dawn! On the whole, the posse (that is, everyone besides me!) was undaunted by the prospect of zero visibility (à la Huangshan-2017) at the top of the volcano, so posse (including me), despite my grumblings, continued up on foot after being delivered 4100 meters above sea level by the cable car…

At first I was all ‘told you so!’ in my mind…

But wisely I kept such thoughts to myself; wisely – because eventually the cloud lifted! (strange – I’m normally the optimistic one:).

The climb up to the peak is a fairly easy one; the only minor discomfort came from having to engage ‘four-wheel drive’ on the steeper stretches. Must say though – a path would have come in handy. The very last few dozen meters however were rather punishing – not because of the incline of the slope but because the air was so thin. Our bodies hadn’t acclimatized at all so breathing became difficult, the heart beat faster, and the legs wanted to just give up!

We made it!

At the top: much ooh-ing, ahh-ing, and OMGing, as you might expect. And as a bonus (as if we needed one) the early stages of altitude sickness (which I’ve described earlier) added to the feelings of euphoria. Oh my gladness-and-glee!

While still up at the peak we were surrounded by some kinda strange birds – not quite chickens, not quite eagles, but something in-between: chickles ). Hungry they were too: not surprised all the way up here…

The cloud that had formed again once again cleared up – opening up a spectacular view of the capital down below:

Then the cloud was back again, then gone again, then back again…

Now – back down again…

After a while along the path, we looked back up at the peak – hard to imagine we were on it just half an hour ago…

Afterword.

Some four kilometers up this volcano there’s this strange… not quite moss, and not quite grass. A bit like the chickles – something in-between. Short, smooth, bright green, and hard to the touch – as if it’s made of plastic – much like a plastic doormat! Bizarre. Never seen that before…

If you look closer, it takes on a different texture:

And the only thing that seemed to grown on this living AstroTurf was these here pink… mushrooms? Best not nibble on those, me thinks…

And that was the final full day of our expedition. All that was left was the following morning. In the afternoon we’d be on the plane back home…

All the pics from Ecuador are here.