Camping in Cotopaxi

So I know its been like a month since my last entry...the last course module I had (Political Ecology) was super time consuming, so I haven't had much time to sit down and write out everything thats happened so far. I've actually been living in the Galapagos for three weeks now! I'm writing this entry from the second floor of the GAIAS building on San Cristobal, where I can see Blue-Footed Boobies and gigantic Frigate Birds circling over the crystal clear, blue water in the bay that borders our town. Even though I'm sweating like crazy and recovering from a terrible sunburn right now, I see things like a baby sea lion rolling around in the waves as they crash into the shore and I'm reminded of how lucky we all are to be here. I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing that.

Butttt, I can't quite get into all of that right now. This entry is actually going to be about the  camping trip I went on to this volcano named Cotopaxi last month. I've done so many amazing things since I've been here...so please bear with me while I catch up!

So prior to coming to Ecuador I had never gone on a camping trip. Honestly...the closest I had come to actually camping was in some cabins with this father/daughter group called Indian Princesses when I was eight years old. I know how crazy it is that an Environmental Studies major hasn't really hung out much with nature, but for most of my life nature wasn't close at hand. I have always wanted to try camping, though. So after coming to Ecuador and realizing my group is full of super-camper types, I knew I had to try.

We had all been chatting about going to this one mountain called Cotopaxi, which is an extremely tall, active volcano a bit further south from Quito. Its in this section of Ecuador known as the Avenue of the Volcanoes...and it is incredibly gorgeous. Cotopaxi looks like the perfect image of a mountain...pyramid shaped, surrounded by rolling hills at its base, and with a snow-capped peak that glistens in the sunlight. We talked with the director of international students at USFQ about the trip and he decided to come with us to show us a place to camp. So the day after we came back from the Cloud Forest, we packed ourselves into a van and drove up into the paramos that surround Cotopaxi. It was a bit cloudy for the first day we were there, so we were bummed that Cotopaxi was completely covered...but we did get to see a herd of wild horses during our 3 hour hike to a cave we could make camp in. The paramos around Cotopaxi were just as beautiful as the other we had seen a few days before. Almost immediately after making camp, however, it started pouring down rain.

The view from our campsite (the next day)!

Our nook of the cave... (mine was the pink sleeping bag)

 After the sun went down, it got incredibly cold. Now I know many of you are struggling through the depths of winter right now and are probably thinking, "ya sure, Colleen...you are still on the equator." To that I would have to say yes, its not like 10 degrees or anything, but it was definitely hovering around freezing. Anyone who has been camping in freezing temperatures would attest to how cold that really feels when you are trying to sleep. Also, the sleeping bags we rented from this sketchy outfitter in Quito were for above like 50 degree weather. I'm sure they never would imagine a situation were a bunch of gringos would want to go camping in anything less that that. One of the sleeping bags even had dog hair in it...we tried to think of it as extra insulation.

Unfortunately, I was the only person on the trip that had altitude sickness. Really bad altitude sickness. I ended up not being able to eat anything all night...and on top of that we couldn't get the fire started because all the wood was damp. We did have a good time listening to music and telling really freaky ghost stories though. A thick fog infiltrated our cave after the rain stopped, which only made the stories more effective.

When we woke up the next morning, the Daniel (the director) was setting up repelling equipment for us to repel off the side of the cliff that overlooked our cave. While we were climbing up to the repelling spot, two gigantic, black birds started hovering overhead. Daniel started freaking out when he saw them because they were Andean Condors...one of the rarest bird species in Ecuador. If you look at the Ecuadorian crest, you will see what these guys look like. I told my host mom about seeing them when I got home and she told me that she had never seen one in her entire life! I was so jealous of how graceful they looked flying around the cliff we were climbing up...mostly because I was struggling so much. Once we got to the top, Daniel hooked up my friend Taylor to the repelling equipment (she's a super experienced climber) to show us how repelling works. I was kinda freaking out a bit when I looked over the edge and realized how badly hurt I could get if I let go of the rope. Because I probably looked like translucent with fear, Daniel made me go down next...and it ended up being one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. It was so difficult to put all of my trust in the strength of my hands and a piece of rope that was tied up between a few gnarly paramo trees. To help me get over this fear, Daniel literally pushed me off the cliff. Halfway down the cliff, the clouds that were obscuring Cotopaxi opened up so I could see the entire mountain. After seeing that, my fear was completely gone.

So, in one weekend I had my first camping trip in a cave, my first bout with altitude sickness, and my first repelling experience! After getting back home Sunday afternoon, we all crashed with exhaustion...and to get ready for our trip to the Amazon Rainforest the next day. Yes, that will be my next entry...which I will be getting around to very soon.