El Chaupi
We drove through the town of El Chaupi which means view in Quechua.
Las Mujeres
Waiting on the street corner in El Chaupi
The Steakhouse
A little confusion for preclimb Lunch. No tofu here but we did have the traditional trout meal called Trucha a la Plancha
A Vegetarian and Two Dead Cows
Lunch on the way to climb a mountain
The Road to the Ilinizas
Cobble road through farms on the way to our mt. climb
Los Ilinizas
Entrance to the Ilinizas norte and sur
Bridge at Trail head
Starting Our Climb to the Refugio
We walk along a trail through grasslands and high Alpine plants on our approach to the Illinizas..
The Mountains Shrouded in Clouds
Poli Poli
In Kiswahili poli poli means slowly slowly.
The Hidden Volcanos
Onward to the Refugio
Plant Along the Trail
A Break in the Clouds
Porter's Dog
He was running a long with a young porter who was returning with his horse. They had packed up some other climber's gear to the refugio
In to the Cloud
The Young Porter and His Pack Horse
Hidden Trail
El Refugio
Above Treeline
Fabien, Our Guide
Fabien spoke a little English and I spoke a little Spanish so we practiced our new languages together to try and improve our communication.
The Refugio Appears
Shrouded in cloud, the trail leads to our refuge for the night.
El Refugio
Our bed for the night is at 15419 feet
View From the Refuge at 4pm
The Refuge
What a surprise to find comfortable mattresses to sleep on.
The Cook and Our Guide
The refuge has a full time caretaker who is also the cook. For $20 we got a bed, a cooked dinner, breakfast, and lunch. Our cook even had an iphone which he turned into a wifi hotspot for us.
Sunset Clearing
We lucked out and saw the sunset over the landscape below us as the clouds waxed and waned.
Cliff Behind the Refuge
To the right is the generator
David and Fabio
El Cocinero En La Cocina
Up at 0500 for breakfast before setting off to climb the mountain.
Checking Email at Basecamp
Heading For The Summit
We left at 5:30am for the summit.
Sunrise Above the Clouds
Looking Down Between the Ilinizas
This is the saddle between Iliniza Norte and Sur.
Fabien
A rocky ascent.
Onward
Climbing
Lots of scrambling along the steep and rocky trail
Golden Hour Above the Clouds
We saw a few distant volcanoes poking up through the morning clouds.