Climbing Chimborazo
When thinking of Ecuador one might picture sandy beaches, sun, and summer clothes…
Winter jackets, hot chocolate, and below freezing temperatures aren´t usually the first things that come to mind.
This past sunday however, I was definitely thinking of the latter.
This weekend, the exchange students were invited to a Rotaract conference being held in Riobamba. Rotary members from all around Ecuador came, including two rotary exchange students from the coastal city of portoviejo. On Sunday everyone was supposed to meet up a 8 a.m at the Hotel Glamour. In true Ecuadorian fashion, however, the majority of the poeple arrived late…so the actual departure time was moved to 9:30 a.m.
After an hour long drive, we arrived at the base of the Chimborazo Volcano. Chimborazo is the tallest mountain in Ecuador, reaching an altitude of 20,565 feet.
The bus dropped us off at the first refuge located at 15,912 feet. It was the first time during my exchange that I actually felt cold…it reminded me of the weather in Oregon! After about a hundred group pictures at the refuge we began the hike to the second refuge located at 16,410 feet.
The hike was exhausting to say the least. Because of the extreme altitude, every step required a great effort. One person in our group actually passed out! Although it took almost two hours, we reached the second refuge tired and in desperate need of a hot drink to warm us up.
We spent an hour at the refuge, drinking hot chocolate and taking pictures with the other exchange students. At 2 p.m, everyone reluctantly walked outside and we began the descent. Luckily, the walk down was a lot faster and soon we were back on the bus heading back to Riobamba.
It was such an exciting day. Every time I have one of these amazing Ecuador experiences, I fell like nothing else will be able to beat it, but then the next weekend comes along with something even better. In summary, I love Ecuador!
Alex
