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July 23, 2000 We made the summit!!!! On our first attempt, we bagged Cotopaxi! We left advanced base camp at 12:30 AM Saturday morning and climbed throughout the night. It was the most terrifying experience I've ever had.... yet I've never felt so alive in my life. We awoke from 3 hours rest at about 11:45 AM and went out to check the conditions. With an almost full moon, visibility was great. The sky was clear and the temperature was very cold, about 15 degrees... ideal conditions. We decided to give it a shot. Hiking from the refuge at 15,500 feet, we arrived at the glacier at about 1:15 AM and began our accent. The route was steep and littered with crevasses, some big enough to swallow a 4-bedroom house. At one point we crossed a 30 foot wide crevasse on nothing but a 4 foot wide ice bridge. The view into the black, endless, void below was enough to stop my heart and and freeze my veins. Keep in mind that we did this with nothing but the light from our headlamps. The only way I knew I wasn't alone was the reassuring tension on the other end of the rope. Continuing up the mountain, we passed huge ice falls with chucks of glacier the size of a hotels strewn about like Styrofoam blocks. I've never seen anything like it in my life. At times we heard sharp cracks emanating from the shifting glacier below our feet. The sound was troubling to say the least, but perfectly natural. The terrain changed from waist-deep snow at times, to sheer ice faces at others. Throughout the entire climb, we were a roped team. Unless the whole team were to break through or be taken by an avalanche, we could only fall as far as the next person on the rope (theoretically). After 8 hours of continuous climbing, we pulled ourselves up the final approach to the summit. At 8:30 AM, we stood atop the highest "active" volcano in the world, 19,347 feet. (Higher than Kilamanjaro by 7 feet) The view was indescribable and my emotions were inexplicable. We were 12,000 feet higher than the highest clouds. We could see the rising sun to the east, and the setting moon to the west. The summits of Iliniza, Cayambe, Antisana, Sincholagua, Ruminahui and Chimborazo looked like distant islands in a see of clouds. Every sensation within my body was fully alert and I felt like one with the mountain. As usual, I took a moment to thank her for allowing us this opportunity. After 15 minutes of handshakes, hugs, tears, and pictures, we began our decent. The decent is the most critical part of the climb. The reason that we leave during the night is because every minute the sun hits the mountain, conditions become more dangerous. The chance of avalanche, crevasse opening, and ice bridge collapse, multiplies exponentially. The decent went very smoothly. I was in the lead, with the local mountain guide on the end of the rope. After about 1,500 feet of decent we came to an ice bridge. In the light of the day, I could see just how deep the thing was, we estimated about 80-100 feet. As I poked around with my axe to find a solid place to cross, my right foot broke through and I went in up to my waist. The rope attached to my harness tightened immediately and the team pulled me clear. We shared some nervous laughter, and the local guide told me this was a regular occurrence for the lead man on the rope... nothing to worry about. In fact, he was right, as I was on the bridge, the rest of the team was anchored to the slope with their ice axes in the self-arrest position. I wasn't going anywhere. Even with this knowledge, I couldn't stop shaking for about 10 minutes. All things considered, it was a good experience. I felt much more confident having gone through it and making it out safely. The rest of the decent was uneventful, the only complaint was the surface temperature was about 85 degrees on the glacier. My face is showing the effects of intense, high-altitude ultraviolet exposure. The 45 sunblock certainly helps, but it doesn't provide complete protection. We made the decent in 2 1/2 hours, so after 10 hours of climbing, we were back down safely. We hiked back down to 12,000 feet and drove to the closest village for some much-needed rest and recuperation. Today we decided to roll the dice again. By now, we have been at altitude for about 8 days and climbing at 18,000 feet feels like climbing at 12,000. (believe me, this means a lot!) The team is very strong and confident. Based on these facts, we have decided to attempt Chimborazo tomorrow night. Chimbo is the highest volcano in the world and the highest peak in Ecuador. At 20,702 feet, it is 382 feet higher than anything in North America, including Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska. This mountain may take several attempts due to it's weather patterns and regular storms. We expect the climb to take at least 14 hours and we don't expect everyone to make it. Based on my performance up to this point, the guides and the expedition leader have agreed to put me on the summit team. I have every confidence that I will make it to the top, I have never felt better. I hope to be sending you all a confirmation of our successful accent in a few days time. If we make it on our first attempt, I may even come home early. On the other hand, we may be on the mountain for several days. Thanks again for your thoughts. Whatever you did worked, because the weather on Cotopaxi was perfect. We appreciate the help. Talk to you soon... Nathan. |