Chimborazo, Ecuador
After a quick and unimpressive few days in Baños, I was very happy to get back into the mountains. So, off I went to Riobamba, a city from which you can access two amazing mountains. Northwest of the city lies Chimborazo, the highest volcano in Ecuador and to the Northeast, El Altar with many multi-colored lakes surrounding it.
Still riding my volcano-high after Cotopaxi, I was eager to try my hand at another summit, especially one over 6000 meters. The summit of El Altar was out of the question due to the technicality of the climb, and Chimborazo though extremely tempting was out of my budget. Instead, I just wanted to be in the presence of Chimborazo and its 6286 meter peak. Interestingly, while Everest is the highest point above sea level, the summit of Chimborazo is actually the farthest point on the Earth’s surface from the center of the earth.
This took me a while to understand but because the Earth is not a circle and is wider around the equator, a mountain which lies closer to the equator is actually closer to the sun. My newest pastime is reading the wikipedia pages of mountains.
The bus from Baños was around four hours, arriving just after five in the evening. We found a place to spend the night with an awesome roof top. So before setting out to find a grocery store for dinner supplies I hung out on the roof enjoying the sunset and the mountains surrounding the city. Just behind some neighboring buildings you could see the sneaky peak of Chimborazo accompanied by some whispy clouds. Getting steadily hungrier I abandoned the roof top to find food. It took a little while but I found a grocery store and some amazing basil. I picked out some tomatoes and garlic for a nice pasta dinner. Then I spent the rest of the evening catching up with a friend before bed.
After a very good sleep in a bed that came with two pillows, a serious luxury these days, I woke early to catch a 7am bus to the Chimborazo National Park. Well the bus wasn’t exactly going to the National Park, but it was going to drive by the mountain and the owner of the hostel told me I could jump off the bus as it drove by.
As the bus entered the National Park magical views filled every window. Luckily, I sat on the right side of the bus, the side where Chimborazo stood tall, solo and completely free of clouds. Not only was the mountain amazing, but the landscape surrounding it was equally beautiful. It was particularly special to see herds of llamas and vicuña grazing on grasses sprung from rich volcanic soil. The views were so spectacular and the weather so perfect that I completely missed the entrance to the park and kept on riding the bus all the way to its final destination, about an hour from the park.
No biggie, I was in no rush and enjoyed the bus ride. Though, if you were to do the same I would recommend getting off the bus the first time you pass through the park to save yourself two hours. On the way back, I was itching to get hiking so as soon as the entrance to the National Park came into view I hopped off the buss, looked both ways and cross the road.
From the entrance it’s a 8km hike to the first refuge, so Janis, my trusty companion and I signed in and started walking. About ten minutes in I felt absolutely terrible: headache, nauseous and a weird pain deep in my ears. Altitude is such a fickle thing. Just because you’ve been at one elevation before or even higher, doesn’t guarantee it will feel good the second or third time.
Despite having climbed to the summit of Cotopaxi just four days earlier, we both felt pretty ill. The elements were also pretty intense as we walked through the park. A huge wind blew across the barren land smashing into my right side and the sun, though not particularly warm, beat down on us. Yet, we are a determined pair who had just spent three hours on a bus to get here, so we were going to hike regardless. With our heads down, we took it slow. Nibbling on bread along the way, and not even fifteen minutes later I felt worlds better. Very slowly but surely we made it to the Refugio at 4,850 meters.
At the Carrel Hut Refugio we checked out some maps showing the various routes to the summit and enjoyed some hot mate de coca with biscuits I had brought. Then, with a 3pm bus in mind, we walked back down the mountain. As we walked the clouds that had occupied the summit of this giant volcano for most of our hike lifted for just a moment, revealing the epic glacier decorating the top of Chimborazo and the brilliant red color of the mountain below.
We kept walking, and came across a herd of vicuña looking very majestic. The opportunity for a national geographic like picture was all too tempting for Janis who chased the herd around for a while, trying to capture the perfect shot: a vicuña with Chimborazo in the background. Victorious, the two of us continued down the path.
I am very so slightly obsessed with mountains, glaciers and all things hiking at the moment. There is something so magical, so good for one’s soul to be in the presence of mountains. I think other people know this, but I’m just coming to realize it.
I slightly regret not attempting Chimborazo's summit, but next time. After our hike the two of us, along with two others, hung out on the side of the road waiting to flag down the bus heading back to Riobamba. Low clouds moved in, enveloping the four of us and completely concealing the entrance to the park just across the street. Growing colder and colder, we sat waiting for the bus. It was running late. Finally out of the clouds rushed the bus. We all jumped up waving for the bus to stop, pick us up and safe us from the cold. It drove right by.
Very cold the four of us remained standing and with four thumbs sticking straight out asked every car that drove by to please pick us up. After a handful of cars, with plenty of space passed us by, a pick up finally pulled over. We piled into the back along with four beautiful indigenous women, happy to huddle in the back and warm up. It was way better than the bus. Every time the car stopped to let someone else in the back, despite there being no more space, we all laughed and reorganized in an attempt to create space for another body. By the time we arrived in Riobamba there were sixteen people in the back of this pick up, three children and thirteen adults.
Janis and I spent the remainder of the day in the lobby of the hostel, waiting for a 7pm bus to Cuenca to continue our journey south.
Unfortunately, I had to let go of visiting El Altar the other mountain I had my eye on. I wanted to go without a tour, as they cost upwards of $200 for a two day trek, and it is totally possible to do so. However, it is far away from Riobamba requiring expensive transport there but more so it required camping equipment which I don’t have with me. So like the summit of Chimborazo, it’s a mountain for another time. Our day in Chimborazo National Park was amazing though and I would highly recommend a visit.