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Rucu Pichincha with Tiffany and Anu. Ecuador.
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Rucu Pichincha with Tiffany and Anu. Ecuador. 

Page Type: Trip Report

Location: Pichincha, Ecuador, South America

Date Climbed/Hiked: Sep 26, 2008

Activities: Hiking

Season: Summer

 

Page By: HIGH EXPEDITIONS

Created/Edited: Oct 6, 2008 / Nov 7, 2008

Object ID: 450318

Hits: 217 

Page Score: 86.18% - 2 Votes 

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Tiffany, Anu and Melissa.

 
Anu, Tiffany and Melissa. Cotopaxi National Park.
It was 8:15 am and I was waiting seated at the edge of the sidewalk for the travel agency I worked for to open its doors.


It has passed almost 15 minutes and I was still sitting there, keeping an eye on my backpack while listening to my iPod, a Pearl Jam song (black) which takes me back in time to someplace in Europe.



Suddenly 3 girls loaded with their daypacks cross the street and approach to me. One of them, a smiley chinese girl comes to me and ask me if I'm the guide who will be taking them up to Cotopaxi. I notice right away they are americans. I reply them that I don't know, but that I'd like to.
 
Tiffany and Melissa, Cotopaxi's glacier.



They are Melissa, Anu and Tiffany, 3 friendly Medical Students. They've been volunteering for the last couple of weeks at local hospitals in Quito. They are looking forward to do some outdoor stuff during their remaining 2 weeks in Ecuador.


Heading to Cotopaxi



So, 3 hours later we all are entering to Cotopaxi National Park, and later on hiking up to the refuge, ice practicing at the glacier and getting ready for the summit push at midnight.


We had a great time in Cotopaxi even though we didn't make it to the top. But it was nice being up there in the refuge, chatting, laughting and making plans for the days to come while they were in Ecuador. It was Tiffanie's birthday as well. We wished we could celebrated at the top.

Jungle and Mountain

A week later, Melissa, Anu and Tiffany are visiting the ecuadorian jungle while I'm guiding a couple of german girls throughout the Andes of Ecuador. We met 7 days later, after each others trips and Tiffamy and I planned to visit Otavalo and Cuicocha crater lake. We hang out a while by the lake and then we hitch hiked back to Otavalo and then we took a bus back to Quito soon after.

Rucu Pichincha

 
Quito from Rucu Pichincha
 
On the way up.
The following week Anu, Tiffany and I met in Quito and walked up to the Teleferico (cable car). We rode on it up to 4,100 m. We started hiking up by the ridge which increased in altitude gradually as we approach to Rucu's base after an hour of hiking.
 
Rucu Pichincha summit.

We met Alexander (Norway), Michael (New Zealand), and a couple of ecuadorians on our way up. They al followed us up to the summit. Tiffany and I stopped now and then to make sure everybody's doing ok. It was a foggy afternoon and we didin't want anybody getting lost in the highlands. Soon, after one and a half hours f hiking, Tiffany and I reached Rucu Pichincha's summit (4,698 m/15,413 ft) followed by the ecuadorians, Anu, Alexander and Michael.

We all got to the top, took a few pictures and got down back to Quito, trying to avoid the late afternoon thunder storm which is common in the highlands during the summer season.

Images

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