Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi rises from the Ecuadorian Andes in a steeply symmetrical, glacier-capped cone with an 800 meter wide crater. Cotopaxi is Ecuador’s second highest mountain and it is one of the highest active volcanoes in the world. In the language of the people who populated the base of the mountain, Cotopaxi means “sweet neck of the sun”. It was, and still is considered a sacred mountain for the indigenous population. It is an extremely powerful mountain that caused plenty of damage to nearby towns when it erupted. It has periods of activity every hundred to hundred and fifty years. The last major eruption was in 1877 in which part of the city of Latacunga was destroyed and avalanches of mud and rocks reached the Pacific coast.
It was first climbed in 1872 by the German geologist W. Reiss and the Colombian climber A. Escobar. Now it is a classical climb for the mountaineer who wants a high altitude experience in a relatively safe and accessible mountain. In order to reach the summit by early morning, we must leave the climbers hut close to midnight. The climb takes us through one of the many glaciers and by the notorious wall of Yanasacha. To the right of this black wall the route follows a steep snow slope. The climb is not technically difficult but the altitude and sometimes certain snow conditions make it a very demanding climb. Upon reaching the summit shortly after daybreak, we have unforgettable views of the crater and of most of Ecuador’s snow covered peaks.
