Getting High in Cotopaxi

The Secret Garden Cotopaxi hostel is a family home, working farm, and retreat all in one. The view of six volcanos with the snow covered Cotopaxi as the star was simply breathtaking. We arrived in time to settle into our quaint bunk rooms (mine had 8 beds surrounding a potbelly stove) and have lunch. After being served a lovely meal of Ecuadorian stew at the long wooden table we were invited on a nice hike up to a nearby waterfall. I pulled on the rubber boots and headed out with the group, 4 dogs and two guides.

I am just lucky to be alive! We went over, under, through and around thick vegetation, slippery rocks, sheer drops in big rubber boots with the oxygen available at 12,000ft. The waterfall was beautiful, but more importantly we bonded as a group, basically trying to stay alive! If it were not for Patrick, from Switzerland, who pulled or pushed me on many occasions, you would have nothing to read. Patrick, who just finished his degree in molecular biology, won the money for his South American trip on a game show that sounds like our Family Feud. The stories are wonderful here...

The waterfall experience made the next days´ Cotopaxi climb to the Jose Rivas Refuge seem possible. I survived with the limited air available at 16,000ft and made my way up the ground lava to the Refuge. This is the place the climbers sleep before leaving at 1am to head to the summit. None of our group took this on! The weather changes rapidly on the volcano and we were rewarded with some great sun to match the cold wind whipping down from the glacier. It was a great experience!

My two days at the hostel were truly special. We woke up each day with the sun and the rooster. The first person up checked the sunrise and woke everyone if it was a clear shot of Cotopaxi. If so, we would all grab cameras and tumble out in pjs to get the shot before climbing back in until breakfast at 7:30. Everyone did different activities during the day meeting back for an afternoon of laziness in hammocks before snacks and cocktails at 5pm. Big group dinners turned into fun evenings chatting by the fire. When we turned in exhausted, the staff had built a fire in our stove and lit candles everywhere. What an experience!