FEATURE
ascent, it was ideal to ease the team into things and prepare us for the challenge of walking at altitude. To put into context how difficult it was to acclimatise, the first part of the trek which consisted of a steep incline up a dirt path tired the group out so much, that within 15 minutes we had to stop, with most of us gasping for breath! However, the first day was a success and provided a good introduction to trekking in a high altitude environment The following day we awoke early with the intention of travelling down and reaching El Chaupi in the early afternoon, leaving us enough time to complete an ascent to a base camp. Our plans were soon to change however; with no direct or easy method of travel from Quito to El Chaupi we were severely delayed; not arriving until late afternoon. Due to failing weather and light conditions we had to abandon our first trek and so setup camp, cooked dinner and had an early night before our trip the following day. Day two in El Chaupi was more successful; we completed a 25km hike which was the ideal opportunity to prepare our bodies for the physical challenge of trekking over large distances. By this point it was Friday we had been in Ecuador 5 days and our main trek, the ascent of the volcano El Altar, starting Sunday, was soon approaching.
Saturday brought a long 8 hour coach
journey far south to Riobamba; the start of our main trek. Upon arrival the group had to buy enough food for a 4 day trip, also repacking our bags with warm clothes and other group
equipment we would need. We dined in a local Ecuadorian restaurant that evening, paying a reasonable $6 for the local Al Museo, Ecuador’s traditional dish consisting of a broth style soup, meat or fish with rice and a fruit smoothie, each unique to the shop that created it. We woke early Sunday morning and then set off to meet our coach and guide, Fausto, who took us up to the start of our main expedition. Ahead of us were 4 hard days of trekking, something that the group had been preparing for since we arrived. The first day was tough as we climbed from 3800 metres to 4000 metres. The boggy conditions on the way up made the ascent a lot more difficult than it would have been had it not rained. We arrived at our camp mid-afternoon, set up our tents and collected as much wood as we could ready to cook dinner. Day 2 brought the start of poor weather conditions and even thicker, deeper mud. As we started to climb higher, reaching 4200 metres by the end of the day, we were hit by heavy rain, which was made worse by low drifting clouds making the air thick and moist. By the time we reached our camp site everyone was soaked
The itinerary for our Ecuador trip had been meticulously planned and time divided up to give a blend of challenging treks, community work and Rest and Relaxation days.
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