Morning came early but unfortunately the sun did not, nor any hint that a huge mountain was anywhere in the vicinity. Chimborazo was completely engulfed in a thick blanket of fog. We debated on heading on the trail and hoping for an eventual clearing. It worked out that way for us in Cotopaxi but that was a much easier trail to follow. With no assured clearing, we opted to abort out hike and head to Cuenca. Our Swiss friends were readying themselves for their adventure and I must say I envied their having a guide and imminent four day hike. I was fairly certain that they would get good weather at some point. One thing about the mountains: if you wait they usually come out to play. We’d play too, but it would be in Cuenca, not around Chimborazo. I was happy to have at least given it a shot and got to see the old train station that didn’t seem so haunted after spending the night. My wife...
the skeletal remains of two gringo backpackers
by richiecdisc
This brings us back to the carcass and skeleton which my wife noticed with no reaction, perhaps the most deadly of all reactions. We had a good two mile walk to the train station cum hostel that would be our base and the last thing we needed to do was argue. Instead we trudged on into a gray abyss. Did I mention that the weather was miserable? Sure, this would have been easy if the skies were blue and Chimborazo was visible to lead us its way. If things weren’t bad enough, the area was desolate with little sign of life but what seemed abandoned farms. We could certainly understand why people would have pulled up stakes; this place was not looking all that hospitable. And that was before the territorial dogs caught our foreign scent. We’d had the good sense to take out our walking sticks after seeing the dead remnants of the llama and now we added a few choice rocks to our arsenal to...
the rotting carcass of an unfortunate llama
by richiecdisc
They named the province after it so I guess most people would say...Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador.
When I saw the rotting carcass of an unfortunate llama I knew I was pushing my luck dragging my wife on what might be an aborted attempt to squeeze one more hike into our Ecuador adventure. The matching skeletal remains of a cow’s head on the other side of the road did little to allay my suspicion. We’d already been thwarted on an attempt of Ilinizas Norte due to an ice storm and impenetrable fog. Following a half circumnavigation of Cotopaxi and some incredible backcountry camping, we’d been forced to head to Baños to soak in its thermal pools while re-thinking our strategy. It sure would have been easy to forego Chimborazo altogether after losing our precious acclimatization but we had ample time and it was after all on the way to Cuenca, out next port of call. The bus trip had...
the Swiss arrive
by richiecdisc
A few hours later, our prayers were answered when a jeep drove up and out popped some more backpackers. They were Swiss and better yet one of them was a licensed guide who I could ply for information on the proposed hike. With their arrival, the wood burning stove was fired up and the once ominous hostel seemed a lot more inviting and friendly place. As the sun went down, Chimborazo’s base became visible and it looked like we might get some clear weather the next day. The Swiss guide said they were doing a similar hike to the one I had planned and that the initial part was not hard to navigate as long as the weather remained clear. We would be welcome to follow them but they were going with pack animals so their pace would surely be quicker than ours. We enjoyed our evening meal and also looking at the big collection of table top photo books about the Andes and the train station in...
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