Traveling Solo: The Grass-covered Pasochoa Mountain in the Andes

This place makes me want to abandon my work life and live off the grid but not necessarily here. It is inspiring to look around and see how people sustain themselves without the need for modernity. The most significant problem I have with this plan is I would still need money to travel to other places in the world and homeschooling the boys would be difficult and likely unwelcome.

The mountains surrounding Cotopaxi are covered in a thick layer of grasses all the way to the top. The grasses wave in the wind and look like the rolling sea. I am surrounded by these mountains and farms at unheard of elevations but this is near the equator and things are different. Where I am staying they mainly grow herbs but as we drove in I couldn't believe the variety.

Today we have all sat down to fill up on a good breakfast so that we could prepare our bodies to hike Pasochoa. This mountain stands at 4,220 meters, translation 13, 845 feet. It will be a challenge for sure but I feel up to it. So far I have adjusted to the elevation but hiking with sustained exerted effort will be more difficult. We are promised a snack of banana cake and tea at the top plus views of the Valley of the Volcanoes.

We start out the hike in the same direction of the waterfall hike from the previous day but this time we stay up on top of the ridge. We still hike through forest and banks of clay carved deeply for walking. At times the sides are up to my shoulders. There are tiny berries ripening which the locals love to come and harvest. They are like a huckleberry or blueberry but the bush they grow on looks entirely different and they are not as sweet. The branches of the trees are draped with mosses and other unusual plants like bromeliads.

As we emerge from the forest we are high on the hillside overlooking the valley of Cotopaxi. We hike along an ancient Incan canal still in use by the local farmers. Below us we can see the canyon of the waterfall and a third waterfall along the same waterway we hiked the previous day. For this view the canyon is so deep you would have no idea what lies within. Along the canal are little shrubs and above hills of grasses. A creature slips into the canal for a swim, a rodent of some kind. Later on in the hike the dogs who have come with us, a dalmatian and dachshund will chase rabbits up this steep mountain. Our guide tells us when they catch something the locals love to cook it up. The canal portion was the easiest part of this hike. It was relatively flat.

Our guide was informative about each portion of the trail and as we eased away from the canal he told us the next part would be challenging. We would climb 100 meters with an 80% incline. He encouraged everyone to step slowly. I fell to the middle of the pack, not as fast as most of the men but the fastest woman for that day. The dogs were the fastest in the group, racing ahead and bounding up even the steepest portions. We took a break at the top of the 100 meters to let everyone catch their breath. The next section would be a steady climb which was easier but the altitude was increasing with each step. This steady climb was a longer section as well so we were able to hike without a break until we came to a bowl. This bowl was not the crater but it looked as if it could be and again it was covered in grasses. Another break was in order and then the toughest parts of the climb.

I gazed up to our goal and the guide pointed out the path. It was steep and as he described it, "It is interesting." He couldn't describe how difficult this portion would be. I never doubted making it to the top but I related to Ina who said, "Why do I feel like I smoked 6 packs of cigarettes?" I might not have felt quite that bad but breathing was hard when you were climbing straight up. Portions felt like stairs and others felt like they were on an 80% incline again or maybe more. The source of the water crossed the trail and I had to navigate around it. At times I was clenching the grass and at times I just let it grace my fingers gently as I went by.

The summit provided the promised views of the valley. It was difficult to photograph but I still have the picture in my mind. We were not at the highest summit around but we could see them all. We could also see Quito sprawled out in the valley. The crater is covered in trees all the way to the rim and I am surprised, shocked by this. It seems odd to have trees growing at such an elevation. We celebrate our victory with sweet tea, banana cake and sandwiches. We take the time to pose at the peak for pictures before descending down a different path.

On the journey down we see wild horses who must be so content living in these grass-covered hills. The dogs didn't catch anything today but are still full of energy on the way down. This climb only makes me long to climb even more of the surrounding peaks but my visit is too short. I will have to return.