Andean High

The mission of the day was to walk through El Centro, the historic center of Quito, and thence Northwest to the foot of the first volcano to the West of the city.  At the foot of this volcano is the Teleferico, the gondola that would whisk me to the flank of the mountain.  From there I would explore the trails leading higher into the Andes.  It was three miles or so to the Teleferico, walking first through the old town, exploring new barrios to the West, and then through the Western edge of modern Quito. Before any serious walking could happen, I needed some real coffee.

El Centro has all the tiny cafes required for a good cheap breakfast, as long as one doesn't mind bad coffee.  There is good coffee to be had, though, and the cafe at the Basilica was my spot.  While I was imbibing the brew that energizes, I noted a few details of the Basilica that I had not seen on my first visit.

The earthquake damage on the South end of the Basilica.  The stained glass that once adorned the heart-shaped window has been replaced with modern glass.  Earthquakes are not uncommon in this volcanic valley, and repairing the damage to historic structures is constant.

One of the bronze doors of the Basilica.  This one depicts the arrogance of The Church wherein the native people are blessed with the salvation of the Lord.  i won't even begin to apologize for my use of the term arrogance.  Note the Conquistador on the left.   

With a sufficient dose of caffeine taken in I was off, climbing the steep hills of the barrio behind the Basilica.  Then it was downhill and out into modern Quito and not the nicest bit of walking.

Just in case you thought all of Quito was a jumble of colonial facades, think again.  This is a very large city of over 2.5 million people.

They do love their public art here, even along the busy arterials.  I guess this is a representation of slack lining.

I walked and I walked.  One would think that a giant gondola, whose cable lines and cars were visible coming down the side of a massive volcano would be easy to find.  Well so did I.  Eventually I found the road that led up to the Teleferico station.  Led up it did, and continued to lead up.  I thought I was going to have to climb the entire mountain just to find the thing.  With the help of a few locals who were probably wondering why the Idiot Gringo wasn't taking a taxi like any other sane traveler, I finally found the estacion.

Just below the Teleferico estacion is Volcano park, quite possibly the saddest little amusement park I have ever seen.  The only thing that could make an almost abandoned amusement park in Quito, Ecuador even more sureal was the piped in theme from the Howdy Doody Show drifting over the morning air.  i kid you not folks!

I gladly paid my $8.50 for the ride and climbed aboard.  I was not lucky enough to draw a sunny day, but this time of year in Quito most people do not.  Regardless of the weather, I was excited as the gondola lurched away from the station and started ascending the mountain.  While the Medellin Metro Car was far more exilerating as it swooped over the barrios, the Teleferico was still wonderful.  The views of Quito revealed what a massive amount of real estate this city covers.  Virtually the whole of the valley, every spot level enough to support a building, is covered for miles to the North and South.  Yet from East to West the city is as narrow as a wasp's waist.

The city of Quito, far below the flanks of the volcano.

I disembarked the Teleferico into a stiff breeze sweeping the mountain slopes.  i was glad for my new alpaca sweater and felt hat.  Taking in the views, I quickly found the hiking trail, which begins at an elevation of 4,050 meters above sea level.  Serious altitude.  That is just about 1,000 feet less than the summit of Mount Rainier, to put it in perspective.  

Clouds sweeping across the ridges.

The trail wound along ridge tops, steadily gaining altitude and heading West.  I was not prepared to do the entire hike to the volcano, as that is 12 kilometers one way.  That would be a 14 mile round trip, more than I was equipped for.  I decided to do as much of the hike as I was prepared for and until my water ran out.  At that point i would gracefully retreat to hike another day.

Happy in the thin air with the trail winding on behind me.

I cimbed far into the clouds, gaining altitude the entire time.  On the steeper slopes I dropped into a rest-step, which is an altitude survival technique.  Step, breathe, step, breathe, forcing the air out of my lungs with a hard exhalation.  As the air thins at altitude, the human lungs will not bring in enough oxygen through normal inhalations.  Forcing the air out of the lungs produces a corresponding greater inhalation, and thus more oxygen through larger volumn of air inhaled.  

The clouds were swirling around me, revealing and then hiding the terrain.  Tendrils of cloud were pulled down towards the ground, gyring across the valley like so many ghostly ballet dancers.  It was pure magic.  There was no sense self, only the sensation of being a part of the landscape.  Breathe, step, breathe, step.  Moving through while being a part of and being engulfed in.  Breathe, step, breathe, step.  The air is sharp, thin, biting.  The wind is chiling and invigorating.  Breathe, step, breathe, step.  

The ground was covered with tiny sedum-like plants, creating a yielding and fragile carpet.

I continued climbing until I was out of water, the trail head far below me and out of sight.  The next part of the trail was the begining of an even steeper climb above the first cirque of the volcano's summit.  This was where i would call it a day.  I was already climbing in the clouds and the trail ahead was completely cloaked.  I had gained somewhere in the range of two thousand feet, easily over the 15,000 foot elevation mark, the highest elevation I ever been to on foot.  It was pure joy to stand South of the Equator and at the highest point on Planet Earth I have hiked to in my life.  Chilled and tired, I watched the the spectacle of the cloiud dance as long as I could and then turned my feet downwards letting gravity do the work.  

The cloud dance across the approach to the cirque.

Down and down and down, and then, once more aboard the Teleferico, down some more.  It is amazing how thick the air can feel at 9,000 feet, the elevation of Quito, after the hike above.  It was like returning to sea level.

Heading down the Teleferico.

Down and down and down.

On foot once more, I walked East into New Town.  It was time for a greatly deserved late lunch and then, at another cafe, a wonderfully thick coffee.  There was more to come on this day, for it would be Party Time in Quito as the city came out in droves to celebrate Founders Day, but that is the stuff of another post.