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Yesterday afternoon we returned from our final expedition.
I am now resting on the sunny porch of our new cabin. I can
see all the surrounding mountains perfectly and it is especially
nice to look at snowy Cotopaxi, as this mountain now has a new
meaning for all of us.
Since our last update Emil and I spent several days down at
the Dammer house. We ate good food and rested a lot since we
were exhausted with fevers and other ailments. Many times we
wished we were with the rest of the group on their two-night
solo trekking and sleeping a night by a beautiful lake.
Finally Emil and I joined the group in the Paramos at a camp near
the base of Antisana, a mountain reaching 5,760 meters. We had
a spectacular ride where we soaked in the cold mountain air and
marveled at the plains and surrounding mountains peaks. At the
camp, we spent time enjoying bursts of sun and trying to stay
warm when the mist rolled in. We went on several walks all over
the plains, enjoying the early morning mist and the many skeletons
of animals left by condors. These walks and our time at the base
of Antisana were planned to help us acclimatize to the very high
altitude. We spent a day on part of Antisana's glacier where we
practiced using our crampons and ice axes. It was a very different
experience to be on snow and to feel the impact of the altitude
on our lungs. The next day we took down camp and trekked towards
Cotopaxi. We spent one night by a little stream where several
people almost went crazy trying to catch rabbits unsuccessfully
(with their hands and sticks - I wonder why they had no success?)
What followed was an epic trekking day. We walked for over
9hrs and more than 20 km. At first, the sun was out and we were
walking over beautiful flat plains, but as the day wore on it
began to hail and we started to climb up and down hills. After
about three hours of a very fast pace walking in the freezing
cold rain, we decided to stop and camp. We were all very cold
and most of us were soaked. Michael organized us all and somehow
we set up tents. We changed into dry clothes and huddled in
our sleeping bags as Marcea and Michael served us a delicious
dinner in our tents!
We set off sharp the next morning, wearing all our wet clothes
from the day before (to dry them out). We trekked until lunchtime.
It was easy trekking now, most of it was downhill and then across
a plain. The sun was out and I was so happy that my clothes
were drying as I walked. We set up a good dry camp and laid
out all our gear to dry in the sun and wind. The next day we
rested and continued drying our things. We also ate lots of
good food and bathed in the nearby river in preparation for
our final step, our attempt of summiting Cotopaxi.
Once we had packed up our camp we got a ride from Francisco
in a truck up to the parking lot on the base of Cotopaxi. I
enjoyed the ride and marveled again at how desolate the Paramos
look, with its flat plains and occasional bushes, and then high
rolling hills which gave way to rocky mountains. We walked for
a bit less than an hour from the parking lot to the hut of Cotopaxi.
The altitude was apparent, we walked at a slow steady pace to
the hut. The hut was a large building bustling with many people
preparing food in the kitchens. After setting up our things
in a smaller nearby hut, we enjoyed a spectacular sunset. We
could see over the clouds and the rainbow colors of the sky
were incredible. The colors of the sunset created silhouettes
of the nearby craggy mountains. After an early dinner we went
to bed to sleep for four hours before getting up at 12 am. We
put on our harnesses and many warm layers and set off after
eating a very early breakfast of oatmeal. Anticipation was in
the air as we were leaving the hut in the dark. As we hiked
towards the glacier, I noticed the twinkling lights of Quito
below. We reached the glacier after about an hour of walking
and strapped on our crampons and prepared our ice axes. It was
a very clear night, but it was also very windy and the wind
carried bits of ice, which stung in our faces. We were all attached
to ropes and climbed in teams of three or four. The first part
of the climb was intense; it felt like we were climbing vertically
on the glacier for several hours. It was exhausting at times
and sometimes we could really feel the cold in our fingers and
toes. At around five in the morning we were nearing the summit
and again the climb felt vertical. It was amazing to walk along
the short approach to the summit.
Finally we arrived at the summit, it was six in the morning,
the sun was glittering on the snow and the wind was strong and
cold. It was incredible to be on the top of this mountain we
had been looking at, and imagined climbing for the last three
months. On the summit of Cotopaxi it really felt like the top
of the world. We were looking down on all the mountains and
fields that surrounded it in the early morning sun. Unfortunately,
we were not all together as a group, as Marcea had gone down
with Eric who suffered form altitude sickness only a bit over
an hour from the summit. It was not time yet to celebrate together
and feel the presence of the entire group. The climb down seemed
short and it was nice to see in the light, what we could not
see because of the darkness.
After descending Cotopaxi we soon returned to the parking
lot where we got a ride with Francisco again, and we went straight
back to Palugo.
This last expedition really finalized our semester. We have
only four days here in which we have many, many things to do.
We will work on academics and projects for our big jobs. We
will also work on preparing our final presentation, which we
will present here in Palugo, and at our graduation in New Hampshire.
This is the last update, and I am sad that I will no longer
have epic expeditions to report to you all. I have really enjoyed
writing the updates, as it has been a time for me to reflect
on the many incredible experiences we have had.
The Making of Empanadas.
By Chef Ashandra Gunasekara
Ingredients:
2.5 cup white flour
2 egg whites
2 big spoons butter
1 spoon sugar
1.5 cups luke warm water
1 block cheese
A Lot (10 cups?) of oil
Procedure:
1.Mix the flour, eggs, butter, and sugar in a large mixing bowl
stir well.
2.Slowly mix in the water till you get a good doughy consistency.
3.Once you have the dough take golf ball sized balls of dough,
roll them flat, put a little crumbled cheese in the center then
fold the empanada in half so that the cheese is enclosed.
4.Bring the oil to a boil and chuck the empanadas in, they should
be completely submerged; they are finished when they are a friendly
brown color.
5.searve with sugar and enjoy the delicious snack!
| El semestre esta casi terminado. Tuvimos un tiempo
muy bueno. Será muy difícil para regresar
a sociedad. Vamos a hablar en español a todos nuestras
familias y amigos. Vamos a cantar antes de comer. Cuando
limpiamos nuestros platos con nuestras lenguas, la sociedad
va a mandarnos al hospital para locos! |
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As most of you know we will be returning to States on Monday
Dec. 10th.
Our Flight information is as follows:
Continental Airlines;
Depart Quito Flight 6:54 7:20 AM
Arrive Hou. G. Bush 11:45 AM
Depart Hou. G. Bush Flight 4:82 1:05 PM
Arrive Boston 5:50 PM
Our days remaining here in Ecuador are numbered and we are
preparing for our transition back into the world. We are blessed
to have had the support of so many people who have made this
semester such a valuable experience. As a group we would like
to thank all those who have left a mark on our semester experience.
Your time and effort was appreciated and will never be forgotten.
We look forward to seeing all of you upon our return to New
Hampshire.
We are getting ready for the arrival of the nine American
students and Marcea. We have mapped out the flow of the final
weekend. Here are the details:
GRADUATION PRESENTATIONS:
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14 at 6:30PM at the
ORCHARD SCHOOL in EAST ALSTEAD, NH
SATURDAY, DEC 15 AT 3PM at the MONADNOCK WALDORF SCHOOL followed
by an auction of handcrafted items from Ecuador and the drawing
of the raffle (tickets are still available, please call Gene
DelRio for a ticket). All proceeds from the auction and raffle
benefit the Semester Scholarship Fund.
GRADUATION:
SUNDAY, DEC 16 at 11AM at DENNIS MOLESKI’S THEATRE in
GILSUM, NH
Please come and join us to celebrate
this amazing journey.
View from Cotopaxi from our base camp at Antisana
Antisana, in the afternoon…
we camped underneath the glacier on the left at 4400m for 4
days
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