One of my favorite/sometimes least favorite things about living here in Ecuador is that there are rarely times when I find myself walking on a flat surface. Considering that I basically come from sea level, both in NJ and DE, battling the altitude has become a new hobby of mine. Past PDs have successfully climbed Mount Cotopaxi, the tallest volcano in Ecuador, whose gleaming glacial peak can be seen from our rooftop on a clear day. Though I my mountain climbing portfolio only really consists of Smuggler's Notch, VT and the Catskills of upstate NY (let's face it, Delaware barely has hills), I've become pretty determined to attempt a guided journey to the top of Cotopaxi.
In order to mix "training" with sightseeing during our weekends off, myself and some of the other PDs have mastered two different types of climbing: the jagged Mount Pichincha, immediately west of downtown Quito, and the Basilica Cathedral, in the heart of the Quito's historical downtown. It might seem like the Basilica isn't a very daunting task, but the climb to both bell towers via spiral staircases and about a dozen sketchy ladders is pretty exhilarating. Especially for a pretty serious ladder-a-phobe (ie: I waited a month for the apartment door to be install in the apartment before I moved in, in order to avoid the previous ladder laden entrance). See for yourself!
Me being really happy about all of the ladders
Sonia (or Soña as the library kids like to write) in the bell tower
Krysta's shoes & the city below
The girls (Sonia, Krysta, Sarah, me and Haley) at the top
Mt. Pichincha
Me and Krysta take a breather (one out of about 100)
View of the trail ahead
Trying to hold our own against gusting wind
Until next time,
Jackie
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