Pichincha

On Monday, October 6th, after returning early from Cuenca, my friends, Cassidy and Adrian, and I decided to hike Volcan Pichincha, a volcano on the West side of Quito. It is about 4784 m, or 15,696 ft, from sea level. That is about 4000 ft higher than Mt. Hood. You start by taking the Teleferiqo (a "gondola" lift) up about 2200 linear meters to a coffee shop where most Ecuadorians stop, but we wanted to summit Pichincha which is about an 5 hour round-trip hike that seems to be straight uphill. We started out already out of breath from the altitude and sweating from the sun. However, by the time we reached the top, I needed ear muffs, a sweatshirt and a jacket to stay warm and could barely walk a few feet without gasping for air. Most of the hike was extremely clear of clouds, but right when we reached the top, the fog began to roll in and the hike down got pretty eerie. The fog was followed by rain and hail. We returned to the Teleferiqo soaking wet. We returned home and the first thing I did was take a hot shower. It was a difficult day, but a fun day to spend with two of my best friends here in Ecuador:)

Southern Quito from the Teleferiqo

Cassidy and I

Blissfully unaware of things to come

View of the trail from the Teleferico and
the Chapel.

On the trail. We will hike up to the highest point up ahead of me.
It looks deceivingly short in this picture 

View of Northern Quito (kinda..) just before out final ascent
 to the summit

WE MADE IT!

Uh oh, Here comes the fog!

Finally I get to hike downhill:)