Team Heroes in a Half Shell: 1/12/2011, Summit Day

The triple headed group, “Heroes in a Half Shell”, formed the night before with Ryan being the late addition to the cohesive Andrew/Barrett combination. Our guide, Rafael, turned out to be quite the whip cracker. As the first hour came to an end and the groups began to rope up with their guides, we knew we were in for a work out when Rafael quickly ushered our group to the front. With Rafael leading the way, Andrew followed with Barrett in the middle and Ryan taking the caboose. The first four hours was no walk in the park, but the stars were shining, our lungs were acclimating well, and a steady pace allowed us to reach the final leg by around 4:30am.

We were warned that the last hour was by far the toughest, so we had to mentally prepare for the final push during our last chocolate break near the summit. It was during this break that we realized we may reach the summit well ahead of sunrise, so we delayed our continuance just long enough to feel the cold bite through our four layers of clothing. Trodding onward, the inclines steepened, oxygen was scarce, and our muscles began to feel the effects of hours of grueling exercise. Nevertheless, Rafael pushed us to our limits and we finally reached the summit around 5:35am. The feeling was euphoric. See the video below -

The sun was still making its way up the horizon, so the early morning light mixture was quite a treat. We had an incredible view of Quito's lights to the north, the cloud layer thousands of feet below us, the many peaks of the Andes dotted in the distance, and an ominous view of the crater. Perfect weather afforded us an unusually long stay atop Cotopaxi's summit, and minute by minute the sun began to expose us to more breathtaking views. Our excitement was contagious; even the mild mannered Rafael began to scream with joy and join the hugs. After about 25 minutes on the summit, Dietrich and Tripp had made it up and the moment was well documented.

Yet very quickly thereafter Rafael resumed his whip cracking ways, telling us it was time to descend and clearly he wanted to set a land speed record in doing so. While we were relishing our triumph of Cotopaxi, being the first ones up on the mountain for the day, our superhuman guide Rafael clearly had other people to see and other volcanoes to climb...Upon arrival at the Cotopaxi base camp he was planning to drive directly to Ecuador's highest mountain, Chimborazo, to lead a another group of climbers on that same day. As we began to descend we saw the rest of our teammates making their final push and we assured each of them that the summit view was well worth the effort!


Written by Ryan Still, Andrew Nourafshan and Barrett Bohnengel

Team Bad Ass Blondes Nail Her: 1/12/2011, Summit Day

Niki: “Are we halfway yet?”

Cesar (guide): “Uh…no.”

Niki: “Oh.” (Insert choice expletive here)

Kirsten: “I think I’m dying.”

We may be blonde, but we were the third team and first all-female team to summit Cotopaxi at 6:00am, just in time for a spectacular sunrise. It was a grueling climb, commencing in the freezing darkness at 12:30am. Around 2:00am we separated into teams, and team Bad Ass Blondes showed Cesar (our guide) how Nic School ladies climb mountains. About halfway through the climb, the altitude sickness started to kick in. Neither of us had taken any altitude sickness medication, preferring to prove to ourselves that we could climb Cotopaxi all on our own. Kirsten suffered from blurry vision, light-headedness, and nausea. Niki felt light-headed, nauseous, and the sight of sheer drop-offs into oblivion, coupled with deep crevasses only further induced yearnings to vomit.

But the Bad Ass Blondes persevered despite feeling awful and exhausted. Luckily we had an amazing guide, Cesar, who let us stop to desperately gulp the thin air in search of oxygen to fuel our burning muscles. Upon hitting the crux of the climb, the last 90 minutes, which consisted of never-ending steep climbs at over 5000m, Cesar gave us some wise advice: “it’s going to be really hard. Think about things that make you happy, like sex, or your boyfriend, or your family.” Niki pushed through the false summits by focusing on putting one foot in front of another. Kirsten was inspired by Niki’s perseverance and continued on despite the pain. At long last Cesar announced: “only 10 minutes, you can do it!” And before we knew it, we were standing on top of Cotopaxi, closest point to the stars, watching the sunrise over the smaller volcanoes.

Kirsten felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment; tears welled up in her eyes and her face was blue and purple fromthe cold. Niki stood on the top, unsure of how she’d come to be there, but once realization dawned, she quickly unzipped her jacket to fish out her camera. The climb had been frigid and windy, her iPod had frozen halfway through, and she found a layer of frozen moisture inside her jacket. She managed to take some pictures of the crater and surroundings before she noticed that she couldn’t feel her fingers and they were starting to turn purple and white (woo frostbite!), but once again Cesar came to the rescue and offered to document the descent. It was on the descent that we noticed how epic, sketchy, and awe inspiring the landscape was. After a few hours we reached the Refugio once again; barely able to move, but with the most empowering sense of accomplishment. We did it!

Vaguely Spiritual Ponderings About Hiking Up Steep Things

There is something empowering about being able to hike up a steep ridge at 15 000ft, feeling not tired, but instead motivated to go even higher. There is something liberating about being able to scramble up a muddy, rocky slope with a drop off into a deep valley only one foot away. And there is a revelation when you figure out how to move your body and its muscles in ways that enable you to balance on slim rocky ledges, slide through volcanic ash, ascend efficiently, and descend without hurting your knees. The ability to engage your muscles to fine-tune your movement, protect your body, and do it all in a controlled and graceful fashion, demonstrates a primal bond with nature. Being out in the wild, having to rely on the connection between mind and body; there is nothing that makes you feel more alive. When this is combined with a supportive team to share the experience, there is nothing that makes you feel more a part of everything, whatever that may be. Your movements, the team’s energy, the land; everything becomes unified--one flow of existence.

1/10/2011 - The Distant Bride and the Rough Ride

Today was not the best day ever. We decided to change the pace after a few days of hiking and begin our prolonged courtship of Cotopaxi with a mountain bike ride. We had a rough start with a 6am wake-up following a long day on Rucu, but the group was forcefully invigorated by the crisp air. The ride began at 15,000 ft in the parking lot below base camp (Jose Ribas Refugio). Cotopaxi was being coy with us, enshrouded in a veil of clouds and damp fog. Dietrich was trying hard to look manly in shorts, but failing miserably by hiding out in the car. 

Our guides from the Biking Dutchman offered us a quick biking lesson. One bike stood out among the others as it was clearly more expensive than all the other bikes combined. Tripp eagerly asked our guide Fernando who got to ride this pimped out bike. Fernando, stern in the face, replied, “that one’s mine,” as he quickly moved between Tripp and the bike. We all geared up and headed down the ash jeep trail.

The first part of the descent was painful with icy shards and heavy winds assaulting our exposed faces. We sped down from the mountain to escape the brutal weather, zig-zagging through the switchbacks one after the other and dodging oncoming traffic. After 8km of riding, we reached the base and stopped to regroup with all 15 and the two jeeps bringing up the rear. Kirsten experienced a nice volcanic rock massage while Barrett and Nourafshan invented a new form of high altitude corn-hole. We pushed on another 5km on undulating terrain to stop at the park entrance for lunch. Cotopaxi was starting to play a little rough. Corinne came through with a nice shiner on the shin. Marcy took a little spill but pretended like her palms were supposed to resemble mincemeat. If there’s one thing about Marcy we’ve learned about on this trip, it’s that her tenacity is limitless. If she were tasked with the role of Sisyphus, the boulder would be reduced to rubble before she relented. By now, it was time to get our chow on in preparation for a grueling round two. The grub consisted of pasta with what was either mango, carrot or squash (the verdict is still out), some spanakopita, liquid sugar with a bit of tea, and Ecuadorean chocolate brownies (Jake says - they were sooo good!).

Round two did not go as planned. We hit some pretty rocky sections and the front group was descending hard and fast. Kristin (KY) lost control of her bike and took a pretty bad spill. It could have been any one of us. She was lying on her back in a lot of pain. Our biking guide, ever the EMT, had her move her arm and determined it was a bruise and nothing more serious. The majority of the group continued on for the last 8km, as Kristin followed in the jeep with Corinne’s company. The group descended, hopping rocks, splashing through puddles and evading chasing dogs. By the end of it all, we managed to bike all the way from 15,000ft on Cotopaxi to our hostal, the Secret Garden Cotopaxi.

When we got back, Kristin’s condition worsened. She felt a pop in her shoulder when trying to change out of her biking gear and was in immense pain. We determined the best bet was to get her to a hospital for an x-ray. We sent our translator and local guru, Kat, trip co-leader Ryan, and ever-resourceful Corinne to escort Kristin to the nearest hospital 45min away. What was supposed to be a 2-3 hour trip turned into an 18hr adventure involving painfully rocky roads, a closed medical clinic, and a long drive to Quito to experience the chaos of Ecuador’s public health system. The team ended up staying in Quito and getting KY on the earliest flight out of the country the following morning.

All the while, the group at the Secret Garden was sitting by the phone and managing to be stressed out about KY’s condition in the most relaxing place on earth. We had a candlelit family dinner, watched an unreal sunset over the mountains, and witnessed a Polish-Australian dance party. We had Dalmatians and Dachshunds to keep us company. Unfortunately we were receiving some botched messages from our distant crew, via Kristin and Co.’s driver (in Spanish) to our hostess, Carolina, and then to us. After many lost texts and cell phone calls later, we got a direct update from our emergency crew. Kristin was heading out of the country and the other three would join us in the morning.

Corinne, Ryan and Kat returned to the group the following day for lunch in Secret Garden Cotopaxi. We were back together minus one, and were more resolute than ever to climb Cotopaxi. It was time to try to return to normalcy, and hit the mountain hard. Our courtship was over and the wedding day was upon us. We were going to climb this monstrous peak, and we were going to do it for KY, if nothing else!

1/13 - Reflecting while eagerly awaiting summit photos

This blogger finds herself extremely well rested having been on a steady diet of Ecuadorian morphine derivatives and, more recently, extreme dose Ibuprofen and some good old-fashioned home cooking and TLC courtesy of Mom and Dad. Yup - it's the injured member of the WILD Cotopaxi team - who had an absolutely epic spill on a mountain bike, dislocating her shoulder and accumulating some pretty gnarly bruises and cuts. When I remember how I landed, I wish I had asked Kirsten to take photos before she helped me roll over...alas, I was too busy freaking out and trying to catch my breath. You may remember my esteemed team-mate Corinne documenting our truly WILD adventures later that evening from the JW Marriott...starting with the smoothest and shortest ride into town ever experienced in a 4x4. Ever. Obviously, that last bit is in no way true, but Corinne, Kat, and Ryan did help me keep my spirits up.

I managed to return to the States and eventually back to Durham, after first spending the night in Miami (what, you thought it'd be simple?) because RDU freaked out at the word "snow" and cancelled all flights from Miami to RDU. The night in Miami wasn't without incident either. Praise the sweet Lord, my shoulder popped back into place! After a short visit to the docs at Duke Sports Medicine, housed in a lovely little building by the stadium, and a new set of semi painful X-Rays, it was determined that all I needed was physical therapy. In fact, surgery is usually a LAST resort, especially for a first time injury...you hear that, Mr. Ecuadorean trauma doctor man? The only reminders I have of that fall now are a sore shoulder, road rash, punctures from where I apparently hit the chainwheel, and some fantastic bruises from the handle bars and the rocks I fell on. It's fun, each day I find a new bruise or cut :-)

As I sit here drinking wine with my dad (I challenge you, dear friends to present me with a better way to convalesce!!) uploading my photos to Facebook and eagerly awaiting the return of the rest of my team, I find myself reflecting on the trip.

I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude to each of my team-mates. Everyone came together to help me post-accident, when I was beyond upset, uncomfortable, frustrated and scared. Every last one of them leaders, they were the epitome of level-headed and crisis ready. Talk about Leadership Under Uncertainty!! And to be fair, it wasn't only under crazy circumstances that we came together to help one another. We were each others' support system down (up?) there, whether it was with encouragement and guidance or with physical assistance.

Although I am bummed that I didn't get to summit Cotopaxi with the rest of the team, I still feel a big sense of accomplishment. For most of us, myself included, each training hike was a new altitude record. We all had to push ourselves mentally and physically, digging deep to press ever forward. I am immensely proud to be a member of the inaugural trip.

Rucu Pichincha 1/9/2011 – How High?

Today was the best day ever. Our original destination was ruled out due to a massive landslide that wiped out part of the road and a small town. Instead, we put our hands up in the air sometime, in the party bus that transported us to the base of the Teleferico, not to be confused with the Teleferique, that would bring us closer to our backup climb. We were terrified of bandits, so we asked the kind employees for advice in case of an emergency. “Call 51.” Err, 911. Things aren’t that different out here. We were also told security would be waiting at the top to escort us to well-depicted maps of trails. False.



A ten-minute ride took us to Cruz Loma at 13,500 feet. Our trusty tall leader, Andrew D., felt under the weather (which was an eerie fog, appropriately), turning back with two companions. Alas, the team journeyed on with Tripp’s encouragement and expertise.



False peaks, false hopes. Rolling hills (some steeper than others) hid our true destination, which was a rocky summit several miles off in the distance.



Following a lunch of Dutch cheese, animal crackers, airborne grapes, and PB&J, we hit the most dynamic and technical hike that many of us had ever experienced. Rocky ridges, muddy waterfalls, sandy steeps. We pushed it to the summit, about four times. Through the fog guerillas appeared below frightened us; to our relief, it was our two missing companions (Burrito Bohnengel and Nerf comma Andrew) whose drive and determination, despite not having lunch, inspired the rest of us slackers. Finally we made it to our destination, which was where we bravely shed layers and displayed our true colors: orange WILD shirts and a Duke banner, to be returned at a later date to the bookstore (we’re poor grad students).



The descent was decent. Actually, it was great. Slip sliding down the sand. Blazing on through the muck and the mud. Everything was glorious until one leading member felt a little naus. Tripp suggested that we put Shal on a caballero, but upon Kat’s translation we realized there were no men willing to transport Shal to the TeleTransportStation. Kat instead suggested we put Shal on one of the nearby caballos and the native gaucho guided him back to the Teleferico. Safely collected back at the base we again put our hands up in the air for a thrilling rendition of YMCA on the corto autobus.

Back at the hostile, we were briefed and scared by CarpeDM climbing consultant, Paul 5, on our Cotopaxi summit bid. We ate, packed, crossed our fingers that Kirsten wouldn’t snore and wake up the entire room with a screaming terror fit when awoken. Partial success.

Quito, Spanglish, and Scavenger Hunt

Most of us were in Quito by 1/5/2010, though a few arrived late in the evening. I'm glad Tripp posted the pic from the hostel, because it really has a fantastic view We spent the beginning part of the day getting to know each other a little better, as well as a spanish lesson from Kat. Stay tuned for a video of some of our role-playing. Utterly ridiculous.

From there we split off into our Scavenger Hunt, which was awesome. Each team, most composed of 3 or so people, was given a list of items to find. These included both Mission Critical items, such as maps, food, and water, to more fun things in Quito

Here's some shots from the Hunt-

a creative interpretation of a local statue

The Instituto Geographico Militar - this place provided Dietrich and I with topo maps of nearby mountains

A picture of a cheesy tourist (luckily I had one on my team, so that was simple)

Fine ecuadorian chocolate...we had to buy something after I sampled everything in the store. Twice.

A cheesy tourist item...what does this shirt mean??

I'm not sure which team won the hunt...but we all had fun doing it. Most teams found their Mission Critical items with success though the medical team had some hang-ups procuring Diamox, the altitude medication. Instead they came back with 48 pills of Dramamine...maybe we should switch our climb to a whale watching trip?

Signing off for now - more to come after our awesome hike today. We're headed to 14,000 ft - higher than any of us have been so far. It will be a good test to see how we respond to the altitude. Then - Soccer Match tonight! Stay tuned.