On
Sunday, I went with a friend and her boyfriend to the Telefériqo to the west of
Quito, which is basically a gondola like in the mountains. We got to the top
around 9:30am and could see a clear bird’s eye view of Quito, from north of
where I live to south of where I volunteer. We had decided that we would hike
as much of Pichincha Volcano as we could without getting too cold or into the
cloud cover that had fallen. Our round trip hike lasted about 4 hours, which
included a lovely break at a lower part of the ridge for a snack. We didn’t
reach the summit, nor did we really have a desire to do so given the building
clouds and the steady wind (I learned my lesson on the last volcano). On the
way back down, we often took off running just because we could. Well, that is,
until I dove forward and slid a couple feet, getting a bit of a scratch on my
hand and hip. The good news is that the camera is okay, as are the jackets. The
hike was well worth it, but I will have to better prepare for whatever hike I
decide to do next.
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Rucu Pichincha |
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Quito |
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Quito |
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Only a small patch of rocks, don't fret. |
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At our accepted summit! |
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Quito |
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I fell, and slid a few feet. In retrospect, running down the hill was stupid. |
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"Warning: 4103 meters altitude. Slow. Don't Run." Next time, I'll have to look for signs when I start the trail, rather than after the fall... |
These are just such terrific adventures, Morgan. Beautiful scenery. Great friends. You're making the most of your time in Quito. I'm happy for you, and I'm happy for me to be able to read your blog entries and see the pictures. Very cool.. Love, Dad
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