Day 34: The Epic Adventure Begins

breakfast at 7:30. We´re so tired and everyone in our room now hates us for wakeing them up so early. Checkout at 7:55, Secret Garden are officially the slowest hostel so far at checking people out. Maybe its because they add your total up on a napkin, I´m not sure. Our guide who had been waiting for us since 7:30 started to get impatent so they picked up the pace and we left at about 8:30.

First stop was the shop that we were fitted for the clothes yesterday to collect the gear. Here we met our US mates (TEAM AMERICA) Chris, Matt, Adrian and Julia who were also picking up their stuff. We Loaded all the gear in two 4X4s and set off for our first stop at 3500m where we would stay our first night in a cosy cabin. Along the way our geep passed therse so we couldnt help sticking our eire flag out the window. Hopefully a sign of things to come.

We checked-into the cabins at about 12:00 and went to the rest hut for lunch. After we kitted up for our acclimatising hike to the top of a near-by mountain (also a volcano as it turns out). We were each given a sandwich and drink and set off (3:00). The guides Paulo and Fiusto had told us that it would be an easy hike so not to bring the big heavy boots that our shoes would do. Exactly an hour into the hike the heavens opened and the biggest hail stones I have ever seen started to pound against our faces. The wet had now soaked through my rain gear and my shoes were now fit for the bin. We were forced to turn back. This didn´t boad well for our cotopaxi expedition tomorrow.

5:00 we made it back to the cabins soaked to the bone. Seing as we were told to bring only the esentails, none of us had much in the way of a spare change of clothes so we were forced to wear the fleese pants and insoles to our snow boots. Some didn mind this as much as others however (Photos to come).

That evening we hung all of our clothes next to a big open fire in the rest hut. As the cabin slowley filled with smoke to the point where you couldnt see across the room we played Poker for cocktail sticks and eat the savage lomo steak that they had prepared for us. The generator we used for the lights was the only thing you could hear for miles and miles around. The night was so still and quiet.

We all went to bed at 8:00. Tired and exauhsted from the hike but at least our clothes were now dry. We put every stitch of clthes we had back on us and climbed into our sleeping bags. Paulo had told us it was very very important to sleep tonight as we wouldnt get any tomorrow nigt as we wouldnt be able to sleep in the refuge with the altitude effects............ No Pressure