Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-altitude!

Hey friends!!
Allison here - my very first blogging experience! Ok so last we spoke, we were just finishing up a few days in Quito. It was pretty busy, crowded, and the air could have been cleaner - so I think we were ready to move on! We headed to the Secret Garden hostel in Cotopaxi national park. Right near the base of the Cotopaxi volcano (the highest active volcano in the world!), and it was BEAUTIFUL!! When we got there, Heath and I headed out with some other guests for a hike - Leslie´s legs were still recovering from some serious mosquito bites, and Steph´s cold would NOT go away. The hike was amazing! It was basically a walk/scramble/climb up a river, and ended at a waterfall which we jumped off of. The water was SO COLD, but it was so fun!! The next day no one was feeling 100%, so we chilled - reading in hammocks, board games by the fire - not too shabby! The next day, we decided to make the trek up Cotopaxi volcano. We got a ride up to a carpark part way up the volcano, then began the SLOW trek upwards. First we climbed 300m of elevation to a refuge - probably the most difficult 300m of our lives. The altitude was KILLER! I had a headache, Les´s lungs hated her, and Heather´s stomach had seen better days. Slowly but surely we made our way to the refuge which sat at 4920m above sea level, then climbed the remaining 180m to the tip of the Cotopaxi glacier. It felt SO cool to be at 5000m above sea level! For reference, the town of Banff sits at 1380m above sea level, and Temple mountain in the Rockies is 3500m. Then we decided to mountain bike down the volcano, which was UNREAL. You basically let the bike ride you, and hoped for the best. The roads were ALL dirt and rocks, and we were FLYING. When we got to the bottom of Cotopaxi, we decided to bike all the way back to our Hostel - an hour and a half ride mostly downhill they´d told us, no big deal. Oh man. The roads were 90% rocks, and very hilly. Highlights of the ride include a flat tire, a donkey in the middle of the road, and a downpour that started when we were about halfway home. Tired, muddy and victorious we made it back! What a cool experience. The next day we got up to see the sun rise, and had another chill day. All in all, Secret Garden Cotopaxi was INCRED - the food was great, the beds were amazing, and the people were fantastic! I think we´d all recommend it to anyone. Off to the Black Sheep Inn in Chugchilan next, which Les will update you on! Miss you all!

A, H, S & L