Hey all!

This is a big moment now, I'm on the verge of one of the biggest achievements in my life. Tomorrow morning I leave Quito for a three day hike.

The first day we will climb up the Mt. Illiniza Sur (5,248 m) and on Friday night around 11pm I will attempt to climb the Mt. Cotopaxi which is 5,897 m high. I will be accompagnied by Bratt, a Canadian guy I met at breakfast in the hostel that also wanted to climb the Mt. Cotopaxi. We have a very professional guide that will show us the way up.

Two days ago I did some acclimatization and hiked up the Mt. Pichincha (4,784 m). Normally you can take a cable car up to 4,100 m, but due to unknown reasons they did not open it in the morning, so I had to start hiking from 2,700 m. Around 4,000 m you start to feel that breathing gets harder and your steps become half as large.

Because the cable car was closed, I was the only person on the mountain. The last 50m were pure vertical climbing and for that reason I did not make it to the top.. I stopped at about 15 m from the top, because it was getting way to difficult and what you climb up, you have to climb down. So I wisely decided toclimb back down, because I did not have the appropriate gear and because there was a huge abyss behind me..

Back at 4,100 m I hoped the cable car would work by 2pm as they promised in the morning, but unfortunatelyagain for unknown reasons it was not open. I had to hike down to Quito when it started to hail and poor down rain. Soaked I got back at the hostel for a 12 hour sleep!

I hope all goes well and that we make it to the top. You hear stories about people coughing up blood, altitude headaches, freezing feet, ... So a lot can happen to prevent us getting on top of the highest active volcano in the world! I think the top is further away from the centre of the earth than the top of the Mt. Everest is! (For those who don't get this: the earth is not a perfect ball!)

Saturday or you'll get the news if we made it or not. I have never tested my body as severely as this. May God guide us up there!

Vaya con dios!

G. on the road

LINKS TO PICTURES:

Bogota:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=123215&id=634868429&l=031ac4d6ce

Medellín to Equador:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=126382&id=634868429&l=f024bc4130