We had breakfast at Pablo’s, loaded the car and drove back up the hut on Cayambe. This time Gaspar didn’t make us walk the last hour. ;7) After choosing beds, depositing our gear, and making lunches to go, we had another gear check, donned our mountaineering boots, and set off up the mountain. We followed mostly the same path as the day before but took a different way up top to reach a higher point on the glacier.
This was my first time using crampons. That is, if you don’t count the time I wore them out behind the garage after an ice storm, forgot to tie in the front straps, and face planted after three steps.
The glacier was solid ice. I know that sounds funny to say since glaciers are, basically, solid ice. But there wasn’t any snow on top which isn’t the way I’d mentally pictured things. Gaspar checked everything and told us to walk up what seemed like an impossibly steep slope. It didn’t make sense that the crampons would hold but of course they did. Gaspar knows what he’s talking about. The points of the crampons don’t stick into the ice but they held.
We quickly did more and more and started to get the feel of things. Visually stunning.
