COTOPAXI CLIMB ECUADOR

                                               

Volcano Cotopaxi




While I'd traveled to Europe, to Asia, to Africa, I'd never been south of the border, south of El Paso.  In November of 2021, I finally made my way south for the purpose of climbing a mountain, a volcano known as Cotopaxi, reaching 19,347 feet above sea level.  I've always been fascinated by volcanoes, by their volatile nature and their tie to the power and magic of earth's center.


Cotopaxi is a volcano as currently active as any. In fact, over the past 250 years, the mountain has erupted more than 50 times, the latest coming in 2015-2016.  And, an added bonus for folks who make their way to see the mountain, is the privilege of visiting the country of Ecuador and the experience of standing on earth's equator.



Of the mountains I've reached the top of so far, Cotopaxi is one of my favorites. What led my fascination was the proximity of the summit to the edge of the crater and the view down into the mountains depths. There's a lot of snow on the upper reaches of Cotopaxi and it gets a wee bit chilly at night, but the view from the top, looking over the equator of earth, makes it a special place on this planet of ours.



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