Climbing Ilalo

Quick post about my adventure.

This morning I woke a bit earlier than I normally would on a Sunday. My host family made plans along with another family to climb the volcano, Ilalo, that overlooks our city. It would be a 3,000 foot ascent to the top. I was eager to go and explore the natural surroundings that I see from afar everyday. My host mom ended up being the only one from my family that went. She is a reserved individual but very strong. I admire her greatly for attempting it today. A married Peace Corps couple that I have become good friends with went with us along with their host mom.

We began the hike from the middle of our town, it did not take long for the asphalt to turn into a stone road, the stone into a dirt road, and the dirt to become a trail. After two hours of hiking we took a break at very  large metal cross. This was one of three on the mountain. We ate a small lunch there. It was very different than the backpacking meals that I am accustomed to. The women brought Pepsi, Ruffles, Chocho (delicious), homemade lemonade, and popcorn. I tried to explain that I only wanted my water because it was difficult to climb with such a lunch on my stomach. I did however, eat some tuna that was brought and a banana. The mothers wanted to return at this point but a very eager man that we met today pushed them on. I need to mention that a dog followed us from near the base of the climb all the way to the top. I had to help him a few times but I was impressed with his tenacity. After another hour of climbing high into the clouds, I departed with the man from Tumbaco that I had met along with his son and a German volunteer not associated with the Peace Corps. The rest of the group stayed back to watch our ascent.

Probably 30 minutes later we made it to the top. The views of our small city and all the area between us Quito was breathtaking. It was a beautiful 360° view. Every time I am in a position such as that I normally feel like I truly conquered something, a "king of the world" feeling. This time was similar but I also had the feeling of being foreign. Seeing all of the tiny houses and villages all around me really made me think about how small I really am. I am going to try and keep this in mind throughout my service. Even though I may feel like the king of the hill, I need to realize I can only do so much. I guess what I mean by this is that I will celebrate the small stuff and worry too much about changing the world. All that is not to say that I was not ecstatic to be there. It was a great trip. I hope to have many more!