Climbing El Altar - Ecuador
The El Altar Story.....
El Altar is one of the most spectacular mountains of Ecuador.
It is an extinct volcano in the middle of Ecuador and at one time was higher than Cotopaxi.
A huge eruption almost completely destroyed the cone leaving snow-capped summits in a horseshoe around an
enormous crater lake. Many different colored lakes can be found on Altar.
Incas called this massive collapsed volcano "Capac Urcu," meaning "Almighty Mountain."
Seeing the mountain as a huge cathedral, Spaniards named it El Altar.
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From the trailhead to camp, horses help us bring all the gear.
Starting at 3:00 am we climb pass the bergshund, second ice couloir
and the final summit wall.
Near the summit we notice menacing clouds coming from the amazon jungle.
Summit by 8:30 am |
Cozy home |
It is always a pleasure to see our support team, Angel and his horses.
to walk with them, listen to their stories....
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