A Morning To Remember

I awoke this morning to the public announcements that started at 5:34 according to my cellular telephone that I mostly use as an alarm clock. That had to be a new record for the earliest wake-up call.

I was alone in the volunteers compound this morning, as Bill and Debbie, volunteers from Scotland, had gone to Quito to get their Volunteer Visas processed. So after a leisurely breakfast I decided to head for the school about 15 minutes ahead of my normal 7:30 departure time. As it turned out I left early and arrived late.

The morning was crisp and clear and one of those rare days when there was hardly a cloud to be seen in any direction. A perfect day for a hike.

As I crossed the highway and headed north along the dirt road, I looked up and there right in front of me was Cotopaxi, a 5,897 meter volcano whose peak is always covered with snow. This was the first time in all the mornings I have made this walk that I had been able to see this magnificent mountain. And as a added touch there to my left was the almost full moon in the morning sky left over from the night before. My camera of course was in Ambato,

I made the right turn which takes me to the west, which kept Cotopaxi to my left. I looked back to the south/east and there was the ice covered peak of Chimborazo and the jagged peaks of Carihuaicazo about 10 km in front. From where I was the snow on Carihuaicazo looked almost black as it gets an almost daily dusting of ash from Tungurahua. The ice and snow are fading on this mountain….due to global warming some say. However, I’ll blame Mama Tungurahua for its loss.

Up ahead I saw Tungurahua, an impressive mountain, but the peak and crater are obscured by clouds. All of a sudden I saw this large plume of gas and steam rising straight up from the clouds and as it rose it turned into a huge cloud. Normally the winds move the clouds quickly to the left, but this morning they just seemed to hang there and grow. On other days, the eruptions sound like cannon shots and then you see the black ash thrown upwards, but today the mountain sounded like a large furnace that just can’t get enough air.

At the cemetery I cut through the eucalyptus grove and on up the hill. I could no longer see Cotopaxi because it was hidden by the low hills in front of me and I could only hear Tungurahua which was now behind me, but looking to my right was Chimborazo. I stood and looked at it for many minutes before moving on. Knowing full well that in a few minutes it could be shrouded with clouds and who knows when it would show again.

So today I was slowed by the events taking place around me. The school van passed me and I waved....happy that I had lived a different experience then the children who just passed me, although we had traveled on the same road,

I would like to dedicate this post to all of the volunteers who have made this walk with me. I missed you this morning.