Secret Garden Cotopaxi
A magical place
After the Quilotoa Loop, Janis and I headed back to Quito to lay low for the weekend and figure out how we were going to get to the summit of Cotopaxi. We stayed in the Secret Garden Hostel, the place we first met, and from there decided to take advantage of a package deal they had with their sister hostel located just outside of Cotopaxi National Park.
After two very enjoyable, very lazy days in Quito, we headed to the Secret Garden Cotopaxi Hostel, a staple on the gringo trail through Ecuador.
"Hostel" doesn’t quite do this place justice as it is more of a haven in the countryside with an epic view of Cotopaxi and the surrounding mountains. For $88 one can stay for three days and two nights including three meals and one snack each day, two hikes and transport from Quito. Sold.
They also have private rooms available in the form of hobbit houses, which would be nice and cozy for a couple. On a Monday morning at 10am, Janis and I climbed into our ride along with a super cool Canadian couple, who would become fast friends. After a very bumpy ride through the country the four of us arrived at our home for the next few days, and the basecamp from which Janis and I would finally get to our beloved volcano.
As we parked, I noticed there was a group of three, one woman and two men, trying on mountaineering gear on a deck outside of the hostel. The group was undoubtably heading to Cotopaxi that night to attempt the summit the following morning. Janis and I watched their every move and as I watched my stomach filled with butterflies. We were just days away from sorting through gear ourselves.
Our observations were interrupted by the manager of the hostel who ushered us, along with the ten other new arrivals, into the main living space where we were greeted with information, mulled wine and two dachshunds, Daisy and Dash. I miss my sister's dog, Thurman, so very much. It was lovely to be in the presence of dachshunds again.
After we settled in we were served lunch, a veggie stir fry with rice, and then headed out for a short walk to a nearby waterfall. The rest of my first day in this magical place was spent trying to make friends with a llama and a very shy dachshund, Daisy, drinking lots of tea and watching a beautiful sunset.
We wrapped up the day with a delicious dinner and by 8pm I was snuggled in bed listening to the fire burning in a little stove in the center of the dormitory. I fell asleep excited to wake up for the sunrise in the hopes of catching a view of Cotopaxi standing tall and completely free from clouds.
The next morning I woke up early, though not as early as planned. My bed was just too cozy to leave. At 6:30am I managed to drag myself out of bed, bundle up and join several other early risers, and several hounds, on the deck. Both dogs snuggled up to Janis and the three of them soaked in the warmth of the sun. I missed the sunrise, but the view was spectacular nonetheless: a bright blue sky free from clouds with Cotopaxi and its neighboring mountains basking in the soft morning light. It was the perfect weather for the group of three that had climbed through the night to the summit.
By now they were half way through their descent. I hoped all three of them had made it to the summit and were heading back to the Refugio. I sat for a while, accompanied by my hot cup of tea, staring at Cotopaxi. I thought of all the people who had just summited or attempted to summit that morning while I had been sleeping. I wondered what it would be like to climb this volcano and what it would be like to stand on the top.
Breakfast was at 8am and by 9am myself and everyone else who had arrived the day before set out on the second hike included in the Secret Garden package. With all the dogs following along, we hiked up to Pasachoa: a peak at 4,200 meters with a view of Quito, Latacunga, Cotopaxi, Illiniza, and Antisana. The sky remained clear for the majority of the hike, offering expansive views in every direction.
Pasachoa was beautiful, especially the forest growing just below the peak: a patch of small trees with flaky orange and red bark covering their trunks, twisting and turning in every direction. However, despite the forest feeling like the fantastical home of ferries and elves, I felt a little anxious during the hike. It was the last hike Janis and I would do before Cotopaxi. I was slightly freaked.
I sat on the top of Pasachoa lost in thought, while Janis chatted with a Belgian guy about our pending summit attempt. He seemed interested, so half joking and very casually I encouraged him to join us since climbing in a group of three is more ideal than a duo. With three climbers we would have two guides and in the event that someone couldn’t continue to the summit due to altitude sickness, one guide could return while the others could continue on. In a pair, if one person has to turn back, everyone turns around. I think part of my anxiety was not only the pressure to make it to the summit for the personal accomplishment and the financial investment, but it was also a lot of pressure to think about possibly being the weakest link; a weakness that would not only prevent myself from reaching the summit, but also my now very good friend Janis.
The three of us headed back to the hostel from the top of Pasachoa, and by he time we arrived it became apparent that the man from Belgian was seriously considering joining our climbing team. Later that evening we sat down with the manager of Secret Garden to confirm our plans to summit as a group of three. He talked us through the process and the gear we would need to bring or rent. Lastly, we signed a few documents and made it official. He left us to start organizing our guides and the three of us remained seated, giddy with excitement and nerves. There was no turning back now.
The Secret Garden Cotopaxi Hostel is popular for a reason, and my stay there remains one of the highlights of my trip. In the countryside surrounded by inspiring views and without wifi, it is a sanctuary. The perfect place to slow down for a few days, take a break from traveling and just relax. We three decided to spend one more night there after our climb just in case we needed time to recover, but also because if you go there, you are probably going to want to stay a couple extra days as well.