July 1st 2023: I think it's the highest I've ever been (geographically). I made it to the summit of Imbabura (4640 m) along with a three-legged dog named Rambo and a ten-month old mutt. These intrepid dogs belonged to my guide, Jose, the grandson of Aida, owner and founder of the laid-back hostel, Casa Aida, located in the idylic little Ecuadorean village of La Esperanza. This tiny Andean town, tucked away in the Imbabura Province, is the principal launching pad for the majority of Imbabura Volcano climbers.
The Imbabura volcano is considered to be an inactive stratovolcano, which last erupted approximately 7,500 years ago. It seemed to be sufficiently dormant for me. After visiting Caymbe for a colorful summer solstice parade, and spending some time in Otavalo and Ibarra, I came to the conclusion that the impression Imbabura left on me when I first laid eyes on it on a drive up to Ibarra was too significant to ignore. And there is no better way to explore your meaningful impressions than by physically climbing and exploring the topography of that volcanic impression.
I captured some frames of the ice-capped Cayambe Volcano at eye-level as the sunlight began to evaporate. Those photos are especially significant to me since I almost shattered my knee falling on a mountain of rock some moments before (thanks to my unfocused, ADHD-riddled guide and Rambo, his three-legged dog). About twenty minutes after cleaning up the blood and restarting our descent, the peak of Cayambe broke through the cloud cover and a glorious look at the often cloud-covered Cayambe Volcano offered us a moon-lit look at it. I took that moment as an open invitation to one climb reach it's much higher 5790 m (18,996 ft.) summit. Point taken. Thank you Imbabura and Cayambe for zooming out my perspective. Till we meet again.
I captured some frames of the ice-capped Cayambe Volcano at eye-level as the sunlight began to evaporate. Those photos are especially significant to me since I almost shattered my knee falling on a mountain of rock some moments before (thanks to my unfocused, ADHD-riddled guide and Rambo, his three-legged dog). About twenty minutes after cleaning up the blood and restarting our descent, the peak of Cayambe broke through the cloud cover and a glorious look at the often cloud-covered Cayambe Volcano offered us a moon-lit look at it. I took that moment as an open invitation to one climb reach it's much higher 5790 m (18,996 ft.) summit. Point taken. Thank you Imbabura and Cayambe for zooming out my perspective. Till we meet again.
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