Illiniza Norte

We continued our acclimatization with a trip to Illiniza Norte, a 16,800 ft peak. Alex and I spent the night in the refugio (mountain hut) at 15,250 ft. Michelle and Carly, our new friends, accompanied us to the refugio to play a few games of cards and then headed back down the same day. It was a fun trip to the parking lot, with a skilled driver manuvering around mudholes and a river crossing on the dirt road. Carly, Michelle, and I rode in the back, standing up with the wind in our faces. Please note that the two Michelles are wearing matching shirts.

A two hour hike from the end of the dirt road, through paramo and up a steep moraine, led us to the hut. Our new friends got this great photo of us struggling up the moraine in the thinning air, just like the book.

Alex drinks some hot tea outside the brightly painted refugio, with some fresh snow on the ground. The inside of the hut wasn't as well maintained, with mold creeping up the walls, but warmer than outside nonetheless. Both Alex and I had trouble sleeping at 15,250 ft, breathing too fast to sleep normally.

Illiniza Norte at 16,800ft is a rocky scramble, until the last 500ft, where it becomes more exposed and a little harder. Unfortunately, the typical afternoon storm deposited just enough snow on the rock to make the climb out of condition for us. We felt better, when we learned that the guided groups also decided to turn back as well.


Alex gauges conditions, peering into the dense fog. We made it to 16,200ft before heading back down.