To the top of Cotopaxi

Hiked to 4800 meters above sea level on Cotopaxi today. The last time this volcano erupted was in 1904 and it is now snowcapped. The hike was exilerating and the views were beautiful. The altitude made it hard to breath. We had tea, hot chocolate, and sandwiches at the 4800 m point. The black Patagonia coat I am wearing belongs to a Brazilian Japanese couple who came on the tour with us but who did not treck up the volcano with us because the wife got altitude sickness. It was the first time since school ended that I felt like I was really relaxing and enjoying myself. It was wonderful.