The following post features student writing.

Today we finally faced the challenge of hiking up Cotopaxi. We started out with a flat hike around a lake to acclimate ourselves to the altitude. After that we drove up the volcano in a bus and later got out and started the steep trek up the volcano. We struggled through a hailstorm with bitter winds. After climbing 300 meters—or nearly 1,000 feet—in about 40 minutes, we reached a small lodge located at nearly 16,000 feet! Everyone who made it up the mountain was exhausted and jarred by the cold weather, but we all felt extremely accomplished by our feat! We enjoyed some hot chocolate at the top. As we descended the clouds cleared and we got a beautiful view. We spent the rest of the evening and a relaxing afternoon at our beautiful hotel and eating delicious food!

– Ava & Victoria