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9 Day Cotopaxi Climb with Gabriel Llano
by David Scheidt
I have just returned from Ecuador feeling great.
The 9-day Ecuador trip to climb Cotopaxi was truly wonderful mix of culture, environment, and mountaineering excitement. Gabriel is a great instructor, tour guide, and motivator. He is well respected not only in the high mountain refuge on Cotopaxi by fellow mountaineers, but also in each of the haciendas we stayed in. Gaby is an asset to Mountain Madness and your operations in South America.
Gaby and I discussed several matters of importance while on the trip. Physical fitness and proper acclimatization is obviously a top priority on trips to high altitude. Gaby wanted me to share with you my experience and training in Ecuador, as well as my pre-trip program I used while living at sea level in San Francisco, CA. At the bottom of this memo is a description of the workout routine I used prior to the trip. It's pretty simply really, train everyday, eat right, and stay focused. One valuable resource for me has been the book Maximum Fitness. A former Navy SEAL wrote it. It's probably a bit over-the-top for most people, but the variety of workouts and exercises is valuable.
While in Ecuador:
Acclimatization in Ecuador was quite helpful. A good mix of hiking to high altitude and rest in quality haciendas and hostels. I never experienced any headache, muscle cramps, or problems with digestion. While part of it could be luck, I would attribute it to two factors:
1. Pre-training in the States
2. Gabriel's concern for his client.
On summit day, conditions were difficult. A round trip of over 10 hours. However, the next day I felt no soreness or fatigue. I was good to go.
A bit on Gabriel:
1. He is concerned about making sure his client is comfortable, well fed, having fun, and motivated. He made sure that I always had food to eat, something to drink, and would answer my questions fully if I had a concern.
2. Gaby covered Diamox, of which I did not use, and other medications at altitude. I think many inexperienced or worried people often use drugs to fix things. It's often out of ignorance or mis-education. Gaby is well experienced and educated about proper usage of medications and can explain the usage of medications. Did you know that oregano tea could cure a gassy stomach?
3. Tracking my performance through the use of the "toy" (pulse oximeter) was very helpful. It allows the climber to see in writing how their body is responding to environmental changes.
4. Mountaineering skills and discipline were reinforced throughout the trip. Discipline may sound like a harsh word, but there are disciplines that are taught to keep one safe, comfortable, and mobile.
5. Gabriel knows everyone or everyone knows Don Gabriel! This says a lot about his reputation in Ecuador. This offers a level of comfort with Gaby as a person and as a guide.
I would be happy to talk to potential clients as well as individuals who have signed up for other trips about my training program and diet.
It has been a pleasure working with Gabriel and seeing Ecuador. I would be happy to recommend to others considering a trip to South America to use Mountain Madness and Gabriel as their guide.
Training Program and Additional Items
Total of 12 weeks of training, broken up into 4-week intervals:
First four weeks:
• 1 day a week take a hike with incline. Total hike should be 5 miles. No backpack. Get used to walking with hiking poles.
• 3-5 days a week workout in a gym. Combination of rowing, bike, stair stepper, or treadmill for 30 minutes at a gradual pace. I would do two pieces of equipment per workout. So Bike for 30 minutes and Stair stepper for 30 minutes, stretch and go. If you're a swimmer, even better. I didn't start swimming until the last four weeks, but it's great for lung capacity. Don't blow yourself up in the first two weeks. Everybody feels sore the first couple of weeks, don't over-do it.
• 1 day a week to stretch or yoga. I stretch personally, but Gaby says yoga is great. I would stretch for up to 30 minutes.
Next four weeks:
• 1 day a week take a hike with incline. Total hike should be between 5-7 miles. Carry a backpack that weights 35 pounds. This is tough at first, but you get used to it. Use hiking poles.
• 3-5 days a week workout in a gym. Still combining 2 cardiovascular machines, warm-up on one for 15-20 minutes and move to another for 30 minutes. The pace of each should be more vigorous than the previous 4 weeks. After your cardio, do basic push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups. They don't require equipment and can be done while traveling. Pyramid sets are the best for this workout. The book Maximum Fitness is an excellent starting point for this type of workout.
• 1 day a week stretch or yoga
Last four weeks:
• 1 day a week take a hike with incline. Total hike should be 5 miles or more. Carry a backpack that weights 65 pounds. It's probably recommended not to carry the 65 pounds on the downhill, but I have good knees and a short frame, and of course I use hiking poles.
• 3 days a week in the gym doing cardio, take a hike without a pack, rock climbing, or run stairs at the local stadium. Variety is the key to changing a boring workout. Again, Get in, do the workout, and get out. Total time in the gym 1 hour and 10 minutes. By now, the gym gets pretty boring and the focus on being outside should be there. You have built up strength and endurance in the previous 8 weeks. Workouts are intense. Combine this with the Pyramid workouts described above. Reps should increase and so will total sets.
• 2 days a week swimming for at least 30 minutes. It doesn't have to be the breaststroke the whole time, just keep moving in the pool. I did normal strokes, breast stroke, side stroke, back stroke, frog kicks on my back not using my hands, and even treaded water. I would use a little floating device when I got tired and would just kick laps until I recovered. If you can't find a pool, do 1 extra day of cardio.
• 1 day a week stretch or yoga
Additional items:
Stay focused. It sounds a bit goofy, but I printed out a picture of Cotopaxi and put it by my bed with a calendar of time before the climb (kind of like the Rocky movies). Only you can control your fitness before the climb. The mountain will dictate whether you can climb her or not. Don't let your fitness determine whether you can climb or not.
I am a busy consultant who spends much of his time on the road. I find time to workout.
I did a 14,000' summit in California a week before I left for Ecuador. This helps mentally and for general mountain skills. I have the advantage of living in California though.
Was I a disciplined as the above workout shows, NO. I would take days off due to work issues, or general fatigue. I found when I was fatigued; I would either swim or go to the rock gym. Swimming didn't beat up my feet like hiking with a 65 lbs pack on does. And rock climbing or bouldering was different than the gym and more social.
I treated myself to a massage when I was feeling fatigued. This is a nice reward for working out all the time.
I don't use muscle supplements. However, I do use replenishment drinks and powders. Endurox R4 is the powder drink I use. You find it at GNC.
Sleep. Try to get a full night sleep. For me that's 8 hours. I am a busy road warrior corporate type, so the idea of 8 hours is tough.
I drink about a cup of coffee or espresso a day. That's just to keep me awake at 2:00 in the afternoon. I also drink a lot of water during the day.
I like wine. I drink wine on a regular basis with meals. I did not have any wine until after my climb on Cotopaxi. I did however have beer during the week. No more than one 12 oz bottle on 3 different occasions. I have had other experiences at altitude where alcohol does affect my performance. I choose not to let it affect me by not drinking it.
David Scheidt
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