At Cotopaxi Hut

Wes and Curtis are at the climbers' hut on Cotopaxi. They are at about 16,100 feet. They got picked up by Freddy at 10 am. A Russian guy rode up with them. Wes thought he was rude because he kept complaining the whole time about the crime in Quito, etc. It was also making Freddy angry since this is his country. He was defending it saying it is a big city and you can get mugged in New York, Mexico, etc. They got to see a llama on the drive up. Also, the land is pretty fertile so there were a lot of corn crops but primarily potatoes. He said it was very pretty. Freddy took them to about 15,000 feet and then they had to hike the rest of way up to the hut. Wes said it took them about 45 minutes. They got up to the hut at about 3 pm. On the way it kind of sleeted a little bit but stopped pretty quickly. Then the clouds would come and go but it isn't too bad up there right now. Wes said the hut on Cotopaxi is pretty nice. He thinks it is nicer than Cayambe. The bathroom is a separate structure about 40 feet from the main hut. The toilets at this hut do not actually flush. It is what they call a bucket flush toilet. So, you do your thing and when you are done you put the toilet paper in a trash basket. Then you scoop out a bucket of water from a large drum and toss the water into the bowl and that "flushes" it. Wes said that he and Curtis just took it easy for the rest of the day. There are about 10 other climbers at the hut. This one guided group is going for the summit tonight. They only spent one night at 12,000 feet and now are planning on going to over 19,000 feet in a day! This German guy in his early 20s was complaining to Wes about having a severe headache. Wes advised him not to go any higher in elevation since the group wasn't really acclimated and it would be pretty dangerous. Not sure if the guy will listen to Wes or not. There is also a young couple from the UK. Wes said they are about 21 years of age. He said they rented all their clothing and equipment and have never used them before! He doesn't understand these people who think they can just climb a mountain without ever having climbed one before or even training for it. Anyway, the guy comes up to Wes and asks him what country he is from. Wes says the United States. The guy looks at him and then makes a thumbs down motion and boos him! The guy's girlfriend was angry and told him he was being really rude. Wes didn't stoop to his level, he just introduced himself and said he was proud to be an American! Right now Wes said everyone is asleep. He is outside taking pictures. There is a fox that keeps hanging around him. He comes right up to Wes! He is foraging for food or something but is not scared of Wes at all. He said the clouds are all below him and he can see a reddish glow in the distance which is Quito. There is a half moon highlighting Cotopaxi which is really cool. Both guys are feeling really good. They actually contemplated going for the summit tonight but decided since they aren't in any hurry they will stick with the original plan. Tomorrow they will take it easy and do a short hike on the trail to see where they will be heading. Then tomorrow night they will again get up at 11 pm to be on the trail by midnight for their summit push.