Cotopaxi: At the Summit (Part III)

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Nicole continues to describe the challenges when they reach the summit in triumph and then trauma comes unannounced …..

“Diego had predicted it would take us 8 hours to summit, we had not predicted the howling winds. The temperature was -15C, when we stopped to drink or rest we would start shaking from the cold. We were wearing five layers of thermal clothing; we just couldn’t stop to rest. By now we were in thick clouds and rime frost had completely covered us, my black gloves were white, my hardshell jacket was stiff from ice. Marelise complained that she had something in her right eye, we told her it was the ice in her eyelashes, the wind made it hard to communicate, the altitude made us slow to think.

The lights of the rope party ahead of us appear from between the seracs and would give us an indication of how far we still had to go.  When Diego said we only had another 15 minutes to the summit it was hard to believe, it had only taken us six and a half hours. The last 15minutes was only around 10 meters in altitude gain but was so steep we had to use our hands to pull ourselves up and we were reduced to a crawling pace.

We summited, I was proud, I was exhausted and I wanted to cry from relief. The spectacular views I had hoped for were obscured by the whiteout conditions, we couldn’t see into the volcanic crater but we could smell the sulphur. The clouds had lightened so we knew it was now daylight but we didn’t get to see the sun rising from the curve of the earth.  We took a few photos and then turned around to escape the cold.

Covered in rime frost
At the summit, (5897m) covered in rime frost.

I felt the rope tighten on my harness and turned around to see Marelise had slipped, she got up and we walked a few more steps. Marelise slipped again, she was off the path. Diego shouted at her to stay on the path, above the wind I heard her say “I can’t see the path”.  We got to a safer part where we could stand next to each other and I looked at Marelise, her eyes were cloudy/milky.

She had completely lost vision in her right eye and could make out the blurred shape of my red jacket with her left eye, she couldn’t see her feet and she couldn’t follow the trail.  I couldn’t think properly. I have read up extensively on altitude medicine, this doesn’t make sense to me. She is clearly lucid so can’t have high altitude cerebral oedema (HACE), has she had a retinal haemorrhage, she has a family history of glaucoma, could it be that?  Diego is calm, he says we need to descend quickly, the altitude is the problem. He shortens the rope between himself and Marelise and uses it to guide her down.   Remember all the crevasses and narrow ledges we passed on the way up, we now have to go back over them, this time with Marelise blind. I have never been so scared in my life, Marelise is remarkably calm. We know panic is not going to help, we just have to get down.  I trip and my crampon comes loose, Diego tells us to concentrate, we have to get down the glacier fast but safely.

Eventually the wind drops and the sun starts to appear, the views are like nothing I have seen before, seracs the size of houses with icicles hanging off them, it is spectacular. I can’t think of taking pictures, it seems wrong when Marelise can’t see anything.  We stop to drink the last of our mostly frozen water, we are passed the dangerous sections; Diego takes a few photos with his phone.

Descending

Three hours later we make it back to the refuge, we quickly pack up our sleeping backs and take the scree slope down to the car. We drive back to Quito where we go straight to an eye hospital, this is a stunning modern private facility. An optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan shows that Marelise has severe corneal oedema, a reversible condition caused by the low oxygen and freezing conditions (altitude blindness). She gets drops to put in her eyes every few hours. Her vision is completely restored 3 days later.

Mountaineering has fascinated me for years and I am very fortunate to be in a position to travel and experience it.  I know that summiting a mountain has no practical value and as we learnt, things can go wrong.  In spite of the altitude blindness, the poor conditions and how physically exhausting it was, I still can’t stop thinking about climbing more mountains.

This adventure taught us that even if you take small steps you will eventually get to the top, as long as you keep going. Thank you to everyone who donated to the Homes to Grow fund, your efforts have given some very special children a chance to reach the top too. May we all keep building towards their futures, one step at a time. Vamos!”

Nicole and Marelise’s Ecuador Challenge

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https://www.givengain.com/widget/en/campaign/18058/

Through the years we’ve been very appreciative in the way the “Homes To Grow” project has attracted support through many different sectors and we’re delighted now to introduce two  intrepid adventurers, Nicole Morse and her partner Marelise Bardenhorst who are on a quest to scale the high mountains in Ecuador.  Their trip is self-funded and they have kindly offered to champion our fundraising efforts in support of the “Homes to Grow” project.

Of all the requirements to ensure the children’s needs are covered,  the cost of their education is the most pressing.   We are aiming to raise R1.25 million through the long term and we have a very long way to go!  The funds being raised through Nicole and Marelise’s endeavours are a promising start to this year’s  target goal of R300,000 which will cover just the school fees.

Their departure is set for February 16 and they will spend their first days in Quito acclimatising to the altitude.  The plan is to ease into the experience by hiking trails on the lesser mountains  – Pasochoa (4200 m) Pichincha (4696 m), IlinazaNorte (5126 m) and then try to summit Cotopaxi (5,897 m).  Prior to this undertaking  they will undergo technical training on the glacier to hone ice-climbing techniques using crampons and ice axes.  If all goes well they will attempt to reach the summit by starting the climb at midnight on the seventh day.  This will give them time to descend before the  sun warms the glacier making it unstable by possibly causing avalanches or ice and rock falls.   Additional challenges for the climbers could be adverse weather and altitude sickness.  Tackling this rugged and austere terrain is not for the feint hearted!

Mt Cotopaxi:  Courtesy of Wikipedia

A steely determination shows through Nicole’s nonchalance  when asked about the motivation for the adventure.  She explains that it’s the challenge of wanting to climb big mountains and to experience glaciers that appeals as well as the quest for pushing oneself to the limit.

After they have achieved these initial goals and if time permits, they may even consider Mt Chimboraso, which is Ecuador’s highest mountain at an altitude of 6268 m.   It has the added allure of being the tallest mountain in the world  – that is not by elevation above sea level, but through its location along the equatorial bulge, making it’s summit the farthest point on the Earth’s surface from the Earth’s center.

The months of preparation and physical training is paying off.  Nicole’s latest dash up Platteklip Gorge (Table Mountain) took an hour and six minutes and a rapid forty-eight minutes to come back down.  While Marelise is presently studying in Amsterdam for a PhD in exercise science her training has involved a lot of gym work.

Their goals and aspirations are an inspiration to our young children and we’ll be eagerly following their experiences.  What a way to learn about the geography of the lofty mountains of the Andes, right there on the equator clad in snow and juxtaposed between glaciers and volcanoes!

 

Fundraising: The 2015 Calendars

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The 2015 calendar is out!!

Artist Emma Appels-Riley captures Cape scenes with a touch of whimsy in a splash of riotous colours.  This year marks the 200th anniversary of the St Francis Church, the oldest Anglican church in South Africa and tribute is paid to this historic milestone in the front of the calendar.    The early history of the church as well as other churches in Simon’s Town is portrayed in Boet Dommisse’s book “The Six Saints of Simon’s Town” .  Sadly Boet passed away a few months after the book was launched, but it is a wonderful tribute that the funds from the sale of this book are all donated to St Francis Trust for the running of the “Homes To Grow” project which supports vulnerable and abandoned children affected by HIV/Aids.

All enquiries may be directed to Uwe Hass: uweh@realtime.co.za or Monika du Sautoy: peteandme@mweb.co.za

These calendars can be purchased at the following venues: Reader’s Warehouse, Tokai, Wordsworth, Sunvalley Mall, Simon’s Town Pharmacy,  ST Thomas Church , Rondebosch. St Margaret’s Church Fishhoek. Further distribution points to be advised.

this is our 2015 calendar

“The Six Saints of Simon’s Town 1814 – 2014”

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Professor Boet Dommisse presented his latest book at a launch on the 26th March 2014, in St Francis Church, Simon’s Town.

“The Six Saints of Simon’s Town 1814 -2014” chronicles the 200 years of the first Anglican Church established in Southern Africa.’ St Georges Church’ as it was then called ,was built opposite Jubilee Square at the site of the present ‘Pescado Restaurant’ and a plaque will be unveiled by Bishop Margaret.Vertue on the 26thApril, followed by a procession to the present St Francis Church.

In 1819 torrential rains caused the original church to collapse and by the time the Simon’s Town Anglican congregation had collected enough funds to rebuild, Cape Town had started building the ‘St Georges Cathedral-so they had to rename their church ‘St Francis Church’ on it’s completion in 1837.

Boet’s book deals with the activities of this congregation with sensitivity and humour and also relates the happenings  to  current world history.  A great read and we thank Professor Dommisse for his meticulous research. Furthermore he was able to get the MR Kingswell Charitable Trust and the Simon’s Town Cultural and Heritage Trust to fund the printing and publishing costs, so that the entire proceeds of the sale of this book are donated to the St Francis Outreach Trust. This group of caring people has been able to build and support the “Homes To Grow” foster homes that nurture orphaned, vulnerable and abandoned children in townships in the Cape Peninsula. These funds are most welcome towards the purchasing of another plot.

Uwe Hass, Trustee  Tel: 021 7865487