In addition to working on their own On Assignment projects, the students had the opportunity to explore the Mariposal butterfly sanctuary on the outskirts of town. While Colby and Rachel's Photography teams worked on documenting Ecuadorian life, Hannah's Wildlife and Conservation students passed out surveys and performed environmental studies in the cloud forest.
En route from Mindo to Cotopaxi National Park, we made a stop at the Mitad de Mundo so the students could say that they have straddled the equator! It was a great opportunity to take photos and celebrate the invisible line that gave Ecuador its name!
By mid afternoon, we had arrived at the Hacienda de Porvenir on foothills of the Cotopaxi Volcano, ready for adventure. After a late (and delicious!) lunch we split the group into two-- one group ventured high into the Andean páramo on horseback (complete with gaucho attire!) and the other group worked on service projects; students hung signs to mark trails and prepped the soil for planting trees.
The next morning we awoke feeling more acclimatized to the 3600 meter altitude, and the groups switched activities from the day before. Then we were off to the Santa Rita campground, our home for the next two nights. After the students helped set up camp we enjoyed a delicious meal and fell asleep early in anticipation of the exciting day ahead.
The next morning we broke into our On Assignment teams and split up the day's activities. The Wildlife and Conservation team spent the morning flying through the air on zip lines while the Photography teams worked on community service projects. The students in the community service group cleared trails, planted trees, painted signs and cleaned up the area. We all feel proud of this National Geographic Student Expedition group and the role the students have played in environmental conservation.
Colby's Photography team took to the skies before lunch, but an Ecuadorian summer rain storm delayed the remaining team's opportunity to soar across the zip lines. All was not lost as the group came together and made the most out of a rainy afternoon! Early the next morning Rachel's Photography team jumped on the zip lines as the rest of the group cleaned up the camp site and prepared for a day of hiking on the Cotopaxi volcano.
Afterwards, we jumped on our buses and made our way to the Cotopaxi National Park entrance. We arrived at the parking lot of the mountain--a whopping 4500m in altitude!--, broke into two teams and began our slow march up to the high hut (a 300m vertical rise). When we reached the hut we were treated to a spectacular view of the Andean landscape graced by clouds rolling off the mountains. It was an amazing feeling for all! After a quick scramble back down the mountain, our students spent an hour cleaning up trash that was littered around the parking lot.
We headed back to Quito in time to do our laundry, pack our bags and prepare for the Galapagos! Needless to say, all are excited for the beginning of our next adventure.
Goodbye for now!
Colby, Rachel & Hannah
