CHAP. VII. START FOR THE SUMMIT. 145 



Above the camp I found nothing, either animal or vegetable, 

 except some shabby patches of moss (at 15,350 feet), which has 

 been dubiously identified as Webera nutans, Schimp. Everything 

 besides growing in ash was covered with it, and presented a very 

 dirty and unhappy appearance. 



The preparations for a start to the summit were now com- 

 pleted. The tent below was left standing, well-provisioned, in 

 case we had to make a precipitate retreat ; and there was food 

 enough near the top of the mountain for several days, should 

 we be kept prisoners there. The morning of February 18 was 

 unusually fine, and the upper part of the cone was free from 

 clouds for several hours. I started off Jean-Antoine Carrel with 

 two natives at 5.20 a.m. and followed with Louis at six, catch- 

 ing the others when they were about 17,000 feet above the sea. 

 We had fine views of Sincholagua (16,365 feet), Antisana (19,335), 

 and Cayambe (19,186), and spent time in examining these 

 mountains with a telescope, with a view to ascending them.^ 

 Antisana bore N.E. by E., distant about 28 miles, and there was 

 in its rear, and rising higher than it, a large pile of cumulus 

 cloud, which I estimate cannot have been less than 23,000 

 feet above the level of the sea. This is the greatest elevation 

 at which I have seen this description of cloud anywhere. 



The ascent to Cotopaxi, by the route we followed, was a walk ; 

 and the direction that we took is best indicated by saying that 

 we kept along the crest of the rather ill-defined ridge^ which 

 descends almost continuously from the summit towards the 

 mountain Ruminahui.^ No climbing whatever was necessary. The 



* Later on we ascended all three mountains. They were distant 12, 28, and 

 62 miles respectively. 



^ This ridge is the Yanasache lava. It appears to issue from a fissure in the 

 cone between 18,000 and 19,000 feet above the sea. It was completely buried in 

 snow at that height. 



^ The route we followed is seen in the view upon p. 137, taken from the lower 

 camp. The view upon p. 144 was taken with the back to the summit of Coto- 

 paxi, looking towards Ruminahui. 



U 



