Ruta Hieleros del Chimborazo

One Friday while my host mom was traveling, my host relatives Bethany, Paulina, and Tito took care of me. We explored their town, Guano, including playing at a park and going to a bakery. We went out again at night to hike up this hill and see the city lights. This was meaningful to me because they didn’t sign up to host an international student and didn’t know me very well but showed me great hospitality.

On the same day, Tito, Paulina, and Bethany brought me to the Museo de la Momia. This statue is of the last Hielero of Chimborazo, who passed away recently. The tradition of the indigenous hieleros is to climb Chimborazo with a donkey, mine ice from beneath the rocks, and sell the ice in the towns for refrigeration or as ice cream.

Two weekends later, my host mom, Ivone, her friend, Geoconda, and I set off to hike Ruta Hieleros del Chimborazo (the hielero’s route) with a group! Chimborazo is the tallest volcano in Ecuador and towers above Riobamba. As part of our tour, the hielero’s daughter Carmen showed us how they weave straw into ropes and carry it up the mountain to hold the ice on the way down.

We hiked from 3900 meters to around 4800 meters. At this elevation, it is much colder and physical excursion is difficult. It took us around 3 hours to hike the 6 kilometers to our destination! While some of the hiking group moved faster, we took frequent breaks to breathe and enjoy the scenery. At our destination, there is ice under the volcanic rocks. Here, the group rested, shared snacks, tasted drinks with chunks of this ice, and took photos.

Here, the hielera, Carmen, and our guides secure the ice chunks to the donkey with the straw ropes.