41 / Volcán Rucu Pichincha via Paseo de la Muerte (15,413’)

11/21/25: Had a bit of a late start due to a flurry of work calls from 5am-9am, but started with surprisingly clear weather. As I approached the T junction, it felt like the right day to give the Paseo de la Muerte route a try.

The route started with a fun scramble of a few hundred vertical feet to gain the ridge proper. At that point, there were clearly a few offshoots from the main trail that led to either side of the ridge, making pathfinding a bit more tricky. Luckily the weather held while I navigated trails that led to sketchy climbs or had to down climb a bit to find the original trail.

I finally made it to the actual Paseo de la Muerte - a narrow shark fin (<3 feet wide) that definitely constituted a no-fall zone. A sheer drop hundreds of feet on the right side and 30-40 feet on the left. One had to walk gingerly for 5 feet across this narrow bridge and then climb up 10-15 feet using the fin & mantling your way up. Not hard moves, but terrifying if you had any fear of heights or exposure.

I spent a good 15 minutes sizing up how to approach the climb, and eventually made my way safely to the start. It was heady, but the holds were solid and the climb felt reasonable secure. Would not want to attempt it in any weather or slippery conditions.

The rest of the ridge to the summit was a delight - even ran up a good portion of it. Steve, as always, was there to greet me on top. Even better was meeting Charles, a 70 year old retiree from Canada who was backpacking through Ecuador for the next six weeks. We shared the return journey together and I really enjoyed hearing all his tales from nine years on the road backpacking around the world in the late 1970s. A fierce set of thunderstorms enveloped us the final hour of the descent, putting a lightning show that was terrifying but awe=inspiring.