For the Avenue of the Volcanoes, that was £2,500.Ours was a varied group. We ranged from the gung-ho Herefordshire farmer Bruce to the tireless, very fit Elaine, through several of us in our late forties and one couple, Ali and Colin, in their fifties. The unfortunate Cheryl suffered dreadfully from altitude sickness from the start, and hadn't realised that altitude equals cold, even on the Equator – she spent most of the fortnight riding on a pack-mule in as many extra layers of clothing as the party could spare. For the rest of us, acclimatisation was a tricky but essential part of proceedings.Some charity treks have had a bad press for flying people in and sending them straight up mountains – a certain recipe for disaster Ours was a better-planned adventure.

Flown into Quito, we had time to get used to the spectacular setting and the 2,800m altitude – enough to leave a newcomer breathless walking down the street – before embarking on three days of walks taking us steadily higher.

02/12 - 06/12 Land Cirque du Soleil Tickets staging in Roanoke Civic Center, Santa Ana Star Center. Cirque du Soleil is staging in Roanoke, Rio Rancho and Columbus. cirque du soleil 2012

01/12 - 02/12 Procure Tool Tickets performing in Izod Center, Mandalay Bay. Tool is performing in East Rutherford, Las Vegas and Uncasville. tool 2012

12/11 Access The Book Of Mormon Tickets playing in Eugene O'Neill Theatre. The Book Of Mormon is playing in New York. the book of mormon 2012

On the first morning of the expedition proper, though, I would happily have given the uphill stuff a miss. Badly affected by a suspect ceviche – the raw, marinated fish dish that is a staple of Quito's bars and food-stalls – I felt more like dying than climbing mountains. Gaby's mysterious pills and potions got me through, but the first day was a trial for all of us as the rain lashed down. Even with porters and mules to take the heavy gear, this was a lot harder than messing around in the Pennines. The only uplifting moment was cresting the last hill and looking down to the shores of the Volcan Lagoon, where the porters had set up camp, caught trout in the stream and were cooking dinner.Day two was if anything tougher, but I was fortunate to find a little extra motivation. David, a medical statistician, had made use of the Sick Children's Trust – a charity that builds and runs accommodation for families at hospital – when his own son was terminally ill, and was doing the trek partly as a memorial to him.

When you're soaking wet, your legs have given up and you daren't cough for fear of undoing the good work of the pills and potions, someone such as David makes an inspiring companion.By the foothills of Antisana (3,800m), much of the worst was over. The sun came out, we camped in the same spot for two nights, and got our gear dried out.The next day required some improvisation. The farmer who owned the tract of grassland we needed to cross refused to let us pass – something to do with his llamas going missing, I think. Plan B required a lengthy diversion via a series of villages, but it proved the highlight of the trip – it was Sunday, so everyone was at home.