Aftering spending some time in the jungle river rafting, we decided our next adventure would need to be in the Andes. Liz hiked up to a volcano while here 5 years ago that she absolutely had to see again. The nearest city to Los Altares is Riobamba, Ecuador, and we spent two nights there to relax and prepare for our trip. We planned on spending 3 days and 2 nights in a valley at the base of the peaks of the mountain. On the morning of our departure we stored our non-backpacking belongings with the hostal we had been staying and caught the 6:45am bus to the small village of Candalaria. We were lucky to be sitting next to a young guy about our age that worked at the ranger station of the National park we were entering (Parque Nacional Sangay). At our bus stop we walked with this guy to the ranger station, registered, and paid our $2 entrance fee. He said that rubber boots were recommended as the trail up to the valley was quite muddy. We didn´t have rubber boots but we did have our waterproof hiking boots and some gaiters we had purchased in Quito.
After some final preparations at the ranger station we set off on the 12.5 km hike up to the valley. The trail starts off weaving through small farms and where the land isn´t developed; thick trees and vegetation take over. The morning was cloudy a bit misty with periods of rain. The trail has a pretty severe incline to start off and is used by hikers, cattle, and horses. Shortly into the hike I learned what muddy means in Ecuador. This isn´t mud that gets on the side of your shoes. This is mud that at certain points will go past your ankle and onto your shins. Parts of the trail were dry and other parts you could navigate around the mud. The interesting parts of the trail were when there was no other way but to trudge right through the mud. Our gear for the most part was up to the task as our boots kept our feet dry and our gaiters kept mud off of our legs and from going into the tops of our boots. After about 3 hours we reached the halfway point. A clearing in the trail that opened up to a nice grassy clearing. Our lunch break was cut short by an increase in the intensity of the rain. We decided to pack up and continue along the trail.
The second half of the trail was a little less steep and the scenery changed to high grass lands. The view was of the mountain when the clouds cleared enough to see and the deep river canyon below. After 6 hours of hiking we arrived in the valley at the base of the peaks of the mountain. There is a refugio there that you can spend the night in, but Liz and I opted to find a protected spot in the valley to camp. The scenery is particulary unique in this area because we were surrounded 360 degrees with high, jagged peaks (Los Altares). The valley is filled with wild horses and bulls. They mostly are not interested in getting close to people but they use the same paths. Occasionally we had to negotiate around a group of grazing bulls or horses. I saw another side of Liz when a large group of horses came into our campsite and she waved them away with hand gestures and loud pitched noises. Interesting.
We eventually found a nice spot close to the river that runs through the valley and protected from the wind. The first evening around 5pm the clouds began to clear and we were treated to an absolutely spectacular view of the moutain, full moon, and the valley. We couldn´t believe how blessed we were to be in that spot surrounded by amazing beauty.
The next day we made breakfast and set off for a day hike up to a lake that is in the crater of the volcano. It was a difficult 3hr round trip hike, but the views were well worth the effort. The lake was a mysterious yellowish-green and we heard loud rockfall all around us when we were up in the crater. It was kind of eerie! That evening about the same time as the night before, the clouds cleared and we were again treated to unbelievable views of the valley and mountain with a full moon to follow.
The next morning we were to pack up and hike out to catch our bus back to Riobamba. At 6:30am we were out of our tent getting our gear ready to go and were treated to a crisp morning without a cloud in the sky. It was hard to believe we were in that place enjoying the creation and hadn´t seen another soul for 2 days. By 8am we were hiking out of the valley beginning the long plod back to the ranger station. We had some excitment when we rounded a corner to find a pack of bulls happily grazing right in the middle of the trail. We kept our distance making loud noises and eventually got them to reluctantly move out of the way. We made great time on the hike down arriving at the station in 4.5 hrs. Our 12:30 bus was there and we loaded our stuff and hoped on board. We were quite muddy at this point and endured some strange looks from other passengers as we made our way back to Riobamba.
In Riobamba we had just enough time to catch a cab back to our hotel, collect the stuff we didn´t bring, change quickly, catch a cab back to the bus station and climb aboard the last bus out of Riobamba towards Cuenca. We spent the next 6 hours suffering through the maniac bus drivers attempts to make a new land speed record to Cuenca. It was 9pm when we arrived and needless to say we were exhausted, dirty, and irritable but thrilled by what we had the priveledge of experiencing over the last 72 hrs.
Now in Cuenca for the past three days, we´ve walked all over the city and enjoyed the quaint and colonial architecture. Lots of good food and beautiful sights. Tomorrow at 7:15am, we board the bus for 9 hours over the border and will end up in Máncora evening. Hoping that our bus driver is more sane than the last!
Dave
After some final preparations at the ranger station we set off on the 12.5 km hike up to the valley. The trail starts off weaving through small farms and where the land isn´t developed; thick trees and vegetation take over. The morning was cloudy a bit misty with periods of rain. The trail has a pretty severe incline to start off and is used by hikers, cattle, and horses. Shortly into the hike I learned what muddy means in Ecuador. This isn´t mud that gets on the side of your shoes. This is mud that at certain points will go past your ankle and onto your shins. Parts of the trail were dry and other parts you could navigate around the mud. The interesting parts of the trail were when there was no other way but to trudge right through the mud. Our gear for the most part was up to the task as our boots kept our feet dry and our gaiters kept mud off of our legs and from going into the tops of our boots. After about 3 hours we reached the halfway point. A clearing in the trail that opened up to a nice grassy clearing. Our lunch break was cut short by an increase in the intensity of the rain. We decided to pack up and continue along the trail.
The second half of the trail was a little less steep and the scenery changed to high grass lands. The view was of the mountain when the clouds cleared enough to see and the deep river canyon below. After 6 hours of hiking we arrived in the valley at the base of the peaks of the mountain. There is a refugio there that you can spend the night in, but Liz and I opted to find a protected spot in the valley to camp. The scenery is particulary unique in this area because we were surrounded 360 degrees with high, jagged peaks (Los Altares). The valley is filled with wild horses and bulls. They mostly are not interested in getting close to people but they use the same paths. Occasionally we had to negotiate around a group of grazing bulls or horses. I saw another side of Liz when a large group of horses came into our campsite and she waved them away with hand gestures and loud pitched noises. Interesting. We eventually found a nice spot close to the river that runs through the valley and protected from the wind. The first evening around 5pm the clouds began to clear and we were treated to an absolutely spectacular view of the moutain, full moon, and the valley. We couldn´t believe how blessed we were to be in that spot surrounded by amazing beauty.
The next day we made breakfast and set off for a day hike up to a lake that is in the crater of the volcano. It was a difficult 3hr round trip hike, but the views were well worth the effort. The lake was a mysterious yellowish-green and we heard loud rockfall all around us when we were up in the crater. It was kind of eerie! That evening about the same time as the night before, the clouds cleared and we were again treated to unbelievable views of the valley and mountain with a full moon to follow. 
The next morning we were to pack up and hike out to catch our bus back to Riobamba. At 6:30am we were out of our tent getting our gear ready to go and were treated to a crisp morning without a cloud in the sky. It was hard to believe we were in that place enjoying the creation and hadn´t seen another soul for 2 days. By 8am we were hiking out of the valley beginning the long plod back to the ranger station. We had some excitment when we rounded a corner to find a pack of bulls happily grazing right in the middle of the trail. We kept our distance making loud noises and eventually got them to reluctantly move out of the way. We made great time on the hike down arriving at the station in 4.5 hrs. Our 12:30 bus was there and we loaded our stuff and hoped on board. We were quite muddy at this point and endured some strange looks from other passengers as we made our way back to Riobamba.
In Riobamba we had just enough time to catch a cab back to our hotel, collect the stuff we didn´t bring, change quickly, catch a cab back to the bus station and climb aboard the last bus out of Riobamba towards Cuenca. We spent the next 6 hours suffering through the maniac bus drivers attempts to make a new land speed record to Cuenca. It was 9pm when we arrived and needless to say we were exhausted, dirty, and irritable but thrilled by what we had the priveledge of experiencing over the last 72 hrs.
Now in Cuenca for the past three days, we´ve walked all over the city and enjoyed the quaint and colonial architecture. Lots of good food and beautiful sights. Tomorrow at 7:15am, we board the bus for 9 hours over the border and will end up in Máncora evening. Hoping that our bus driver is more sane than the last!
Dave
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