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HOME » Travel Journals » Brian's Cayambe-Coca Trek
Brian's Cayambe-Coca Trek
By : Brian
Trip Begins April 19, 2008
Trip Ends April 22, 2008
I hiked part of the trek on our Ecuador Adventure trip and visited the village of Oyacachi too.
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April 19, 2008
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Arrive Quito
Quito, Ecuador
Missoula's flight connections have improved so much since I first flew to Ecuador that I arrived in Quito in just 13 hours versus the 20+ it used to take! Betty and Marcelo met me at the airport with big smiles and hugs. They just finished building their new home, I'm staying with them for the first time, rather than at a hotel. I've worked with Betty & Marcelo since my first years running tours in Ecuador, and they are just like family.
The two served up a scrumpious dinner of sauted shrimp, steamed rice and vegitables, and we downed it all with a bottle of cherry wine made in Missoula - yes, we have wineries in Missoula, Montana! We had a great time talking late into the night. Tomorrow, Marcelo and I are heading high up into the mountains to explore some new areas and hike some of our Cayambe-Coca trek.
April 20, 2008
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Quito - Oyacachi
Cayambe-Coca Trek Day 1: Oyacachi, Ecuador
After a relaxing breakfast where Betty made sure to serve my favorite tropical fruit juice - maracuya - Marcelo and I load into his van and head out. We pick up Jascivan, our outfitter for the trek, and a couple guys to help along the way.
Once we get out of Quito, the concrete buildings quickly drop out of site, and the high paramo stretches into the horizon. I'm amazed at how wild and expansive the region is. We're heading East, towards the Amazon basin, but we're gaining altitude climbing high into the mountains. As we cross the tree line, the landscape gives way to cliffs and bluffs covered in thick grass, flowers and mosses. The area is wet too, and at one point I count 5 waterfalls from the road.
Today, our goal is the village of Oyacachi. The village is adjacent to the Coca-Cayambe reserve, and Jascivan wants me to see the area to determine if we might be able to support a community tourism program there. As we cross the continental divide and wind our way down the east side of the Andes, the grasslands give way to lush cloudforest of twisted trees, lineas, and bromiliads. The village is set between steep valley walls and is as picturesque as any tropical mountain village you might imagine.
We meet one of the local caciques, or leaders, and we spend a couple hours with him as he shows us a traditional home that has been rebuilt and talks about the customs of the village. CARE International developed some hotsprings some years ago, and I check these out too. In the evening, we have a trout dinner in a simple cafeteria run by a local family.
April 21, 2008
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Coca-Cayambe Trek
Cayambe-Coca Trek Day 2: Parcacocha, Ecuador
We get up at the crack of dawn, eat a breakfast of toast, jam, scrambled eggs and juice and get on our way. An hour drive brings us to the trail head and we begin what is essentially Day 2 of our trek in the Ecaudor Adventure program.
The landscape is from another world. We're at over 12,000 feet above sea level, and wispy clouds cover and uncover bluffs and mountains around us. At one point, we hike about an hour through a boggy basin. What makes the experience almost bizzare is are these clumps of flowers that look like moss. You have to step on them and they squish down nearly six inches when you do. It reminds me of walking on snow, and after an hour, I'm glad we head to dryer ground.
We pass two small lakes before overnighting on the shores of third lake. I thought I was camping, but food that night included an herb buttered chicken breast, local potatoes and sauted veggies - and a bottle of wine. Man, was I grateful to the cook for bringing that.
As a note, the night got much colder than I thought it would. I suppose the temperature dropped to around 40, but with the humidity, it felt much colder than that. I wore long-johns and a ski hat to bed that night.
April 22, 2008
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Trek continues to Papallacta Hotsprings
Papallacta Hot Springs, Ecuador
Today we hike along the edge of the lake until meeting up with a couple of jeep tracks. As we follow the jeep tracks, we descend from the high altitude paramo toward the lush green cloudforest around Papallacta. The temperature warms each hour till we're all stripped down to t-shirts and sweating a bit. The last mile to the hotsprings we hike along a stream and through pastures where local people graze their cattle. The hotsprings resort is a welcome sight after two days hard trekking - too bad I don't have time to stay the night here! Our travelers spend the night and next day soaking in the hot pools and enjoying the spa, but I'm on a schedule and I have to fly to Guayaquil for the annual IGTOA meeting. I have to admit I'm jealous and wish I could schedule a massage for the next day when I know my muscles will be sore.
My Photo Album: Coca-Cayambe Trek
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