Pre trip: A couple of weeks ago, our friend Aaron had the idea of taking an ambitious hike from the Andes to the National Park of Sangay, through the cloud forest to the Amazon. Marcus, Darlene, Michaela, Shtephan, Lillian, and I all signed up for the journey…
We arrived in Riobamba after stocking up on supplies in Quito, slept a few hours, and woke up at 5:30 am to the sound of the voice of a German (Shtephan) telling us to get up out of bed. Wearily we stumbled out the door and caught the bus to the middle of nowhere in the mountains.
Day one: The bus dumped us by the side of the road. in the middle of the Andes. It was a bit hard to breathe, due to the elevation, but we barely noticed, because we were distracted by scraggly sheep, cows tied up by their horns, all sorts of plants growing on rock faces, and the unbelievably green mountains. The day was filled with marvelling over the flora, greeting the natives who were robed in traditional highlands garb (black felt hats and red ponchos), and learning about teeth (Shtephan is a dentist). After a solid day of hiking, we set up camp on the bank of a stream that feeds into a deep blue mountain lake. That night we huddled around a roaring fire eating banana boats and gazing up at the countless stars above us.
Day 2: As we began to descend from the mountains, the landscape changed around us from the green grass-covered hillsides into cloud forest. Leafy trees, bromeliad, an d the occasional orchid surrounded us.
Day 3: We had been hiking on a road up to this point in the story, and sadly had to admit that the rugged trail we had read about in the guidebook had been paved over. We voted to catch the next bus to Macus and explore the rainforest there instead of continuing along the road.
In Macus, we were pointed in the direction of the department of the environment. There we met up with a park guide-biologist-shaman who kindly offered us a place to stay for the night and to accompany us to a trail in the rainforest for the next morning. He lives in a traditional Shuar (the indigenous people of the area) hut with his mother (a vivacious tin y old woman) and girlfriend. That night we cooked quinoa, platanos, and sauce for all. Post dinner our guide spoke with us about the ways of the Shuar and about the trail we would soon take.
Day 4: We rose early, made coffee, and caught the local bus to the entrance of the National Park Sangay. Our guide led us for about 2 or 3 hours into the Amazon, through the mud, rain, and thick vegetation, pointing out various plants and birds along the way. From then on the path was much more clear and easy to navigate, and we felt confident when our guide left us with his machete and a map.
We hiked on for another few hours until we found the shelter which was to be our camp. The rainforest was so lush and full of wonderful noises! We saw lacy black butterflies, scarlet birds that make a call like water falling, and tracks of tapirs.
Aaron, Marcus, and I made a side excursion, rock hopping along the river. The mossy banks of the river towered over us, and we felt like tiny adventurers.
Day 5: 6 hours of hiking in the beautifulness of the rainforest is rather indescribable. This day we made a loop back to the point where our guide dropped us off so we could camp. It seemed like the forest was testing us that night. First the cook stove caught fire, ruining the beans we had been soaking all day, and rendering the stove useless. Then Aaron cut his leg while cutting firewood with the machete. Luckily I have my Wilderness First Aid certification and knew what to do! On top of that, some of our party got a terrible intestinal illness. In spite of our troubles, we were jolly and slept well to the music of the river.
Day 6: We trekked through the deep mud, forded a river, and finally emerged from the forest, only to have to walk another few hours to our guide´s house, as there were no buses on Sunday. Exhausted, wet, and filthy, we arrived at the house and were warmly welcomed by the moonshine toting grandfathers that live there.
A few hours later, we bussed back into Macus for a celebratory last meal together.
