Ruminahui Hike

We've been looking at Ruminahui, an extinct Volcano, 15,489 ft above sea level, from our hostel all week. Even though it's our last day here, and are returning to Quito this afternoon, we decide to hike up to the center high point (a non technical scramble), which is 15,461 ft. high

 The hike is about 8 miles round trip and has a 2500 ft elevation gain.

The trail our guide chooses begins along the Limpiopungo Lagoon at Cotopaxi National Park. Ruminahui is seen in the distance, our hostel lies on the far side of the crater.

The trail climbs up the hillside, here, looking back at the lagoon where we began. Behind the clouds lies Cotopaxi.

The trail follows along a long ridge line. We had great views of the plains, but the volcanos remained hidden behind clouds all day.

 The last section of the trail is very steep and on loose lava gravel. The lagoon (and beginning of the trail) lies below the green area out of sight.

 The last section of the hike is a scramble over wet rocks and lava. I was spent, and only made it part way up the last scramble. I enjoyed the views we had and was glad I made it as far as I did. Others made it to the top.

Hike to a glacier on Cotopaxi

 The evening before I hike to the glacier, the clouds parted and we could see Cotopaxi from our hostel. Cotopaxi is 19,347 ft high.

 This is a short, but steep hike at high altitude. The trail is only 1.25 miles one way, but gains 1,640 ft. The trail begins on gravely lava.

There is a hiker's refuge, part way up the trail. It is currently under remodel and offers very little protection from the cold wind, rain and snow.

 We encountered snow on the trail shortly after leaving the refuge.

 The glacier and crevasse were beautiful to behold.

Happy hikers!
Once we were off the snow, the trail down was easy, as the soft lava gravel acted as a cushion.

Pasochoa Hike

Pasochoa is an extinct volcano in the Ecuadorean Andes not too far from Cotopaxi. In the picture below, our hostel is located in the green plain and in the back lies Pasochoa. The trail goes around the large hill in the middle of the photo on the right side. The hike is about 8.5 miles round trip with about 2,400 ft elevation gain.

The hike started directly behind the hostel, going through some dense brush and along some ancient Incan irrigation ditches.

We hiked above the valley with the waterfall that we'd hiked to the day before. Here we see a different waterfall further up the valley.

There was an interesting water crossing.

Soon, we were hiking up the volcano towards the crater rim.

There were interesting features to admire as we continued to climb.

A steep climb, with some slippery muddy patches.

At the edge of the crater was a steep drop off, completely shrouded in clouds. On the other side lies Quito far below.

 The top of Pasochoa is at 13,850 ft above sea level.
Even with the clouds coming and going, the major volcanos all stayed hidden from view. We enjoyed the views we had.

Waterfall Hike near Cotopaxi

 We stayed in a hostel near Cotopaxi, and the afternoon we arrived, we went on a hike to a waterfall. The hike started off through a cow pasture and then went through some brush.

 We needed to wear rubber boots, as parts of the trail were under water.

 One section of the trail, we had to decide if we would climb up an along the narrow edge of slippery rocks or


















wade through deep water.

There were some large rocks to climb.


















We made it up to the falls.

When we returned to the cow pasture, it was full of cows and a very angry bull. It was the first time I heard a bull snort and bellow. We headed into the brush to make our way to the opposite end of the pasture, only to find another angry bull. Back into the brush we went, finally emerging on the road near the hostel. Another fun adventure.

Hikes in an Ecuadorian Cloud Forest

 We spent two days at a Eco Lodge in a cloud forest in the Andes near Mindo, Ecuador.

The views are beautiful and there are so many birds and interesting bugs as well.

There are many hike options. I have no idea how long the hikes are, or how far up and down we hiked. We had a great time. We took three guided hikes, led by well informed guides, and two hikes on our own.

 The scenery was gorgeous, the food fabulous and an over all wonderful experience. I highly recommend it.

 

The last photo isn't very clear, but it is of an Olinguito, a mammal only discovered about a year ago, it visits the lodge in the evenings.