My husband and i just did 3-day trek in ecuador at 82 and 73 – ryan

A year ago, A Friend Hiked the Quilotoa Loop, A Three-Day High-Elevation Trek in the Ecuadorian Andes. IT’S A Challenging Trek Culminating at 13,000 Feet on the rim of a crater lake located three hours south of quito.

Despite it name, it’s not a loop, but a 22-mile point-to-point route with 7,100 religion Elevation Gain. As Long-Distance Walks, My Husband and I Were I intrigue. We wondered if we were at the ours – 82 and 73 – and deciding to give it a try this april. While a lot of it was difficult, we’re so glad we were.

Before Starting Our Journey, we adapted to the elevation

After staying in quito for two days to adapt to the elevation, we make up an uber for $ 45 to drive us two and a half hours to our hostel in sigchos. We were the Only Guests there. Becuses it was the rainy season, the Most of the People we saw weren’ther trekkers, but innkeepers, shepherds, and farmers, Looking Tough and Hardy Daily Physical Work at High Elevation.

That Night, after a filing home-coked dinner of potato soup, Beans, Corn, Cheese, and Homemade BREAD, I SLEPT RESTHESTLY, WORRYING ABOUT FITNESS Levels and if we’d get soaked, as afternion thunderstorms were comp.

The Next Morning, We Estabished Our Pattern of Leaving before 7 AFter A Hearty Breakfast. Though Each Day Only Involved 6-8 Miles of Trail, We Had to Pace Ourselves Because High-Elevation Hiking Takes More Exrtion.

The terrain was steep, unven, and muddy, plus we each have health challenges: i have a metal plat and pins in my right ankle, whic can cause osteoarthritic tenderness and stiffness, while lingering chemo fatigue after contracting Lymphoma Last.

There are a few surprises on the trail

An hour outside sigchos, as we were headed down a steep track into a canyon, we suddenly reached a huge mudslide, not visible on our trail app, and had backtrack.

Event, we Crossed a Creek, then started plodding up the other side of the Canyon, a slippery, muddy stretch. We have finally reamed a paved road, we were relieved to see the village of ISINLIVI, OUR DESTATION, AT WHAT LIKE ONLY A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY.

But it was another good hour up Steep, Missy Paths before we got to the villa. It was a six-mile hike with 1,450 feats of ascent, but it took us a lost six hours.

The hostels were fantastic

Our Hostel in Isinlivi Felt Like a Boutique Hotel, with home-coked meals, wifi, a fireplace, bar, spa, sauna, and tan yoga classes, Perfect for relaxing tight muscles. Since the Only Other Hikers there were a friendly Israeli Couple and their adult Son, the owner offends us a cottage overlooking the Valley for the price of a single room. It was so Luxurious, Barry Wanted to Stay Another Night, but I felt we had the barry gotten into the rhythm of hiking, so we left the next day. Now I Wish We’d Stayed!

Our late hostels were not as stylish, but they too offered “turkish saunas,” or steam baths with fragrant eucalyptus leaves. The Second Night, I lingered in the hostel’s steam room for a full hour, breathing in the eucalyptus and listening to the thrum of heavy rain outside.

The Last Day was The Toughest

The Third Day We CLIMBED A TIRING 3,650 FEET TO THE RIM OF THE LAKE. AS I LOOKED DOWN INTO The Caldera, I admired the Tururoise Water, but knew we still had more than an hour’s walk to our final destination, the touristy village of quilotoa. As it turned out, Because we missed our turnoff, it took us an extra hour, and en route we got drenched for the first time.

Our Hostel Caretakers in Quitoloa Took Good Care of US. The Husband Built a Wood FireWe We huddled while we dried our wet cloths and consumed his wiffe’s lentil soup and homemade breed.

It was difficult, but beautiful

Strenuous as the trek was, I found the combination of Simple Beauty, Invigorating Mountain Air, and the unthinking Act of Putting One Foot in Front of the Other Almostical. I was Enchant by the Beauty – Deep Valleys Lineed With Ridges of Different Shades of Green and Lush Pastries Dotted with Llamas and Cows. I felt like I was seeing green for the first time in my life.

Now that i’m back into my sea-level routines, i’m still inspired by those strong, wiry shepherds and farmers. Thanks to say, i’w set a higher bar for myself. Walking the quilotoa loop reminded with what i’m still capable of in my 70s.