Hiking in Ecuador - The First Week

The flight(s) from Detroit to Quito, Ecuador took forever. I got zero sleep the night before I left so I mostly stumbled through the airports like a zombie. I didn’t arrive in Quito until very late at night. Fortunately, the hotel I was to stay at had someone waiting to give me a ride. 

It’s ‘i-e-r’ but that’s okay. I’m just glad for the ride!

I slept solid for a few hours but I was anxious to get up and get going on my adventure. While I enjoyed a simple breakfast at the hotel, the clouds slowly cleared to reveal tall mountains all around me. This is, after all, the beginning of the massive Andes mountain chain that stretches clear down to Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America. 

I took a short cab ride to the Nahual Farm and School just outside the city. This fantastic place teaches organic and sustainable farming techniques to people from all over the world. It’s run by the Dammer brothers and has a reputation for being friendly to bikepackers. I’d have to see how they felt about hikers. 

I was greeted warmly by Michael Dammer and given a tour of the farm. What an amazing place!

One of the classrooms at the Nahual School:

Michael speaks perfect English (and Spanish and some French) and he let me stay the night in a very comfortable loft in exchange for completing some simple chores (work-for-stay). I used my free time to gather some last minute things (canister fuel, batteries, etc... ) from town. 

Work-for-stay means turning this:

Into this:

I set off early the next morning for Tulcan,near the border with Columbia. That trip took about six hours and a couple of different buses. Even with Michael’s help, navigating a busy bus system when you don’t speak the language can be tricky. Somehow, it all worked out and I made it to Tulcan. Since I didn’t get there until later in the day, I was anxious to get out of town and find a place to camp. 

I made it to Tulcan!

The route out of town seemed to climb relentlessly. I was soon up over 10,000 feet of elevation and I was feeling it! Exhausted but thrilled to have even made it to the start of the hike, I found a quiet spot to camp and crashed. Hard. 

Finally home:

Between all the travel and excitement of the last few days and the fact that I sleep best in my tent far away from towns and people, I slept solid for ten hours straight. I woke to a light rain but giggling with joy to be back where I belong: On the trail. 

In my element:

The next few days were just what I had hoped for: Beautiful mountains and rolling,  green farms, charming people and a trail that was mostly old dirt roads and two-tracks. It was easy to follow (thanks to the GPS tracks laid out by bike packer Cass Gilbert) and stunningly beautiful. 

I stopped at little towns like El Angel and San Isidro to get a cup of coffee or to buy more rice and hot sauce (the staples of my diet so far). I met some really cool people but my lack of Spanish kept me from really getting to know them. 

My new friend Fernando:

Every little town has a church:

The St. Peter’s Parade in El Angel:

Quiet streets on a Sunday morning:

Typical breakfast in Ecuador:

Lots of statues and murals depicting Jesus as a creepy farmer:

Giant hog ready for slaughter (trekking poles against the wall for scale):

Bigger towns like Cotacachi are cool, too, as they offer more choices for food and drink. I find I’m also more likely to meet people who speak English in these towns - there are a surprising amount of American ex-patriots down here. 

Sunday open market:

My goal, for now, is to make it back to the Nahual Farm. There, I have clean clothes and a new pair of hiking shoes waiting for me. It probably wouldn’t hurt to take a shower as the layers of sunscreen, DEET, dirt and sweat hide my actual skin. 

I stink:

After that, I’ll just keep hiking south until Ihit Peru or until I have to fly home (September 10th), whichever comes first!

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