Ecuador Trip

Laguna de Quilotoa

Mt. Fuya Fuya

Mitad del Mundo

  President’s Week in February was a great time to get away for a new Latin American country.  I was excited to get to visit to one of the few Spanish-speaking countries I’ve never been to…Ecuador.  Ecuador has it all…tons of volcanoes to hike, indigenous markets, beautiful beaches, and some of the most remote places of the Amazon Rainforest.  The country is small, cheap, and the people were extremely friendly.

I loved having my cousin Andrew join me on his first trip to Latin America.  It was a blast planning the trip and see how our 9 day adventure would unfold.  On day 2 we found ourselves at 15,000 ft. on Rucu Pichinca, the highest peak that either of us had ever summited.  Over the next days we did some great hikes/trail runs at Laguna de Cuichocha and Laguna de Mojanda which are high altitude crater lakes in the Ecuadorian Highlands.

  
  


 

We decided to get a guide and attempt on the tallest summits in the country, 20,000 ft. Volcán Cayambe.  Getting trained in glacier/crevasse techniques by our guide Diego with great.  After trekking for several hours on a massive glacier a blizzard turned us back at 17,400 ft.  A very memorable day.

Ecuador being Ecuador, we were able to from a glacier volcano back to the capital, Quito, and on to the Ecuadorian Amazon.  Baños, Ecuador is an cool town with a chill vibe.  The next morning we were renting mountain bikes for $8 for the day.  The ride downhill towards Puño is insane.  La Ruta de las Cascadas is appropriately named for the countless waterfalls that come cascading off of the jungle cliffs.

A visit to the spectacular Lago de Quilotoa capped off an absolutely awesome Ecuador trip!

 

Entering the glacier

Our Cayambe Crew

Ziplining in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Glacier Point Cross Country Ski

Yosemite is my favorite national park in the U.S.  Thank goodness it is a little over 3 hours away.  Winter closes Tioga Pass and Glacier Point Road.   This Saturday I was excited to try cross country skiing for the 1st time.  I got to Badger Pass Parking Lot early, as I had no clue how long 21 miles of cross country skiing would take.

Glacier Point

At times easy, at times very challenging, cross country skiing was a fun new adventure.  As you weave through the forest the anticipation grows as you know that spectacular views lie ahead.  In the summer one can drive out to Glacier Point...however in the winter time a 21 mile round trip is needed to obtain the spectacular views of Half Dome and the snow-covered valley.  

Half Dome covered by fresh snow

Lunch at Glacier Point with a few hearty souls was terrific.  The fresh snow blanketed the Yosemite Valley and high country.  A very full, yet rewarding day trying a new sport for the 1st time!

Feather Falls Trail Run

 Another Saturday rolled around and I decided to take a break from heading up to the snow and head to a lower level hike.  Feather Falls, up towards Chico, is surprisingly unknown.  A Yosemite-quality waterfall tucked into the foothills about 2 hours away from Sacramento.  A rainy day meant that there was no one at the trailhead when I got there at 9 a.m.  The gentle loop trail winds through the forest and over small creeks and streams.  After running for an hour the roar of the waterfall let me know that I was getting me close.

The water crashing down in early spring Feather Falls was absolutely defining.  I ran out to the lookout platform and soaked in the gorgeous views as a light rain continued to fall across the Feather River.  I continued up the small side trail until I arrived up to be on top of the waterfall.  I was amazed at how close I could get to the water gushing down off the cliff below.  I'm sure that in summer there would be plenty of people here but for today I literally had the falls to myself.

I enjoyed the 4 mile run back to my car from the falls in a nice half day outing to this spectacular waterfall.  I would completely recommend this underrated waterfall to anyone looking for a beautiful hike in Northern Cal.