Tuesday (March 11) -- Cajas National Park

Ever hiked at 13,500 feet? We did today. What a special place!

Cajas National Park is large, but several access points are close to Cuenca (less than an hour's drive).

Ashley and Roger loaded us up with fresh pastries (you can't imagine how many pastries $10 will buy in Ecuador!), then we jumped in the van for a short  drive through Gringolandia, then up a gorgeous highway to a trail crossing in Cajas, Tres Cruces (Three Crosses) -- a memorial to hikers who have died up there. The short trail was at a little over 13,500 feet, which we handled OK.

Cajas trailhead

Another trailhead -- very inviting, but thin air

Boss lady surveying her domain of lakes

Boss lady and her consort

Beautiful hiking terrain on the way into park

Rugged but pretty

Trailhead at Tres Cruces, 13,500 feet

After a short walk to the lookout above Tres Cruces, we dropped down a little to Toreadora Lake, part of the park with a trail running all the way around it at 13,000 feet or so. It was a wonderland on unusual plants and habitat, in a jewel-like setting. There are hundreds of little lakes high up in the park. We left with the idea of walking all the way around, but I was too tired and unsure of my footing to go more than about 1/3 of the way around, and turned back. Roger stayed with the old man, and Ashley, Carolyn and Mary pushed on. They made it all the way around, but Mary fell and injured her foot at about the halfway point. Nothing was broken, and she recovered the next day. More photos coming.

Terrain above Toreadora

Toreadora Lake - We went clockwise from foreground

Wounded warrior at finish

Toreadora --one of many jewels in this park

The we had a late, fabulous lunch a couple of miles below at a little resort name Dos Chorreras (www.hosteriadoschorreras.com), which we all highly recommend.

Got back to the hotel, and Mary iced her foot while Carolyn and I went back to San Blas park for pizza and ice cream.

Great, exhausting day.