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| From Rio Pita |
On Good Friday, we were invited to tour the Río Pita with our landlady, Sandra, and her family. We met at the casa at around 7:00 am, Mary and I climbing into the back of her father´s pickup, while Eve found her way into the cab. After about half an hour, we arrived in the village of Selva Alegre. Eve and I switched places, so that I could naviagate the dirt roads from here, having been over this particular section with Mary before.
Soon, we arrived at the bridge over the Río Pita and then, shortly thereafter, at the ecological reserve, complete with a resaurant and trout ponds. we parked the truck, paid the entry fee ($2.00) and began climbing along the ridge above the river. The forest was filled with eucalyptus and bamboo. Eventually climbing to an overlook, we were thwarted by clouds from seeing many of the surrounding volcanos. We descended down from the ridge and into the box cayon of the Río Pita.
Hiking along the river, there were numerous waterfalls and rapids. The vegetation in the canyon was distinctly different from the forest above, being lusher and more "tropical." There were also numberous small waterfalls and springs eminating from the cliff walls of the canyon. we eventually made our way down to the main attraction: La Cascade de Rumiñahui. This was quit impressive, blasting us with mist as we approached.
Climbing back up to the reserve, we ate a lunch of locally farmed rainbow trout before pilling back into the truck. For the ride back, as it was raining, we opted to smash everyone into the cab. Soon, Sebastian, Sandra`s three year old son, was lying across Eve´s and my lap, sleeping contentedly. The ride back to Quito was complicated by a wrong turn which got us lost for a short time, but after perhaps an hour, we were back in the city.
To see a slide show of photos of our hike along the Río Pita, check out my Picasa Web Album.
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