ECUADOR: CAJAS NATIONAL PARK AND THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE

 March 27, 2022

I mentioned in a previous post that Cuenca means "basin" in Spanish. What makes Cuenca a basin are the tall Andes Mountains that surround it. Our guide Javier took us on a drive high into the Andes to visit Cajas National Park and the Continental Divide. The name Cajas is derived from the Quichua word cassa, meaning "gateway to the snowy mountains." An alternate meaning is "cold." The average temperature is about 55° F (not that cold), and the average rainfall is about 42 inches. That's pretty warm for the elevation, but Javier reminded us that we were pretty close to the equator, and the snow level is 16,000 feet!

Buenos días, Señor. Como está usted?

The park covers about 110 square miles and is between 10,170 and 14,600 feet above sea level. We stopped at an area called Toreadora, or "bullfighter." 

I suppose this serene, stunningly beautiful lake somewhat resembles a bullring--it is round and has sloping slides that somewhat resemble bleachers. 

The beauty of this lake took my breath away, but so did its elevation of just under 13,000 feet, which we could feel as we walked on the trail.

The path is named for Garcia Moreno, the President of Ecuador for two terms, 1861-1865 and 1869-1875. We was elected to a third term but was assassinated before he could begin it. He is noted for being a leader in education and science, so naming this camino for him seems appropriate.

The water in the lake is supplied by the cloud forest--water absorbed from the air by plants and then excreted into the ground to form streams that feed the lake. 

Javier identified many interesting plants for us. There are nineteen plants that are endemic to Cajas, and many more that were unfamiliar to me. 

I think these are cushion plants. We occasionally saw some tiny mushrooms growing here and there among the greenery. I took photos to send to our mushroom enthusiast son.

  

This yellow and red flower--gentianella hirculus--was my favorite. Endemic to the area, it is a threatened species. The flowers are just bigger than a pea but quite plentiful.

The lichen looks like snow.

This is a polylepis, or paper tree. At one time, sections of the high Andes were densely covered with these magical trees with peeling red bark. When multiple trees grow near each other, their twisty branches weave together to form a dense forest. In the past, indigenous people used the dense wood for heating, cooking, tool handles, and fencing. They used the bark to dye cloth and as medicine for respiratory illnesses and kidney disease. This tree can be found at elevations as high as 16,400 feet and is the highest-altitude-growing tree in the world, but at that altitude it grows very slowly, only a half-inch in diameter a year.

Shangri-La, right? It looks downright mythical.

We walked away from the lake for a short distance and got a glimpse of the mysterious Andes when the clouds shifted.  Maybe it is Mordor rather than Shangri-La? 

We were quickly winded walking in the high elevation on the rough ground--not really a trail--and made our way back to the car.

It was another 10-15 minute drive UP 600-700 more feet (in altitude) to the continental divide, which is called Tres Cruces, or "three crosses." The road we were on is one of the highest in Ecuador. We learned later that it is the short road between Guayaquil and Cuenca that we wanted our driver to take instead of the much longer one that what we thought he chose. However, the road on the other side of the continental divide had been closed for months due to a landslide that had demolished a section of the road. He had no choice but take the longer road.

Tres Cruces marks the westernmost part of the South American continental divide. On the side we had come up, the rivers flow to the Pacific, and on the far side of the divide, they flow to the Atlantic. This picture of a local family having a picnic at the pass doesn't do justice to the savage beauty of the view.

   

This fence needs a shave.

The name of this spot comes from the three crosses at the summit that are a monument to the people who have died in the park. 

The sign says there are some stories of travelers who died here because of the intense cold. It notes that it was the tradition of all hikers to pray an "Our Father" in memory of the souls of the deceased, and as a sign of having done so, they placed a stone at the foot of the crosses as a way to show reverence and to seek protection for the rest of their journey. That explains all the stones! 

We should have added a stone ourselves. We could have used the extra protection. 

We learned the next morning that a massive landslide had occurred on the side WE had driven on just an hour or two after we left the mountain. Buildings and roads were destroyed and some people were killed. We had planned to have lunch at a restaurant on the mountain, but when we drove by it looked very crowded, so we decided to eat in town. We could easily have been stuck on the road above the landslide area or even hit by the landslide. According to one news story, an estimated 40,000 tons of rock and mud ended up on the Cajas highway.

We were oblivious to the danger we were in as we twisted and turned down the Cajas road, however. We were just enjoying the wonderful scenery.

By the way, Cajas is currently a candidate to become a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. It gets our vote.