We arrived at the lake, found a decent hostel on the rim, and bought some local scarves (it was so much colder than anywhere we had been in Peru, which was farther away from the equator and much higher in altitude...strange?!?). We put on our gloves, hats, and new scarves and headed out on our hike around the lake, not knowing what to expect, other than that it should take between four and five hours. I guess we could have "guessed" by looking around, but we just hadn't realized what this hike would intail. The path followed the actual rim of the lake, tracing the up and down every peak that surrounded it, taking us up and down about 500 fe
et a dozen times all on a two-foot wide path that went straight down 1,000 feet on either side. But I'm not complaining...yet!! About half way around, the sky decided the lake looked like it could use a refill. Slowly but surely, the rain began to fall harder and harder and harder, until we were soaked to the bone, with still an hour left in the hike and no where else to turn. Again, I'm not complaining...yet!! With about half an hour to go, following a guided group of three, we somehow, in the pouring rain, shimmied along a muddy five inch ledge for about twenty feet clinging with fingernails to the wet cliff in our face so as not to slip and fall down the 1,500 foot cliff at our feet. Now THAT I complain about!! Had there been a program, I'm sure that was not in it. But here we are to tell the tale. The lake was indescribably beautiful, and the first half of the hike was 
beyond exhilirating. But, as the weather remained dissagreable, we dicided to cut the big loop short by a few days, and about a 25 kilometers of hiking in the rain, and head back to Latacunga the way we came.
et a dozen times all on a two-foot wide path that went straight down 1,000 feet on either side. But I'm not complaining...yet!! About half way around, the sky decided the lake looked like it could use a refill. Slowly but surely, the rain began to fall harder and harder and harder, until we were soaked to the bone, with still an hour left in the hike and no where else to turn. Again, I'm not complaining...yet!! With about half an hour to go, following a guided group of three, we somehow, in the pouring rain, shimmied along a muddy five inch ledge for about twenty feet clinging with fingernails to the wet cliff in our face so as not to slip and fall down the 1,500 foot cliff at our feet. Now THAT I complain about!! Had there been a program, I'm sure that was not in it. But here we are to tell the tale. The lake was indescribably beautiful, and the first half of the hike was 
beyond exhilirating. But, as the weather remained dissagreable, we dicided to cut the big loop short by a few days, and about a 25 kilometers of hiking in the rain, and head back to Latacunga the way we came.
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