Decided to keep it local since I only had two solid days to adventure before work kicked in. A friend suggested Rucu Pichincha, and I thought, why not? Even after a long travel day and barely any sleep, I went for it—starting from the bottom and skipping the Teleférico, the longer the better was the goal. It was a solo mission because, well, I didn’t have any friends in town to join, which actually made for a faster round trip.
My feet were not thrilled with me, and I totally forgot I packed headphones until the last mile! The route was awesome, though I have to say I enjoyed the climb more than the descent… those last few miles were rough. Oof. Still, 10/10 would recommend, especially if you're into sketchy trails and some rock scrambling. Next time, I'll sleep more, try a little harder, and maybe take fewer pictures... and have fewer dog snuggles along the way?!
Funny thing is, I didn’t even know a female FKT was in play until Strava handed me a roundtrip crown! Maybe I would’ve taken it a bit more seriously if I knew—but honestly, I had a blast, so no regrets! Can't wait to do it again!