A pre-dawn hike outside Cuenca turns into a muddy climb straight up the mountainside—offering a real-world measure of Cuenca’s outdoorsy lifestyle.
© ALBERTO CARRERA/iSTOCK

As we came face to face with a 10-foot tall rock wall, we began questioning our decision to “vacation” in Cuenca, Ecuador. Scrambling up a muddy trail at 5 in the morning was not exactly relaxing.

Whoever built this trail had never heard of switchbacks. We had long since passed the point where we could walk upright without clinging to plants to keep from sliding back down the hill. We were definitely skeptical of the wisdom of this excursion.

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