I am planning a trip to Ecuador (non-Galapagos) in late April and early May starting in Quito and ending in Cuenca. We hope to take day trips into the national parks for birding and wildlife spotting. I am concerned about the weather which I understand will be rainy almost every day with fog. I am not so worried about the cities because we are lovers of churches and museums and can stay dry. But how slippery and muddy will it be in the parks? Will cameras, glasses and shoes get impossibly wet in the parks. Also I am assuming that we can pick up day trips to the parks in the cities when we get there. Is that correct? I will be looking for easy walks, I hesitate to call them hikes. We will go to Otalvo and Mindo. We are active, well-traveled seniors but not athletes. We will travel primarily by bus.