The sunrise was just starting and the first stretch was paved. Given that it was a Sunday and the popular hike would soon be populated with local families, I cherished the solitude while it lasted. Later, I saw one dad who'd brought his newborn along inside a baby-sling. Given the stretches of unpaved rugged pieton further down the trail and the possibility of tripping there, he seemed foolishly stubborn. In high season, many take a donkey ride to-and-from the cirque with local guides.