To the Amazon Rain Forest

Note: I´m heading home tomorrow (sunday) but wanted to get started on piecing together this portion of my trip for you all. More to come upon my return state-side... (please excuse typos)

Monday, July 14

As we drove to Shell from Quito (Plan B), we noticed that we could see the beautiful snow capped volcanoes. Looks like the weather has cleared - go figure.

The really cool part of this drive was through the deep wet river valley and the start of the Cloud Forest near a village called Banos (yes, Banos). Despite the unfortunate name Banos is the "extreme sports capital" of Ecuador. Just on our wisk through we witnessed mountain biking, rafting, kayaking and bungee jumping. The many waterfalls in the deep canyon accentuated this lovely spot.

Our Cessna flight to Kapawi lodge in the Amazon was nothing short of spectacular. For the first 15 minutes I could see an infrequent smattering of dwellings, then our final 45 minutes into the bowels of the jungle was nothing but a sea of forest as far as the eye could see. Sort of like a lush green version of the Pacific.

Once we decended into our brief dirt runway and I stepped out of our 4 seater plane it felt like OZ unfolding before me and the air smelled like warm honey. "Toto we definitely aren´t at 15,000 feet anymore..."

I have been in rainforests before in Borneo and Australia and I figured out fast that they are all remarkably unique and yet hold similar qualities as well. The sameness lies in the warm enveloping radiance of the moist, still climate teamed with a consistently frenetic vibrancy in the surrounding jungle. Its inviting and confusing at the same time - like being wrapped in a heavy down comforter with a raging storm outside.

On our brief tranquil canoe ride from the landing strip to the lodge I recalled the many rivers just like this one I have paddled and swam (and picked up diseases ..). And I had that feeling of hope I get when traveling to a remote place on the planet - that maybe, perhaps, we are not yet lost to our own ingorance and inadequacies in sustaining our planet. Just maybe...

Tuesday, July 15/16 - Amazon

Yesterday I whiled away the afternoon in the hammock on the deck of our "cabin" writing, watching birds listening to jungle noises. There is a constant chatter and drone about the rain forest. The sounds during the day are unique to those in evening and then at night. As the day progresses into night its as if the critters are slowly sliding the volume up to hit max right when you climb into bed. But the sound is soothing, natural - distinctly different from man made sounds.

We started our day with birdwatching from the river. I´ve never had an interest in going into nature with the purpose of looking at birds but the relaxing rhythm of the canoe and our countless sightings of birds unique to this part of the world kept my interest.

After a lovely breakfast (the food here is quite good and I seem to be adding some weight to my ass as a result), we headed out on a 3 hour hike with the motive of learning about the medicinal plants used by the Achuar people who live in and have the rights to this region of the Amazon.

Only 7 % of plants in the rain forest are edible! The rest are toxic or poisonous ( both of which can be used in particular medicines by the locals). If the forest was more safely chewable than it is it would be taken over by the ridiculous plethera of insects. The animals figure out what they can and can´t eat and yes, there is a very specific pecking order for how it all works. Nature is admirably smart in all this - we are the ones that tend to disrupt things. Though the Achuar have lived here since - God knows when - and they too have adapted to live in sync with all beings in the forest. All depend and thrive on each other for survival.

Here´s an example: The ant bird follows and eats army ants. Certain types of butterflies follow the ant bird and eat its feces - the ant bird apparently excretes a certain mineral that is needed for this butterfly to lay its eggs. So they all work off of each other to survive. We learned of just a few of thousands of these types of processes.

We examined plants used for pain, malaria, wounds, ear aches, to ward off evil spirits and to cure a child with a cold. Wow who needs mega-billion dollar pharmecutical companies when its all right here! Nature truly does provide if one is obliged to seek and experiment. More food and we decided to head out on another short hike before an afternoon canoe trip up river.

Tomorrow we will doing more trekking, then heading to a nearby Achuar village as we´ve been invited to spend the night, interact and have ceremony with these indigenous people. More about this part of my trip when I return to CA...
terri

Back in Quito from the Amazon...

Wow - I´m back in Quito via helicopter, and kinda blown away from my whole experience in the Amazon - including an intimate visit to a family ´home´in a village of the Achuar people who reside there. Wow again...

Once more my perspective of the world and myself in it has been turned over a few times. Really great stuff. I´m a bit weary from travel but will write more soon to recap the whole experience plus share some additional poignant thoughts I chewed on while swinging in a hammock listening to jungle noises...
Back at you soon...
xoxo
terri

Off to the Amazon

After a serious day of sight seeing in Old Town and shopping at the Quito art exibits we´re off tomorrow to the antithesis of the mountains of Ecuador - the Amazon jungle. I´m still blown away at the diversity of the geography of this country. This leg of our trip will solidify that observation. We´ll be staying at www.kapawi.com - an Eco Lodge owned and run by the Achuar people.

The lodge is a 30 minute plane ride to Colon, 1 hour helecopter ride then canoe journey into the lodge which is located on the border of Ecuador and Peru. The only other way to get into this area is by foot - 10 days through the jungle.

We´ll be trekking, canoing, bird/animal watching as well as spending time with the indigenous Achuar people in their villages. I hope to see pirrahna and pink dolphins and get a strong sense of how these people live in this challenging area...

Needless to say, I won´t have email or internet access while at Kapawi.
Back at you on the other side...
xoxo
terri
(check out posts below on the last few days of our trip in the mountains...)

Lets back up a few days...

Some fun details starting a few days ago...

July 9

We´ve reached Chimborazo Base Camp and the lodge owned by Marco Cruz. Yet another stunning spot we´ve been able to experience - www.expediciones-andinas.com - click on Estrella del Chimborazo.

The views from the lodge, the detail of the craftmanship and history of its housed artifacts are reflective of the man who built this dream spot. Each square inch of each room was attended to in detail and with care. The colors chosen to evoke warmth and life and and the pictures and items hung tell a tale of a full rich life.

Marco Cruz has not only been climbing for 50 years he is a lover of history, art, geography and the people that surround him. Among some of the original pitons, carabiners and climbing protection made are photos of his beloved Ecuador and the native people he respects. Despite our lack of climbing we have been more than pleased with our time with Marco - he has taught us much about his country. I am truly in awe of this mans depth.

I wish I could gather all of my friends and family at this lodge and sit around the fire sipping tea. The warmth of that consensus would be profound.

The Next Day:

The snow dump and high winds that we got on Cotopaxi seem to have followed us to Chimborazo. Its been dumping on the mountain for 5 days and continues as I write this - once again nixing our climbing plans. We attempted a hike today in an area near our lodge with Inca ruins and even more unique vegitation, but 100 yards from the car we got pummeled by hail and winds that were knocking us over. The weather is not cooperating.

But mountaineering requires time and patience - the former of which we don`t have since we chose to plan this trip with a tight time schedule. Therefore we must accept our predicament.

So instead of heading up to high camp i sit curled up next to a grand stone fireplace writing and reading - not such a bad consolation actually.

And the Next:
more bad weather. Even if it clears at this point avalanche danger would be very high. So we
started our day with a run from the lodge... at 13,000 feet. Actually it was more like a trot down hill for a bit, then a walk/shuffle back up the hill to the lodge. Now that is an excellent way to humble onself as a runner.

We then headed off to experience a market in a village quite a drive up into the mountains. Here all resident villagers gather each week to purchase or trade food, pigs, cows, and other goods. This collective
of Andean villages houses the original" people of this area who continue to uphold their ancestors traditional way of life. (I took some great pics - look forward to sharing those when I return). From
the market at 14,000 feet we had rich views of the surrounding hills of crops and dwellings.

We then headed to Marco´s home in Riobamba as we were invited to lunch with his family - apparently quite a priviledge. Marco´s home and surrounding property are something out
of ´life of the rich and famous in Ecuador´. His ranch-spanish style home looks like more of a stylish museum of climbing, Incan and Catholic religious artifacts. Stunning at minimum.

But the best of it was our conversation with his wife and daughter. We discussed America and the coming election, sports, and womens
status in both Ecuador and America.
We also got the best compliment I´ve gotten to date from a foreigner who interacts quite a bit with tourists. Ximena, Marco´s wife, said that we seemed incredibly matter of fact and accepting of the ways of 3rd world Ecuador. She said that most people criticize and dissect the ways of the Ecuadorian people rather than take them at face value, as we did. I told her that having traveled extensively, one either learns to observe and accept or,take on the angst of the worlds problems. i prefer the former as it is a much richer means of truly "seeing" another culture.

Opening to the ways of others also allows us to come home and feel genuine priviledge for all we have. And though we don´t think we do - belive me - we have oodles.

more tomorrow before we head to the Amazon.
xoxo
terri

In short - Continued severe weather prevented us from getting to the top of Chimborazo (20,700 feet). But we have had an auspitious few days in a gorgeous place with incredible people.

Today we tried to climb a part of the mountain instead of sitting around waiting for the weather to change. We got up to just under 17,000 feet to make an attempt at crossing a narrow ridgeline and with 70 mph winds it was sketchy at best - so we aborted Plan A, decended a bit and then traversed for several miles through about 4 eco-systems back to our lodge. The weather is still raging now on the mountain.

We´re back in Quito for some good food, shopping and wine and then off to the antithesis of the mountains - the Amazon jungle. I´ll post more tomorrow....it has been such a fabulous trip even sans summits...put Ecuador on your travel list!
Best,
Terri

Day 4-6- Ecuador

In short - our attempt on Cotapaxi was thwarted by an ice storm. But we´re safe and heading to our next mountain...Here´s how it played out in this land of crazy weather...

After a fitfull night sleep due to smoke inhalation from our room´s wood stove I had a bit of a black day.. Very tired. Doubt. Bad mood. I woke with a feeling of impending doom and it lingered for about 24 hours.

Our short hike up to the lovely Cotapaxi climbers refuge at about 15,000 ft. cleared my head a bit and lifted my mood. It appears the weather is following suit with my sporatic moods. After several days of pretty good weather we were required to hike up in a snow storm today.

The wind generally blows from the east6 and the area of the Amazon. Most of the time it does not actually snow above this mountain, rather the moisture blown from the rain forest turns to a viel of snow when it hit the top of the mountain. The direction of the wind partly determines the consistency of the precipitation - ice, rain, or snow.

Ice direction can cerate a cap of ice on the glacier, rain will turn the snow to glue, and snow, well is snow. The speed of the wind will not only affect the condensation but whether we can stay upright on the mountain, or not.

We are slated to head to the summit in about 7 hours. If the weather remains as it is our glacier will either be iced over or become unstable glue ´- in either case our attempt will be thwarted.

But apparently conditions can change from minute to minute as we are experiencing so what we will have in 7 hours is anybodies guess - even our head guide who has summited this mountain over 500 times.

Cotapaxi National Park houses wild horses, alpaca, llama, deer and an intense array of cactus, wildflowers and shrubs that run the spectrum of the rainbow visually. This mix is quite soothing to the eye and the soul. The is a quiet peace in this place despite is juxtoposition to the looming volcano.

Day 6

Up early in the refuge and good byes all around to our newfound friends. We confirmed that we had made the right call after talking to a guy who tried for the summit last night and got turned around after only 45 minutes of climbing. We´re off to Chimborazo to try our hand.
Once again I will be off email for a couple days. Wish us luck.
Best to all! (sorry for all the typos!)
xoxo
terri

Day 3 - Ecuador

Today was such an special day in so many ways but I do not have time right now to type out all of my notes. In short we did an aclimation hike up Pinchincho at about 15,200 feet, learned a ton about the history of Ecuador and stayed in one of the most interesting hotels I´ve exerienced to date - check it out www.hosterialacienega.com. Very lovely indeed. I feel quite priviledged to have experienced just this day.

Thus far all aclimation hikes have been fun and worthwhile. Even when we are not ascending we are at around 9000 - 10,o00 feet as the whole Quito basin sits at that elevation range. We are heading to Cotapaxi this afternoon, will go up to the huts tomorrow, and then shoot for the summit at 19,7800 feet tomorrow night if weather permits. Wish us luck. I won´t be back on email or my blog for a couple days. I look forward to writing more - there is so much to tell as this sleeper of a country and its people and history are proving to be fascinating at minimum.

Best to all,
xoxo
terri

Day 1 - Ecuador

Today we met our head guide for the trip and did our first aclimation hike on Pasachoa up to about 12,500 feet. Our guide is an incredibly accomplished climber, has climbed peaks all over the world, a very charming guy and getting on in years a bit. He decided after we dropped him a couple of times that he would bring in some of his younger guides to work with us for the rest of the week. All in all though it was a lovely day.

Quito is the largest city in Ecuador and sits at 9000 ft. Last night after our long day we hit New Town for some food and to check out the local scene. We stumbled upon a dance presentation by some young cultural dancers and did some great people watching. It was a perfect end to the day while eating a hearty meal.

I´m quite tired after 2 days of minimal to no sleep and am looking forward to hitting the sack. Tomorrow we do another hike and then leave Quito for a small village near our next big target - Cotapaxi. I`m not certain when Í´ll have email again... I´ll be in touch when I do.
xoxo
Terri

Made it!

Greetings from Ecuador and the La Casa Sol B & B www.lacasasol.com . What a charming place nestled in the nightlife hub of the New City of Quito. Looking forward to checking it out upon our return. Long flight but baggage intact. 4 hours sleep later we´re off for our first climb. Back at you later, I have to catch some food and coffee!!
Best to you on post 4th of July!
Terri

Virgin Passport to Ecuador

Last night I was browsing through the copiously used pages of my first two passports inclusive of the extra pages that had been put into both. On this trip to Ecuador I’ll use a virgin passport (my third). I noticed that along with destination change ups my picture has changed up dramatically.

The first pic marks the youth of my triathlon days wide eyed and eager and a really poor hair cut choice. The second a mixed bag of tri’s and adventure races under my belt with some vacation thrown in and the look of a content veteran abroad. The current and recent picture shows many more wrinkles around cheeks but a sparkle amid those eye lines that isn’t present in the old passports. Wisdom? Maybe. Continued youthful disposition despite the faltering shell? I think so.

My pre-trip whine: I realized yet again I hate to pack. Despise it. If I weren’t such a cheap skate and gear control freak I’d hire someone to pack for me. I know its because I don’t tend to have to pack like ‘normal’ people, I usually have mega gear and very specific items needed and because I have packed in such large quantities over the years of passport use, gathering these items can be as tedious as doing the dishes over and over each day.

But hey, I have a dog who loves me and a pretty cool life and I’m off tomorrow to Ecuador!

Here is the general itinerary:

- Fly to Quito via Miami
- Hike Pasochoa (13,766 ft)
- Hike Guagua Pichincha (15,692 ft) then drive to the area of Lasso and Latacunga which are south of Quito and close to Cotopaxi. Stay in village.
- Rest day in village, explore, visit schools and shop. Overnight at a mountain lodge inside the Cotopaxi National Park (~13,000 ft).
- Drive and hike to the refuge on Cotapaxi. After the ascension to the summit of Cotopaxi (19,388 feet) drive down to the lodge
- Drive to Chimborazo area and stay in a private mountain lodge where we’ll enjoy not only the best sunsets in Ecuador but a magnificent view of Chimborazo (20,696 ft)
Here is the link for the lodge – check it out!
http://expediciones-andinas.com/Base_Camp.html

- Relax and acclimatize during day. Start of the ascension in the night
- Drive back to Quito

SWITCH SERIOUS GEARS!

The next day we’ll check out Quito and hang.
- Fly to the Amazon and Kapawi lodge. We’ll be on a very small plane and will have to fly then canoe into the lodge area. www.kapawi.com
Several days – hike, explore, canoe, birdwatch
- Canoe, then fly back to Quito. Over night in Quito – then fly home the next day.

I’m bringing my new GoPro camera to take video footage of the climbing and jungle fun. Stay tuned for some fun video footage! www.goprocamera.com

I’ll be posting as often as possible along the way – join me!
Enjoy a safe 4th of July.
Terri