Blog #5: A New Beginning

A New Beginning

This blog marks a new beginning, - a fresh start fresher than Ecuador’s wild tropical fruits. We had a plan and now we have a new one. Expeditions and itinerary have been tossed to the wind and we have gracefully formed a new group. It is time to thicken our skin and prepare for expedition once more.

We did do amazing things on our journey to the south. We stayed at David’s house in Cojitambo where we danced with the rocks. Cojitambo’s sheer glory was an honor to climb. So many routes and rock textures weathered our fingertips. Those who approached this section with some fear climbed higher than they had believed possible and those who already loved climbing, came to love it even more.

The rock slabs of Cojitambo

Now we look forward. We will start here from Palugo’s ground and then bike our way through wild natural plains and communities who could use thirteen pairs of helping hands. This group has come a long way and still has a long way to go. If you look around the bustling Bodega or into to the peaceful Chozon, what’s happening is positive and there is forward momentum. We are in no way moldy old fruit; we are made of bountiful pinks and oranges that fill a fruit basket. We are ready to have a taste of something delicious on our new expedition. We all look forward to what is to come.

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Expedition Once More

Guess where we are?

Yes, we are on expedition! We have spent the last seven days trekking through the unforgiving and humbling Andes Mountains. From our home in Palugo, we walked right from the farm at 8,744 ft to 10,800 ft into the Paramo*. Our backs have adjusted to the heavy loads we now carry and out taste buds love every meal, no matter how often we repeat the dishes! Our route took us to the base of Antisana, then we descended to the Cloud Forest and into a town called Papallacta – famous for its hot springs. We moved across the Paramo, looking for the puma or the hungry Spectacled bear, and bumping into many darting rabbits.

Rye and Savanah lead the pack up the hill

Into the mountains

Emma, briefing Blake on our whereabouts

The days spent trekking have been opportunities to practice our navigation skills, our weather reading, and our understanding of local environments. And, we believe, our group is a brilliant one. We have successfully reached every destination, arriving to the camp with smiles and stories. The mist here is intense, and some days visibility is poor we are quite literally hiking in the clouds. When we saw our first blue sky, yips and “ahhhs” jumped from our mouths. On one sunrise hike, we scaled the side of Antisana (18,700 ft at its peak) to a rocky summit. The sun rose behind the giant Antisana, and the clouds parted just enough to reveal the stunning summit to us for the first time.

We are constantly in awe of this amazing landscape

We forgot to tell you, yes – it is freezing here; hay mucho frio! We have begun to use each other’s stomach heat to warm hands and put our many layers of sweaters and wool to good use. We’ve also been reading Queen of Water, the story of a young indigenous woman from the Ibarra province, who we will have the opportunity to meet in Otavalo at the end of our biking journey. Nighttime reading out-loud in the tent lulls us to sleep in peace. 

Sofia, Edie, Savanah, and Rubey Grace during morning class period

Rye and Maily tend the fire

The power of the Andes has awoken our sleeping spirits and hearts. We’ve learned to support each other through the cold, the uphill pushes, and we’ve exuberated together in those moments where we can’t quite believe we are here in this amazing place.

Cold but joyful on a misty afternoon!

*What is the Paramo?

Facts about the landscape:

-The Paramo is the landscape between 3,500 – 4,500 meters, also known as the Andean Highlands.

-90% of biomass in the Paramo is underground; we see 10% of what the landscape holds. It is basically a massive sponge!

-If the Paramo lost its capacity to retain so much water in its sponge-like composition, water accessibility would be severely threatened in the midlands and Andean cities.

-Animals we could see: Andean wolf, rabbits, rodents, tapirs, spectacled bears, deer, and llamas

-Threats to the health of the Paramo: big farm animals like cows; fences built by communities to contain cows, that end up impacting the movement of wild animals; water consumption in the big cities; conflicting conservation interests between private landowners, communities, and government agencies

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Lucy and Blake getting bikes ready for our new expedition

Where do we go from here?

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Misty smiles from Maily

Playing by the water at a high elevation lake

Camped in the clouds

Charlie and Fiona, all bundled up

Emma, all loaded up!

Look at that!

Lunch prep with Fiona and Edie

Big smiles from Liam!