Reaching New Heights: Part 2

 

No Respite

The plan for the next morning was to hike the last 2,500 km to the summit and back. Exhausted, chilled and a bit dispirited, Kim and I opted to stay behind, while Hattie and Ken would do the next hike to the summit. We managed to gather all our wet belongings and spread them out to dry, (Ha!) then explored around the lodge for a couple of hours before the fog rolled in with more steady rain. We watched as several pack horses loaded with huge sacks arrived and were unloaded by the staff - the only way supplies reach the lodge. 

An hour later Hattie and Ken returned because the trail had closed due to the weather. We spent the rest of the day bundled up and mainly in bed, dozing and reading as it was the only way to stay warm. Thankfully, the meals were hot, delicious and plentiful. The place felt a little eerie because everyone was masked and avoiding each other. Gathering places were cordoned off, so there wasn’t anywhere much to just hang out. 

The latest in rain gear....

A hearty breakfast for all

Getting ready

Going Down…

It poured the rest of that second day and all that night, but just before dawn the rain let up and we prepared our descent. Luckily, we had brought extra dry clothes, and most of the wet stuff went down with the porters. But…shoes were another story. In an attempt to keep our feet somewhat dry we tried plastic bags over our socks before putting on our sodden boots. This time the rain let up and the clouds parted. A frigid wind nipped at us for the first few hours, but as the the sun rose, we actually started taking off a few layers. 

The Easier Way

The views we missed on the way up were quite spectacular. Tall spires of rock, Los Crestones, towered above the lodge in the distance. Silvery streams bubbling over slippery rocks crisscrossing the mountainside. Colorful wildflowers contrasted with the stark grey rock. Clouds scudded across our views like giant, soft cotton wool creatures obliterating the views of nearby peaks and valleys. At one point we could see San Isidro below us resembling a miniature city. 

We trudged through gaunt charred skeletons of trees burned from decades old fires. Lush meadows of delicate clumps of grasses, and flowering shrubs, disguised inches of floodwater that slowed our pace considerably. One part of the hike led us through a fairy-like forest with gnarled old trees and fallen logs smothered with grey blue lichen and mosses. Another section involved a precariously narrow walk along a very steep cliff edge. 

Relief and Accomplishment

The hike down was quite a delight, and much faster, as gravity helped us along. A big plus - it was not raining. Finally, my sense of accomplishment rose up as we tramped past steep hills dotted with coffee bushes toward the cabin. Kim and Hattie would stay there overnight, while I met up with Ray later that afternoon.

Our arrival was followed by a welcome cold shower and a huge lunch. As I hitched a ride down to town where I had expected to meet Ray (no cell phone service impaired correct communication here!) I found him parked along the hugely rutted and washed out road. He presumed he was meeting us at the cabin, and managed to get stuck in a ditch along the way. He hailed some local farmers who had just pulled him out, so he was staying put until I arrived. It was such a relief to be dry and in a warm enclosed vehicle, it made me even more happy to reunite with Big Ray. 

Back down past the coffee farms

Would I do it again? A definite maybe.