tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3466084523912714572024-03-28T20:29:49.266-07:00Knucklehead Adventure ToursUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-58714818723371684612021-09-30T08:11:00.001-07:002021-10-02T17:53:42.954-07:00The Hunger Games of Trails - The Pacific Northwest Trail 8 July - 15 Sept 2021<p><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" color="windowtext" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> We started calling the PNT the Hunger Games of Trails as it seemed that there was a Game Master or Trail Master that was watching over us. Whenever things became a little too routine or easy the Trail Master would turn up the difficulty dial. At the same time the trail stayed true to our maxim that “The Trail Tests, The Trail Provides” which we learned on the Great Himalaya Trail. There were challenges from the beginning to the end. Record breaking heat, lightning, hail, wild fires, smoke, long detours around fire closures, bushwhacks, route finding, wildlife encounters, long water carries with poor water sources, long stretches between resupplies, blowdowns, freezing temperatures, rain, and hiking in the dark when the only time the tide would be low enough to traverse around headlands was at midnight. At the same time there was incredible scenery, inspiring other fellow thru-hikers, the magic of trail angels appearing from nowhere, and the incredible support of our friends to help us succeed. It was also cool knowing that according to the Pacific Northwest Trail Association that less than 300 people had accomplished what we were setting out to do. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUVsVwYh83LX2Bwqaj1DuHV805vD2kKE91OpR-CgGna2yULy77IZ00zIZtEmPdObdVovn-W6FPKiVaE9BxMRJIr2B3QiJ_XyiRL1ssjNNq5cw_uzS0rE0CotuVAqNY3QlIjFnonYbocsK/s2048/IMG_0621.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUVsVwYh83LX2Bwqaj1DuHV805vD2kKE91OpR-CgGna2yULy77IZ00zIZtEmPdObdVovn-W6FPKiVaE9BxMRJIr2B3QiJ_XyiRL1ssjNNq5cw_uzS0rE0CotuVAqNY3QlIjFnonYbocsK/s320/IMG_0621.JPG" width="320" /></a>King Street Station, Seattle</div><p></p><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX8 SCXW240872502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{182}" paraid="1902786046" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> It all began on 5 July 2021 when we were dropped off at the King Street Train Station in downtown Seattle and took the Empire Builder Amtrack to East Glacier. We had tried to get permits in the lottery for Glacier National Park for a week earlier but 8 July was the starting date they gave us. The train left in the late afternoon and took us through incredible scenery overnight and into the next morning. The ride was often like a trip through the movie “A River Runs Through It” with mountains, conifers, green fields, and a wide deep river running alongside the tracks. It was a little frightening how long we were on the train but it also made us giddy. We knew that with every clickity-clack of the train wheels that was distance that we would have to hike back. It was also the last time we had to wear a mask for the next 58 days. We spent a day in East Glacier meeting other hikers who were mostly doing the Continental Divide Trail but a few that were PNTers. On the morning of the </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">8th</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> we had arranged for a ride to the start of the trail. Mountain Chief Cab Company is basically a family business by members of the Blackfoot tribe who informed us that since the east side of the park was closed last year due to COVID that they don't remember seeing as much wildlife as this year, including the bear population. We even saw a baby bear from the car as we went to pick up our permits at Two Medicine Ranger Station. </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{182}" paraid="1902786046" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXgLkXIOBiPoVLTFg5KOnd1rKJCrmOqKUOevfMvD_PfhhR3e6cwB3V5bGg9HW5MF8-yUQ1TojKBq5sXT1iVepU3YSkbBbn_JCMv8ZrUJzr2pCEra8XX40dkgCWmz8YcXsxQ-vQf7UQQHax/s2048/20210708_115858.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXgLkXIOBiPoVLTFg5KOnd1rKJCrmOqKUOevfMvD_PfhhR3e6cwB3V5bGg9HW5MF8-yUQ1TojKBq5sXT1iVepU3YSkbBbn_JCMv8ZrUJzr2pCEra8XX40dkgCWmz8YcXsxQ-vQf7UQQHax/s320/20210708_115858.jpg" width="320" /></a>Belly River Valley, GNP </div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1kHmuOfFaRIy9EoyaiaaNTzYIs6SL00TfbmYX9xt7bMOhFeOWSLwzaB6OXYLmjH4nwCELhJ_VKr6QkTUNy6t_VtFZyy2badBBAxtMG8l50pApp8lM98KrO-UB5adfQnxUYVk3U9ss2hn/s2048/20210710_092044.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1kHmuOfFaRIy9EoyaiaaNTzYIs6SL00TfbmYX9xt7bMOhFeOWSLwzaB6OXYLmjH4nwCELhJ_VKr6QkTUNy6t_VtFZyy2badBBAxtMG8l50pApp8lM98KrO-UB5adfQnxUYVk3U9ss2hn/s320/20210710_092044.jpg" width="320" /></a>First river crossing of many </div><br /></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX8 SCXW240872502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{192}" paraid="1964256389" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> The PNT begins at the Belly River Trailhead which is located at the Canadian border on the eastern side of Glacier National Park. The Park Service had us crossing the park over the next 4 days though the distances were less than what we had wanted. This ended up working out as our bodies were not in hiking shape with heavy packs and the trails were very overgrown. We were also assaulted by some of the worst bugs of the trip. The route along the Belly River to Bowman Lake over Stoney Indian and Brown Pass was not that scenic compared to other hikes we had done previously in the park since we usually were in the trees. It was hot, we were at altitude, packs were heavy with 8 days of food, and I soon had blisters as my feet transitioned into hiking mode and the heavy back dug into my lower back. In East Glacier we had met fellow hiker Swat and Deathwish and on the second day we met Savage, Mo, and Daisy. These 5 would form our hiking bubble for the first part of the trip along with Athena who we would soon meet. Off and on we would see them for the rest of the trip though sometimes it would be weeks in between encounters. This took us into Polebridge which was a great tiny spot of a village with a hostel, general store/bakery, and bar/restaurant. Everything a hiker could want for the night before we pushed on to get to our first real resupply at Eureka after crossing the Whitefish Range. Along the way we did not see any bears but from the frequent large piles of bear scat we could tell that there were many grizzlies in the area and other hikers reported seeing them usually right before we would get to that spot. This section had long distances between water supplies. This would be a common issue on the eastern half of the trail. We had no issues here except along Mount Locke where we came across two guys who had run out of water and were stuck on the ridge. They had hit the SOS button on their GPS devices and were waiting for Search & Rescue to come rescue them on horses with water. We gave them some of our water which then put us on limited rations for the rest of the day. This was also the first section where we experienced how bad the blown down trees could be from previous fires.</span><span class="EOP SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX8 SCXW240872502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{198}" paraid="1922343592" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> At Eureka our friend Krissy Moehl met us and joined us on the trail for a night. Both of us went into ‘get rid of everything unneeded’ mode so playing cards, a traveler’s game set, harmonica, and some extra food and clothes were all sent home with Krissy. Towns were always a whirlwind of getting supplies (either at the store or picking up a box from the post office that we had mailed General Delivery), laundry, showers, and eating as much real food as possible. Within even this first week we started to develop ‘hiker hunger’ which is one of the reasons we started calling the trail the Hunger Games. It is just not possible to carry enough calories compared to the amount that were being burned all day. This hunger would progressively get worse the deeper into the trail we got. Even after eating a </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">meal</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> we still would be hungry. It was not unusual for us to order a meal, eat it, and then order a second meal. </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{198}" paraid="1922343592" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpygnO0F08x4798EEguKCuF5nO9JbzUJrEUYsfWo9Ll-uF4RCFv_hGLqU8ZX0BwJWcqmZiB7swOxV5dCleWO3IwYTLy2rCrlR4Etxv95ml595VwA1fae1LI0MjsRZW2HMMFmkMXJumyZS/s2048/20210721_203716.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMpygnO0F08x4798EEguKCuF5nO9JbzUJrEUYsfWo9Ll-uF4RCFv_hGLqU8ZX0BwJWcqmZiB7swOxV5dCleWO3IwYTLy2rCrlR4Etxv95ml595VwA1fae1LI0MjsRZW2HMMFmkMXJumyZS/s320/20210721_203716.jpg" width="320" /></a>Camping above Bonner's Ferry, ID</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EpPLxYEdJpZhfnfn1GblSu63JRU5-RB-ls05QwTq-C86gZ1Y_WmQ98MT3eVYXFcjwKIc8aaKeF-UiwNAsDg8v7BsFRmerQuw7k472v5CO1MSfDYWXgUMsmVfEFYBs3dS5F_20sxEfpkm/s2048/IMG_0773.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2EpPLxYEdJpZhfnfn1GblSu63JRU5-RB-ls05QwTq-C86gZ1Y_WmQ98MT3eVYXFcjwKIc8aaKeF-UiwNAsDg8v7BsFRmerQuw7k472v5CO1MSfDYWXgUMsmVfEFYBs3dS5F_20sxEfpkm/s320/IMG_0773.JPG" width="320" /></a>The scenery made you feel small </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dxGNTMsfKuBOMj_QHmSsWXtscrrxL7EJdTxlP91zIy6NgP6SPb-mmRlLSt8HZTZwXhhljKrsKeOAcii2RENXXPxWljKm7BYVsuFM3QLWmn8_EOAz_M_s_UtCu-rDDjirN_ty8BUBRO9H/s2048/IMG_0678.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2dxGNTMsfKuBOMj_QHmSsWXtscrrxL7EJdTxlP91zIy6NgP6SPb-mmRlLSt8HZTZwXhhljKrsKeOAcii2RENXXPxWljKm7BYVsuFM3QLWmn8_EOAz_M_s_UtCu-rDDjirN_ty8BUBRO9H/s320/IMG_0678.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunset over Upper Priest Lake, ID </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZf_IUKXetqtUh3ObYHXQx5vCOE7Ut5imccB7Scd6eMWL_OE2eEemUK-vdyjJZGvZKZSJuWb3_4MAEXfuDkjMrhvoyknIcxkwzdJ6f3efYnCNBn9D5zu1ZlwGyYT2MyGi75jQkeRncAWRP/s2578/20210903_074844.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZf_IUKXetqtUh3ObYHXQx5vCOE7Ut5imccB7Scd6eMWL_OE2eEemUK-vdyjJZGvZKZSJuWb3_4MAEXfuDkjMrhvoyknIcxkwzdJ6f3efYnCNBn9D5zu1ZlwGyYT2MyGi75jQkeRncAWRP/s320/20210903_074844.jpg" width="320" /></a>Whidbey Island beach walk </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzzUUn20lUurXvrdC4I5zzUYIpLZkR0dRXh5oYU8e3OqC8cLp0iAESkE5iGYIW1vIac74-Wl6uCn5RSkFS68ztbXyLWjxY2VmuO51SYt3XiGb5fNfcxZZntlXqfKaoEmMYhCgmcJWz0pY/s2578/20210825_062304.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzzUUn20lUurXvrdC4I5zzUYIpLZkR0dRXh5oYU8e3OqC8cLp0iAESkE5iGYIW1vIac74-Wl6uCn5RSkFS68ztbXyLWjxY2VmuO51SYt3XiGb5fNfcxZZntlXqfKaoEmMYhCgmcJWz0pY/s320/20210825_062304.jpg" width="320" /></a>Mount Baker and Baker Lake </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPdLtwZ07mWwK9PBmMg0Rb4tIjZLcMQt51oTywiuccpMcRu265uqR100BlsiJFa5OxTttFcuK6a2zKwHdmLssVpp7A0l3mgXsYiW5qkSZwjKTHLSUAMWASegR3L-kWHV3Hlp7UTI7pBBuh/s2578/20210809_153512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPdLtwZ07mWwK9PBmMg0Rb4tIjZLcMQt51oTywiuccpMcRu265uqR100BlsiJFa5OxTttFcuK6a2zKwHdmLssVpp7A0l3mgXsYiW5qkSZwjKTHLSUAMWASegR3L-kWHV3Hlp7UTI7pBBuh/s320/20210809_153512.jpg" width="320" /></a>Spur Fire on Bonaparte Mountain</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxT5MDIH-itGBtp2gU3V2QwHe_eKcdDYlPHDqJG1hTM5grLORkhY8KC9_d4L6Jue5gMHBfJwztaBeKzXZKOIlFQ9W03Llhl0Gf5AG1DCYEKPWIE4UYkXYJWRCdUDUEJg_uwASKlbz2D5JQ/s2578/20210729_063555.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxT5MDIH-itGBtp2gU3V2QwHe_eKcdDYlPHDqJG1hTM5grLORkhY8KC9_d4L6Jue5gMHBfJwztaBeKzXZKOIlFQ9W03Llhl0Gf5AG1DCYEKPWIE4UYkXYJWRCdUDUEJg_uwASKlbz2D5JQ/s320/20210729_063555.jpg" width="320" /></a>Walking is safer than riding in cars</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2smmJLrotiNQo3_Q3p3tZRBsvvEM3OoR0586JmXQwm-0dvvxjw_R0j2BwXq84_fNKASor0dwaFLyyxiZHlI6ZCTDm7_IkQfaKXA64QwQRwoHmZ04E-bpywlDv9mPfIpSJ7l9OEQNYkU7/s2578/20210729_054647.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2smmJLrotiNQo3_Q3p3tZRBsvvEM3OoR0586JmXQwm-0dvvxjw_R0j2BwXq84_fNKASor0dwaFLyyxiZHlI6ZCTDm7_IkQfaKXA64QwQRwoHmZ04E-bpywlDv9mPfIpSJ7l9OEQNYkU7/s320/20210729_054647.jpg" width="320" /></a>Pend Oreille River </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLw-EMrk0bcCobRjbijePXQHYwcm85a8DJT5Pe4PtCCO8WNzXBxuD6TibGOBDme-qylT8AnYah5lbL-tn0J6FbixVLrxnTkiH5Z6eimxPOUIBcyhuqOyXh4V89mhyNoquuoT3lL8U0dryN/s2578/20210724_060358.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLw-EMrk0bcCobRjbijePXQHYwcm85a8DJT5Pe4PtCCO8WNzXBxuD6TibGOBDme-qylT8AnYah5lbL-tn0J6FbixVLrxnTkiH5Z6eimxPOUIBcyhuqOyXh4V89mhyNoquuoT3lL8U0dryN/s320/20210724_060358.jpg" width="320" /></a>Sunrise over one of the many burns</div><br /></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX8 SCXW240872502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{208}" paraid="2034971000" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> Leaving </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Eureka</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> the days started blurring into a continuous stream of forests, mountains, trails, roads, sections of bushwhacks, and wildlife sightings. We saw moose, tons of deer, turkeys, osprey, bald eagles, skunk, and a lot of bear scat. There was some smoke haze that interfered with long range views from the ridgelines but really wasn’t that bad and made for pretty sunrises and sunsets. After 10 days or so we could feel our backs, shoulders, and feet adjusting to what was going on and we felt stronger each day even with the continued heat wave. We would get up early in the morning to try to use as much of the cool air as possible to get miles done before the afternoon heat would make us slow down.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX8 SCXW240872502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{218}" paraid="1054469126" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> In Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho we started to experience the wonderful generosity of the trail angels along the path. Bonner’s Ferry is about 18 miles from the trail and there is a woman named Debbie who will often drive back and forth a couple of times a day to pick up and return hikers to/from the trail, give them a tour of the town, and help with resupply and finding accommodation. We would find people like her in several of the towns doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. We found that some of the trail angels actually get competitive with each other about wanting to help the most. In Northport, WA we found Josh and Jamie who have opened up their entire house to the hiking community on the trail as a place to crash, do laundry, and make communal meals. On a hot day crossing the Kootenai River Valley I was fantasizing about whether I would rather have an ice-cold Coke or ice-cold Pepsi. Suddenly a pick-up truck came roaring to a stop next to us and a woman jumped out proclaiming “I am so glad I was able to catch you!”. She then proceeding to pull out a cooler that contained ice cold Pepsi, bubbly waters, plain water, and amazingly enough, ice cream sandwiches. We had campers along the way find out what we were doing and then proceed to make us giant breakfast burritos with piles of bacon and mimosas. Multiple people along the way would offer us rides which we always thanked them for but declined. In </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlSpellingErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,PD94bWwgdmVyc2lvbj0iMS4wIiBlbmNvZGluZz0iVVRGLTgiPz4KPHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iNXB4IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjRweCIgdmlld0JveD0iMCAwIDUgNCIgdmVyc2lvbj0iMS4xIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHhtbG5zOnhsaW5rPSJodHRwOi8vd3d3LnczLm9yZy8xOTk5L3hsaW5rIj4KICAgIDwhLS0gR2VuZXJhdG9yOiBTa2V0Y2ggNTYuMiAoODE2NzIpIC0gaHR0cHM6Ly9za2V0Y2guY29tIC0tPgogICAgPHRpdGxlPnNwZWxsaW5nX3NxdWlnZ2xlPC90aXRsZT4KICAgIDxkZXNjPkNyZWF0ZWQgd2l0aCBTa2V0Y2guPC9kZXNjPgogICAgPGcgaWQ9IkZsYWdzIiBzdHJva2U9Im5vbmUiIHN0cm9rZS13aWR0aD0iMSIgZmlsbD0ibm9uZSIgZmlsbC1ydWxlPSJldmVub2RkIj4KICAgICAgICA8ZyB0cmFuc2Zvcm09InRyYW5zbGF0ZSgtMTAxMC4wMDAwMDAsIC0yOTYuMDAwMDAwKSIgaWQ9InNwZWxsaW5nX3NxdWlnZ2xlIj4KICAgICAgICAgICAgPGcgdHJhbnNmb3JtPSJ0cmFuc2xhdGUoMTAxMC4wMDAwMDAsIDI5Ni4wMDAwMDApIj4KICAgICAgICAgICAgICAgIDxwYXRoIGQ9Ik0wLDMgQzEuMjUsMyAxLjI1LDEgMi41LDEgQzMuNzUsMSAzLjc1LDMgNSwzIiBpZD0iUGF0aCIgc3Ryb2tlPSIjRUIwMDAwIiBzdHJva2Utd2lkdGg9IjEiPjwvcGF0aD4KICAgICAgICAgICAgICAgIDxyZWN0IGlkPSJSZWN0YW5nbGUiIHg9IjAiIHk9IjAiIHdpZHRoPSI1IiBoZWlnaHQ9IjQiPjwvcmVjdD4KICAgICAgICAgICAgPC9nPgogICAgICAgIDwvZz4KICAgIDwvZz4KPC9zdmc+")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Havillah</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> there was a church that had opened its doors and even had a freezer packed with chicken pot pies for the hikers. We have now slept in a church twice while on big hikes. Snacks and beers were always appreciated when offered by a variety of people along the way. It was amazing the number of people that helped us in both little and big ways along the trip. In some respects, this was one of the coolest parts of the hike and reminded us that people are good. One of the most interesting people we met along the trail was “Nomad” Chris. He was like meeting a nomad in Africa. He has been moving across the landscape for the last 4 summers with his herd of 23 goats (there used to be 25), 2 yaks, 2 Bacterin camels, a dog, and a llama. He lives off goat meat (hence the missing 2 goats), goat milk, and what he forages from the forest. His clothing and bedding are from hides and his shoes looked like sandals made from cardboard and twine. We spent several hours chatting him up and Kathleen rode the bigger of the camels. He was very interested when he found out about our camel training with the Bedouin in Jordan and asked us a ton of questions too. Definitely one of the most surprising and unexpected encounters we had along the trail. </span></span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{218}" paraid="1054469126" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAemidywL-Z6weD9iLhCWQEcdFBEtf9NWqK-WB_ZKwbIBs_s5ongDJL4G1zbJETYM5Gp6_KxW4hnd25Y925ryC0ZKDEqmyUJLAIikbe1hl5cAFX_9Qe3HeAB73fNai-x87_qu_q3xThrye/s2578/20210806_145516.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAemidywL-Z6weD9iLhCWQEcdFBEtf9NWqK-WB_ZKwbIBs_s5ongDJL4G1zbJETYM5Gp6_KxW4hnd25Y925ryC0ZKDEqmyUJLAIikbe1hl5cAFX_9Qe3HeAB73fNai-x87_qu_q3xThrye/s320/20210806_145516.jpg" width="320" /></a>Nomad Chris and his camels</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLa6gI3Ll0a7ApOavxyPHVp8o-OsECsz6sU433nKI4jgWTNxx6psj0aMZe-pb6uAAdLT0bbRw0OHJp5VLHNjIHYNOkCFQz_ZiLDm23VmajHcRJ8nnNNXEmJoUcCekd7pKTCJLaAYwaie81/s2048/IMG_0658.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLa6gI3Ll0a7ApOavxyPHVp8o-OsECsz6sU433nKI4jgWTNxx6psj0aMZe-pb6uAAdLT0bbRw0OHJp5VLHNjIHYNOkCFQz_ZiLDm23VmajHcRJ8nnNNXEmJoUcCekd7pKTCJLaAYwaie81/s320/IMG_0658.JPG" width="320" /></a>One of several bushwhacks </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyf6FiSpPtNP7mmesBaKZwAyM6xbLhgoVRAkoKdjBneTxDyPjBVap0aocjqzQGW2YFGaSKm7uNmsyOwFFxqHlQso8jGngr9f-Z9bqIfpVBX3SUco2NGWVc1jkdCAtJiE3eRNnLDHF_r1Rj/s2578/20210725_082841.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyf6FiSpPtNP7mmesBaKZwAyM6xbLhgoVRAkoKdjBneTxDyPjBVap0aocjqzQGW2YFGaSKm7uNmsyOwFFxqHlQso8jGngr9f-Z9bqIfpVBX3SUco2NGWVc1jkdCAtJiE3eRNnLDHF_r1Rj/s320/20210725_082841.jpg" width="320" /></a>Another bushwack </div><br /><p></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX8 SCXW240872502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{228}" paraid="1884986489" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"> The trail was only designated a National Scenic Trail in 2009 so it is still new and developing. As a result, there are still large sections of the trail that are road. Some of this is 4-wheel drive and abandoned road, some forest service or logging roads, but there are also many miles of pavement. There are also sections where there is no trail and you just have to bash your way through the bushes and forest. The longest of these was in Idaho and took us 7 hours to get through. This was the one spot where I took a bad fall over a down tree, tore my pants, bloodied up my shin, and created a swelling that lasted 6 weeks before gradually resolving. The trail would always want to escalate on us. It was as if the Game Master saw that we had mastered a certain skill and then would amplify it. Once we mastered the bushwhack suddenly in eastern Washington we came to a spot where the bushwhack was literally on fire from a lightning strike the night before. It was less than an acre and there was already a National Forest Service fire crew on it when we arrived but out path went through the middle of it. The pavement miles included highways with narrow shoulders and fast-moving cars. This also seemed to get more dangerous as we went along with the worst being Route 20 out of Port Townsend as we tried to get to the trail that would take us into the Olympic Mountains. We spent several hours of that day jumping in and out of the ditch on the side of the road. The blow down situation also amplified as we progressed. We had sections in Montana and Idaho but the grand test was in the Pasayten Wilderness on Bunker Hill. We didn’t count them but another hiker had. There were 1250 blow downs (trees that had fallen across the trail) +/- 25 in an 11-mile section of trail. This was exhausting and frustrating to go through. It was one of those days where you could get angry or cry but we chose to laugh. We invented categories for the types of blow downs. The basic categories were Hurdles (which you could step over), Straddles (and who doesn’t love to straddle some wood once in a while), Runarounds (where you had to walk around the obstacle), or Limbos (where you went under the tree). However, this was the PNT so the Game Master amplified the obstacles. In this section we were dealing with Double and Triple Hurdles, “the Crotch Ripper”, the Complete Runaround (a runaround that was so far that you would lose where the trail actually was), and our least favorite, the Army Crawl (trying to crawl face first in the dirt or mud with a heavy pack is miserable and physically really hard). There was even the Scissors which was where you went over and under two different logs at the same time but the upper log is unstable and wants to collapse to cut you in two. It made us truly appreciate the work that goes in to keeping these trails open by the volunteers. </span><span class="EOP SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{228}" paraid="1884986489" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3lR3a_nKEOlxpKgHiG_4HdkiR0BWSUa4TfMm6Pd8J6DKoML7W49oYs13yKhXb5QEgFuvqTIar-_j4Hr7_16TPMR5VO4FHaUZ8UHNOCtaHO5hyvPcm-IJEIddJOmXu_ipfTLl9BNMAgIA/s2048/IMG_0702.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3lR3a_nKEOlxpKgHiG_4HdkiR0BWSUa4TfMm6Pd8J6DKoML7W49oYs13yKhXb5QEgFuvqTIar-_j4Hr7_16TPMR5VO4FHaUZ8UHNOCtaHO5hyvPcm-IJEIddJOmXu_ipfTLl9BNMAgIA/s320/IMG_0702.JPG" width="320" /></a>Insane heat this summer </div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceadVVBnPnJfIPkiNoDLjzQK23OsjVjD12eeAJZ-JDMibbeAiKFAmk-mxpDIRI9Wa9Y-HceZTiFzCE53EVlsUqSoOgncvwqdW6IOsahY679NzjY947dPVnRsDR_zLT_6nLU9FPpEmLkkR/s2578/20210810_113452.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceadVVBnPnJfIPkiNoDLjzQK23OsjVjD12eeAJZ-JDMibbeAiKFAmk-mxpDIRI9Wa9Y-HceZTiFzCE53EVlsUqSoOgncvwqdW6IOsahY679NzjY947dPVnRsDR_zLT_6nLU9FPpEmLkkR/s320/20210810_113452.jpg" width="320" /></a>Looking down above Oroville, WA</div><br /></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX8 SCXW240872502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{28686bb7-6b83-4ad9-ba2c-63c156f093b0}{234}" paraid="386798029" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> The first half of the trail was a struggle against the heat and scarcity of water. Entering </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Northport</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> the thermometer at the gas station read 114 F. This was also one of the 5 days of really bad smoke we had. There were times where it was obvious that the only water </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">source</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> we had was heavily contaminated by the cows in the area and we hoped that our water filters would do the job that they were meant to. We went through several water filters as they would rapidly become clogged in these poor water conditions. We also had numerous scares when a large black creature would start running and bashing through the woods. We always initially thought it was a bear but most often was a black cow. By the end of the </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">trip</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> we had run into 6 black bears. On one of the days entering Oroville, we startled a bear out of the bushes that was within 20 yards of us, had to scare a large timber rattlesnake off the trail about 1/3 of a mile later, and then passed through a narrow rock canyon that had two dead deer and a dead calf all near each other so we were pretty certain that the area was a mountain lion ambush spot. None of the wild life encounters we had </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">were</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> scary. All the bears either ran away or ignored us as they continued to eat. The rattler warned us to stay away with his rattle. The mountain lions probably saw us but we never saw them. Once we got to the western side of the Pasayten wilderness we entered the rain belt where rain and cold started to become our biggest worry. The week before we got there it actually snowed several inches in the Pasayten and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">a hiker</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> became hypothermic. We didn’t have snow but rain, wind, cold temperatures, and having to push through wet vegetation kept us on edge and very careful about trying to keep our gear as dry as possible. The section through the North Cascades National Park was particularly like that and kept us from enjoying the views due to the low cloud cover. Our rain systems worked so while our feet, legs, and arms would get wet, our cores remained mostly dry so besides cold hands and feet we never had any life-threatening issues. </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX8 SCXW240872502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{a193e8c7-a0ca-41c9-9440-e727af89c3ff}{5}" paraid="1663100414" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> The section through the Cascades and Puget Sound helped remind us what amazing friends we have. Krissy Moehl had been our fixer all along and would buy groceries and mail our boxes to us when we needed. She updated our friends and family regularly and would make hotel reservations for us when needed. She joined us on two different occasions – once at the beginning in Eureka and then joined us for the last few days on the Olympic Coast. She made our life incredibly simpler than it might have been. Jeff List surprised us on the trail with extra calories, schlepped 60 pounds of food and gear to us for a resupply, fixed our broken tent pole, threw us a party at his house, and delivered one of the resupply boxes to us by car. He also was a big part of our success. Gretchen Walla resupplied us and then also met us at the Mount Baker ski area with food, beer, a canopy, and great company. Monica and Christian Ochs opened their house to us and fed us as we stopped in Anacortes for a couple of nights. Rich White, Ellen Beecroft and Seth Wolpin also intercepted us a </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">various points</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> along the trail providing food and good company. Ma and Pa Moehl also provided us shelter, a shower, an excellent meal, and good conversation for a night after being outdoors for 19 days. Eric and Kelly Bollinger brought us a feast on Holman Pass one night. My eyes literally rolled into my head from the pulled pork tacos that were so good along with a baguette, goat cheese, fresh veggies, whiskey, beer, and more! We were also taken in for a night by Kathy and Ras Vaughan. They knew just what a thru-hiker wants and needs from experience. It was another amazing meal and a nice place to stay as we walked down Whidbey Island. </span><span class="NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Plus</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> they had some good advice for gear and tips that they had learned on some of their adventures. Even though we had never met Kathy in person it felt like we were old friends. </span></span><span class="EOP SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559739":160,"335559740":259}" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{a193e8c7-a0ca-41c9-9440-e727af89c3ff}{5}" paraid="1663100414" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DuqKL7L1ZumI1YTstylkFh8lkbcpLBYqMsY0lWClcHQOgbZD_YTV2hBAbeac6IchiSeDKHsJSTmFFC-eL6GLQfF3Wps9f9HackRArnaMW-zw7Ln1sndguH18O-65yooRyFQe-N-YxOxW/s2048/IMG_0873.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8DuqKL7L1ZumI1YTstylkFh8lkbcpLBYqMsY0lWClcHQOgbZD_YTV2hBAbeac6IchiSeDKHsJSTmFFC-eL6GLQfF3Wps9f9HackRArnaMW-zw7Ln1sndguH18O-65yooRyFQe-N-YxOxW/s320/IMG_0873.JPG" width="320" /></a>Deer and a boat in the woods</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDRxeyMnV3eTlNsOd2g0rHcUzP21kL4p_qNA7kr9TegmCDVIbDPyY7k7_f1gk5xg6A-SJaIMzmK_rY-w1KZ8RNB7akr7m0ySTCUH8uuG7c69OYNA1M2kWx0R04eo4McyZw4SKUUM5eKP7/s2578/20210906_153000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDRxeyMnV3eTlNsOd2g0rHcUzP21kL4p_qNA7kr9TegmCDVIbDPyY7k7_f1gk5xg6A-SJaIMzmK_rY-w1KZ8RNB7akr7m0ySTCUH8uuG7c69OYNA1M2kWx0R04eo4McyZw4SKUUM5eKP7/s320/20210906_153000.jpg" width="320" /></a>Olympics views </div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD5PFT_Vd-8OfNRiwAwHveacuZ2A5GawH85zWN4kAjuZJbolgTDMd9aF_FU_0B-zVsiuAvoodRey0S8l8uhVQI0gcU-fTgPzRhs6fsxDuI8tin86g2Y6bpZwDvEVsZWPF0YsG8TgFyQDs/s2578/20210910_092424.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD5PFT_Vd-8OfNRiwAwHveacuZ2A5GawH85zWN4kAjuZJbolgTDMd9aF_FU_0B-zVsiuAvoodRey0S8l8uhVQI0gcU-fTgPzRhs6fsxDuI8tin86g2Y6bpZwDvEVsZWPF0YsG8TgFyQDs/s320/20210910_092424.jpg" width="320" /></a><span>Views from High Divide </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK43jVqfP0gdsak9Aj_wci0MExr1YxEaf6oqm7AKCEAzGPuKbwrxyIzLaw57azADYEa6vIsD7ArRoKddCwSBIurMtK39XXTANO8J1VPF3mOslsbJbyUIfrU_lQegur-JLqUwtk17TKDkiD/s2578/20210912_193400.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK43jVqfP0gdsak9Aj_wci0MExr1YxEaf6oqm7AKCEAzGPuKbwrxyIzLaw57azADYEa6vIsD7ArRoKddCwSBIurMtK39XXTANO8J1VPF3mOslsbJbyUIfrU_lQegur-JLqUwtk17TKDkiD/s320/20210912_193400.jpg" width="320" /></a>First view of the Pacific </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eCxrz4ZIpcpQfyJeeOFcMls9RZTVQR4VPUquy8XHcePFPcx8eKq5cWuhCILTzTCgFjDQ1uOVuEKluF2qQn17kfXHudyu85J-C1JB10o8au84nC9pBYRHKOGlETNdjNiq5yDhfmNQO8E9/s2578/20210912_223229.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eCxrz4ZIpcpQfyJeeOFcMls9RZTVQR4VPUquy8XHcePFPcx8eKq5cWuhCILTzTCgFjDQ1uOVuEKluF2qQn17kfXHudyu85J-C1JB10o8au84nC9pBYRHKOGlETNdjNiq5yDhfmNQO8E9/s320/20210912_223229.jpg" width="320" /></a>Midnight hiking wildlife </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAH9pHcySBdlZfBEkw3-G6EWIUAQ89lonQxqsDk8TA0Q3zsdFgniykIfAI1hp5tYcjHjlO12zk5jnKKN3gxCZwtamDa8G6lIDXvwyDME6U3DsEervlhMDSHztKb6AkUzwgTfxQlPEsRmJH/s2048/IMG_0954.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAH9pHcySBdlZfBEkw3-G6EWIUAQ89lonQxqsDk8TA0Q3zsdFgniykIfAI1hp5tYcjHjlO12zk5jnKKN3gxCZwtamDa8G6lIDXvwyDME6U3DsEervlhMDSHztKb6AkUzwgTfxQlPEsRmJH/s320/IMG_0954.JPG" width="320" /></a>Rocky headland at low tide</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJgbUc104cLXjrQ7pYhBBbONLHUUSnv6QxjnvHMMZZv8MFDth-6vWw2DJKT09jRExBQZ3VGMr5zoxhbSukqy3yUBK0Jg2-HFh3OfI08DVSLP2LpNgT4lSu7X2cEZz5fI-MbJR_Ja3INOT/s2578/20210915_151040.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2578" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJgbUc104cLXjrQ7pYhBBbONLHUUSnv6QxjnvHMMZZv8MFDth-6vWw2DJKT09jRExBQZ3VGMr5zoxhbSukqy3yUBK0Jg2-HFh3OfI08DVSLP2LpNgT4lSu7X2cEZz5fI-MbJR_Ja3INOT/s320/20210915_151040.jpg" width="320" /></a>Bear seen on last day </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJvF_c8S5yW5OB8ibsH9DK1m3WfzGsQ5NIsexHXsxjsX4kUgDGWTbkXuT_I-ts58oea79OUKcItu1UbADsop8Zv6ypuvCsFvoad_B-I_sHZZpXPt-hsV-cCbPnMAfpaIS_sABZNqCoKmv/s2576/20210915_163053.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="2576" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpJvF_c8S5yW5OB8ibsH9DK1m3WfzGsQ5NIsexHXsxjsX4kUgDGWTbkXuT_I-ts58oea79OUKcItu1UbADsop8Zv6ypuvCsFvoad_B-I_sHZZpXPt-hsV-cCbPnMAfpaIS_sABZNqCoKmv/s320/20210915_163053.jpg" width="320" /></a>1248 miles, 70 days </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzA1GRoFgNmj8nYQTNibm_kmyZvrSTg90ZV7jr8id0La6B8vbXPyU9y2up9kWl3z8C0Pp4LArs1T6PerMU8OyFaeuWyYh1Uzb1NY23apfrlgOHdIVDDF6ezpp4ulu-rvlqfvtJRGNJMUs/s2048/20210915_163155.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzA1GRoFgNmj8nYQTNibm_kmyZvrSTg90ZV7jr8id0La6B8vbXPyU9y2up9kWl3z8C0Pp4LArs1T6PerMU8OyFaeuWyYh1Uzb1NY23apfrlgOHdIVDDF6ezpp4ulu-rvlqfvtJRGNJMUs/s320/20210915_163155.jpg" width="320" /></a>At the finish line </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX8 SCXW240872502" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW240872502 BCX8" paraeid="{a193e8c7-a0ca-41c9-9440-e727af89c3ff}{15}" paraid="1259047641" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" data-contrast="auto" face="Calibri, Calibri_EmbeddedFont, Calibri_MSFontService, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 17.2667px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> The PNT saved the best for last. The Olympic Mountains and Coast were the most scenic of the entire trip. Scenery-wise the trail just kept getting better and better as we progressed further west. The Trail Master also saved the best for last. The Olympic Mountains were a series of high passes. Each day we would climb up over one or more big passes with a lot of vertical gain and then climb back down into the next river valley. The views from the passes were expansive and beautiful. We had worried about the potential bad weather but for the most part it stayed perfect early Fall conditions. There was a day of rain as we passed through the </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2 SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-image: var(--urlSpellingErrorV2,url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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")); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Bogachiel</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW240872502 BCX8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> Rain Forest (of course, it is a rain forest after all) and a day of light rain on the coast. The climbs were difficult and our packs were heavy since we had left Port Townsend with 11 days of food. On the coast there are several headlands that can only be passed at low tide. The Trail Master and luck had it that the only time the tide was low enough was at midnight. Both on the evening entering and exiting Kathleen’s birthday we had to wait for the sun to set. We would sit in the rocks watching the moon and stars come out as the ocean slowly sank away from us until it was low enough to navigate the rocky terrain by headlamp. A last bit of adventure to end the trail with. Krissy and our other trail friend Link were with us for the last days as we arrived at Cape Alava which is the westernmost point on North America. 1248 miles and 70 days after starting at the edge of the Great Plains we had reached the end of the trail when it was no longer possible to walk any further west. </span></span></p></div><br />Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-46866132624459062872020-02-09T20:08:00.002-08:002020-02-09T20:08:36.703-08:00Ecuador and an attempt to touch the Sun<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ecuador has been
on my bucket list for a long time mainly due to its mountaineering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chimborazo is a volcano that is the closest
point on the planet to the sun or the furthest from the center of the Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Earth is not round.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to the centrifugal force of the planets
rotation it bulges at the equator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
have had this dream to climb it at the perihelion (when Earth and the Sun are
the closest) at noon and then reach up and touch the Sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately, this year that day was 4
January and I was not able to get to Ecuador that soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also being on the summit at noon would be
dangerous with avalanche hazard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I
was at it, I also wanted to climb Cotopaxi which is the third highest active volcano
and erupted as recently at 2016.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had 3 weeks to
be in Ecuador.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kathleen had a business
meeting and was not able to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
past she had been to Ecuador and had already climbed Cotopaxi so I took the
opportunity to do some new things for me without making her do repeats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, this is the first time I have
traveled without Kathleen since I did the 52-day Sea of Cortez kayak and I
didn’t like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am very used to
traveling with her and it felt REALLY REALLY WEIRD to both be traveling and
climbing without her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My hope was that I
would be able to climb the peaks in the first 10 to 12 days and then have the
rest of the time to explore Ecuador.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due
to a combination of guide issues, weather, and then park service permitting
problems it ended up taking me most of the 3 weeks to get up the 2
mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did go down to the coast
for 3 days during a bad weather section but otherwise I was in mountain towns
the entire time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ecuador has a rule that
anyone climbing above 15,000’ has to have an Ecuadorian guide with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since it was the end of high season, I had
attempted to organize this before I left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had talked to a guide on the phone about 2 weeks before I left and
everything was seemingly set up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, after that phone call none of my emails or messages were
answered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time I had to catch my
flight I still had not heard anything and figured I would just fly to Quito and
figure it out on the ground there if I needed to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To my pleasant surprise there was a WhatsApp
voice message when I landed in Quito and everything was still on track.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I first flew
into the capital Quito which is at 9000’ so a good place to start my
acclimatization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent a day exploring
the old town<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehDnj0yKgVb8RJEuuLQjoAKge1Wbf3DhFjbn5TZxrEiOtVQGKeIIdA0gjEiP-kwNA6fj0hMdT7Iwvr2cIImfr3fC3glo4uTkbWpGptVmxgVuc7d1pPB21Y6pOBlLLVjbOa9QaUeFEpfWd/s1600/P1221128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhehDnj0yKgVb8RJEuuLQjoAKge1Wbf3DhFjbn5TZxrEiOtVQGKeIIdA0gjEiP-kwNA6fj0hMdT7Iwvr2cIImfr3fC3glo4uTkbWpGptVmxgVuc7d1pPB21Y6pOBlLLVjbOa9QaUeFEpfWd/s320/P1221128.JPG" width="320" /></a>Basilica del Voto Nacional</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7HpgmnS1wRE1p-bxOP6PYebmqoNBkjQkq_yGsUUavLxmYSmbbIsm9a9X3MY9x5_OoIPTkQJY2CjY-_QlljR2TeD-bilKlUHS38pZ6SpvpNq65y9AY8ULVMhtVRwisXQ_jkNAMWk89gsb/s1600/P1221139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw7HpgmnS1wRE1p-bxOP6PYebmqoNBkjQkq_yGsUUavLxmYSmbbIsm9a9X3MY9x5_OoIPTkQJY2CjY-_QlljR2TeD-bilKlUHS38pZ6SpvpNq65y9AY8ULVMhtVRwisXQ_jkNAMWk89gsb/s320/P1221139.JPG" width="320" /></a>View of Quito historic district </div>
<br />
and then the next day climbed a volcano that Quito wraps around
called Pinchincha (15,413’).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a
gondola that goes up to 12,000’ so it was a great way to get some additional
altitude so my sea level body would start to adjust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was horrible that day with rain
and I was inside a cloud all day so there were no views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDD7CMpkhpFyOhYDWh-erM5oqYTCfcOUX8zVYUq7V467YLpEYxIwyWDjSP2u16L-mJzk30eDnSVWsNdRQxZp5t-57nbuj7IK4wYLRoJ4ax-sq8Aruv2O-XZzMuw4hgAlQOLDxSF3PClrZ/s1600/P1231153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDDD7CMpkhpFyOhYDWh-erM5oqYTCfcOUX8zVYUq7V467YLpEYxIwyWDjSP2u16L-mJzk30eDnSVWsNdRQxZp5t-57nbuj7IK4wYLRoJ4ax-sq8Aruv2O-XZzMuw4hgAlQOLDxSF3PClrZ/s320/P1231153.JPG" width="320" /></a>View from top of Pinchincha </div>
<br />
This unsettled weather pattern ended up
continuing for most of my trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quito
has a reputation as being a tough town but there is a pretty heavy security
presence around the historic district so I never felt nervous about anything.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My initial plan had been to do Cotopaxi as a
warm up climb and then do Chimborazo next.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When I actually met the guide operator (John) and sat down with him to
set out the plan we switched things around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The weather forecast for Cotopaxi that week was bad and better on
Chimborazo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite not being that far
from each other the two mountains can have very different weather
patterns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is possible to drive to the
Refugio on Chimborazo at 16,000’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQViZ93jB2q_Xf8VEKCrH_EqSIFr-glzh5ywZLkp6RZB-tn-48Wz0j9V-aIFOE94ve6pqYoeB60JBLw74PYyLygU6I1YYBYIrGAIMbiGpvsHCXmd1HXmNH-ljmWrsGB5sR_kTd1fIRa4Xj/s1600/P1241159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQViZ93jB2q_Xf8VEKCrH_EqSIFr-glzh5ywZLkp6RZB-tn-48Wz0j9V-aIFOE94ve6pqYoeB60JBLw74PYyLygU6I1YYBYIrGAIMbiGpvsHCXmd1HXmNH-ljmWrsGB5sR_kTd1fIRa4Xj/s320/P1241159.JPG" width="320" /></a>First view of Chimborazo </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hKyZerFioJIjP7Kp7jEIT4qgnar2HMOVHk2odKfQ3paK0gAj_XYsFjCJHONXMezsGYFULe25auYpuh2ti5QYkxFQlblyewhFBY7flOMnefVyvdEbFr2pNfJQSk05UcpQXrD0IHG8slP4/s1600/P1241166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hKyZerFioJIjP7Kp7jEIT4qgnar2HMOVHk2odKfQ3paK0gAj_XYsFjCJHONXMezsGYFULe25auYpuh2ti5QYkxFQlblyewhFBY7flOMnefVyvdEbFr2pNfJQSk05UcpQXrD0IHG8slP4/s320/P1241166.JPG" width="320" /></a>Refugio Carrel </div>
<br />
This
was a really nice Refugio with clean bathrooms and a warm dormitory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I spent two days and nights there
acclimatizing and hiked up to 18,000’ both days to further get my body used to
being so high.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first night I had an
altitude headache (Imagine a bad hangover) but by the second night it had
completely resolved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It snowed the first
two afternoons I was there which made conditions on the mountain worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGrrZoLUjHe1AMVHPnW59k7LMvNEt8Wiupq6ZTl89k0Kh4DP7bhcUykitI03cUU4PcPw9SkPdJc7fMxYPqL5acvnZCUxTaWch8KbQdJKEK8hUT6F1xm9PhHqftAiluaWztuJCIz2TLYDc/s1600/P1251182.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGrrZoLUjHe1AMVHPnW59k7LMvNEt8Wiupq6ZTl89k0Kh4DP7bhcUykitI03cUU4PcPw9SkPdJc7fMxYPqL5acvnZCUxTaWch8KbQdJKEK8hUT6F1xm9PhHqftAiluaWztuJCIz2TLYDc/s320/P1251182.JPG" width="320" /></a>Fog was a common phenomena </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQ44_TQiFEC2JSBRV3uq9hN6LnFZXT9YXZr3Ze5BlXNxojNrdF1WnxmuLfPEBuC4zWSXwfFuo9xB0cMkxLTBf2bfWYxVsD51x37MRaNIdFM2J-i81YNorNSPh1qeAm-NmUb-2Hhj4pOPl/s1600/P1261185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNQ44_TQiFEC2JSBRV3uq9hN6LnFZXT9YXZr3Ze5BlXNxojNrdF1WnxmuLfPEBuC4zWSXwfFuo9xB0cMkxLTBf2bfWYxVsD51x37MRaNIdFM2J-i81YNorNSPh1qeAm-NmUb-2Hhj4pOPl/s320/P1261185.JPG" width="320" /></a>Fresh snow made conditions more difficult</div>
<br />
Both those days the reports were that a
couple of people made it to the top but that most had to turn around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To avoid avalanche hazard people start this
climb at 11pm to time getting to the summit around sunrise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not good to be on the mountain after
mid-morning as the sun warms up the snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While at the Refugio I was pleasantly surprised to find out one night
that the climber sitting next to me was from Iran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Ecuadorians got nervous about an American
and Iranian sitting next to each other but we rapidly showed them that the
Iranian people are actually big fans of Americans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was amazed when I was able to turn to him
and say in Farsi, “My name is John.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am
pleased to meet you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am a friend of
Iran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only speak very little Farsi.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saman was one of only 2 that summited the
night before my attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The night I
climbed it was windy and the entire mountain was inside a cloud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the Refugio it is a long way and 4500’
of vertical to the summit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first
third of the way is on dirt and then the rest is straight up a huge
glacier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3epX8VJpaV52zZ0_NpbtiZBw3k4l3HuLnQgJUO-nUzaMMNCF2YNIl9DM-Y6BVh9IVwEuhbvEu_3FmvAF7cVMl8v_fYLm5B7mKRr68CwafXknSwBA4uD9J8qhL-siu2wya1WIXaHPv-Vq/s1600/P1251183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE3epX8VJpaV52zZ0_NpbtiZBw3k4l3HuLnQgJUO-nUzaMMNCF2YNIl9DM-Y6BVh9IVwEuhbvEu_3FmvAF7cVMl8v_fYLm5B7mKRr68CwafXknSwBA4uD9J8qhL-siu2wya1WIXaHPv-Vq/s320/P1251183.JPG" width="320" /></a>View of route from acclimatization climb </div>
<br />
I call this a Nepali route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No switchbacks, just straight up the
mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was warm enough but it took
every layer I had – two shirts, a wind breaker, a puffy jacket, my shell, and
then my high altitude big down jacket on top of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All my clothes were covered in frost and ice
from the cloud around us freezing on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I had double boots and crampons on my feet and high-altitude mittens for
my hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could not really take my
mittens off without my fingers instantly getting cold and we were always in the
fog so I didn’t take any pictures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fresh
snow from the previous days had created some crusty wind slab which made the footing
more difficult and was a potential avalanche hazard once the sun came up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to the first summit just at dawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really hard to breathe on the last
1500’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would take two steps forward
and then have to stop and take 6 breathes to recover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the first false summit it is another 30
minutes of walking across the summit plateau to get to the true summit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only me and a German guy (with our guides)
made it to the summit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The other 6
people that started with us from the Refugio ended up turning around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even going down was a struggle in the thin
air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made it back to the Refugio but
was completely spent by the time I got there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Both my water bottles had frozen so I was dehydrated and the climb had
pushed me to my physical limits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
guide that night was Juan Silva who had climbed the mountain over 600
times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For this climb I didn’t really
need a guide but it was nice to have him since he knew the route despite the
thick fog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then went down
to Riobamba to recover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I definitely
needed some time but once again my tour operator John went radio silent on me
and I ended up spending 2 more days there than I had wanted to. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turned out that he was on another
mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His office was very close to
where I was staying and I found out from a neighbor when he was returning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went over to his house when that happened
and we made a plan for Cotopaxi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
weather forecast was not good for the next 5 days and reports were that people
were not even able to leave the Refugio there due to the high winds and
snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to go down to the coast
and sit on the beach while waiting for a weather window.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I caught a bus to Puerto Lopez which is a
small (but growing) fishing village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was much hotter on the coast then it was in the highlands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found a great hotel a block from the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would run the beach every morning and then
come home and float in the pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS51S7PNUVPAuC1u2RgBtIVrrkGsL4n07JHLUJbFQbx6P0OI-8wqGUXhVReEkPQ8J2_sdunDbJnWzg0RSmUoCtcNXP53gyds0MV4Jy6t0g-WUJy3aA0VTr9dYMqgEraTMe1reFJsmV0hjL/s1600/P2031186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS51S7PNUVPAuC1u2RgBtIVrrkGsL4n07JHLUJbFQbx6P0OI-8wqGUXhVReEkPQ8J2_sdunDbJnWzg0RSmUoCtcNXP53gyds0MV4Jy6t0g-WUJy3aA0VTr9dYMqgEraTMe1reFJsmV0hjL/s320/P2031186.JPG" width="320" /></a>Recovery pool in Puerto Lopez</div>
<br />
It was
the perfect temperature – not hot or cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I would float on my back for an hour after the run and almost fall
asleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hotel also had an excellent
kitchen with Spanish cuisine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could
have spent a week there but only had 3 days before the forecast told me to get
back up into the mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took a tuk tuk
and 3 buses to get from Puerto Lopez to the park entrance of Cotopaxi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bus basically just dropped me off after
dark in the middle of nowhere on the side of the Pan American Highway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first I wasn’t even sure I was in the
right place but a park ranger drove by and offered to give me a ride to my
hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1D3JlvsaDr85OM5q44Q_DBvWrIybfvXa7UdzCpKIM-PKAMQp5Xsdyik5C-_xb5wu2sfDbJZ2dKE86EnNcKdl4CC4vDU2NcB7r5Q597FgXsFW-afd3QoaQl6G3PD2PX86_nauouDMAGpaK/s1600/P2051187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1D3JlvsaDr85OM5q44Q_DBvWrIybfvXa7UdzCpKIM-PKAMQp5Xsdyik5C-_xb5wu2sfDbJZ2dKE86EnNcKdl4CC4vDU2NcB7r5Q597FgXsFW-afd3QoaQl6G3PD2PX86_nauouDMAGpaK/s320/P2051187.JPG" width="320" /></a>First view of Cotopaxi </div>
<br />
Everything seemed to be on track
for heading up Cotopaxi but when the guide came to pick me up it turned out
that the park service would not issue me a permit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a backlog of climbers trying to
summit from the previous bad weather and there were too many people on the
mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tour operator John made some
phone calls and switched me over to another guiding company that did have
permits for the next night so it only ended up being a 24-hour delay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My guide for this climb was Flavio Armas who
was very experienced and has climbed all around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Refugio on Cotopaxi was also nice but
cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the day it was colder
inside than it was outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather
was perfect for the summit attempt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
moon was out so there was some light and you could see the lights of Quito not
that far off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTDXKAAd36COPrEGuj0OUo_llCexVzHjB2qXI1z_w99TBp8wK8bN5uZOGh1i7qjwVQcJUok1fyKkDMccWG1CV7Fm7grDl0sOs2veoboMAs3fYrG2B5RnPSiA726mQ6wBNSsBprNKOT9or/s1600/P2071191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTDXKAAd36COPrEGuj0OUo_llCexVzHjB2qXI1z_w99TBp8wK8bN5uZOGh1i7qjwVQcJUok1fyKkDMccWG1CV7Fm7grDl0sOs2veoboMAs3fYrG2B5RnPSiA726mQ6wBNSsBprNKOT9or/s320/P2071191.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lights of Quito on summit night</div>
<br />
There was some light wind
but it was a warm night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I never needed
my thick parka.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Chimborazo, the
lower third of the route is dirt and then gets onto the glacier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This mountain is much more complicated than
Chimborazo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are multiple
crevasses, seracs, cliffs, and steep icy slopes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also an active volcano.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aRl5vxl_EhQipVckYG_D986OLe5IXjkxuSHKMVNgOrhiZlwOoSxGTkC6Ce843HJgmyo_4uHDawBrFFeoZVLb1_mejqEV2ZCFe1tp8E2OqUhBJpRJvUX1zwnp53uKKAeID2gdCWiT1aP3/s1600/P2071207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="1600" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3aRl5vxl_EhQipVckYG_D986OLe5IXjkxuSHKMVNgOrhiZlwOoSxGTkC6Ce843HJgmyo_4uHDawBrFFeoZVLb1_mejqEV2ZCFe1tp8E2OqUhBJpRJvUX1zwnp53uKKAeID2gdCWiT1aP3/s320/P2071207.JPG" width="320" /></a>Not a simple route up the mountain</div>
<br />
It seemed much more dangerous than Chimborazo
had been due to these hazards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite
this, Cotopaxi is the most popular climb in Ecuador.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw people with very little mountaineering
experience that night as some of them didn’t even know how to put their
crampons on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The foot path that was
tracked was only 8 to 12 inches wide in most places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you slipped or tripped with your crampons
there was often spots where there could be drastic consequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being fully acclimatized and it being a
shorter route and mountain I felt good that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to keep a 1:1 ratio rest step
going all night – 1 step, 1 breathe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
kept a pace where I never got light headed and was able to concentrate on my
foot placement so I didn’t accidently catch a crampon in my pant leg or
something stupid along those lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
the snow bridges over the crevasses were solid and there were no issues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most people who started that night made it to
the summit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We topped out just as the
sun was coming over the horizon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzf7q91x4H18pkzuVQWSxYgxpVJd5K7MLqBOQSfaf7MrzfQ4qk21029wKLiQtk88SVg7Kx4ubtUSUJ6vK5cSp4qYoBiNAfPcKS1FAxc-dYfx-sqVYV4wq4JKWjV1O5ZDeUgTTil5VW7BNd/s1600/P2071197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzf7q91x4H18pkzuVQWSxYgxpVJd5K7MLqBOQSfaf7MrzfQ4qk21029wKLiQtk88SVg7Kx4ubtUSUJ6vK5cSp4qYoBiNAfPcKS1FAxc-dYfx-sqVYV4wq4JKWjV1O5ZDeUgTTil5VW7BNd/s320/P2071197.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunrise from Cotopaxi summit</div>
<br />
The
caldera of the volcano was much bigger than I expected and huge clouds of steam
and sulphur were swirling out of the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is a weird feeling looking down a giant hole that connects to the
molten center of the Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73Xi91nwxM8EiUfcEBm5nrXaiutUCGnsG7OaJrR4Rs2r-gyxh-4AB7IszWM-Ri0vFbhE2upSL1FXP3-GxuB5Jad47yy7CK2vYBaOpT6rt4SRoH8zCU-2phPzT5x1Pyx3SBqO0X4Iw7QkS/s1600/P2071196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73Xi91nwxM8EiUfcEBm5nrXaiutUCGnsG7OaJrR4Rs2r-gyxh-4AB7IszWM-Ri0vFbhE2upSL1FXP3-GxuB5Jad47yy7CK2vYBaOpT6rt4SRoH8zCU-2phPzT5x1Pyx3SBqO0X4Iw7QkS/s320/P2071196.JPG" width="320" /></a>View into cauldera </div>
<br />
In the
distance the other volcanos of Ecuador could be seen including Chimborazo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way down it was in brilliant sunshine
and under dark blue skies with low clouds in the valleys below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWEMHGMhXRnF6nizAhgIzzJLX-PhsX24Zyqpd_QwDN03eKve96A8um3BrHB23yv2j7fg59EUp6QJnz7Dl_bQK5RvPGgFT9YfdJX00QjcoEM6DJ9mzHiE-zMFEy8Q_sPWjiEYAXRdMoTlU/s1600/P2071199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxWEMHGMhXRnF6nizAhgIzzJLX-PhsX24Zyqpd_QwDN03eKve96A8um3BrHB23yv2j7fg59EUp6QJnz7Dl_bQK5RvPGgFT9YfdJX00QjcoEM6DJ9mzHiE-zMFEy8Q_sPWjiEYAXRdMoTlU/s320/P2071199.JPG" width="320" /></a>Crevasses on the way down </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibG_QA4_sC-xbSw7J6nvXA6pD4KdVzEIKIhn7xy7NWeagTPCgOAP-ES2DCF-cxRS4Ijt36-zVY74_vo5KLoYmlLYvBZUIB21SDTdY7L8No-_PbX51G1X6T_ngdMiLNNb8mpZ-jZh6pq6Xj/s1600/P2071200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibG_QA4_sC-xbSw7J6nvXA6pD4KdVzEIKIhn7xy7NWeagTPCgOAP-ES2DCF-cxRS4Ijt36-zVY74_vo5KLoYmlLYvBZUIB21SDTdY7L8No-_PbX51G1X6T_ngdMiLNNb8mpZ-jZh6pq6Xj/s320/P2071200.JPG" width="320" /></a>Gorgeous views on descent </div>
<br />
Breakfast was waiting at the Refugio and then
shortly afterwards we hiked the short distance to the parking lot and drove
back to town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After Cotopaxi I
only had time to catch the bus to Quito the next day and then fly home the day
after that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would have liked to have
had more time to explore Ecuador but the climbs were the main reason for the
trip. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mountaineering here was
excellent and I would highly recommend it if you like doing this sort of
thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know that this will not be the last time in
this part of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Andes are my
favorite mountain range in the world and since they stretch the length of the
continent for 4000 miles there is a lot to explore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, next time I come back it will be
with Kathleen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a lot of good
memories from all over the world but we always seem to have an even better time
in South America. <br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-85678449858641404792020-01-18T09:26:00.001-08:002020-01-18T09:26:23.132-08:00Reflections on India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been a few
weeks since we got back from India and have been digesting about all the things
we saw and did there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When visiting
India you are able to witness things from the super fancy to the poorest of
poor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As tourists, India hit us in every
sensory ending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Visually everywhere you
looked there was something foreign to look at – from the people, to the
buildings, and everything going on in between.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Aurally there was a constant din of sounds – from the shouting of the
people, the incessant car horns, to parrots and monkeys chattering in the
trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The olfactory senses were usually
being overwhelmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Depending on the
location and situation the smell could be either amazing…..or amazingly
not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taste buds were often pleasantly
stimulated from the spices in the food but at other times the air was so
polluted that you could taste it as you breathed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tactilely the heat and humidity, even in
November, made us sweat so hard that as soon as you stepped outside your
clothes would stick to your skin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>India
has 1.3 billion people living in an area 1/3 of the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a tourist you stand out in a crowd and as
a result always have people wanting to talk to you and usually hustle you for
one thing or another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not a
restful place to travel, especially the way we travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had just been in Iran for a month where
there had been the talk of war due to the Saudi Arabia oil refinery explosions
and then had spent a month walking across Lebanon while the country was going
through a revolution that overthrew their government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were tired when we arrived in India which
may have not been the best condition for the month to truly enjoy what we were
experiencing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We initially flew
into Delhi to see our friend Georgina who we had first met when traveling
through South Africa and had been a big help when we did the Drakensberg
Traverse there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>India has some of the
worst air pollution in the world and Delhi is at the center of this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AQI is the measurement of air pollution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Above 50 is considered moderate air pollution
and anything above 100 is considered severe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Delhi had readings in the 500s while we were there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Georgina’s apartment balcony you were
only able to see a few blocks before the city disappeared into the haze.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5lscio_NyVlPK59YHOXWozBtx20i2mG0vf9VjHQ06q3eOPJeeHFm4fp0ht0324RECAo708holFxsQOzhqfLe5fVz7G_hu60iBmkQB49tldMGAXDyS1aabHVCVi9owGahjNh19ufaUeM_/s1600/Dehli+-+thick+smog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij5lscio_NyVlPK59YHOXWozBtx20i2mG0vf9VjHQ06q3eOPJeeHFm4fp0ht0324RECAo708holFxsQOzhqfLe5fVz7G_hu60iBmkQB49tldMGAXDyS1aabHVCVi9owGahjNh19ufaUeM_/s320/Dehli+-+thick+smog.JPG" width="320" /></a>Delhi smog </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="color: #000120;"></span></u><br /></div>
The week before we arrived they even had to
cancel airline flights due to the poor visibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People wear masks or scarves over their faces
in a vain attempt to not breathe the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Georgina works for the British embassy and they have made the posting
there a ‘danger post’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Families and
children are not able to be posted there as the air is so poisonous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When in Delhi we would hide inside next to
large HEPA filters that had to run all the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did get brave and hired a driver to take
us the several hours out to Agra and the Taj Mahal Palace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the Taj Mahal we saw a display where there
were consecutive pictures of the palace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the old days the pictures were black and white.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the 1960’s arrived there started to be
color photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that series you could
see that especially since the 1980’s the pollution has gotten consecutively
worse as the sky turned from blue to grey in the photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BjauPyzW9oAjGQdTY6xX1GN2xbQAVacrQLrCVjE3O6cB68xrVmn7RhsQ7VoHeIh19g-NI6btEylNde9752xvH4tz72f6pmFfZ9Yw5k2-Mxg8_puAh2zFAXN1muCXAYnHUSdm61VlYjIW/s1600/PB130776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BjauPyzW9oAjGQdTY6xX1GN2xbQAVacrQLrCVjE3O6cB68xrVmn7RhsQ7VoHeIh19g-NI6btEylNde9752xvH4tz72f6pmFfZ9Yw5k2-Mxg8_puAh2zFAXN1muCXAYnHUSdm61VlYjIW/s320/PB130776.JPG" width="320" /></a>Entering the Taj Mahal grounds </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJIKQUmS7fdpAKSUisYNWojcFt0l6mpgXBqhIujdesC_X8RjsQ4O0XORLQtChxgdN-ALcadsNsG1hcVmJBWPuNPqjq4UjTxvMBFiUc4eqqxm2OEm_yt2ugSzHdFeCEgiy0mm4fDfQqqsp/s1600/Agra+-+Taj+Mahal+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJIKQUmS7fdpAKSUisYNWojcFt0l6mpgXBqhIujdesC_X8RjsQ4O0XORLQtChxgdN-ALcadsNsG1hcVmJBWPuNPqjq4UjTxvMBFiUc4eqqxm2OEm_yt2ugSzHdFeCEgiy0mm4fDfQqqsp/s320/Agra+-+Taj+Mahal+9.JPG" width="320" /></a>Taj Mahal </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uiJ7oFj5C8Z-4fNMbXcB6qK0o56SkTludfhKRnfHMrthEHvzhQ5xkFGwMwoCYvl-DWiPWHLYdGZEZl_6sfgCRT4zKFFjDFA-tNUaDRDpF-FUX70qpkVdHZlFJYgnyLDFyzvz00i7XZq5/s1600/Agra+-+Taj+Mahal+22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uiJ7oFj5C8Z-4fNMbXcB6qK0o56SkTludfhKRnfHMrthEHvzhQ5xkFGwMwoCYvl-DWiPWHLYdGZEZl_6sfgCRT4zKFFjDFA-tNUaDRDpF-FUX70qpkVdHZlFJYgnyLDFyzvz00i7XZq5/s320/Agra+-+Taj+Mahal+22.JPG" width="320" /></a>Taj Mahal </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoQzhyphenhyphenbkfKqWElD6HBxfsMmcHytP_yL5EqBrxgBWoMjcCjV9OAPZIf1M5GCoLbeNpw6I_S0GA92c17j7tHxPF2V3r1ChZ3YaQ3MF95QGIpRxU6Y4BEUtdYO7gkeMqB1jPtoIWYReuuM2I/s1600/Agra+-+Taj+Mahal+26+-+stone+inlay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoQzhyphenhyphenbkfKqWElD6HBxfsMmcHytP_yL5EqBrxgBWoMjcCjV9OAPZIf1M5GCoLbeNpw6I_S0GA92c17j7tHxPF2V3r1ChZ3YaQ3MF95QGIpRxU6Y4BEUtdYO7gkeMqB1jPtoIWYReuuM2I/s320/Agra+-+Taj+Mahal+26+-+stone+inlay.JPG" width="320" /></a>Stone inlay on Taj Mahal </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB0x5V18chIM6nu7oUGh5lfSBS-KMdzhyphenhyphenCCIZ6A0bwP4JH5lT4D1jqqIyTS9QbEgjYH35GVyfluczcYtyukXnCMELzMyDKLpySNlxkLc6lQ7R9eqmrGNsYds7gJtBQmpXFCOE8RMJfXi5/s1600/Agra+-+Taj+Mahal+38+-+adjoining+mosque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiB0x5V18chIM6nu7oUGh5lfSBS-KMdzhyphenhyphenCCIZ6A0bwP4JH5lT4D1jqqIyTS9QbEgjYH35GVyfluczcYtyukXnCMELzMyDKLpySNlxkLc6lQ7R9eqmrGNsYds7gJtBQmpXFCOE8RMJfXi5/s320/Agra+-+Taj+Mahal+38+-+adjoining+mosque.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mosque adjoining the Taj Mahal </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMQ5QJUw5rs5dLQG4ljtJtcl5moKh1t8R0MJKfJa93-GYCR6XryFTzDUwvB7pgnlS5j_0_-Y-77lQdzbEskDA1RquC_FZI_lHhVd2c8v4YVOrsfn4vkqGog7___OmI9bqO9E5f0Ab-dGp/s1600/Agra+-+Taj+Mahal+48.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHMQ5QJUw5rs5dLQG4ljtJtcl5moKh1t8R0MJKfJa93-GYCR6XryFTzDUwvB7pgnlS5j_0_-Y-77lQdzbEskDA1RquC_FZI_lHhVd2c8v4YVOrsfn4vkqGog7___OmI9bqO9E5f0Ab-dGp/s320/Agra+-+Taj+Mahal+48.JPG" width="320" /></a>Reflecting on the Tajh </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUut2m1aXgPYtuGlnRL8TxlsOiFAo3UcywgFHER0kF1CPEXgB9N5-cKkjagsI8EVy6sAw93Eph_-1gDxAwax6MAUrHTGKLLyAKuqgww6ANv2It0pwK_HLuWDrqoO-KQsJ69QdwFrzh6Km/s1600/Agra+-+Agra+Fort+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUut2m1aXgPYtuGlnRL8TxlsOiFAo3UcywgFHER0kF1CPEXgB9N5-cKkjagsI8EVy6sAw93Eph_-1gDxAwax6MAUrHTGKLLyAKuqgww6ANv2It0pwK_HLuWDrqoO-KQsJ69QdwFrzh6Km/s320/Agra+-+Agra+Fort+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Agra Fort - this moat used to have crocodiles</div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day after we
arrived it turned out that Prince Charles was in town to meet with Indian
government officials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a few
days after 11 November which is Remembrance Day in England (their Veteran’s
Day).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The British embassy delayed their
Remembrance Ceremony in order that Prince Charles could be there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Georgina was able to get us an invitation, so
we ended up getting to sit 14 seats away on the same row as the Prince.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wreathes were laid at the British War
Cemetery by him and a number of Indian and Commonwealth military and government
officials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not every day you get to
rub elbows with Princes, Lords, Ladies, Knights, Ambassadors, Generals, and Admirals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, we were able to borrow some clothes
to be dressed appropriately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXByTVteBiESIlHyQkk5Re7v2g_LHiNJlB26gklK7Q4eKaU9iqML6R06ScZRpefbw8sWDaaM_M7jqQ74nVxTKqYjlD-gIg5KNRwJQ2i0mU0JKP5094ieZMCIvqlRWtqrUmqxYlUkppbqi/s1600/Prince+Charles+Remberance+Ceremony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1080" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXByTVteBiESIlHyQkk5Re7v2g_LHiNJlB26gklK7Q4eKaU9iqML6R06ScZRpefbw8sWDaaM_M7jqQ74nVxTKqYjlD-gIg5KNRwJQ2i0mU0JKP5094ieZMCIvqlRWtqrUmqxYlUkppbqi/s320/Prince+Charles+Remberance+Ceremony.jpg" width="320" /></a>Prince Charles laying wreath </div>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we
flew out of the toxic cloud and headed to the Southwest coast in the state of
Goa along with Georgina and 7 of her friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A mix of Brits, Aussies, Canadians, and us representing the US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are all hardcore swimmers and had come
to Goa to do a 10km swim around an island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>John paddled a kayak and Kathleen rode in the support boat as they did
this swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the distance dolphins
jumped out of the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Large rocks
lined the shore of the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sun
shone and the water was warm and calm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The entire group successfully completed the swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed at a cute boutique hotel along a
river with a pool and a honor system bar where drinks taken were marked down in
a notebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a nice place to spend
the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the mornings we would go
for a run along small country roads to a 400 year old church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8eGslYAp72RUqA9-4BQrvfzJz5t8dFKKvzqC-iwG5NZX5RXYIOMU-7e1fyYaaqkrpiuP91fLku4O56BRLV_zur6q3T0QnpDsXzXGpbkWNksmc4Ytas3RtFwFyT4WdAoEURL5Di0aDXTf/s1600/North+Goa+run+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf8eGslYAp72RUqA9-4BQrvfzJz5t8dFKKvzqC-iwG5NZX5RXYIOMU-7e1fyYaaqkrpiuP91fLku4O56BRLV_zur6q3T0QnpDsXzXGpbkWNksmc4Ytas3RtFwFyT4WdAoEURL5Di0aDXTf/s320/North+Goa+run+9.JPG" width="320" /></a>Running in Goa </div>
They all flew back to work at the end of the
weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next days there were
multiple texts and pictures of an itchy rash that most of them developed after
the swim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It never was determined if the
cause was pollution or some sort of parasite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The two of us stayed in Goa though we moved further south along the coast
to a quiet area called Kola Beach. It
was a secluded cove about a 40 minute walk to the nearby tourist beach town of
Agonda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a typical Indian beach
town with a lot of Europeans there to relax on the beach, eat, drink, and do
yoga.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As in most of India there are
large numbers of cows that just roam around so the beaches have cow poop that
washes into the water every high tide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBetO5o8w8mn6P9fFC_5b_4sbifqHZa8D48XA-OIRbvSP0QtYeAhxeBruOgHtavqdUlH3O8ftgqizyzdf5U5RzXt8NwxJLtMD66NKIT5rOwUS4tN-tUN7H_m3iz_FeuEGDzeX5S41fmGjG/s1600/Agonda+harbor+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBetO5o8w8mn6P9fFC_5b_4sbifqHZa8D48XA-OIRbvSP0QtYeAhxeBruOgHtavqdUlH3O8ftgqizyzdf5U5RzXt8NwxJLtMD66NKIT5rOwUS4tN-tUN7H_m3iz_FeuEGDzeX5S41fmGjG/s320/Agonda+harbor+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Agonda Harbor </span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidZglhQpMJVwQiMG2IS1G6Z703Xsi_f-ZjY03mqEGJ6yZlrz-04gKytOgoV94KwihqAll_gNfCalOgBQ59Q9_PlqksJc1CeJCXb2uQum3znnzGQ-SxWr9nr6MRALD8TXHRP0-3Of42ul8/s1600/Agonda+Beach+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiidZglhQpMJVwQiMG2IS1G6Z703Xsi_f-ZjY03mqEGJ6yZlrz-04gKytOgoV94KwihqAll_gNfCalOgBQ59Q9_PlqksJc1CeJCXb2uQum3znnzGQ-SxWr9nr6MRALD8TXHRP0-3Of42ul8/s320/Agonda+Beach+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Cows on the beach </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1X8iUcLMmSrnsD5-Fg0Q1q_STXYMLffSmzK8wOrzdc2HVUEIdfHifyBLuAyVnkp3rLDVEUdvrTd5aGGfJm8BS620YA-aS4OuqpjCxb9MFLHzos3A4EP18owAsJL5JJNhB-dPLYs1oZC9/s1600/Agonda+Beach+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1X8iUcLMmSrnsD5-Fg0Q1q_STXYMLffSmzK8wOrzdc2HVUEIdfHifyBLuAyVnkp3rLDVEUdvrTd5aGGfJm8BS620YA-aS4OuqpjCxb9MFLHzos3A4EP18owAsJL5JJNhB-dPLYs1oZC9/s320/Agonda+Beach+3.JPG" width="320" /></a>Fun for all ages </div>
Kola Beach didn’t have this so we ended up staying there for a
week.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would run in the morning and
then in the afternoon walk into town to eat, shop, or run whatever errands we
needed to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was hot so it was nice to
jump into the warm ocean or the cooler river that flowed into the sea right
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a mellow existence and was
a nice break after the previous hectic months we had had in Iran and
Lebanon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a bungalow right on the
beach and fell asleep to the roar of the surf every night.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFae__8s-LL74KywIeVdlZsx3W_gxEz9tGmrGuW_7NJakn8sRDnNbvDCJh7PB8XyUCJv2DfRUV312zlhJuGD_XqkZWjTECiTowssYvfJk-xLv6Y8Ay-9ezZzPznp2W5tbxMBu-N9T5LFO/s1600/Khola+Beach+3+-+Blue+Lagoon+cabin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXFae__8s-LL74KywIeVdlZsx3W_gxEz9tGmrGuW_7NJakn8sRDnNbvDCJh7PB8XyUCJv2DfRUV312zlhJuGD_XqkZWjTECiTowssYvfJk-xLv6Y8Ay-9ezZzPznp2W5tbxMBu-N9T5LFO/s320/Khola+Beach+3+-+Blue+Lagoon+cabin.JPG" width="320" /></a>Khola Beach bungalow </div>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually we had
enough relaxation time and it was time to move on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We next visited Hampi which is a religious
area full of ancient temples and palaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It reminded us as a smaller version of Angor Wat in Cambodia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took an overnight bus to get there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was an adventure unto itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The roads of India are narrow with cows,
dogs, chickens, monkeys and people wandering in them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
was a lot of yelling, swerving, and brake slamming as we tried to sleep on the
bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed to get there in one
piece but we later found out that a traveler whose blog we monitor was on the
same route as we were years ago where the bus crashed and broke into three
pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He walked away with cuts and
scratches but 2 people did die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were
glad we didn’t find out about this until after the fact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hampi was one of our favorite places that we
visited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ancient sites are scattered
over a wide area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hired a local man (Viru) and his tuk tuk to show us the best sights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOnEnowqBQXUn86Mi5y4HdIarSGgJ-2ITyM6XoMSeccdF7Hd1oAu8m7eaREOVfpX9bHsethSgl4-lCmxPZJJosI6DCY4-zydQMqhGs4D948eHJWj7VTvSTa3K440ryco7e6tUx3wMelKR/s1600/Hampi+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOnEnowqBQXUn86Mi5y4HdIarSGgJ-2ITyM6XoMSeccdF7Hd1oAu8m7eaREOVfpX9bHsethSgl4-lCmxPZJJosI6DCY4-zydQMqhGs4D948eHJWj7VTvSTa3K440ryco7e6tUx3wMelKR/s320/Hampi+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Hampi temple </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFXOnGICel95ySoesoXwHfKbSKdFu-9wBvHkcB5Ls8A2X1RcSPNq2rlBj-vsUo4oOuit1inllAK2STXtYHdqh9K5cEXHjWflZJhRXFzgfbSXE2xy5NmnkJYbBeTGR8OXOjkBmRUCFH1ir/s1600/Hampi+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZFXOnGICel95ySoesoXwHfKbSKdFu-9wBvHkcB5Ls8A2X1RcSPNq2rlBj-vsUo4oOuit1inllAK2STXtYHdqh9K5cEXHjWflZJhRXFzgfbSXE2xy5NmnkJYbBeTGR8OXOjkBmRUCFH1ir/s320/Hampi+8.JPG" width="240" /></a>Statue of Ganesha </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YGls-aVFNiVdHY3CrB0k1RFVXkKbViee-We0e7YC2qKbZaIuWZWGYx0LDfkX99U484Lcee-Ajgul20af_5UMzCFn1wDOYXi4ItVRqPjag0NChNSz5J9E1WBS601mPPHGwDZ7bDfhVuX_/s1600/Hampi+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5YGls-aVFNiVdHY3CrB0k1RFVXkKbViee-We0e7YC2qKbZaIuWZWGYx0LDfkX99U484Lcee-Ajgul20af_5UMzCFn1wDOYXi4ItVRqPjag0NChNSz5J9E1WBS601mPPHGwDZ7bDfhVuX_/s320/Hampi+13.JPG" width="320" /></a>Hampi temple </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighAMHwHjO0lllkphSwb8qZZEJ4sVT70ZBhrwWQ6h-fDDlsNz67ivNz-6TV1sMGVwsB2L1ZQxA8UWyXmD16R91ragqcWkaq1z9SD6ispzWscMbbQLu1pZCcZx7evblX63SBO5OGio5FQ6l/s1600/Hampi+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighAMHwHjO0lllkphSwb8qZZEJ4sVT70ZBhrwWQ6h-fDDlsNz67ivNz-6TV1sMGVwsB2L1ZQxA8UWyXmD16R91ragqcWkaq1z9SD6ispzWscMbbQLu1pZCcZx7evblX63SBO5OGio5FQ6l/s320/Hampi+16.JPG" width="320" /></a>Hampi temple and market </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2io3u9e2-BQGCgHvsAbZk6IU1b50l9aLDCOOl_RiHAEaBQS-JnwRtzj-oJeIWZbTSZwdAB_c4DwMqr3-FK5aRDWHbV1p0a5xyrt52CZyoVYTrvjcEHpgIegnuOwC-udp3Pn9eOVSxyhdW/s1600/Hampi+25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2io3u9e2-BQGCgHvsAbZk6IU1b50l9aLDCOOl_RiHAEaBQS-JnwRtzj-oJeIWZbTSZwdAB_c4DwMqr3-FK5aRDWHbV1p0a5xyrt52CZyoVYTrvjcEHpgIegnuOwC-udp3Pn9eOVSxyhdW/s320/Hampi+25.JPG" width="320" /></a>Scary Hindu god </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9QJW8BEpBTG61KRMNdEl188_xQl5m5W1rYCyZKnkg662zrcqng1dcBmHHB_jhuz1Eedh9TRqMJk1dWreqoujo2YAJXv6W8IlUQz9P-jTWJIcxbad0z65k7EPJdSgXDxx0RHzMc-WkQFN/s1600/Hampi+39+-+2nd+Queen%2527s+bathtub.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9QJW8BEpBTG61KRMNdEl188_xQl5m5W1rYCyZKnkg662zrcqng1dcBmHHB_jhuz1Eedh9TRqMJk1dWreqoujo2YAJXv6W8IlUQz9P-jTWJIcxbad0z65k7EPJdSgXDxx0RHzMc-WkQFN/s320/Hampi+39+-+2nd+Queen%2527s+bathtub.JPG" width="320" /></a>Queen's bathtub </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mGrc9jPf-Eg8-hl8uqSlK7FW2-sCwesDyZhLEnxYIY2_I458VjcXhAa4_KJn9IwuunMOqvH-TedQcmnYoFq9BN6NS1RRLi7enGfmzJIOwBDPw_I9gK6vYPfiWfxNVsWc8IxLmewnoYjR/s1600/Hampi+49.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mGrc9jPf-Eg8-hl8uqSlK7FW2-sCwesDyZhLEnxYIY2_I458VjcXhAa4_KJn9IwuunMOqvH-TedQcmnYoFq9BN6NS1RRLi7enGfmzJIOwBDPw_I9gK6vYPfiWfxNVsWc8IxLmewnoYjR/s320/Hampi+49.JPG" width="320" /></a>Man cutting grass by hand </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6kwtHKAfwpuanIfUBIalF7l1w_BxzOi74gr5Vveud-78wYtCCqAbgwLzDdmDiw0a0sShdOz1tQ-c_kPW7EPStfvo2xNl9XPbulBqis_crqxZjfZM2bbIFu2tirY49-6a4TwsOc0QMLaP/s1600/Hampi+50.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6kwtHKAfwpuanIfUBIalF7l1w_BxzOi74gr5Vveud-78wYtCCqAbgwLzDdmDiw0a0sShdOz1tQ-c_kPW7EPStfvo2xNl9XPbulBqis_crqxZjfZM2bbIFu2tirY49-6a4TwsOc0QMLaP/s320/Hampi+50.JPG" width="320" /></a>Elephant stable </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXL3sIRQPRRdpRUKSb3rUWQ8PvZgD3KReXqfeyYCGrGeZG5n_xXtEfQArD7i437u94F5cbNOC3vEam660p4t1inTePByizhfwGXKG3IGNcsLDzxi10tPFoQA7YqrMwINM5hSZ_Xim_Y9f/s1600/Hampi+60+-+stone+car.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXL3sIRQPRRdpRUKSb3rUWQ8PvZgD3KReXqfeyYCGrGeZG5n_xXtEfQArD7i437u94F5cbNOC3vEam660p4t1inTePByizhfwGXKG3IGNcsLDzxi10tPFoQA7YqrMwINM5hSZ_Xim_Y9f/s320/Hampi+60+-+stone+car.JPG" width="320" /></a>Stone car - pulled by thousands of pilgrims</div>
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Viru showed us the main archeological places but also knew of some good
hikes and swimming holes in the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QG1A6jHeplt1UQB8fGSCDgrJMHChAljrvpPbg_5yirn0TwqaVka9H3JBmW6Rxv3ihkh-hAcwzZN9M3t4LI2_ZhgjKgUACyZJieRtaIirC1kIv96dqMX_K8rLH8JCfP4TUnMDu73IJrPP/s1600/Hampi+73+-+river+hike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QG1A6jHeplt1UQB8fGSCDgrJMHChAljrvpPbg_5yirn0TwqaVka9H3JBmW6Rxv3ihkh-hAcwzZN9M3t4LI2_ZhgjKgUACyZJieRtaIirC1kIv96dqMX_K8rLH8JCfP4TUnMDu73IJrPP/s320/Hampi+73+-+river+hike.JPG" width="320" /></a>River disappearing underground </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2q9UNKDkl5_I-SFR-dwY1BNZyAN-62mzHWOfR5gIThj94jk3PWV6aGodmbA6yLbquUpiQAu0NOadxK8UiQ07lJ1XDNp6_JYcbphHjmcr76GpJHIEbQ6-WH7YKfTeW5qiGAAgNk1Qt7X5/s1600/Hampi+74+-+river+hike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-2q9UNKDkl5_I-SFR-dwY1BNZyAN-62mzHWOfR5gIThj94jk3PWV6aGodmbA6yLbquUpiQAu0NOadxK8UiQ07lJ1XDNp6_JYcbphHjmcr76GpJHIEbQ6-WH7YKfTeW5qiGAAgNk1Qt7X5/s320/Hampi+74+-+river+hike.JPG" width="320" /></a>Viru showing us a cliff jumping spot </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-CyB3nOBPRvIMYx4OXXPEoKLiiM9LpJmbq1DJJdNEugg-4SkOgldFvzOsVZMuckDDutpKXLuUZ4yNKGXdV1thGCTIhBtBd_DVdmlfjb146dPwqSpmBccIKnKNhIWQSA7mEo2A2tgSJjD/s1600/Hampi+75+-+river+hike+-+swimming+hole.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-CyB3nOBPRvIMYx4OXXPEoKLiiM9LpJmbq1DJJdNEugg-4SkOgldFvzOsVZMuckDDutpKXLuUZ4yNKGXdV1thGCTIhBtBd_DVdmlfjb146dPwqSpmBccIKnKNhIWQSA7mEo2A2tgSJjD/s320/Hampi+75+-+river+hike+-+swimming+hole.JPG" width="320" /></a>Hampi swimming hole </div>
<br />
Hampi also has a lot of banana and coconut plantations in the valleys
between the hills covered with large rocks and boulders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpt198cyBL9JsW3EW8q35uHnPvrZ6qb3x5HL_KhjZ7y03I5nwFy5TU0LmNibOxtRlGaTza4o8YijMe_4N6V8ifNawklTmrc7QyXcgxFJ1rkDd6uas0dpCA7Xm6lC7ITYKOE4vcxOKlium/s1600/Hampi+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpt198cyBL9JsW3EW8q35uHnPvrZ6qb3x5HL_KhjZ7y03I5nwFy5TU0LmNibOxtRlGaTza4o8YijMe_4N6V8ifNawklTmrc7QyXcgxFJ1rkDd6uas0dpCA7Xm6lC7ITYKOE4vcxOKlium/s320/Hampi+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Hampi landscape </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-RYDt3WKynCsrSPijG5rp-Xf06aeipkdHKpYMTSLGNoSLIswpDqcMypzC0ilYMpUXIlvgasnf_sYK5vt927PcpEfWInVCtx6Hv_I6yICNlRh43lAjviWlRCAgzCp6AKLQOiU7aq_ipI8/s1600/Hampi+58+-+view+from+city+gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-RYDt3WKynCsrSPijG5rp-Xf06aeipkdHKpYMTSLGNoSLIswpDqcMypzC0ilYMpUXIlvgasnf_sYK5vt927PcpEfWInVCtx6Hv_I6yICNlRh43lAjviWlRCAgzCp6AKLQOiU7aq_ipI8/s320/Hampi+58+-+view+from+city+gate.JPG" width="320" /></a>Banana plantations in Hampi </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvaW1Z6o8j8u5ZL0ZEQag998VLupzsbK20WI22pEIfcaIY1xTOS_Qw5caH4qX4QQBDIahTrW1bawYK2qyzxD5BEbxodSbmbBQ8hLquE79rH6VEe6rG2mpCbkMk85LffVgTcSIEP642bJG/s1600/Hampi+27.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJvaW1Z6o8j8u5ZL0ZEQag998VLupzsbK20WI22pEIfcaIY1xTOS_Qw5caH4qX4QQBDIahTrW1bawYK2qyzxD5BEbxodSbmbBQ8hLquE79rH6VEe6rG2mpCbkMk85LffVgTcSIEP642bJG/s320/Hampi+27.JPG" width="320" /></a>Common sight in Hampi </div>
<br />
It has become a famous place for rock
climbers to visit and is very scenic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
only drawback (for some) is that since it is a holy area both alcohol and meat
(in most restaurants) are not available.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our next stop was
Mumbai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A large city and the financial
capital of India.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a variety
of things to do here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did both a slum
tour and explored the rich areas where the Bollywood stars live,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYASKDS2UeGf_UvQqa_PuPhQSfhyYNMmaSyA8m0Bfwb_mpCWldiFU6ssnt4SxX5okPoNlPRwHUAJc7q2cRy-Iljt9v1R53Vmo8sDUno6_2zSDyDPXnYMI5GrJo7OajInJAizhB9Icg93RP/s1600/Mumbai+36+-+View+of+Chowpatty+Beach.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYASKDS2UeGf_UvQqa_PuPhQSfhyYNMmaSyA8m0Bfwb_mpCWldiFU6ssnt4SxX5okPoNlPRwHUAJc7q2cRy-Iljt9v1R53Vmo8sDUno6_2zSDyDPXnYMI5GrJo7OajInJAizhB9Icg93RP/s320/Mumbai+36+-+View+of+Chowpatty+Beach.JPG" width="320" /></a>Chowpatty Beach (nice beach, toxic water)</div>
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took a boat
out to Elephanta Island where there are caves with large carvings from an
ancient civilization,<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7D0UY1DIqtuYwvJ0tLcNs40cf9-xzFff_uMmvN0ikwwsgQFDyCA_tdMSc6G_DFhvjldHWdOga-KtizIhsZGWMlOCE5hOgMNshWK18yopuY4XJkFhA8OmeMRLASWa6SjqQ5wWsLg6bynU/s1600/Mumbai+18+-+boat+ride+to+Elefanta+Island.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7D0UY1DIqtuYwvJ0tLcNs40cf9-xzFff_uMmvN0ikwwsgQFDyCA_tdMSc6G_DFhvjldHWdOga-KtizIhsZGWMlOCE5hOgMNshWK18yopuY4XJkFhA8OmeMRLASWa6SjqQ5wWsLg6bynU/s320/Mumbai+18+-+boat+ride+to+Elefanta+Island.JPG" width="320" /></a>Boat ride to Elefanta Island </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2Qe7NLQPJFHRl0EdfTs9BTnyckvVwbfpVGicYkoevIn4I3W5mtoYUmcyOtx6X7o7H6n2RzI8SjEAkK_mn96z_1z-S2ulmr7PVLN79EsvLp-tsafbdKClhSAfDpoETef-G-iHsrvTB77P/s1600/Mumbai+27+-+Elefanta+Island+caves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2Qe7NLQPJFHRl0EdfTs9BTnyckvVwbfpVGicYkoevIn4I3W5mtoYUmcyOtx6X7o7H6n2RzI8SjEAkK_mn96z_1z-S2ulmr7PVLN79EsvLp-tsafbdKClhSAfDpoETef-G-iHsrvTB77P/s320/Mumbai+27+-+Elefanta+Island+caves.JPG" width="320" /></a>Elefanta Island caves </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuQ1NmO2mUOlUUretodIyY8j3FkqyfYusS-u1Dh0eXHmeqLruXoCrb5VqSlsgGczY806PH2a0LIpuac3md0H9DTcSZ0JFpkh1WVm-z4RxScgElXODoADyZ0jHmlLemxy5LAPudUB_QQdZ/s1600/Mumbai+32+-+View+from+Canon+Hill+on+Elefanta+Island.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuQ1NmO2mUOlUUretodIyY8j3FkqyfYusS-u1Dh0eXHmeqLruXoCrb5VqSlsgGczY806PH2a0LIpuac3md0H9DTcSZ0JFpkh1WVm-z4RxScgElXODoADyZ0jHmlLemxy5LAPudUB_QQdZ/s320/Mumbai+32+-+View+from+Canon+Hill+on+Elefanta+Island.JPG" width="320" /></a>View from Cannon Hill on Elefanta Island</div>
<br />
and explored the areas in downtown where there is old
British architecture and the Indian Stock Exchange.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQ9-BQAI4OT_lhtosNNU1r7pj-2SOXpGnchiyKN4Dh2kUMoUq36og-bnM9SwgQ3RZqPYNfjSLdnRnJb-cLTJum_loPyKoqcV7NxsqSKPTGKmDublzl7oHNavTNjXdGy521BXSG7mWeBBm/s1600/Mumbai+4+-+street+barbar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXQ9-BQAI4OT_lhtosNNU1r7pj-2SOXpGnchiyKN4Dh2kUMoUq36og-bnM9SwgQ3RZqPYNfjSLdnRnJb-cLTJum_loPyKoqcV7NxsqSKPTGKmDublzl7oHNavTNjXdGy521BXSG7mWeBBm/s320/Mumbai+4+-+street+barbar.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mumbai street barbar </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisopXvp8DGBPusIAaI9ZVaycobcv1l80XxOFaHXbVYN3_ffKpG1rUiMAF37VbWYsaZmgss1ZfUxMRF4q-wW86Dm5DPTH8RUfdKWbR7LGYnrJRFDx43ZWzveG0CCojXKH-QxgLoej-x3Ir3/s1600/Mumbai+6+-+street+cricket.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisopXvp8DGBPusIAaI9ZVaycobcv1l80XxOFaHXbVYN3_ffKpG1rUiMAF37VbWYsaZmgss1ZfUxMRF4q-wW86Dm5DPTH8RUfdKWbR7LGYnrJRFDx43ZWzveG0CCojXKH-QxgLoej-x3Ir3/s320/Mumbai+6+-+street+cricket.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mumbai street cricket </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqidFXlgS-kv9-3Y2KY2fcgtXjG89g1UGHX9NnQBNJAYB81BAmtiHmFFP9JqtZ-NOy-zugFTD28eDosfuQYwJtao0Djnx-zHXoQ6rrLFSMBBNVrddTgU80fGu8GV_IZNLrZ4Zg9wuftiQ/s1600/Mumbai+34+-+Public+newspaper+library.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqidFXlgS-kv9-3Y2KY2fcgtXjG89g1UGHX9NnQBNJAYB81BAmtiHmFFP9JqtZ-NOy-zugFTD28eDosfuQYwJtao0Djnx-zHXoQ6rrLFSMBBNVrddTgU80fGu8GV_IZNLrZ4Zg9wuftiQ/s320/Mumbai+34+-+Public+newspaper+library.JPG" width="320" /></a>Public newspaper library </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUih31Uv4LXEz5_CNFCCVucjObTneObIhnNKAlJEBDb6pkGQ8okY_f-Wv3Lfy-iPKDBYuUBzNWjEHpp6M4VVLcln5hP0Fvplm6-VvxT949R-VyiSj72msNiHrqji6-v0HC22ixLlOInQg/s1600/Mumbai+41+-+shopping+area.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigUih31Uv4LXEz5_CNFCCVucjObTneObIhnNKAlJEBDb6pkGQ8okY_f-Wv3Lfy-iPKDBYuUBzNWjEHpp6M4VVLcln5hP0Fvplm6-VvxT949R-VyiSj72msNiHrqji6-v0HC22ixLlOInQg/s320/Mumbai+41+-+shopping+area.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mumbai shopping area </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7ThImwQvWLTQbb3Ak7I0c5OocXegHQXiF5F924p8sGuiqgH186IOy2iqQNjC7SfrUTiva3mpnmstGn662XwesjgDNE0lWEoln5fdhNeExLEWDqteykMZCMGHBntfjhct3iT8_VaBcF6a/s1600/Mumbai+42+-+shopping+area.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7ThImwQvWLTQbb3Ak7I0c5OocXegHQXiF5F924p8sGuiqgH186IOy2iqQNjC7SfrUTiva3mpnmstGn662XwesjgDNE0lWEoln5fdhNeExLEWDqteykMZCMGHBntfjhct3iT8_VaBcF6a/s320/Mumbai+42+-+shopping+area.JPG" width="320" /></a>Streets of Mumbai </div>
<br />
One of the highlights of our time there was
seeing the movie ‘Hotel Mumbai’ the night it came out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This movie was based on the terrorist attacks
that occurred there over a 4 day period in 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a coordinated attack on 12 different
areas in the city including the train station, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, the
Leopold Café, and a hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
attack was the equivalent of India’s 9/11 where 174 people were gunned down and
over 300 wounded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We watched the faces
of the Indian people as they filed out of the theatre and realized that most of
those people had been alive and living here during the attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a very somber crowd that left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leaving the theatre was a surreal
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as we walked out the
door to our left we could see the train station where the attack occurred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We knew that the Taj hotel was only a 5
minute walk to our right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmS0pfZqjmObTRJwOZQSBSzEXa0vPLRl7qSDuRWENkVUhw33SSQyxdgI4q39MHX__fdWZNN2ydWheUWCIshuVMPJZszZW50Z_HOby5PU_LfXa4lQZkU-PwDv7ot-5Tx6qGOYEumWLwtPs/s1600/Mumbai+16+-+Gate+of+India+and+Taj+Mahal+Palace+hotel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWmS0pfZqjmObTRJwOZQSBSzEXa0vPLRl7qSDuRWENkVUhw33SSQyxdgI4q39MHX__fdWZNN2ydWheUWCIshuVMPJZszZW50Z_HOby5PU_LfXa4lQZkU-PwDv7ot-5Tx6qGOYEumWLwtPs/s320/Mumbai+16+-+Gate+of+India+and+Taj+Mahal+Palace+hotel.JPG" width="320" /></a>Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Gate of India</div>
<br />
The next
morning when we were catching a local train within the city we walked by the
bathroom where the initial 2 terrorists came out of and started spraying the
train station platform with bullets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was recent enough that it gave us goosebumps to think about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few days later we were eating at a café and
realized that it was an Iranian café from some items on the menu and from the
decorations on the wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We noticed a
white-haired man sitting next to the bar whom we decided must be the owner
since he looked Iranian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went up to
him and this turned out to be the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It also turned out that he was one of the owners of the Leopold Café who
had not been there the night of the attack but he did have some employees who
had died that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The film had a
powerful effect on us as we explored the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUM21YW7Uu5Ujdxbx3xTEFf9hnZc6Yk4TxYSfegRRlZxWZprDIur-qNd_F99Vw9ra6PGwbrvjQ2FWhaBln78l6KvEZH6iZG_lj-qfYhIxCwRLlFVDaktiD2a9U7kft28bmDA4q8iKtyAxq/s1600/Mumbai+2+-+Parsee+clocktower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUM21YW7Uu5Ujdxbx3xTEFf9hnZc6Yk4TxYSfegRRlZxWZprDIur-qNd_F99Vw9ra6PGwbrvjQ2FWhaBln78l6KvEZH6iZG_lj-qfYhIxCwRLlFVDaktiD2a9U7kft28bmDA4q8iKtyAxq/s320/Mumbai+2+-+Parsee+clocktower.JPG" width="240" /></a>Parsee (Iranian) clock tower in Mumbai </div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For our final
days we flew back to Delhi to see our friend Georgina again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As our ‘high society’ coordinator she had
arranged that we could go see the polo match the next day between the Indian
and British Army teams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was another
fancy event with large hats, suits and ties, leather couches to sit on, catered
food, and a bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Indian team won the
match soundly but the British army was on borrowed horses and made a good game
of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Polo is a cross between croquet
and hockey on 1000 pound animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Horses
are galloping at full speed as they bump into each other with large mallets
swinging through the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only one
British soldier ended up hitting the dirt and luckily was only stunned and not
seriously injured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdyApmrsZiKy4kwnJ2XLaXDRCavXjvCtjmAnPHgvXcUqdRyVu2EjBXiMBFsYVT4iiTKNtDrNLR5GZK7OaTxmzn_xo__luc6YrSYwr4R817AANJnNJJ47B_vv4ptbUgt9KkzEldWGoUB8B/s1600/Dehli+3+-+polo+match.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdyApmrsZiKy4kwnJ2XLaXDRCavXjvCtjmAnPHgvXcUqdRyVu2EjBXiMBFsYVT4iiTKNtDrNLR5GZK7OaTxmzn_xo__luc6YrSYwr4R817AANJnNJJ47B_vv4ptbUgt9KkzEldWGoUB8B/s320/Dehli+3+-+polo+match.JPG" width="320" /></a>Polo - India vs Britain Army </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDD27xeCQrvfNLu4lWdc3dStgyO5NRmZiD0qJj5hh0NDataNEIu4D83yQq68dbupo4usqGiYi4Z806ew0c9N5TBnf5fXAag7ntRgb0hwXAU3lQEHrwnqCY457r4w2RFzRK_z0dleeA4y-J/s1600/Dehli+4+-+polo+match.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDD27xeCQrvfNLu4lWdc3dStgyO5NRmZiD0qJj5hh0NDataNEIu4D83yQq68dbupo4usqGiYi4Z806ew0c9N5TBnf5fXAag7ntRgb0hwXAU3lQEHrwnqCY457r4w2RFzRK_z0dleeA4y-J/s320/Dehli+4+-+polo+match.JPG" width="320" /></a>High speed horse hockey </div>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next day we flew
up to Amritsar on the Pakistani border with Georgina to visit the Golden
Temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There are interesting things to see here including the Partition Museum which covers the violence and trauma that India and Pakistan went through when the countries were split when the British left. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissecfPlSzwgJN7MoFyLuUlaiwvEAlesoK17mHJ0qbpRtN7fzF1ZdPJtSg8mXfRsTwFq2IGEQ9LfKZTuQS6PP19beYUiNBc4f0ZvQnApjey5QwA6U4pdaaLp7RjR2BetqwGjljfBLpjPTs/s1600/Amritsar+7+-+Partition+museum.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEissecfPlSzwgJN7MoFyLuUlaiwvEAlesoK17mHJ0qbpRtN7fzF1ZdPJtSg8mXfRsTwFq2IGEQ9LfKZTuQS6PP19beYUiNBc4f0ZvQnApjey5QwA6U4pdaaLp7RjR2BetqwGjljfBLpjPTs/s320/Amritsar+7+-+Partition+museum.JPG" width="320" /></a>Partition museum entrance </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBLVzjKQltHPvHsDjKFERsaEd48tZp91YlQstQD2tubkgLXGwQ5CLNOVpIo4nXLholvJa3bsaGY8eJU_yXtD7_q4viuN99u_pM6OwTmKg-ynOQEehA26OLI-RCfWyOWMDOgpUAi7fDt3q/s1600/PC081068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBLVzjKQltHPvHsDjKFERsaEd48tZp91YlQstQD2tubkgLXGwQ5CLNOVpIo4nXLholvJa3bsaGY8eJU_yXtD7_q4viuN99u_pM6OwTmKg-ynOQEehA26OLI-RCfWyOWMDOgpUAi7fDt3q/s320/PC081068.JPG" width="320" /></a>Armitsar statue </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqdf1rVukkMXvxh8tfOSh4DQyoVNdBuvRRqe779aMl8TIGiTymiL3QCA6rLwPrZFdNlnFU6m8346KzMaJlfM8B1nSAyMS-cVuncehlclQT87nwPnBGsQnkNaOy_wCp-K_ai_vlQHmwg-9/s1600/PC081071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpqdf1rVukkMXvxh8tfOSh4DQyoVNdBuvRRqe779aMl8TIGiTymiL3QCA6rLwPrZFdNlnFU6m8346KzMaJlfM8B1nSAyMS-cVuncehlclQT87nwPnBGsQnkNaOy_wCp-K_ai_vlQHmwg-9/s320/PC081071.JPG" width="320" /></a>Amritsar sculpture </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpNi79Jiijj7EFv5YRAPil9GyZqytkV4g3Jctp_tEc7YI7y7wtuvEvePBRE37jWC46MPIxyj5ee6Pefv8tnTTesZtfuAKnb6lpdKQYQGPdo4HDDTlsMRutLBoorlmFCG2hAV2rLKQj1bb/s1600/PC081074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpNi79Jiijj7EFv5YRAPil9GyZqytkV4g3Jctp_tEc7YI7y7wtuvEvePBRE37jWC46MPIxyj5ee6Pefv8tnTTesZtfuAKnb6lpdKQYQGPdo4HDDTlsMRutLBoorlmFCG2hAV2rLKQj1bb/s320/PC081074.JPG" width="320" /></a>Amritsar sculpture </div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The main attraction is the Golden Temple</span> which is the holiest shrine in the
Hindu religion and therefore the town has a constant stream of pilgrims
visiting it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shrine is on a spit of land
that juts into a large man-made lake that is considered holy and many of the
people purify themselves in the water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIxcaMgpv5bj8kFH4yRQUYUaCTzAZqR4dd8m-CvQz1k1jvRiChCEvTNiiVHa_LqDjQkgKxBk1O3jV51eKhShKnhStlS1eRo_FuBcQ0u11dB39vUhaf27tubtdi-2eDqUwBQ6tveh9b_uW/s1600/Amritsar+27+-+Golden+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIxcaMgpv5bj8kFH4yRQUYUaCTzAZqR4dd8m-CvQz1k1jvRiChCEvTNiiVHa_LqDjQkgKxBk1O3jV51eKhShKnhStlS1eRo_FuBcQ0u11dB39vUhaf27tubtdi-2eDqUwBQ6tveh9b_uW/s320/Amritsar+27+-+Golden+Temple.JPG" width="320" /></a>Golden Temple </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KwQXl1DU7-wAYi83KG9PdKol52LfyJjByakzZ30bUsbH5bSQ2Ve_WTOfep_6oM4BgWPHriiSuhe7SrqWwgbLC_lxPTbgvdK_KfEVXIonEH-ESagXOVR-Vdyi21FRNvkD8i39wivVY_6M/s1600/Amritsar+28+-+bathers+in+holy+pool.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_KwQXl1DU7-wAYi83KG9PdKol52LfyJjByakzZ30bUsbH5bSQ2Ve_WTOfep_6oM4BgWPHriiSuhe7SrqWwgbLC_lxPTbgvdK_KfEVXIonEH-ESagXOVR-Vdyi21FRNvkD8i39wivVY_6M/s320/Amritsar+28+-+bathers+in+holy+pool.JPG" width="320" /></a>Bathers in holy pool </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqpEZjEoYBwRas8POimPbyynXqo8iwa9JccHzGZLHCBbZcclusbsBWHQkI4qxLvHyC95WYyGZcuGoAq6YNiaaAmZ3BHvz2hlJWPCddBkWyk6NI52E897OsIdFdC-14FQT-ICIQXR1vzeD/s1600/Amritsar+32+-+Golden+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqpEZjEoYBwRas8POimPbyynXqo8iwa9JccHzGZLHCBbZcclusbsBWHQkI4qxLvHyC95WYyGZcuGoAq6YNiaaAmZ3BHvz2hlJWPCddBkWyk6NI52E897OsIdFdC-14FQT-ICIQXR1vzeD/s320/Amritsar+32+-+Golden+Temple.JPG" width="320" /></a>Temple guard </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_dj4cjM4LIe0U2_x2Ag3DAkrKqawfzlSzD20ecd3V2zqkTzRIJu5bcruL1XS4MHrDLZdd_1NY_wIREA3kTDLr7nU_QueJ3kE8ofvpJBkSn6mID9NYk_t-yhrp_PXikwNrWrEcP7bzm-p/s1600/Amritsar+46+-+Golden+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_dj4cjM4LIe0U2_x2Ag3DAkrKqawfzlSzD20ecd3V2zqkTzRIJu5bcruL1XS4MHrDLZdd_1NY_wIREA3kTDLr7nU_QueJ3kE8ofvpJBkSn6mID9NYk_t-yhrp_PXikwNrWrEcP7bzm-p/s320/Amritsar+46+-+Golden+Temple.JPG" width="320" /></a>Pool cleaners </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxOPHknOXpuiFbteTtkp6msnfI0k2GzPiP342Va7PBUYqSAJV2cHkmI4uad4YSEpG43FHv0Zw1IqQ-nFtPkz5IOZEYvjKqW82p71j_n783kvCtXlwkqn-eGJ0M6a07uv8hoiGfhpHqtdn/s1600/Amritsar+48+-+Golden+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPxOPHknOXpuiFbteTtkp6msnfI0k2GzPiP342Va7PBUYqSAJV2cHkmI4uad4YSEpG43FHv0Zw1IqQ-nFtPkz5IOZEYvjKqW82p71j_n783kvCtXlwkqn-eGJ0M6a07uv8hoiGfhpHqtdn/s320/Amritsar+48+-+Golden+Temple.JPG" width="320" /></a>Golden Temple complex </div>
<br />
Even more interesting to us than the Golden Temple was the border
closing ceremony that takes place every day of the year in the nearby town of
Atari.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went expecting a formal
military ceremony with bugles, marching, saluting, and such.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we ended up seeing was the most
nationalistic (and antagonistic) spectacle we have ever seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the Indian side is a horseshoe shaped stadium
that holds over 12,000 people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the
Pakistani side the stadium is ½ to 2/3 of the size.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both stadiums were packed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCadi-pYzk_QvSEz_abAL2ZQGQ0qPGWebm79eR4HTv30feCwQQaNMyB2tiF2gL-_A0uyNwmQ159aqx2UEbNSz2YCWb5MlLq1eQA0efUXkp4vzNFG0wkAE0fBEA2tDKFSv_5xEPgmReKCk/s1600/Attari+Border+Ceremony+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCadi-pYzk_QvSEz_abAL2ZQGQ0qPGWebm79eR4HTv30feCwQQaNMyB2tiF2gL-_A0uyNwmQ159aqx2UEbNSz2YCWb5MlLq1eQA0efUXkp4vzNFG0wkAE0fBEA2tDKFSv_5xEPgmReKCk/s320/Attari+Border+Ceremony+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Outside of stadium </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZE6TSmm5WWKHMzUbBatjd3vm47zIzW2xIhaRfiWLjXqp3JTxGO-uAfJJux-qckl02qCqDLrz8rS9Sk1yXVj9RmgZwPdF8TZ1Sa4D9wsbZ6h4e9sX-ZZ3fcM_9sT5PQr0TTEpC_6mDGvX/s1600/Attari+Border+Ceremony+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZE6TSmm5WWKHMzUbBatjd3vm47zIzW2xIhaRfiWLjXqp3JTxGO-uAfJJux-qckl02qCqDLrz8rS9Sk1yXVj9RmgZwPdF8TZ1Sa4D9wsbZ6h4e9sX-ZZ3fcM_9sT5PQr0TTEpC_6mDGvX/s320/Attari+Border+Ceremony+3.JPG" width="320" /></a>Inside of stadium - full by show time</div>
<br />
At the beginning both sides were trying to
drown out the other with loud music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When the ceremony was about to begin there were soldiers that were
encouraging the crowds to shout chants back and forth between each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could not understand what was being said
but it was obviously not friendly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
the ceremony started on the Pakistani side there was the Call to Prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As this was happening on the Indian side a
bunch of women were let into the area who started to do a Bollywood type dance
with a lot of butt shaking and ‘raising the roof’ with their hands at the
Pakistani side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4R5Pq6tnsTHOwRp75vj1kRtHUbFbR7T03hK8-RQwDIA3mZx3gGdjDfy7aNaIMHM3C577EqKkwk02cyJF7XmszI1pmRI5EaQ98bjz7hyphenhyphenLe5HZ_fS0k61h8D-TKv4DRPahO0P9I19Vmqtj1/s1600/Attari+Border+Ceremony+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4R5Pq6tnsTHOwRp75vj1kRtHUbFbR7T03hK8-RQwDIA3mZx3gGdjDfy7aNaIMHM3C577EqKkwk02cyJF7XmszI1pmRI5EaQ98bjz7hyphenhyphenLe5HZ_fS0k61h8D-TKv4DRPahO0P9I19Vmqtj1/s320/Attari+Border+Ceremony+5.JPG" width="320" /></a>Pre-show activities </div>
<br />
Then the iron fence
between the sides opened up and the military part began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To start with 2 Special Forces type soldiers
on each side marched toward each other in bullet proof vests with assault rifles
in their hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They marched to within 5
feet of the border and then just stood there and stared at each other through
dark sunglasses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then the ceremonial
troops in fancy uniforms and large ornamental hats began their show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This involved a lot of high kicks where they
would march and be hitting their foreheads with their legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two sides basically puffed their chests,
shook their fists, wiggled their hats, and had some of the most aggressive mustache
twirling possible for at least 30 minutes before the flags were finally lowered
and the gate was closed again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eJoKK6otzhYwHxFwiHHtWFXSAHBsetLArDTyBnxcpEdnA4bQuL2Ma9FN_C6lTIYU6iowKbE17yY4maDwT_z2dUTrNKFf-5hVNSgDsTxVVjlFP6fYD_WSLfS3kXIjFBkhmnDupVYUdpuM/s1600/Attari+Border+Ceremony+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eJoKK6otzhYwHxFwiHHtWFXSAHBsetLArDTyBnxcpEdnA4bQuL2Ma9FN_C6lTIYU6iowKbE17yY4maDwT_z2dUTrNKFf-5hVNSgDsTxVVjlFP6fYD_WSLfS3kXIjFBkhmnDupVYUdpuM/s320/Attari+Border+Ceremony+8.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mocking the other side</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlqxF5yOJ_UldM7nI1-H3EVr03kVnv7Iz7l51SLEqsQwgJ4Q6qM47ZNIndXsIIQ8RHVyfI7DZZun2AzlM-Ct8cpOJ5g9EtQxFxiH5WfIlV2WVyZw1uF0A2FV7Qx6h58R1jcPK1Qm1eHup/s1600/Attari+Border+Ceremony+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlqxF5yOJ_UldM7nI1-H3EVr03kVnv7Iz7l51SLEqsQwgJ4Q6qM47ZNIndXsIIQ8RHVyfI7DZZun2AzlM-Ct8cpOJ5g9EtQxFxiH5WfIlV2WVyZw1uF0A2FV7Qx6h58R1jcPK1Qm1eHup/s320/Attari+Border+Ceremony+13.JPG" width="320" /></a>Antagonizing </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCFuJQeKeRVKFDuj-KXvSnLZE1Ej8vmsKZl4DptlZFxNIZ3AA4ouDPO6GZ9BCEvW2trrVcYZaCaQK6AaS3Pt54gvUyMvuER0Yu3wGFZC_g63GDZAoT6aEyLwbLDGCzV5Ha1jUgoaMWnxB/s1600/PC071059+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1600" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCFuJQeKeRVKFDuj-KXvSnLZE1Ej8vmsKZl4DptlZFxNIZ3AA4ouDPO6GZ9BCEvW2trrVcYZaCaQK6AaS3Pt54gvUyMvuER0Yu3wGFZC_g63GDZAoT6aEyLwbLDGCzV5Ha1jUgoaMWnxB/s320/PC071059+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Fist shaking </div>
<br />
This
ceremony began in the 1950’s as a statement that while the two countries might
go to war it would not be because of this border crossing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said the ceremony does not seem to be doing
much to decrease tensions between the two nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The three of us sat throughout the ceremony
with our mouths hanging open at the spectacle we were witnessing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do a search on YouTube to really appreciate
what we saw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then took the
train back to Delhi and flew home the next day for the holidays stopping in
Seoul, Korea in between.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We initially
were going to do a quick tour into Seoul during our layover but John managed to
catch a cold 2 days before we left India and since he was possibly febrile the
quarantine checkpoint in the airport would not let us out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We managed to survive a month in India with
no gastrointestinal distress (despite eating salads and things we couldn’t
peel) but did get to spread the Indian crud (cold/flu) from one side of the
world to the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would return
to India to visit Ladakh in the Himalayas as we have heard very good things
about trekking there but being November was too late in the season for us to go
there. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Otherwise we felt like we had a
good sampling of the country even though it is very large and there were many
areas that we were not able to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
have traveled a lot and found India one of the more difficult places to travel
in.<br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-4775802275957616362019-11-17T08:35:00.000-08:002019-11-17T18:51:07.913-08:00Walking across Lebanon through a Revolution or: Stickers, prickers, and thorns, Oh My!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Almost a month in
Iran was followed by us flying to Lebanon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are pretty sure that no Americans a year usually fly the Mashhad to
Beirut flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mashhad, Iran is a very
holy city in the Shia Muslim religion and was full of Lebanese pilgrims flying
home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it was time for sunset prayer
there was a line of people in the aisle praying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have flown a bunch around the Middle East
but this was the first time we had seen this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived in
Beirut and set up residence at an AirBnB that had been found by our friend Amal
who joined us 2 days later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our first
night there by coincidence a British friend we had last seen in Chile was there
so we went out for dinner and drinks with her and her friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a great night with good food, friends,
and we were able to freely order alcohol for the first time in weeks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amal is a friend from Seattle who is ½
Lebanese/1/2 Syrian but grew up in Dubai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like Kathleen and I, she never knows how to answer “Where are you
from?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was a great resource and huge
help in those first days in Lebanon and on the trail with her ability to speak
Arabic fluently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We attribute a big part
of our success to her, especially in the early days when we were getting our
feet under us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent a day sight
seeing before starting the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
first went to the Jeita Grotto which is a huge cave with 2 parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The upper section is a walk with huge caverns
and dramatic stalactites and stalagmites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The lower section has a river running through it and there are boats
that take you around the lower part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Very cool but for some reason photography is not allowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are supposed to leave your camera in
lockers outside but both Amal and I snuck our phones in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She got caught taking pictures (twice) in the
upper cavern and was scolded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I managed
to sneak a couple from the hip in the lower canyon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCo_7wNNvQsnhRB7qv1GO71o6zn2AJXWEZooqSH1NagDJWxe0sNVCN3I0Zk-ir2xswTp7xX6HbM59eS6kvIfAq2JeNrMRm7E2I714JLF3BtyAjbWehnDwkBDV8PHKRMbVyUAPv4VIa5zf/s1600/Pre-hike+-+Grotto+Jeita+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTCo_7wNNvQsnhRB7qv1GO71o6zn2AJXWEZooqSH1NagDJWxe0sNVCN3I0Zk-ir2xswTp7xX6HbM59eS6kvIfAq2JeNrMRm7E2I714JLF3BtyAjbWehnDwkBDV8PHKRMbVyUAPv4VIa5zf/s320/Pre-hike+-+Grotto+Jeita+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sneaky cave photo </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ckGnZpWxnw03W4EDh3nRmAFj3P_q2Z60uh28VgTr9mqweq-uepLvo5vUQ656UJfWZWavkTpIOAc6lStUyDy2qVlWyFo-bxFoV3_dLW6RfzQ6ievWytQ1plAe852WZYcDXrmJCsNwLAuB/s1600/Pre-hike+-+Byblos+Harbor+at+sunset+9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ckGnZpWxnw03W4EDh3nRmAFj3P_q2Z60uh28VgTr9mqweq-uepLvo5vUQ656UJfWZWavkTpIOAc6lStUyDy2qVlWyFo-bxFoV3_dLW6RfzQ6ievWytQ1plAe852WZYcDXrmJCsNwLAuB/s320/Pre-hike+-+Byblos+Harbor+at+sunset+9.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunset at Byblos </div>
We then went to the tourist town of Byblos to
see the Citadel and harbor and to watch the sunset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a gorgeous little town on the
Mediterranean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was then time
to head north and start the Lebanon Mountain Trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a 450km (275+ mile) hiking trail that
traverses Lebanon from near the Syrian border in the North to close to the
Israeli border in the south passing through Sunni, Christian, Druze, and Shia
parts of the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A great way to
explore the incredible diversity in culture, architecture, and food across
Lebanon while hiking past various old Roman and early Christian ruins and
unique natural features.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trail was
first started with a $3 million grant from USAID to help bring development and
tourism to some of the rural villages in the mountain. It now consists of 27
sections and is designed to hike from village to village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are either guesthouses (home stays) or
hotels after each section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some
sections there are monasteries you can stay at and one night we slept in a
convent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> One night we slept in a castle. </span>The trail designers originally
went to the elders of the villages to find out how they used to get from town
to town before the roads were built and everyone started to drive
everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They then took that
information, melded in the unique natural or historical features of each area
(waterfalls, rock arches, sink holes, dramatic cliffs, lakes, Roman ruins, old
churches, monasteries. etc.) and modified as needed due to private property
restrictions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU10uhdjIiZ5ZZVlQge0YlVFk59Gee4HW7ndTyHNseFrYYL9O9QT_HusMMMG1tvzb4l9bKATpd9GRkkYtfcuC44d2ZVfQlRu8hI_MNoiQYeTDtHSTaXCiHBpf49hfMjFAHLhApryrNN_3/s1600/LMT+Section+4+-+Waterfalls+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWU10uhdjIiZ5ZZVlQge0YlVFk59Gee4HW7ndTyHNseFrYYL9O9QT_HusMMMG1tvzb4l9bKATpd9GRkkYtfcuC44d2ZVfQlRu8hI_MNoiQYeTDtHSTaXCiHBpf49hfMjFAHLhApryrNN_3/s320/LMT+Section+4+-+Waterfalls+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Waterfalls </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1Z_k50L1W8YqVC1LJ2cDP4JXlKUcGhc7voBeXbUcdTo7jTuzTH-LilvOsdnF-UjcO6adlqYgR_EJHUaCYy01a4eR1oKG0xKonU_wJc87y87MGsQZ3U-lEowyTiCWK3tZ9tJfgAuPUBVv/s1600/LMT+Section+13+-+Rock+arch+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK1Z_k50L1W8YqVC1LJ2cDP4JXlKUcGhc7voBeXbUcdTo7jTuzTH-LilvOsdnF-UjcO6adlqYgR_EJHUaCYy01a4eR1oKG0xKonU_wJc87y87MGsQZ3U-lEowyTiCWK3tZ9tJfgAuPUBVv/s320/LMT+Section+13+-+Rock+arch+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Rock arches </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhMB1Sk7NfFk4EmR8JV_Tx44MIdmGou5svZAC6rQuB2nwNwLt23Qkcb-pLmafFM8QVlX-ZybxYYFUbp2Kxreefuj2Ywqx2YArvyptbvsngErWWzizX9Ef51bz9CGyOwpOfkMlrVyLp7jR/s1600/LMT+Section+10+-+Sinkhole+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNhMB1Sk7NfFk4EmR8JV_Tx44MIdmGou5svZAC6rQuB2nwNwLt23Qkcb-pLmafFM8QVlX-ZybxYYFUbp2Kxreefuj2Ywqx2YArvyptbvsngErWWzizX9Ef51bz9CGyOwpOfkMlrVyLp7jR/s320/LMT+Section+10+-+Sinkhole+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sinkhole from above </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaP8xJvL8QvRNjHKMYZRjPevwbwE1gjC8wzvxT46fnVGymhrorOWy3ZqhQAkrIsUy0rNTvCRvL_SoiGjl2ygzdt0PqWxGUtKGzyaNQTALYl5frqEJ__pzfiOCYHSNCR3HJJgU9-n3q8wb/s1600/LMT+Section+2+-+Morning+cliff+traverse+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaP8xJvL8QvRNjHKMYZRjPevwbwE1gjC8wzvxT46fnVGymhrorOWy3ZqhQAkrIsUy0rNTvCRvL_SoiGjl2ygzdt0PqWxGUtKGzyaNQTALYl5frqEJ__pzfiOCYHSNCR3HJJgU9-n3q8wb/s320/LMT+Section+2+-+Morning+cliff+traverse+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Cliff traverse </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5m9YacxnE-P_V76D_OuVaCrCrkZnOn8cteln7zCgKstpEewff-pNVwGWoR08coJE0R8SB2J9SvNCoHs5eagStjlsaDCB-9ZJY4BJsEr7lYc6E3uRPI6FA_BRsf02oFn1i4UJylEGmrhe/s1600/LMT+Section+23+-+Lake+Qaraoun+calm+morning+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5m9YacxnE-P_V76D_OuVaCrCrkZnOn8cteln7zCgKstpEewff-pNVwGWoR08coJE0R8SB2J9SvNCoHs5eagStjlsaDCB-9ZJY4BJsEr7lYc6E3uRPI6FA_BRsf02oFn1i4UJylEGmrhe/s320/LMT+Section+23+-+Lake+Qaraoun+calm+morning+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lake Qaraoun </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxuvBkynlrFCGHBMLhNwbmYhm7QrVhNQrRAacTDKzkFOrk3R79HZtyDVKNyMBBm8wBUmEwLSnT1z7kwGLfgVOyu15urrsyxTS2Jbx4Fyol7s-diNIEHv-tDscOqG4__gqg9fjZWgnzqQD/s1600/LMT+Section+13+-+Faqra+Roman+temple+area+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglxuvBkynlrFCGHBMLhNwbmYhm7QrVhNQrRAacTDKzkFOrk3R79HZtyDVKNyMBBm8wBUmEwLSnT1z7kwGLfgVOyu15urrsyxTS2Jbx4Fyol7s-diNIEHv-tDscOqG4__gqg9fjZWgnzqQD/s320/LMT+Section+13+-+Faqra+Roman+temple+area+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Roman temple in Faqra </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9859atzoUkWoTL_Mzm-tjBNacSjh9tgwY38zi4H54K7nO_PkSqGlJaQ9nmcIsoPUsfWIWcWUPkLEVk2xz3WIPdQ0L5lbbuDIDjqsr4_L_IdbPNlWDTvCejTmegUisszE0RcCHuQiEagv3/s1600/LMT+Section+8+-+Leaving+Bcharre+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9859atzoUkWoTL_Mzm-tjBNacSjh9tgwY38zi4H54K7nO_PkSqGlJaQ9nmcIsoPUsfWIWcWUPkLEVk2xz3WIPdQ0L5lbbuDIDjqsr4_L_IdbPNlWDTvCejTmegUisszE0RcCHuQiEagv3/s320/LMT+Section+8+-+Leaving+Bcharre+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Church in Bcharre </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCEIMHaH7NGr_ze7GbWq8vIlMritz-mJEwUakFjAnB7yT0xWuHY_bCw2VUOPkbU2ICUd89MrTomXhB0Aq8LsKyxCpEYsIekQKT75kCuD_w0g_TXdUU8GJvEbBfu5GufH4WrFQG7vvLHLV/s1600/LMT+Section+7+-+St+Anthony+of+Qozhaya+Monastery+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCEIMHaH7NGr_ze7GbWq8vIlMritz-mJEwUakFjAnB7yT0xWuHY_bCw2VUOPkbU2ICUd89MrTomXhB0Aq8LsKyxCpEYsIekQKT75kCuD_w0g_TXdUU8GJvEbBfu5GufH4WrFQG7vvLHLV/s320/LMT+Section+7+-+St+Anthony+of+Qozhaya+Monastery+3.JPG" width="320" /></a>St Anthony of Qozhaya Monastery</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8c61veeey8iN4Z-GoWkokz_1qPROV5n-46H1MI6-lcSo2TxKQxjR0ZUwwN_M0Sz3ry6QucX1i4UL4OAkc8e-iia6MyPGQ0Z2pCGYuBgdo0I8hdPK5E7_08u5GGF7k0750Ch2ViLQejdN/s1600/Section+19+-+3000+year+old+tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8c61veeey8iN4Z-GoWkokz_1qPROV5n-46H1MI6-lcSo2TxKQxjR0ZUwwN_M0Sz3ry6QucX1i4UL4OAkc8e-iia6MyPGQ0Z2pCGYuBgdo0I8hdPK5E7_08u5GGF7k0750Ch2ViLQejdN/s320/Section+19+-+3000+year+old+tree.JPG" width="320" /></a>3000 year old cedar tree </div>
There is a website at <a href="http://www.lebanontrail.org/">www.lebanontrail.org</a> if you are
interested in finding out more about the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was our main resource for
planning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you do want to do it, make
sure that you contact the LMTA to get the most current GPS track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite there being paint blazes on almost
all of the trail there are still a few sections not marked and sometimes the
GPS is needed to just confirm that you are on the right track as a confidence
marker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trails route has changed
frequently over the years depending on new roads being built, private property
issues, or better trails being discovered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66X7JHotT6dvmyL6Tt6vVhebmr_YQDZ1K6tQe1VbzlQMzXDopn6BGReIQulBLOxRvz_dFmHG6vsy-FSuLn2Ng44tWsniWQq2owCyZOv93PTaeClUUxV0sYvNODn2UGtnchWzPH2ktPbDJ/s1600/LMT+Section+1+-+First+marker+seen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66X7JHotT6dvmyL6Tt6vVhebmr_YQDZ1K6tQe1VbzlQMzXDopn6BGReIQulBLOxRvz_dFmHG6vsy-FSuLn2Ng44tWsniWQq2owCyZOv93PTaeClUUxV0sYvNODn2UGtnchWzPH2ktPbDJ/s320/LMT+Section+1+-+First+marker+seen.JPG" width="320" /></a>First trail marker found on trail </div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first 6 days
of the trail were spent with Amal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
split the cost of a cab ride to get us the 3 hours from Beirut to the start of
the trail in Andqet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With getting
organized and the long drive it was early afternoon when we started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this first section we got the full
spectrum of types of trail we would be hiking on – paved roads, dirt roads,
tracks, trails, goat paths, and the occasional full on bush whack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This section is not blazed so we had to use
the GPS the entire day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a
couple of times that we got off the path and had to bush whack to get back
where we were supposed to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
where we discovered that pretty much every plant in Lebanon has either a
sticker, a pricker, or a thorn on it with the exception of the famous Lebanese
Cedar trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also the section
where we saw that the most common type of trash in Lebanon is spent shotgun
shell casings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBAsVf80M5oDkGxIK7clUeldAE4EcWIjYjyaS4mR_sQNhAMIXy4J1rI2QoKbv9VHgBAt1ua9v8yCZghSEc4CJjFSqxcXroquysfBO2kKgKiEp1HAbYCqh8qZjSeIXTMTeOU6S31dngTf3/s1600/LMT+Section+1A+-+Shotgun+shells.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBAsVf80M5oDkGxIK7clUeldAE4EcWIjYjyaS4mR_sQNhAMIXy4J1rI2QoKbv9VHgBAt1ua9v8yCZghSEc4CJjFSqxcXroquysfBO2kKgKiEp1HAbYCqh8qZjSeIXTMTeOU6S31dngTf3/s320/LMT+Section+1A+-+Shotgun+shells.JPG" width="320" /></a>The most common trash seen </div>
This was the first and
only night that we had not arranged lodging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first couple of places we checked out were either had no one there
or were full since it was Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
ended up having to scramble around that night and get a taxi to find a hotel
that was open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that experience we
got more organized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amal fit right in
with Knucklehead Adventure Tours as she was not at all worried when at first it
looked like we might have to bivouac without sleeping bags or tents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Day 2 was one of the most memorable days of
the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several things were figured
out that would help us on the rest of the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Things like the shotgun litter was going to
continue and we were going to see people on the trail with shotguns and hear
gunshots periodically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found out that
sometimes where the trail and GPS tracks went were not always the same
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would be close but we lost
about an hour thinking the trail was on the top of a cliff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was on the bottom but we spent a lot of
time looking for the non-existent route to the top of the cliff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also where we discovered that the
people of Lebanon were going to be as welcoming and hospitable as every other
country in the Middle East we have explored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At the end of the day we were walking to the guest house that we knew
about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we walked past a random house
alongside a road an older couple shouted down to us from their balcony to come
up to have tea and apples.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since Amal
was with us she could understand what they were saying in Arabic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tea and apples then led to a large meal being
served and then they insisted that we spend the night at their house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had a prior engagement so they showed us
how to use the TV and then disappeared for a couple of hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later they returned with several other people
from the village to come see their American guests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the US you just don’t hear of people
seeing strangers walking by their house, inviting them in, feeding them a
feast, and then leaving 3 total strangers in their house while they go to a
party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a wonderful experience in
trust and openness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their house was
comfortable, the food was delicious, and the view was panoramic from their
balcony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kathleen did happen to find a
pistol under her pillow in their guest room but we just put it under the bed
for the night and returned it when we left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCYLMw0px0NyTJX22jwEOU1FK0bE3Bs6UsRdOx3p3axxXV7z0amBb8fOtr3UxbX791HxdovfDOXYE7wVVhl06fp5DL-l1HkwEkZrbqnNTpUlLo-vBL6-7BqyujsMGCowW8pdN1vF9AtXJ/s1600/LMT+Section+1+-+Home+stay+invitation+family+%2528Abdullah%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgCYLMw0px0NyTJX22jwEOU1FK0bE3Bs6UsRdOx3p3axxXV7z0amBb8fOtr3UxbX791HxdovfDOXYE7wVVhl06fp5DL-l1HkwEkZrbqnNTpUlLo-vBL6-7BqyujsMGCowW8pdN1vF9AtXJ/s320/LMT+Section+1+-+Home+stay+invitation+family+%2528Abdullah%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Our hosts Abdullah and his wife</div>
The next four days was spent hiking up steep hillsides, along cliffs,
across plateaus, and down canyons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On
several parts of Section 4 we had to walk up a functioning irrigation canal
with water rushing around our feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since it was a cliff on either side of the ditch there was nowhere else
to go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianeW3rj9-pFrXP59xzlxImOvE9SKSHwyebWMO_drSndAMB-eqzJURzphl8XXz8jKSqSMrk1YYOIIsNoKTXnoTlI7vQqV0NGy4l16RrNexl4g1GBp93dEaitIdR9178hmV25THARUEATv9/s1600/LMT+Section+4+-+Up+irrigation+ditch+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEianeW3rj9-pFrXP59xzlxImOvE9SKSHwyebWMO_drSndAMB-eqzJURzphl8XXz8jKSqSMrk1YYOIIsNoKTXnoTlI7vQqV0NGy4l16RrNexl4g1GBp93dEaitIdR9178hmV25THARUEATv9/s320/LMT+Section+4+-+Up+irrigation+ditch+2.JPG" width="240" /></a>Just another day on the trail </div>
Each day we would pass apple
orchards and being Fall it was harvest time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were constantly being offered apples (or pears further south) along
the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learned to be careful
around herds of goats and sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQgK2QxCg-bbSLnZfJO-mjG_ppzN1g-T1cobz-Gs3nPNLGj2K0PvXcQCn0nrYc9B-iPqbdTwMqjMw7nOwxmcX2uclT7CMnLDDWEYyVHRYFx1LwlIuDd1iiu_belCghITl4lJ9ZoatTrVS/s1600/LMT+Section+5+-+Farm+house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQgK2QxCg-bbSLnZfJO-mjG_ppzN1g-T1cobz-Gs3nPNLGj2K0PvXcQCn0nrYc9B-iPqbdTwMqjMw7nOwxmcX2uclT7CMnLDDWEYyVHRYFx1LwlIuDd1iiu_belCghITl4lJ9ZoatTrVS/s320/LMT+Section+5+-+Farm+house.JPG" width="320" /></a>Goats always meant dogs </div>
<br />
Before
we would pass by the herd, we would try to make sure we knew which way the
trail went because a lot of these herds are guarded by mean ass dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The kind of dog that would not think twice
about sinking their teeth into your leg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We always wanted to know which direction to retreat in. </span>Trekking poles became an essential defense and we also (re)learned that
in most of the world dogs know what a rock is so as soon as you pick one up
they will back off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time Amal
left us we had hiked from the Sunni region into the Christian areas and it was
like we had walked into a new country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We would hear church bells instead of the call to prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Alcohol became available in the stores and
restaurants and the villages in general were obviously richer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we got to the town of Bcharre it was
time to say good by to Amal since she had to return to Seattle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amal had been making things easy with her
ability to speak Arabic so it was time for us to start relying on ourselves
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily in the Christian areas
more people speak some English and we have gotten good with all our traveling at
sign language with a smile.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the day Amal
left we first starting hearing reports of the Revolution beginning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first night of the protests were rough
with 2 people dying and 60 police being injured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that though the crowds got too big and
too widespread throughout the country so the security services backed off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Huge crowds of people gathered in all the
major cities and roads across the country were blocked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amal had to catch a flight but managed to get
out after our friend Bachar did some automotive acrobatics to get her to the
airport the next day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lebanon has 13
sects but the major political parties are Sunni, Shia, Druze, and
Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the past Lebanon has been
torn apart by these factions struggling for power and there was a civil war
that destroyed large part of Beirut and the country between 1975 and 1990 with
120,000 people dying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Politics there is
messy and a balancing act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beauty of
this Revolution was that people from all sects came out as just Lebanese united
against the corruption that has afflicted their country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Politicians from every party have been
skimming money while taxing the Lebanese and they finally said “Enough!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No party flags were seen, only the flags of
the Lebanese Army.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the protests were
every sect, young and old, middle class and poor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many Lebanese told us that they had never been
as proud of their country as during these weeks and that this felt like it was
finally closing the door on the civil war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All of this was televised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
the major media outlets in Lebanon are controlled by 12 families so each
channel had its own agenda they were pushing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There would be split screens between 6 or 8 different cities with people
being interviewed and telling their stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was like Lebanon was having a cathartic conversation with
itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IOfr-7MK_mr7_kZ2lnxTrCpnSd-dlx2qNmmAkV0S5aqcKRVJhkc_m5GYrZ5fgGxGHTsQu9ZfHniQ6qWiIQdwJuklIRykVZTXeGChAq1ok68mAykCfxR0Xi4TzzvCHefkDw0jqdgMgn4D/s1600/LMT+Section+12+-+Protests+on+TV.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IOfr-7MK_mr7_kZ2lnxTrCpnSd-dlx2qNmmAkV0S5aqcKRVJhkc_m5GYrZ5fgGxGHTsQu9ZfHniQ6qWiIQdwJuklIRykVZTXeGChAq1ok68mAykCfxR0Xi4TzzvCHefkDw0jqdgMgn4D/s320/LMT+Section+12+-+Protests+on+TV.JPG" width="320" /></a>Typical TV screen this month </div>
These protests continued the
entire time we were on the trail and continued after we left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have no idea how this will all turn
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the Middle East and there are
powerful forces at work that have a lot at stake so it could go all sorts of
ways but at least while we were there we were able to witness the amazing power
of the peoples voice united.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the meantime,
while the protests were going on, we continued to walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the chaos and excitement were in the
coastal cities and the mountain villages were quiet so it was a good place to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would check the internet news
when we had wifi and everyone in Lebanon was watching TV constantly so we were
able to keep an eye on developments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
next 11 days we were on our own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
walked through the Christian areas and progressed into the Druze areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lebanon in ancient times used to be covered
with extensive cedar forests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of
that is gone now but there are still some cool cedar reserves that we walked
through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cool forest was always a refreshing
change from the more exposed areas we often were hiking in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Ehden Cedar Reserve and the Tannourine
Reserve were two of our favorites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1PwOxyXT0N08C9kpcZIjlYdxizji0-CRy_46p7SmrnCHXgXoNOGB7bdPSsy7vo2-U1tpgjPIMRNOht7j539d1SAv-BVlb56r0Qci_4cCdPyzJejiDzzE4DF6Z-hhKmRVIeVHhOpRNn39/s1600/LMT+Section+5+-+Horsh+Ehden+Nature+Reserve+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1PwOxyXT0N08C9kpcZIjlYdxizji0-CRy_46p7SmrnCHXgXoNOGB7bdPSsy7vo2-U1tpgjPIMRNOht7j539d1SAv-BVlb56r0Qci_4cCdPyzJejiDzzE4DF6Z-hhKmRVIeVHhOpRNn39/s320/LMT+Section+5+-+Horsh+Ehden+Nature+Reserve+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Ehden Cedar Reserve </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQKbVS00091x2dq1woS1zcmVQP3AqaXar36sPgpbFRQ5Phn5CC98TSDKXSdWTl7XmFHnYwRi3ysRFQBPJbn_vp023acA2BuE9gC57xxsCHnVcRGSUfiC-jilJYG2Tu0Wmy4UlVB0krsCz/s1600/LMT+Section+9+-+Tannourine+Cedars+Nature+Reserve+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQKbVS00091x2dq1woS1zcmVQP3AqaXar36sPgpbFRQ5Phn5CC98TSDKXSdWTl7XmFHnYwRi3ysRFQBPJbn_vp023acA2BuE9gC57xxsCHnVcRGSUfiC-jilJYG2Tu0Wmy4UlVB0krsCz/s320/LMT+Section+9+-+Tannourine+Cedars+Nature+Reserve+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Tannourine Cedars Reserve </div>
Much
of the trail was easy hiking but there often sections labeled as “Delicate
Passage” on the GPS which meant technical section.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often there would be chains bolted into the
cliff side in these areas as protection from falling off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmgPFfSwnlVkYYzE4_WoFtUhBe-oc1TgaH-HG4ZTCXxY5dZlP-pGx7kbsIv8DIIGdYUa-dXFi1Nvvk8ZwmSE0qRGALqMPtGWlj2Yp-ip7lH3X7JtfVlj_J2IgkrbXuGqdPogkI1j6m7uz/s1600/LMT+Section+4+-+Another+crazy+irrigation+ditch+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmgPFfSwnlVkYYzE4_WoFtUhBe-oc1TgaH-HG4ZTCXxY5dZlP-pGx7kbsIv8DIIGdYUa-dXFi1Nvvk8ZwmSE0qRGALqMPtGWlj2Yp-ip7lH3X7JtfVlj_J2IgkrbXuGqdPogkI1j6m7uz/s320/LMT+Section+4+-+Another+crazy+irrigation+ditch+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Delicate Passage irrigation ditch</div>
We learned that some of the roughest trail
was when it would traverse across hillsides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This would often follow old or active irrigation ditches that had
drop-offs to the side or would be overgrown and difficult footing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also during this second week that the
excellent but very hot weather we had the first week turned into cloudy days
with occasional rain and thunderstorms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were several days where we had to hustle to get across ridgelines
quickly to avoid lightning and we got soaking wet on two days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEoMIFLDwbovN83kW9TBL9AIKMnzxHo7G6mh1eoeI2MSWjdXj1Zlb4yVzvec5voUKUAZi5WGzzY-cmU-UYCAUk2_J5S-ha4hgcZeh-NNoBD3j9fHqyPKn_HiM-B-6DnWXu4mJHYc93ud5/s1600/LMT+Section+8+-+Clouds+rolling+in.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEoMIFLDwbovN83kW9TBL9AIKMnzxHo7G6mh1eoeI2MSWjdXj1Zlb4yVzvec5voUKUAZi5WGzzY-cmU-UYCAUk2_J5S-ha4hgcZeh-NNoBD3j9fHqyPKn_HiM-B-6DnWXu4mJHYc93ud5/s320/LMT+Section+8+-+Clouds+rolling+in.JPG" width="320" /></a>Storm clouds rolling in </div>
It was on one of these ridgelines that we had
our worst dog attack of the trip when we got attacked simultaneously by 3
dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kathleen had to go back to back
and fight them off with our poles. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
were able to back them up enough to gather rocks and that drove them away a bit
further.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We slowly were able to back
away out of their territory but they followed us a long way and then sat on the
top of the ridge watching us until we were out of sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
It was also on this week that hunting season officially
began and the shooting we had been hearing every day escalated into a
semi-constant pop pop pop of shotguns going off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We joked that if a civil war started again we
wouldn’t be able to tell from the amount of gunfire though there is a distinct
difference in the sound of a shotgun compared to a pistol or rifle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Lebanese were hunting songbirds which the
eat and consider a delicacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since they
are shooting bird shot the range is very close and we didn’t worry too much
initially.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started to call the
hunters “Lebanese bears” as we would sing and talk loudly when we could hear
the gunshots nearby but not see where the people were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We learned that if we saw a car slowly
driving around the mountain roads there would usually be guns sticking out of
the windows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hunters were often
friendly and would stop and chat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
with the precautions we were taking Kathleen was hit by buckshot twice on the
same day when we were hiking Section 13.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The first time when two guys were trying to shoot a bird out of a tree
right next to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We still aren’t sure
if it was buckshot or part of the tree that stung her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Later that afternoon a blast came out of a
cornfield and again stung Kathleen on the arm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Neither time was it close enough to penetrate clothes or skin but it
stung.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From then on we started to wear
our sunglasses even when it was cloudy as eye protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> According to the Lebanese though, unless there is blood you really haven't been shot. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufrbNBidjIONoYp0ZLaoh7xTMO41qOqNxhZjB-QaO52l7IapKN_7Qi6ALf4jpJQaVbm1gkN8nUHgnNmeoT4NXqcdYlreoE3axbUGk98q5fhuw0XxAKBHfAbDaaQ8W2ZZC9hddPs7EY4_N/s1600/LMT+Section+12+-+Shotguns+and+Sheesha+%2528and+whiskey%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufrbNBidjIONoYp0ZLaoh7xTMO41qOqNxhZjB-QaO52l7IapKN_7Qi6ALf4jpJQaVbm1gkN8nUHgnNmeoT4NXqcdYlreoE3axbUGk98q5fhuw0XxAKBHfAbDaaQ8W2ZZC9hddPs7EY4_N/s320/LMT+Section+12+-+Shotguns+and+Sheesha+%2528and+whiskey%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Shotguns and sheesha (and whisky)</div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The final
sections of the trail we had our Lebanese friend Bachar help us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has supported trail runners trying to set
speed attempts in the past and knows the trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He provided car support and hiked parts of the trail with us as he was
looking for a reason to get out of Beirut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was nice to have a cold drink available at various points of the day
depending on how often the trail crossed a road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was also a HUGE help in getting the
security passes that allowed us to go into the southern restricted regions near
the Israeli border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the revolution
going on this ended up being more of a hassle than usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had multiple phone calls with Lebanese
Military Intelligence and also had to use our contacts at the Lebanon Mountain
Trail Association to get the pass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rule
#1 of Knucklehead Adventure Tours is “Don’t be an international incident.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two obvious foreigners with a GPS in one hand
and a camera taking pictures of everything in the other without a pass was a
good way to get arrested as spies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course, once we had the pass, we never came across a military checkpoint that
wanted to see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather the last
week went to pleasant sunny days with that Fall crisp in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perfect hiking weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18HNVj4PPTx2fP1zYOuCSJNM72wcEb4FTwhkxBp6vSZ6M4WSCKx5Vzr6X0cz-koor6krSvQ-z9pBR5Iy5gnoDG7mjqAiwfT7UIt-3ZnxuiUiPF196yZXeNeqZ8aiznbNVB2OmhQ_GOG96/s1600/LMT+Section+24+-+Support+vehicle++and+Bachar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi18HNVj4PPTx2fP1zYOuCSJNM72wcEb4FTwhkxBp6vSZ6M4WSCKx5Vzr6X0cz-koor6krSvQ-z9pBR5Iy5gnoDG7mjqAiwfT7UIt-3ZnxuiUiPF196yZXeNeqZ8aiznbNVB2OmhQ_GOG96/s320/LMT+Section+24+-+Support+vehicle++and+Bachar.JPG" width="320" /></a>Bachar and the support vehicle </div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finished the
27 sections of trail in 22 days with one day delay when we were getting the
security passes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finished early
enough on the last day that we were able to drive to Beirut in time for the big
protests that were happening that Sunday night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Bachar wanted us to see what the Revolution looked like first hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crowds were large and extended over
several blocks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seemed very safe as
families had brought their little children, there were elderly people walking
around, and we even saw a couple of people in wheelchairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were trucks with sound systems on them
scattered around the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People would
sing songs and were literally dancing in the streets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lebanese flags were everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bachar showed us a secret way into an old
theatre that is still partially destroyed from the civil war and we were able
to get a ring side seat of the festivities from the roof.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A guy from Tripoli has become famous as the
DJ of the Revolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He spins records
and raps and the whole crowd acts more like a rave than a demonstration when he
is playing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We heard an interview with
him and he alternates between more angry revolutionary type songs and then a
fun dance song to keep the mood light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Several people that night were very curious about what we thought of
Lebanon and to tell us what they thought about the Revolution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A night to remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYSlvSvEyiLdOm4_Y_aVqMPFgdX49m7ALSuS1DFnVht5H2bZqatkw276LbLbM8voCIawWcWTwzAuFHfIIuwT3wy87iKRSDJa0BT_PpMKTTBw-BzrLVP6-YklsHqFONbdIMnJj3hSfHQ7C/s1600/Post+hike+-+Beirut+protest+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVYSlvSvEyiLdOm4_Y_aVqMPFgdX49m7ALSuS1DFnVht5H2bZqatkw276LbLbM8voCIawWcWTwzAuFHfIIuwT3wy87iKRSDJa0BT_PpMKTTBw-BzrLVP6-YklsHqFONbdIMnJj3hSfHQ7C/s320/Post+hike+-+Beirut+protest+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lebanese flags everywhere </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJ3NdEEQUmXQ1USQeng4ue1gQycnM-C-rcLIn9khGFHVnxKXkB1qXmA-sh4HhHr-nMmlWndlYdJvFqPz-gsWkbh38INULfMxiXxS1neB6mLdX1xsPYuwQaSKpjprWYUUj034JByGXp94D/s1600/Post+hike+-+Beirut+protest+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNJ3NdEEQUmXQ1USQeng4ue1gQycnM-C-rcLIn9khGFHVnxKXkB1qXmA-sh4HhHr-nMmlWndlYdJvFqPz-gsWkbh38INULfMxiXxS1neB6mLdX1xsPYuwQaSKpjprWYUUj034JByGXp94D/s320/Post+hike+-+Beirut+protest+10.JPG" width="320" /></a>Flares being lit in the crowd </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKKpZxkCyO9ekAcO_tQFkWowGUmnB9aloVIPQbXASeR5R83oEilqJarUOHiAuExeHPqmgTKneUzalv-UpQe8o_n26vqpphSTlZhsdpKfh0TdkjPRcqnfQpDWKOwJzyDzawS6vvgEYX6u5/s1600/Post+hike+-+Beirut+protest+28.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjKKpZxkCyO9ekAcO_tQFkWowGUmnB9aloVIPQbXASeR5R83oEilqJarUOHiAuExeHPqmgTKneUzalv-UpQe8o_n26vqpphSTlZhsdpKfh0TdkjPRcqnfQpDWKOwJzyDzawS6vvgEYX6u5/s320/Post+hike+-+Beirut+protest+28.JPG" width="320" /></a>Dancing in the streets </div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple of days
of recovery in Beirut and then we did a quick trip back to the mountains to
summit the highest peak in Lebanon, Qurnat as Sawda (Black Peak).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOV3y5Sb-bqd0ORtpH4LKRo7Tnrqw9-HLXP01pp8FdauTbIZxAOZJAeqOGWzaLA4vddlujuM5u2r-TeFnMEFs8jyJTO6yBjQtB81KtESoSP_xZuq5gX-aEt-mW8U8Aer1Mj80W0IcRztW/s1600/Post+hike+-+Qurnat+as+Sawda+18.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOV3y5Sb-bqd0ORtpH4LKRo7Tnrqw9-HLXP01pp8FdauTbIZxAOZJAeqOGWzaLA4vddlujuM5u2r-TeFnMEFs8jyJTO6yBjQtB81KtESoSP_xZuq5gX-aEt-mW8U8Aer1Mj80W0IcRztW/s320/Post+hike+-+Qurnat+as+Sawda+18.JPG" width="320" /></a>Summit of Qurnat as Sawda </div>
<br />
We were fortunate to be accompanied by Bachar
and his friend Avedis Kalpaklian who is the top Lebanese mountaineer currently
trying to summit all of the 8000 meter peaks in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the top you can see Syria, the
Mediterranean, and on a very clear day even Cyprus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fitting ending for our time in
Lebanon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then after 5 weeks it was
finally time to move on and head to our next chapter:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>India. <br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lebanon made a
really strong and positive impression on us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With so much of the world to see we often don’t consider repeating
countries but both of us feel that we have not seen the last of Lebanon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you are interested in doing the Lebanon
Mountain Trail don’t hesitate to contact us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is an amazing trail and we encourage people to go an explore
Lebanon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trail is an amazing way to
get to know the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-76019604754397213592019-10-21T10:29:00.001-07:002021-10-02T17:56:57.514-07:00Maa Iran Doostim (We are friends of Iran) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A couple weeks
ago, we left Iran after our third visit in the last 2 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time we invited 6 of our friends to go
with us and it seems like there are now 6 more fans of Iran that will go back
to the United States and tell people what the true face of Iran is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The group consisted of both old friends and some
new ones and ended up being a great mix of people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like our first time, this trip was a
combination of mountains and nature mixed with culture and sightseeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4u8WHYk2RMVcodhwwW-shglTCOo7UgrilAclXZurPRSncrOuDFIeZiUA4xn0cD7rntFagnpU1Mteu6SHGr0iu4tzfkI1ItcRXcE55aCQyWDtNItneethxNWwaBra9a-ZE39_2VyfPDe4/s1600/P9240288.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4u8WHYk2RMVcodhwwW-shglTCOo7UgrilAclXZurPRSncrOuDFIeZiUA4xn0cD7rntFagnpU1Mteu6SHGr0iu4tzfkI1ItcRXcE55aCQyWDtNItneethxNWwaBra9a-ZE39_2VyfPDe4/s320/P9240288.JPG" width="320" /></a>8 Americans in Iran </div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first couple
of days were a little nerve wracking with the news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we flew into Tehran is when the oil
refineries blew up in Saudia Arabia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
cell phones were full of news as Trump threatened that America was “locked and
loaded!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While we were worried it didn’t
seem to phase the Iranians a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
was no rushing to the stores to stock up on supplies and no one really seemed
to care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over the last 40 years they
have seen this sort of thing multiple times and actually went through a
horrific war with Iraq in the 80s so they just took it all in stride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most Iranians think that Trump is a paper
tiger who speaks loudly but carries a small stick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a week or so the news mellowed out
after it became apparent that neither the US or Saudia Arabia was going to risk
a full-blown war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYMmmKhva7v4jiy5tUeOPGb7eNlXTW_xAiiBaPhlnHInTDgCcB8dW5igZ0Zi7feOQj0YA27kOaGDRNDVki9S4O_VJaNzmBihQip1USgNs_IyEJhgCIxmqWJJnlqjt_tLisMaEvtsuanrH/s1600/P9240254.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYMmmKhva7v4jiy5tUeOPGb7eNlXTW_xAiiBaPhlnHInTDgCcB8dW5igZ0Zi7feOQj0YA27kOaGDRNDVki9S4O_VJaNzmBihQip1USgNs_IyEJhgCIxmqWJJnlqjt_tLisMaEvtsuanrH/s320/P9240254.JPG" width="320" /></a>Normal shopping day at the bazaar</div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent the first
week hiking in the Alborz mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tochal is a ski area that is on the mountain just on the north edge of
Tehran and is 13,005’ high so we spent the first 2 days climbing this peak to
acclimate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are shelters/hotels on
the mountain so we did not have to camp or really rough it in any way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That first night we had a perfect view looking
over the lights of Tehran. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdijiAWLC6lq6DUo7z3_r_11ga2w74lGS9ESiIE7wSM2rMH7EDXC020yrAJ5nOUovAYcTsy6YdkFHm1HmAHfLyVkf6ilmbkqLyrzCmZnxRjDBM2kxZplryl7VUMUSvAbcZmMFv35TyDfb/s1600/P9160020.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRdijiAWLC6lq6DUo7z3_r_11ga2w74lGS9ESiIE7wSM2rMH7EDXC020yrAJ5nOUovAYcTsy6YdkFHm1HmAHfLyVkf6ilmbkqLyrzCmZnxRjDBM2kxZplryl7VUMUSvAbcZmMFv35TyDfb/s320/P9160020.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lights of Tehran at sunset </div>
In the spring
the hillside is green and covered in flowers but this time of year all the
vegetation was dry and brown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
winter there is a ski area with the 2<sup>nd</sup> longest gondola in the world
(over 4 ½ miles long).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People are
surprised to find out that there are 25 ski areas in Iran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88BmmDAEfrcedvCNZBCM6b_pWnk34NbGKoN8qfmNlxBsYH_L393M161EdWr-HMfnlOAo0PpOSdepSppfOax07wmSUOBJF98Alyklc5nRFnAwTl0Q75nOfulDnaJQd1Qoev3zDl1WuKreI/s1600/P9160019.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88BmmDAEfrcedvCNZBCM6b_pWnk34NbGKoN8qfmNlxBsYH_L393M161EdWr-HMfnlOAo0PpOSdepSppfOax07wmSUOBJF98Alyklc5nRFnAwTl0Q75nOfulDnaJQd1Qoev3zDl1WuKreI/s320/P9160019.JPG" width="320" /></a>Tochal ski area gondola </div>
The first day had some steep rocky sections
as the trail went up a canyon past some waterfalls and the second day was just
high-altitude hillside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DTEaqI8DEoxK2ODVTkPaGC1UkoBfz5hdy-6CRPOWtNjQhTVnhP8Ii7kZVAxi5aTBlnnEoMu1xJcHIr7KUearOENC2TdJn01PAl8fbB-wZSkVJSC2dIatUAmmHiCwd4z4h3bThTLPAuPj/s1600/P9160009.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DTEaqI8DEoxK2ODVTkPaGC1UkoBfz5hdy-6CRPOWtNjQhTVnhP8Ii7kZVAxi5aTBlnnEoMu1xJcHIr7KUearOENC2TdJn01PAl8fbB-wZSkVJSC2dIatUAmmHiCwd4z4h3bThTLPAuPj/s320/P9160009.JPG" width="240" /></a>Steep rocky trail </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjO68u2mzDrlOfqA6bCPK-Jdj18lvDlWjamW7zN_PsbEm-OAEnU_E1uFkQF7XjuAJSrS8eL_p7kZZfsjoNbontkdewBFjsr2arREb38RRmJOaDmry3tidNbBfVd7FRQIo0W5rKlgMrrBvK/s1600/P9160007.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjO68u2mzDrlOfqA6bCPK-Jdj18lvDlWjamW7zN_PsbEm-OAEnU_E1uFkQF7XjuAJSrS8eL_p7kZZfsjoNbontkdewBFjsr2arREb38RRmJOaDmry3tidNbBfVd7FRQIo0W5rKlgMrrBvK/s320/P9160007.JPG" width="240" /></a>and waterfalls </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNarkz0FjWcS3gP-T1rW8BV2JT_buloI3JYCZBW3eskUOegqVo_wxXoPs0q-KAEHB0LqoTxJGHNEs_HCXXmFrPInpjcPBFlUKUfIkJSQtZLYkfCt1yie89XvV2N1rIUKeHnLXCMqRILI9A/s1600/P9160027.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNarkz0FjWcS3gP-T1rW8BV2JT_buloI3JYCZBW3eskUOegqVo_wxXoPs0q-KAEHB0LqoTxJGHNEs_HCXXmFrPInpjcPBFlUKUfIkJSQtZLYkfCt1yie89XvV2N1rIUKeHnLXCMqRILI9A/s320/P9160027.JPG" width="320" /></a>Dry upper Tochal mountain There was a weird
moment at the start of the hike where everyone’s GPS went haywire and started
telling us we were going a mile every 2 minutes or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t matter what kind of GPS it was (2
different brands of GPS watch and a hand held GPS).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wondered if there was some sort of
electronic warfare going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end
of the day many of us were feeling pretty sun baked and dehydrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the summit of Tochal we met the champion
Iranian SkyRunner Iman Koushki who holds the speed record up Damavand (2 hr
41min), the highest volcano in Asia at 18,403’ which was our next project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iman had some of his coaching clients with
him that included a young guy and 2 girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Turned out Kathleen and her had the same running shoes (Hoka Speedgoats)
so they got excited about that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5v0AsZLL5H7aNsYV7dAg-WkNaYiHntQsSa13EQQUFbkC8Uf3YcmfGfRk-96VidmyLe8tBUu1oPL0q0uNQrlsNXBxard0ozPk08Uw3lou2pSq0UiXtSZezeBo30XNx4cwyYWe2xDiRwaO/s1600/P9170039.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS5v0AsZLL5H7aNsYV7dAg-WkNaYiHntQsSa13EQQUFbkC8Uf3YcmfGfRk-96VidmyLe8tBUu1oPL0q0uNQrlsNXBxard0ozPk08Uw3lou2pSq0UiXtSZezeBo30XNx4cwyYWe2xDiRwaO/s320/P9170039.JPG" width="320" /></a>Iman Koushki on left </div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a rest day
between mountains we then spent the next 2 days getting up and down Damavand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kathleen and I had attempted a ski descent of
this mountain on our first trip but the weather did not cooperate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time the weather was perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gorgeous sunny days and even though at that
altitude it is always below freezing the lack of wind and sun made it very
pleasant days to climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mayor of the
town at the base of the mountain (Rineh) came to see us off and wish us
luck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSd9u2DXIl8oIA9S166OYEvC6tHHnrLTvw6Vpe0gPxgV2bnmH4lJ6MVDq2YK8-kDyX8olJcA1ADKXONcPVe8zpOVDFbu14EoN2EQ77xBXXlSVxHGv3fwywTs2IredD_IuHG2HRJwZ5zml/s1600/P9180082.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSd9u2DXIl8oIA9S166OYEvC6tHHnrLTvw6Vpe0gPxgV2bnmH4lJ6MVDq2YK8-kDyX8olJcA1ADKXONcPVe8zpOVDFbu14EoN2EQ77xBXXlSVxHGv3fwywTs2IredD_IuHG2HRJwZ5zml/s320/P9180082.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mayor of Rineh </div>
Slow and steady was the name of
the game that day and it allowed everyone to get to the summit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of us felt the altitude more than others
but it turned out that out of a dozen attempts by Iran Doostan groups (our tour
company) that year we were the only team to get everyone to the summit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the weekend so there were a lot of
Iranians but we only saw one other foreigner, a Dutch guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made many more friends on the summit and
Kathleen and I even had a friend (Babak) we met on our first trip drive out from Tehran
and then run up the mountain to find us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOBoyD1KVn_bxlX0hrxyYPeUzRTVcAYBFsJYMe5cInkKdw35ofXDbpCqLco3BF8ytoWhdbeVVhoS1Hu8KfBDglof95Uy4KqL1rqXnJ07FtI0RmDnXKm-S9QwzH9bHLu27H8o6A-ABN356/s1600/P9180060.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOBoyD1KVn_bxlX0hrxyYPeUzRTVcAYBFsJYMe5cInkKdw35ofXDbpCqLco3BF8ytoWhdbeVVhoS1Hu8KfBDglof95Uy4KqL1rqXnJ07FtI0RmDnXKm-S9QwzH9bHLu27H8o6A-ABN356/s320/P9180060.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mount Damavand (18,403') </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_UCPOWrjS68l-Tq72LSGdm9dalw3mrJFvfL8qxl215kdrT7oljPkkR2SmerPF6qS8HbOHoiaHShNwbXV8dbEn8ucGBtbG2pP6WG7wpkB-zXveNQWnqH_z0-jTGEey3mVa__zIbPOQEON/s1600/P9190098.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_UCPOWrjS68l-Tq72LSGdm9dalw3mrJFvfL8qxl215kdrT7oljPkkR2SmerPF6qS8HbOHoiaHShNwbXV8dbEn8ucGBtbG2pP6WG7wpkB-zXveNQWnqH_z0-jTGEey3mVa__zIbPOQEON/s320/P9190098.JPG" width="320" /></a>Halfway up with a pile of Iranians</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpPT7WMUrEZZTdloYO0lYVOdZ2xOHP0q7s9OAkRnNFhHl4NIDYp-DCN7bGYJa40kM6SCqpWfUvjp4-vcDwtL4HcXfFl3bm3oaGolQxQOa5c62bJjyBq5ghDx2O5PNtehgurHBRUXzO-SU/s1600/P9190102.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpPT7WMUrEZZTdloYO0lYVOdZ2xOHP0q7s9OAkRnNFhHl4NIDYp-DCN7bGYJa40kM6SCqpWfUvjp4-vcDwtL4HcXfFl3bm3oaGolQxQOa5c62bJjyBq5ghDx2O5PNtehgurHBRUXzO-SU/s320/P9190102.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sulphur covered summit cone </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrzu3D46dI4Yo5fXcDywxyB8qDRjRlCRF4C0Lb75k2PGzIF2F2npeo6MW4j_2KujcPX4zd1hTACfexXLTFcy-Jbv1zScb6LBqWJIzMzeUyRacKY532n8JHOHDxCRZtErx0REUCAjwNXRb/s1600/P9200106.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilrzu3D46dI4Yo5fXcDywxyB8qDRjRlCRF4C0Lb75k2PGzIF2F2npeo6MW4j_2KujcPX4zd1hTACfexXLTFcy-Jbv1zScb6LBqWJIzMzeUyRacKY532n8JHOHDxCRZtErx0REUCAjwNXRb/s320/P9200106.JPG" width="320" /></a>On summit with our friend Babak</div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all went to
the Caspian Sea after this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kathleen and
I had been there on our first trip and thought it worthwhile to visit but that
time we went there from Dizin which was closer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From Damavand the quickest way was back to Tehran and around the
mountains from the south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This ended up
being more driving and traffic which in hindsight might not have been the best
use of time.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UMwCYkWB8sNKvm9sXoNcZTOCAjp3bE9EsH9i0PnFtu1_O4yYeCNT_hloe1n2lifezFkQIyCu-n7jB8GJ_uc8rVfq5UrQFSdn382AyM2aHYc02I1xJxeCy9dGTTkCLLNKMsiJ8Q0SisPr/s1600/P9220140.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UMwCYkWB8sNKvm9sXoNcZTOCAjp3bE9EsH9i0PnFtu1_O4yYeCNT_hloe1n2lifezFkQIyCu-n7jB8GJ_uc8rVfq5UrQFSdn382AyM2aHYc02I1xJxeCy9dGTTkCLLNKMsiJ8Q0SisPr/s320/P9220140.JPG" width="320" /></a>Stormy Caspian Sea </div>
We got to see an ancient
castle/fortress called Rudkhan which was cool and the highlight of this
area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4oxrV5-PJrT0oKTqf5Z0yoTyOZ2EOVdecIps4-t7FgtS2jM8A8jOhg6kgOr4Y3Q9JiWUxnsa5nr-VHVQ1sU1bv8aNX8DmBQCs-ZL2nt3cpGH46TQZFnlYv1gEfwPfCUBKUClcPaWFzVP/s1600/P9220169.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4oxrV5-PJrT0oKTqf5Z0yoTyOZ2EOVdecIps4-t7FgtS2jM8A8jOhg6kgOr4Y3Q9JiWUxnsa5nr-VHVQ1sU1bv8aNX8DmBQCs-ZL2nt3cpGH46TQZFnlYv1gEfwPfCUBKUClcPaWFzVP/s320/P9220169.JPG" width="320" /></a>Rudkhan Castle </div>
<br />
We also visited a village,
Masouleh, that people have lived in for over 1000 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a stepped village where one persons
porch is the roof of the house in front of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is in an area of heavily forested hills and provided a stark contrast
to the desert we would soon be in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjul90C-j1yBNL-MOsjRtEZoZJg_BfXyJH9LnfEiS5XVaNZePMH0rZsQBKrbpvxtAo83CYCPAf4n-5UjgIg1mZVZLhZ2nuVb7UhtEz8_KoMX9jo6IKQBOK3it1ytCRutxqnbPpd5afx7lK3/s1600/P9220175.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjul90C-j1yBNL-MOsjRtEZoZJg_BfXyJH9LnfEiS5XVaNZePMH0rZsQBKrbpvxtAo83CYCPAf4n-5UjgIg1mZVZLhZ2nuVb7UhtEz8_KoMX9jo6IKQBOK3it1ytCRutxqnbPpd5afx7lK3/s320/P9220175.JPG" width="320" /></a>Masouleh Stepped Village </div>
In
the valley below there were rice paddies, tea plantations and multiple
rivers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This area was on the rainy side
of the Alborz mountains, much like Seattle is with the Cascades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvznZpFSQ8AolwPprZ2IZzXXyxu4rY6qtr2vukHe8A6aaRybfMqWnvWFlSeLF1q7c7Owvz64WbMlnRoUd-tgYggc3fmCSf_yLCV4Hs5MlVN8PJMrkLztK2dVBaTBd6-fCjxk9zR-xbRd_G/s1600/P9220174.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvznZpFSQ8AolwPprZ2IZzXXyxu4rY6qtr2vukHe8A6aaRybfMqWnvWFlSeLF1q7c7Owvz64WbMlnRoUd-tgYggc3fmCSf_yLCV4Hs5MlVN8PJMrkLztK2dVBaTBd6-fCjxk9zR-xbRd_G/s320/P9220174.JPG" width="320" /></a>Iran is more than desert </div>
One of the cultural highlights happened while
we were here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to a restaurant
that was next to our hotel for dinner and it turned out there was an Iranian
birthday party going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were a
group of retired teachers from Shiraz on vacation. We were invited to join and
made many new friends that night and learned some interesting things about Iran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who had a September birthday
(Kathleen, Amanda, Rich) was included in their celebration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC2ZCJ6XOwyVnRb8dp1oEJ20dzEakraKdklPB8K1GQM6UPsL9Bc8rzq4-v8YMEgqurlPvqTBAcYPg4hlKRQMDpUh1Tr4EFSTViB4XL3kRLv7bCyfIk8G0CEhYMZgkXThTcW-4kDdSg5vc/s1600/20190922_215031.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglC2ZCJ6XOwyVnRb8dp1oEJ20dzEakraKdklPB8K1GQM6UPsL9Bc8rzq4-v8YMEgqurlPvqTBAcYPg4hlKRQMDpUh1Tr4EFSTViB4XL3kRLv7bCyfIk8G0CEhYMZgkXThTcW-4kDdSg5vc/s320/20190922_215031.jpg" width="320" /></a>Iranian/American joint birthday</div>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the Caspian
Sea we all flew south to Shiraz and the classic tourist route of Shiraz,
Persopolis, Yazd, Esfahan, and Kashan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This ends up being a lot of mosques, fancy houses, palaces, and
gardens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzPtP8XhSxrmPUILQm15Jtrodry908LB8cQEtiJNm8jPl86mMvkdHFuyYSmZJ47LoK7eHEmg78H483Avs5r3GDsL4o8lPR1PhrywaciYvFQjrVzDmodQqrPCxiWobKuPv6TCDGyfOEbcG/s1600/P9250303.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1201" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDzPtP8XhSxrmPUILQm15Jtrodry908LB8cQEtiJNm8jPl86mMvkdHFuyYSmZJ47LoK7eHEmg78H483Avs5r3GDsL4o8lPR1PhrywaciYvFQjrVzDmodQqrPCxiWobKuPv6TCDGyfOEbcG/s320/P9250303.JPG" width="320" /></a>Naranjestan Qavan, Shiraz </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFLDlV3PxAimXuboeie7ok-RLu8P-NVtcLAEv6l3iTZvI4wqw_KK03h8HpeAsh5PFY3bbI7k9a5GvrbHR6mEQYy_Whw-f2fGt7vwxT1RJf7mJHEXqnedUjJKZE7-kRVXGRQz4iETNnnKr/s1600/P9250316.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFLDlV3PxAimXuboeie7ok-RLu8P-NVtcLAEv6l3iTZvI4wqw_KK03h8HpeAsh5PFY3bbI7k9a5GvrbHR6mEQYy_Whw-f2fGt7vwxT1RJf7mJHEXqnedUjJKZE7-kRVXGRQz4iETNnnKr/s320/P9250316.JPG" width="320" /></a>Persopolis </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfRteuSzMMp4ksrT5TcndBW9iEodJwUNOm7XTRQHon-CT0kL_rdSQ_1vfBvccI2XAtogvTKpBoOd3KQhWZCXPwcFXopUZaTolYv91-kTTjEIxdSyIy61FE6RFH1VRqhm2jC4ye-AuG6K4/s1600/P9260327.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfRteuSzMMp4ksrT5TcndBW9iEodJwUNOm7XTRQHon-CT0kL_rdSQ_1vfBvccI2XAtogvTKpBoOd3KQhWZCXPwcFXopUZaTolYv91-kTTjEIxdSyIy61FE6RFH1VRqhm2jC4ye-AuG6K4/s320/P9260327.JPG" width="320" /></a>Naqsh-e Rostam Tombs </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU1PFvGz6GMUmYA3yopr-vLUn68g3Noa5MAEFl-uUV6_iHdqBpGByWbAj7olNDP0Q9wuXMBaNEYuBPPs4tYquvEOfiq9Jxwfy2M4oGR-48npE-lOaL2i7e5dOH1dmobp-MT8ffJR04PzT/s1600/P9260341.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU1PFvGz6GMUmYA3yopr-vLUn68g3Noa5MAEFl-uUV6_iHdqBpGByWbAj7olNDP0Q9wuXMBaNEYuBPPs4tYquvEOfiq9Jxwfy2M4oGR-48npE-lOaL2i7e5dOH1dmobp-MT8ffJR04PzT/s320/P9260341.JPG" width="320" /></a>Tomb of Cyrus, Persargadae </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-J_3s1-PO5JE655fQuiFK57wdNE_GmBFKzaSC_6vnTcw82-I8sJiiyA3XX3ffO9XkPCqxbhuLgmNQDxvTYdq7aPIzQfUx-OcvWNUH-415CsGpXdpUsKPRr6alsfZt_Iu2Btdi-C4jt9G/s1600/P9260373.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-J_3s1-PO5JE655fQuiFK57wdNE_GmBFKzaSC_6vnTcw82-I8sJiiyA3XX3ffO9XkPCqxbhuLgmNQDxvTYdq7aPIzQfUx-OcvWNUH-415CsGpXdpUsKPRr6alsfZt_Iu2Btdi-C4jt9G/s320/P9260373.JPG" width="320" /></a>Wind catchers, Yazd </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtViaq4meN5me0UWrhEdum_f0SyfSAeMTYmbOn3rzfHbf4a5eUC2SaBvIBYSfF50oxlVTjWBdbA3Xw7cP1uerXv5xL6fMTgRaRiKF-0LENz7Aj_MOHvZUPJNHUzRgYM00OURaR-mLN_JSR/s1600/P9270393-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="943" data-original-width="1600" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtViaq4meN5me0UWrhEdum_f0SyfSAeMTYmbOn3rzfHbf4a5eUC2SaBvIBYSfF50oxlVTjWBdbA3Xw7cP1uerXv5xL6fMTgRaRiKF-0LENz7Aj_MOHvZUPJNHUzRgYM00OURaR-mLN_JSR/s320/P9270393-2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Towers of Silence, Yazd </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJIgdibQWDk3g23II5RWfNFD-bdmVMAfCZxVCu59Du6Y3tI3gBhg4UnVJfErqQlROhHuaqX56r_0ge6D9nHvN2KiEYiz_5yh2ESFCKd-aykn1zyfKMrB4VS5B_P0q6sI2UCbZQKrpdfLP/s1600/P9270419.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJIgdibQWDk3g23II5RWfNFD-bdmVMAfCZxVCu59Du6Y3tI3gBhg4UnVJfErqQlROhHuaqX56r_0ge6D9nHvN2KiEYiz_5yh2ESFCKd-aykn1zyfKMrB4VS5B_P0q6sI2UCbZQKrpdfLP/s320/P9270419.JPG" width="320" /></a>Zorastorian flame from 470A.D.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnc3Po2HT-bHTKizClSSEGreZWHotjuLCr9iW4P6C_LA2ClWEgX6IrPklSj7mkXx95JZQfOymVTwsy8LSQJjz8V_MS35O4mtKjsobLK1KFLBjgF1uFVVz1KEh-cJJaosqXI0NeYEcTLoz6/s1600/P9270436.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnc3Po2HT-bHTKizClSSEGreZWHotjuLCr9iW4P6C_LA2ClWEgX6IrPklSj7mkXx95JZQfOymVTwsy8LSQJjz8V_MS35O4mtKjsobLK1KFLBjgF1uFVVz1KEh-cJJaosqXI0NeYEcTLoz6/s320/P9270436.JPG" width="320" /></a>Si-o-seh Pol (bridge), Esfahan </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEham4fALmUKCrp4dAjJ2sCZx75FfERkg0_AFQvUwdgP5SlZw10UVr8tvToUYpQsh-jHd64SOGHloocTMEnDPtyTwXNCxMRpqDmOu1AXrTsd5Stbr4wxAWoSKnfvofFtF5KVkRMJqX9tvC1y/s1600/20190928_221448.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEham4fALmUKCrp4dAjJ2sCZx75FfERkg0_AFQvUwdgP5SlZw10UVr8tvToUYpQsh-jHd64SOGHloocTMEnDPtyTwXNCxMRpqDmOu1AXrTsd5Stbr4wxAWoSKnfvofFtF5KVkRMJqX9tvC1y/s320/20190928_221448.jpg" width="320" /></a>Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Esfahan </div>
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<br /></div>
By the end of 6 days of
cramming a lot of sights in they all start to blur together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone was pretty mosqued out, especially Kathleen
and I who had seen most of these before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yazd was a new city for us which is a cool ancient town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old city seems like it is from a
different world at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also seeing
this many towns in this short of period meant a lot of time being driven in our
bus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iran is the 16<sup>th</sup> largest
country in the world so there are large stretches of road between the
cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least our bus was
comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> am</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssrcMz7r9htKhu3OFnMI24nBApdjaLE0WJnGNrO5buTgHrwukDvzcf8FJDVWllEPTJqYploJm5uOgP30iSDV1OroPzWVmdPfxn_MulyTzaBNHlYv925MJNEFEkXUxNlvuCfpAuRP09I4Y/s1600/UYKA5120.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="1080" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssrcMz7r9htKhu3OFnMI24nBApdjaLE0WJnGNrO5buTgHrwukDvzcf8FJDVWllEPTJqYploJm5uOgP30iSDV1OroPzWVmdPfxn_MulyTzaBNHlYv925MJNEFEkXUxNlvuCfpAuRP09I4Y/s320/UYKA5120.JPG" width="320" /></a>Excellent driver Amin </div>
Depending on the town and
how conservative it was, people would get up in the morning and go for a jog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the parks there would be Iranians working
out also – jogging, exercise classes, calisthenics, volleyball, and speed
walking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The women still have to be
covered so long pants, sleeves, and head covering are mandatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of our group would wear shorts and didn’t
have any problems but one time when Kathleen was running, she was stopped by
the Morality Police.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a special
police force in Iran that enforces the Islamic rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite having her hair covered and long
pants/sleeves she apparently had too much of her neck exposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were stopped and politely told that this
was inappropriate and that it needed to be fixed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT10RRjWt3L0NPnxAsSMiZEYxZcyEFG0y_YGx3AOBobHzGcEGpNkDoe8OJw3iJmU_k6CZbiBN_RSQrIjh6cpvu2tM2XdpkhAmwO4ASm56to7BHt1v75C_3QwvEHG-qxuixv9pfb1etUj5/s1600/PA050711.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT10RRjWt3L0NPnxAsSMiZEYxZcyEFG0y_YGx3AOBobHzGcEGpNkDoe8OJw3iJmU_k6CZbiBN_RSQrIjh6cpvu2tM2XdpkhAmwO4ASm56to7BHt1v75C_3QwvEHG-qxuixv9pfb1etUj5/s320/PA050711.JPG" width="320" /></a>Coed Iranian running club </div>
Another fascinating incident saw that says a
lot about Iran was an attempted purse snatching while in Shiraz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Iran is listed as one of the safest countries
to travel (except by the US government) and is considered to be safer than
Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The biggest risk actually is
riding in a car or crossing the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Purse snatching or pickpocketing is the biggest threat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While in Shiraz from a restaurant window we
witnessed an attempted purse snatching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The lady held on to her bag and yelled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Within 30 seconds a dozen Iranian men had tackled the guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time the police arrived the crowd had
grown to about 50 people and they had beat him up a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cops had to rescue the guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been told that if you ever have a
problem just to yell and make noise and people will come help and this very
much turned out to be true.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 16 days
everyone flew home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kathleen and I
stayed an extra 1 ½ weeks to explore a new part of Iran that we hadn’t
seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We flew to Kashan in southeast
Iran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We explored there and the city of
Bam where there is a huge citadel though much of the city and ruins was
destroyed in a massive earthquake in 2003 that killed over 26,000 people in the
town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4CoudKHOVKDW5rEei3umKUaSdVh9ENZsfAGmE1dgnfAKtmp7TEk7rEm1ufjgIN-VliRCFPXIfi8nyI5H3mXU2ZOnaGgetVVkJXxtbGG6ci2Ldh7ZGNsulybG1_Rp_HKsntZ5tLRY83uW/s1600/PA040682.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4CoudKHOVKDW5rEei3umKUaSdVh9ENZsfAGmE1dgnfAKtmp7TEk7rEm1ufjgIN-VliRCFPXIfi8nyI5H3mXU2ZOnaGgetVVkJXxtbGG6ci2Ldh7ZGNsulybG1_Rp_HKsntZ5tLRY83uW/s320/PA040682.JPG" width="320" /></a>Bam Citadel </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNyFC97Ezae13P6VScS0uWeCraAETEAfOcqpkIpsWJwMXc8DJnfdqBWD4KePxy_RO35SCf03GWx2Qoa4GpgqE9d6Ua3Cd8im7hDI5lcpzXKTgEdUQxZokUwRwnyS1mRFuiwAoAh0q-U3O/s1600/PA040698.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNyFC97Ezae13P6VScS0uWeCraAETEAfOcqpkIpsWJwMXc8DJnfdqBWD4KePxy_RO35SCf03GWx2Qoa4GpgqE9d6Ua3Cd8im7hDI5lcpzXKTgEdUQxZokUwRwnyS1mRFuiwAoAh0q-U3O/s320/PA040698.JPG" width="320" /></a>Ruins of Bam </div>
We then spent two days exploring
the Lut desert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is an area called
the Kalouts where the sandstone has been eroded by wind and water into
fantastic formations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reminded us of
parts of Utah or Arizona but was also unique in its own right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were able to run in the desert in the
morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By mid-morning it became
incredibly hot there with temperatures well over 100F.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the middle of the desert the surface of
the sand has been measured at 159F in the summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the hottest place on earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The owner of the ecolodge we stayed at told
us that he has cooked eggs by just leaving them in the sun but that next summer
he wants to try cooking an entire chicken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Early morning, late afternoon, and night time was when you could do
something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the afternoon we would
siesta and hide out in the air conditioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDUrwXsBdcrzymc7BZbSVrsC0MwzE2pgyFOcL6ujVNR4_kRPNuwnYlA5fSnBvqaXUjTk3ayX7oR91MvQhPZRkrx-7l5u54O45Nm0XKFy7IYCPH8SutRjqmy90ed4huN8hmb1yyTnx9Bd_/s1600/PA020593.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbDUrwXsBdcrzymc7BZbSVrsC0MwzE2pgyFOcL6ujVNR4_kRPNuwnYlA5fSnBvqaXUjTk3ayX7oR91MvQhPZRkrx-7l5u54O45Nm0XKFy7IYCPH8SutRjqmy90ed4huN8hmb1yyTnx9Bd_/s320/PA020593.JPG" width="320" /></a>Kalouts, Lut Desert </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmrBcxdP7yi42OmRZy6z65tMhSjWTfrSkdD_gQMz0clRfNWcIaz1VPN2rFDIpa4DtAGNBG-Omo1exq537IeMjP7TipTJpIhyTCBC4mSIcXy6nlddhJmnntFp33Z8tBXGDrzGeWV9ig9TB/s1600/PA020625.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="1600" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmrBcxdP7yi42OmRZy6z65tMhSjWTfrSkdD_gQMz0clRfNWcIaz1VPN2rFDIpa4DtAGNBG-Omo1exq537IeMjP7TipTJpIhyTCBC4mSIcXy6nlddhJmnntFp33Z8tBXGDrzGeWV9ig9TB/s320/PA020625.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lut PanBorama </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZ3svEp2kEPV5tobrkhhnhDWR-2Vr2YjVKhtqjzhy3itn0a56oFeNzQHDaWYGj9sOrLbQJS_D0TaELKQc8weR9ydkr6niSeqgEcGBtNYWoFqXBzWGy2JZ7Gm3MUCmibzFTO2cwnNoFcxu/s1600/20191003_055645.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZ3svEp2kEPV5tobrkhhnhDWR-2Vr2YjVKhtqjzhy3itn0a56oFeNzQHDaWYGj9sOrLbQJS_D0TaELKQc8weR9ydkr6niSeqgEcGBtNYWoFqXBzWGy2JZ7Gm3MUCmibzFTO2cwnNoFcxu/s320/20191003_055645.jpg" width="320" /></a>Breakfast with a view </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_3q76G10bY8hLYr7avZNJudDe7tD-CIEZGI99otM-sKo4Fojie4FYgKcwd7cqX9b0cJwNub5w3bV_PsQEu6ybPIDBxeSkEkc9VadIupTFe4tepJIrERHAE_lk9MCBVE0gpJgWvSAqv0H/s1600/PA020639.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_3q76G10bY8hLYr7avZNJudDe7tD-CIEZGI99otM-sKo4Fojie4FYgKcwd7cqX9b0cJwNub5w3bV_PsQEu6ybPIDBxeSkEkc9VadIupTFe4tepJIrERHAE_lk9MCBVE0gpJgWvSAqv0H/s320/PA020639.JPG" width="320" /></a>Remnants of last springs floods</div>
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our last days were
in Mashhad which is the holiest city for Shia Islam outside Mecca/Medina in
Saudi Arabia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a huge shrine
there and the Islamic Republic government has put a lot of money into this city
so it was very modern with a lot of construction going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also spent a night in another ancient
village called Kang where people have lived for over 2000 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUznuNt-k5cQ1ytjrM7E8eGsLtl0taO6bqBfN1RIOPt_p0N_RIyayruSqBZ0FEz3QdGOGAqwqc1GXwcSSOZVLT8_4hzDb8DmN-b5vb2bAZxSGjt3YqoxnZ2m60_g0JdCEQG_-P-lzqo2UD/s1600/PA060741.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUznuNt-k5cQ1ytjrM7E8eGsLtl0taO6bqBfN1RIOPt_p0N_RIyayruSqBZ0FEz3QdGOGAqwqc1GXwcSSOZVLT8_4hzDb8DmN-b5vb2bAZxSGjt3YqoxnZ2m60_g0JdCEQG_-P-lzqo2UD/s320/PA060741.JPG" width="240" /></a>Kang reminded us of Nepal in ways</div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, we
were met with 100% hospitality and generosity on this trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Iranian people are fascinated to meet
Americans and we have never come across any hostility even when talking to
police, army men, clerics, and religious men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everyone is glad we are visiting their country and welcomes us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While many people do not support the American
government, it is one of the most pro-American countries we have ever
visited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you get a chance to visit
Iran we highly recommend it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a
fascinating and confusing country that proves that government and the people
often have nothing to do with each other.<br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-44591796261881923002019-09-12T08:48:00.001-07:002019-09-12T08:48:53.607-07:00Camel Surfing in Jordan<br />
After more than a year my PTSD has decreased enough that it
is time to tell the tale of our trip to Jordan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ever since Kathleen and I met we have talked about doing a long distance
desert crossing by camel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The original
dream was to cross the Sahara but currently there is not a safe way to cross
North to South that does not involve crossing Al Qaeda territory at some
point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our Plan B was to do a crossing
of the Taklamakan (Sea of Death) Desert in western China but that is currently
where all the Uighur “reeducation camps” are located so the Chinese government
will not allow Westerners in that area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Our dream hasn’t died however so we decided that we would go to Jordan
to learn everything we could about long distance camel trekking – how to ride,
feed, saddle, handle, and take care of them in general.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did some research on the internet and
contacted a guy named Mohammed in the Wadi Rum Desert of Jordan who had bred
racing camels in the past and was willing to create a “Camel School” to teach
us the skills we needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would dub
this “Camel Camp”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
Once we started planning dates for the trip it turned out
that our friend Rich White wanted to join us including coming to Camel Camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had never had an urge to ride camels
before this but it sounded fun to him and he had the time off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also worked out that we would overlap for
part of the time with our Canadian friends Kristin and Ryan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first half of the trip would be more typical
tourist with us visiting the most important cultural sights of Jordan and then
the second half of the trip would be Camel Camp.<br />
<br />
Kristin and Ryan had arrived the day before the rest of us
so they met us at the airport with a rented SUV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jordanian driving was typical Middle East or
Italian style driving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lanes don’t mean
anything and the first car there wins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We drove to the Dead Sea first and stayed at the Crown Plaza.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This hotel was much more high end than
Kathleen and I normally do and it was obvious that it was a fancy enough hotel
to be a terrorist target.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Concrete
barriers rose up and down out of the ground at the gate, guards searched under
the cars with mirrors for bombs, and there were metal detectors and X-ray
machines to get into the lobby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nice
thing about this hotel was that it has direct access to the Dead Sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mud there is purported to have healing
properties and the water is so saline that you float with no effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From this hotel there was also easy access to
Mt. Nebo which is where Moses first caught sight of the Promised Land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also a lot of old mosaics in the
area worth seeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The following days
were spent exploring old Crusader castles, hiking in the mountainous Dana
Biosphere Reserve, and spending 2 days exploring most of the ancient city of
Petra.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On our hike at the Dana Biosphere
a shepherd and our guide stopped, built a fire, and made tea for everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was followed by milking one of the goats
and giving us a sample (after boiling it) with sugar added.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was like a hot chocolate without the
chocolate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very sweet and tasty desert
drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Petra we met a man named Faris
who has a home in the town but prefers to live in the cave houses within Petra
like his ancestors did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were invited to
and had dinner one of the nights in his cave. These caves were small square rooms with
cushions, pillows, and rugs, a small kitchen with a hot plate and small sink,
and a solar powered TV with a satellite dish on the top of the rock. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one of the best meals of the trip and
one of the cooler cultural experiences we had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Afterwards we were able to sneak around the Petra site after dark though
the guards we ran into were not happy about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
Eventually we made our way to Wadi Rum (also known as the
Valley of the Moon).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kristin and Ryan
joined us for the first day and then the rest of us spent another 6 days riding
through the desert exploring most of the Wadi Rum Protected Area and beyond in
a big circle along the Saudi Arabian border.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The landscape there looks like Mars and this is where many of the
exterior shots for the movie, The Martian were filmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wide open expanses of red sand with sheer
faced sandstone mountains jutting up all around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the erosion the mountains had the
appearance of melting and if a person were on hallucinogens they might freak
out with all the faces and skulls that appeared even when you were sober.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brilliant blue sky, yellow mountains, slot
canyons, and red sand made for a visual feast for the eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisa9Ffy4tAwkABsRmzf60nFNoVRtEPFEBOxqtIWTN-1qcY2TkYfPgp0oaBr06iHvWOxngfwxznvcME2J-z8mmJFskqM0NOdw6INyKzFhxgLVen2GnRLdFK6bSD04b4R1F-dcWRn2B80tSe/s1600/15+Mar+18+-+Starting+off+out+of+Rum+Village.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisa9Ffy4tAwkABsRmzf60nFNoVRtEPFEBOxqtIWTN-1qcY2TkYfPgp0oaBr06iHvWOxngfwxznvcME2J-z8mmJFskqM0NOdw6INyKzFhxgLVen2GnRLdFK6bSD04b4R1F-dcWRn2B80tSe/s320/15+Mar+18+-+Starting+off+out+of+Rum+Village.jpg" width="320" /></a>Starting off out of Wadi Rum Village </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xgExUILya9p2kW-XHRa03XjoFHDCgrt64VSr04DcZ-bC5fujF0ADpHMmxw-Ci_ib3bpwD2B9jNeOiNz8SHI9TR1QzlNxGQS7Dpl5_1JnQuhnyDeR0v6O12E95gQZKN3bHOesx4ihpoll/s1600/15+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+1+-+Lawrence%2527s+Spring+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xgExUILya9p2kW-XHRa03XjoFHDCgrt64VSr04DcZ-bC5fujF0ADpHMmxw-Ci_ib3bpwD2B9jNeOiNz8SHI9TR1QzlNxGQS7Dpl5_1JnQuhnyDeR0v6O12E95gQZKN3bHOesx4ihpoll/s320/15+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+1+-+Lawrence%2527s+Spring+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>The only trees seen at Lawrence's Spring </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilA__bdGuD_jb0gnjjxaHUyOhJpqRYg4sItqPzIs3BUXg7o71BiiG_M0tq0deMYkqlI57y_OLz7mPZxlZEddZRIaMysGmliA7BBjSz3YpxlQb2Z68Fslcw4J3bPsJy8TQ-5M6PIREOabeE/s1600/15+Mar+18+-+Camels+at+sunset+at+Mohammeds+camp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilA__bdGuD_jb0gnjjxaHUyOhJpqRYg4sItqPzIs3BUXg7o71BiiG_M0tq0deMYkqlI57y_OLz7mPZxlZEddZRIaMysGmliA7BBjSz3YpxlQb2Z68Fslcw4J3bPsJy8TQ-5M6PIREOabeE/s320/15+Mar+18+-+Camels+at+sunset+at+Mohammeds+camp.jpg" width="320" /></a>Patiently waiting </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOA5gfrSNbsRWx2nxLQSCA1uGFQrMiH1-FD9tVy4UMmh3V3CTLR25zhY73bUg5uuR9gUUnn0ODIIRVxxHMLZnxkLuyA08Qv08PyfjeTygvwdht82XcnIrj1lyDtm0uUlEQNjFrQ8P3plZa/s1600/16+Mar+18+-++Camel+Camp+Day+2+-+sunrise+at+Mohammed%2527s+Sunset+Camp+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOA5gfrSNbsRWx2nxLQSCA1uGFQrMiH1-FD9tVy4UMmh3V3CTLR25zhY73bUg5uuR9gUUnn0ODIIRVxxHMLZnxkLuyA08Qv08PyfjeTygvwdht82XcnIrj1lyDtm0uUlEQNjFrQ8P3plZa/s320/16+Mar+18+-++Camel+Camp+Day+2+-+sunrise+at+Mohammed%2527s+Sunset+Camp+6.JPG" width="320" /></a>Enjoying the sunrise </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvj0k0fE14zzExTQCIIWFd1MrFpkozoI0zlt_vs49896Wz9bUjJcUw2HolV2ylkt6FPsdi919Frz0DRPcPKZY3cHpFe3EFevl8MBJ70a7H2obmu8R0oZDB87Xe5q-NsvMxFVSseAlc2J0b/s1600/16+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+2+-+eroded+rocks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvj0k0fE14zzExTQCIIWFd1MrFpkozoI0zlt_vs49896Wz9bUjJcUw2HolV2ylkt6FPsdi919Frz0DRPcPKZY3cHpFe3EFevl8MBJ70a7H2obmu8R0oZDB87Xe5q-NsvMxFVSseAlc2J0b/s320/16+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+2+-+eroded+rocks.JPG" width="320" /></a>Eroded rocks </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHT2fOUu_USyndYb-KR0Vmf3FYzgzyjdk0n08m2wgZuhRL4badW2DF5ai4fWXTIyhrXJm5Hg2igAJZmBJkjBxbtd6m1gXFkhRjudOwSL6AWY_vaUnF_dJKWOHPPFx6sNZGyBRV-bOOy7M/s1600/16+Mar+18+-+FidEgans+enjoying+the+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAHT2fOUu_USyndYb-KR0Vmf3FYzgzyjdk0n08m2wgZuhRL4badW2DF5ai4fWXTIyhrXJm5Hg2igAJZmBJkjBxbtd6m1gXFkhRjudOwSL6AWY_vaUnF_dJKWOHPPFx6sNZGyBRV-bOOy7M/s320/16+Mar+18+-+FidEgans+enjoying+the+view.jpg" width="320" /></a>Views everywhere </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uLdAykLxO4haD_2E84V49asLTE7N4jXYcYD7kbRdNXmmQlqi50x9nwF851k4EjdFadmp_o0T_hOVpwoztobwSGDYA1JPv25RS7E2jAhADmhh-IPNOZAD6b_Z1fa4QqXx1jsQY-OyWd_7/s1600/17+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+3+-+afternoon+ride+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8uLdAykLxO4haD_2E84V49asLTE7N4jXYcYD7kbRdNXmmQlqi50x9nwF851k4EjdFadmp_o0T_hOVpwoztobwSGDYA1JPv25RS7E2jAhADmhh-IPNOZAD6b_Z1fa4QqXx1jsQY-OyWd_7/s320/17+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+3+-+afternoon+ride+1.JPG" width="240" /></a>Kathleen riding the tracks Day 3 </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hWhzu4QFyqql0C8TbkzTgs-5eAjOGbmXilTFjSWjznxFIyMGd8a1uAi1363PMZAQAMKfA8iH6JUmqKAJZhLaTJyUJcWE-kuE5jaKA4eJT4Lzp8NSt6UuyoEIkt3-fpUUUeWrOqYieoa6/s1600/18+Mar+18+-+Big+Rock+Bridge+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hWhzu4QFyqql0C8TbkzTgs-5eAjOGbmXilTFjSWjznxFIyMGd8a1uAi1363PMZAQAMKfA8iH6JUmqKAJZhLaTJyUJcWE-kuE5jaKA4eJT4Lzp8NSt6UuyoEIkt3-fpUUUeWrOqYieoa6/s320/18+Mar+18+-+Big+Rock+Bridge+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Big Rock Bridge </div>
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</div>
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Right from the beginning our 18 year old
guide Mutlek showed us how to saddle the camels up. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of blankets and padding is the key.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The girth strap needs to be pulled pretty
tight but the belly band behind it not so much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The camels tend to grumple and flutter their soft palettes (dulaa) which
appears like a fleshy balloon out of the side of the males mouths, especially
when they are not happy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rWdGFHK_WWGVwv0pRzNnuSzHfqTvifeDr_zftffA7yV8_SQ3r0dsTo0Es93f6w7rrk9lxdYzhZbF6FefYbQmYZIadh1IKzITkneioIAA7XgDTomEhyphenhyphenjVG8yQm3QaNINWmphDo7Mznbnt/s1600/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+Mutlek+saddling+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rWdGFHK_WWGVwv0pRzNnuSzHfqTvifeDr_zftffA7yV8_SQ3r0dsTo0Es93f6w7rrk9lxdYzhZbF6FefYbQmYZIadh1IKzITkneioIAA7XgDTomEhyphenhyphenjVG8yQm3QaNINWmphDo7Mznbnt/s320/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+Mutlek+saddling+up.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mutlek checking saddles </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3kesG9mNm7kPRETGfl2XVba3zwM4UJfuJ9xPH8On6A4C0Vr046Sw_lzuYLj8KZv4vx55kD3s-LCDfTv1YD17O05c_2EAoh2Gxs6LCLlnxi6xY4_lFSCcJ1yuCgyM-soL2fG8K5WexK6u/s1600/16+Mar+18+-+Camel+trekking+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3kesG9mNm7kPRETGfl2XVba3zwM4UJfuJ9xPH8On6A4C0Vr046Sw_lzuYLj8KZv4vx55kD3s-LCDfTv1YD17O05c_2EAoh2Gxs6LCLlnxi6xY4_lFSCcJ1yuCgyM-soL2fG8K5WexK6u/s320/16+Mar+18+-+Camel+trekking+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Watering the camels </div>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
Mutlek also
taught us the basic verbal commands – clicking your tongue to get them to go
faster (like a horse), “Ichhhhh” to get them to kneel down, and “Haj” if you
really wanted them to go faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8Uh96s5P0HL1xM5KWiCMFyd3vZ9VXGUW3Lf3gl6rjSwCFzG0nLQOdqp5FQzANXLQcXGM-PAq8Q_xsfEgxSmJbRv6uZ-DzVXXbxuIIa377nna4YEawT7Ion8rqr9L56ShyphenhyphenwKU-JCt0MAq/s1600/20+Mar+18+-+Mounting+up+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8Uh96s5P0HL1xM5KWiCMFyd3vZ9VXGUW3Lf3gl6rjSwCFzG0nLQOdqp5FQzANXLQcXGM-PAq8Q_xsfEgxSmJbRv6uZ-DzVXXbxuIIa377nna4YEawT7Ion8rqr9L56ShyphenhyphenwKU-JCt0MAq/s320/20+Mar+18+-+Mounting+up+1.jpg" width="320" /></a>"Ichhhhhhhhhh" </div>
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It
turned out that we were Mutlek’s first guiding experience but Mohammed had
picked him because he had a better rapport and understanding with the camels
then most other people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also had a
support truck driven by Salem who was our cook and was a well known local
musician who would play his Oud (a lute type instrument) each night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9P6hXT1G2pm8QIkewc-ikorQlkz3-7HN247NE0E0dQUyCWDdWvypWMh1XHs_IIVYZwGW-43y3OiIoPu9sIkk86WJd6UFIKHSuu8rHL2ZBULl5aiizjjRAu4r2aVv8fTh1zP3LiPdWUV8/s1600/19+Mar+18+-+Salem+and+Mutlek+playing+music.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9P6hXT1G2pm8QIkewc-ikorQlkz3-7HN247NE0E0dQUyCWDdWvypWMh1XHs_IIVYZwGW-43y3OiIoPu9sIkk86WJd6UFIKHSuu8rHL2ZBULl5aiizjjRAu4r2aVv8fTh1zP3LiPdWUV8/s320/19+Mar+18+-+Salem+and+Mutlek+playing+music.jpg" width="320" /></a>Salem and Mutlek playing music </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAwO9R7sTHBoSnrI6fSmuhc5SX6BEx1ukPL_N8XR5ELQsV6cC552p0gnhX3VsrKqsukSB694iAjZ5-7VkJz3Vn-JH_zlXp3lw66YcZ-YGiyM-TAp0LeUWu1C7NiUL2BXQYJz1ugj46O_q/s1600/20+Mar+18+-+Lunchtime+jam+session.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiAwO9R7sTHBoSnrI6fSmuhc5SX6BEx1ukPL_N8XR5ELQsV6cC552p0gnhX3VsrKqsukSB694iAjZ5-7VkJz3Vn-JH_zlXp3lw66YcZ-YGiyM-TAp0LeUWu1C7NiUL2BXQYJz1ugj46O_q/s320/20+Mar+18+-+Lunchtime+jam+session.jpg" width="320" /></a>Lunchtime jam session </div>
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<br /></div>
Mutlek struggled with our names so soon gave
us Arabic names:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was Nasar, Kathleen
was Hederra, and Rich became Saleh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
struggled with the Arabic names for the camels so we named them:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seth Rasta Rum, Francis Wadi Walla, and Louis
Maudeline Jordan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mutlek’s camel was
dubbed Krissy because it was the fastest and liked to run away. Despite their
names all the camels were boys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSi2xfYPeikevPFMacZLz8v7hv7vKKn9smrpB9BpS3Wqx8KAKwlXzz2cGJIVY68ZQ1gG8KxNna4Dc_vHSeTsMuogp8bbwaz3ZV0cIsPFOZzQKV5Z-39xDRmBa0LrOUqq09Rct77QH7Tmca/s1600/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+Seth+Rasta+Rum+-+John%2527s+camel+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSi2xfYPeikevPFMacZLz8v7hv7vKKn9smrpB9BpS3Wqx8KAKwlXzz2cGJIVY68ZQ1gG8KxNna4Dc_vHSeTsMuogp8bbwaz3ZV0cIsPFOZzQKV5Z-39xDRmBa0LrOUqq09Rct77QH7Tmca/s320/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+Seth+Rasta+Rum+-+John%2527s+camel+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Seth Rasta Rum </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSIA_A3JDkn_7N7G8KMA32iOZcAJCoj0kiq9DjfFWuCNNfCK6OEz77h9Nnl7aaUPxU34D30UITBkwunZTXbPrdJdYC8GjKozUe2oLBo7ereE0sqcZvGHwKPHEEHxf28h4Iow6sqf_9bse/s1600/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+Maudie+and+Krissy+%2528Kathleen%2527s+and+Mutlek%2527s+camels%2529+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwSIA_A3JDkn_7N7G8KMA32iOZcAJCoj0kiq9DjfFWuCNNfCK6OEz77h9Nnl7aaUPxU34D30UITBkwunZTXbPrdJdYC8GjKozUe2oLBo7ereE0sqcZvGHwKPHEEHxf28h4Iow6sqf_9bse/s320/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+Maudie+and+Krissy+%2528Kathleen%2527s+and+Mutlek%2527s+camels%2529+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Maudie and Krissy </div>
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The
first night we glamped in fancy tents with a Syrian refuge family cooking for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the nights we slept
under the stars except for one night about a mile from the Saudi border where
we slept with a Bedouin shepherd and his son in their tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdF8VYoQvW5M7ohS0qNqxE8M7-AzLtNfBNMfCOaAmyo11geyiL828XNy_p1f9UEMovcOwr14KRSaR3bmKL3JtcX63FlXIfEMZZQTX2uY8jkD23OQvChsLgpfSSJdkAhyphenhyphenT0XbLGNBCl-lO/s1600/18+Mar+18+-+Cave+camp+fire+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGdF8VYoQvW5M7ohS0qNqxE8M7-AzLtNfBNMfCOaAmyo11geyiL828XNy_p1f9UEMovcOwr14KRSaR3bmKL3JtcX63FlXIfEMZZQTX2uY8jkD23OQvChsLgpfSSJdkAhyphenhyphenT0XbLGNBCl-lO/s320/18+Mar+18+-+Cave+camp+fire+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Desert camp on Day 4 </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_JlOTVgaYlJvjBqLhPyZBeGJY1XCRszBvgUyTEZlT4SIy4lQpPEKYuN2JrQ_X7eYlM4q5x7jiW-oNTSgnDHvP0e4vuwg7wLZbkKTefm3Qaq_8M6Na4dBauI1CCVMIzmMFyXe-NjJkXfh/s1600/18+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+4+-+sunset+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr_JlOTVgaYlJvjBqLhPyZBeGJY1XCRszBvgUyTEZlT4SIy4lQpPEKYuN2JrQ_X7eYlM4q5x7jiW-oNTSgnDHvP0e4vuwg7wLZbkKTefm3Qaq_8M6Na4dBauI1CCVMIzmMFyXe-NjJkXfh/s320/18+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+4+-+sunset+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Day 4 Camp </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_PZNIHSndHDXne_wnthNCau38uVC05MXL5SUGKD95IyMsU68GwdYa4-0g2w6lm58dmHIyjJgGnYR3aqHlxLnrrIaI3ss3o34ODhoFTc2f3GM-ahdeTlpfkAfkGUVsUG-JU-HczNePtrC/s1600/18+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+4+-+sunset+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_PZNIHSndHDXne_wnthNCau38uVC05MXL5SUGKD95IyMsU68GwdYa4-0g2w6lm58dmHIyjJgGnYR3aqHlxLnrrIaI3ss3o34ODhoFTc2f3GM-ahdeTlpfkAfkGUVsUG-JU-HczNePtrC/s320/18+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+4+-+sunset+5.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunset on Day 4 </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyG6kNnkMwkxroEGWrIBJG0akGxCE6-loojlapvXtmtfaOTZpHLgVYLjq96KEh_5k_RpIlaYpbePFHsB7ukftTzhZ-1sGgXPmAMYziMaVz62sIyDoMhuxqD0AWG7PgJsoiciMlIbbvf1fz/s1600/19+Mar+18+-+Desert+cave+camp+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyG6kNnkMwkxroEGWrIBJG0akGxCE6-loojlapvXtmtfaOTZpHLgVYLjq96KEh_5k_RpIlaYpbePFHsB7ukftTzhZ-1sGgXPmAMYziMaVz62sIyDoMhuxqD0AWG7PgJsoiciMlIbbvf1fz/s320/19+Mar+18+-+Desert+cave+camp+2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Day 5 Desert Camp </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEUskRKn9ANTw5ZTRSZsmYPPv8TzpulBhLOnUxNG1GT7hzHo4FQ3D35SnAqGPGrC8NpqV3BcpDbLhUJfqWRtt46TyO7DsJIyWjk_fW7vI7qD3pdbapOlubSxU4YoGi_KzYryV4X15gkiQ/s1600/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+sunrise+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZEUskRKn9ANTw5ZTRSZsmYPPv8TzpulBhLOnUxNG1GT7hzHo4FQ3D35SnAqGPGrC8NpqV3BcpDbLhUJfqWRtt46TyO7DsJIyWjk_fW7vI7qD3pdbapOlubSxU4YoGi_KzYryV4X15gkiQ/s320/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+sunrise+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunrise from camp 5 </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDD-xKFRSzXLcHode3ggdG-G5TzumeevOb8OMKGHZmz-I0YPDUHRCydhzAawVgXmOP2pxRMiq7aKaYvc-g27S3aRqvL0qIUA-yCmi5eD93kO9y8EJ8aVypcmpzDgCDfZYZ-vJIWR6Tqdtm/s1600/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+cave+camp+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDD-xKFRSzXLcHode3ggdG-G5TzumeevOb8OMKGHZmz-I0YPDUHRCydhzAawVgXmOP2pxRMiq7aKaYvc-g27S3aRqvL0qIUA-yCmi5eD93kO9y8EJ8aVypcmpzDgCDfZYZ-vJIWR6Tqdtm/s320/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+cave+camp+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Morning at Desert Camp #6 </div>
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The Bedouin are allowed to cross the border
but we were told that despite being wilderness that it is closely monitored by
cameras and that if we tried to cross we would be rapidly apprehended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our path went past the high point of Jordan,
Um Ad Dami so we scrambled up that one of the mornings with distant views of
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, and the Red Sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFn48ovYt7sB6RgHcfncEkBgSricIQfspgHj3kvj5PzXoP6_xa7aDoRUz0psoddfNqC0uBbGJEQ7hSt2kXOGB1E9npz6KNzGbCY2gIQmmx1YPhozSt4I6VmHxeMHoakN994NMfPPb9sYx/s1600/17+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+3+-+views+from+on+way+up+Um+Ad+Dami+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgFn48ovYt7sB6RgHcfncEkBgSricIQfspgHj3kvj5PzXoP6_xa7aDoRUz0psoddfNqC0uBbGJEQ7hSt2kXOGB1E9npz6KNzGbCY2gIQmmx1YPhozSt4I6VmHxeMHoakN994NMfPPb9sYx/s320/17+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+3+-+views+from+on+way+up+Um+Ad+Dami+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>View on the way up Um Ad Dami </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-d6u3aWZhjR-rJ0lf_E4wT7d2IRO-xweyJBxMrBPuUfj-kTFa9JS9iZc2cf_c2YQsbM0A6FhUcArQwgDo6FHsfJjsb1SgvnFSglL-1DDgNSTohyv8JP3UgLSrH5Y5IVrRC-5PloEA7HQk/s1600/17+Mar+18+-+Summit+view+on+Um+Ad+Dami+11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-d6u3aWZhjR-rJ0lf_E4wT7d2IRO-xweyJBxMrBPuUfj-kTFa9JS9iZc2cf_c2YQsbM0A6FhUcArQwgDo6FHsfJjsb1SgvnFSglL-1DDgNSTohyv8JP3UgLSrH5Y5IVrRC-5PloEA7HQk/s320/17+Mar+18+-+Summit+view+on+Um+Ad+Dami+11.jpg" width="240" /></a>Summit of Um Ad Dami </div>
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Camels can be ornery and stubborn when they
don’t want to do things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One morning I
woke up to watch the sunrise just in time to see Mutlek’s camel Krissy walking
off and disappearing over the ridge about a mile away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily I was not the one that had hobbled
them the night before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The camel wanted
to go home and was headed back in the direction of the village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mutlek and Salem jumped in the truck and took
off after it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was holding onto
Maudie’s rope when he decided with Mutlek gone that he could start acting
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of a sudden he tried to run
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I held onto the rope but he wanted
no part of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to get him to Kush
(kneel down) but he bared his teeth and continued to dance around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a minute or two of watching this Rich
says, “Let me give it a try”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next
thing we know Maudie put her head down, bared her teeth, and charged Rich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kathleen and I still have an image of Rich’s legs
being a blur in his flip flops as he ran away tripping over bushes with Maudie
going after his ass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one got hurt so
it ended up being pretty funny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We gave
up trying to control him and just held onto the rope until Mutlek got back and
he instantly calmed down again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We rode
every day for a week and fell into a routine that felt like it could go on
forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ride in the morning until
lunch, take a siesta during the hottest part of the day, and then ride in the
late afternoon/early evening until shortly before dusk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpsKuRnIMx2UjPkUaUG1eqAPkEpe8yyheYbr2h7EwymwCyBYKrc_BDml0Ff9Gds_0IAVDVdf085zlUbz2IOzFwSoDT-X6K6QT3Id1QV-0h2y5Q0JrllC172DgNkggj9A4WlpxankMjqhv/s1600/16+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+2+-+south+to+Saudi+border+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpsKuRnIMx2UjPkUaUG1eqAPkEpe8yyheYbr2h7EwymwCyBYKrc_BDml0Ff9Gds_0IAVDVdf085zlUbz2IOzFwSoDT-X6K6QT3Id1QV-0h2y5Q0JrllC172DgNkggj9A4WlpxankMjqhv/s320/16+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+2+-+south+to+Saudi+border+12.JPG" width="320" /></a>We would ride until dusk </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZb0w0L8HjZrxFZjkcXk8GymbaQ1cCj_EnIMvkW63bdRKQ7EiTjLm_BvoGUnke5rI1cOvLUY2-lu-wWcmjczhslUqatbx2oZT4iIhyphenhyphenalIvQodgLYb7qyd9Qc-iBrFEBhNNGIHDj9aFvk4u/s1600/18+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+4+-+desert+trekking+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZb0w0L8HjZrxFZjkcXk8GymbaQ1cCj_EnIMvkW63bdRKQ7EiTjLm_BvoGUnke5rI1cOvLUY2-lu-wWcmjczhslUqatbx2oZT4iIhyphenhyphenalIvQodgLYb7qyd9Qc-iBrFEBhNNGIHDj9aFvk4u/s320/18+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+4+-+desert+trekking+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Entering one of the many canyons </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKcnLlHQ7zDDsA05WIM1-7q32I3Bn_BpRW3CNIuU6UxeQSRCi-W5EK9V9-mzhFFypsIR3Y_BLO5E8bQfvnhat0ynT1ECJH__B_7JGBblsDzENZuqJ4qE3gmn_AnT3tmnLHvGzyR-6RIY4/s1600/19+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+5+-+sights+while+trekking+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFKcnLlHQ7zDDsA05WIM1-7q32I3Bn_BpRW3CNIuU6UxeQSRCi-W5EK9V9-mzhFFypsIR3Y_BLO5E8bQfvnhat0ynT1ECJH__B_7JGBblsDzENZuqJ4qE3gmn_AnT3tmnLHvGzyR-6RIY4/s320/19+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+5+-+sights+while+trekking+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Our view each day </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQl08z9uIHcDpfxtNqzp-P7gBLqaGCMqUSGYtokIjy4aQ4K8Vg6yCgH744CGUSc1NXRisrSgAY7OnRYzBq5KO4ck5ORi5anF9eVtwD9LtfjCM2qPDtz69rRvmAOWquU2_ijw4ZYkWl4ZyW/s1600/19+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+5+-+sights+while+trekking+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQl08z9uIHcDpfxtNqzp-P7gBLqaGCMqUSGYtokIjy4aQ4K8Vg6yCgH744CGUSc1NXRisrSgAY7OnRYzBq5KO4ck5ORi5anF9eVtwD9LtfjCM2qPDtz69rRvmAOWquU2_ijw4ZYkWl4ZyW/s320/19+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+5+-+sights+while+trekking+6.JPG" width="320" /></a>It wasn't all sand </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOGoO1j-Naz8Qn4dRjTNum-RHPEkKhH7a6r_29RpmX2nLItDfEsl0wJ75pYq0AieMWiXhjn8jTBcjvczBvaoLq181ZaViAj_kVvf0QXCm-AeumybJHI69r3jWwXGK6daMJNAR8nz3HkKw/s1600/19+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+5+-+sights+while+trekking+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVOGoO1j-Naz8Qn4dRjTNum-RHPEkKhH7a6r_29RpmX2nLItDfEsl0wJ75pYq0AieMWiXhjn8jTBcjvczBvaoLq181ZaViAj_kVvf0QXCm-AeumybJHI69r3jWwXGK6daMJNAR8nz3HkKw/s320/19+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+5+-+sights+while+trekking+10.JPG" width="320" /></a>Erosion does crazy things </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGTZNkBvF0b1L9PZ1l5xjjGinNIv2wQSbMXLJz8IIItrdIOqNlCMOVFZCtNff5HcSELgG4gs03U0hSuzTL8JwMcrFRTmulOIcP5oSx0Yl7lUT3rDPWbkKciBFIzftNmCGcAPzNzLcNOy1/s1600/19+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+5+-+sights+while+trekking+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGTZNkBvF0b1L9PZ1l5xjjGinNIv2wQSbMXLJz8IIItrdIOqNlCMOVFZCtNff5HcSELgG4gs03U0hSuzTL8JwMcrFRTmulOIcP5oSx0Yl7lUT3rDPWbkKciBFIzftNmCGcAPzNzLcNOy1/s320/19+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+5+-+sights+while+trekking+11.JPG" width="320" /></a>Our camel crew </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl98odfXkP4DzHmuw4_eJtN7sMQo5Vre4bjIMnwf_nKXHwvawNf6uV1BWcNZuMavV3vnLnl4ZXOPM_DI3gJFBZtDh5DFm91NlpfZjsR9GJ0ZV5v58Whyphenhyphenm6-ReVpeCHLNFE8Cb_OA6XEXp9/s1600/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+trek+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl98odfXkP4DzHmuw4_eJtN7sMQo5Vre4bjIMnwf_nKXHwvawNf6uV1BWcNZuMavV3vnLnl4ZXOPM_DI3gJFBZtDh5DFm91NlpfZjsR9GJ0ZV5v58Whyphenhyphenm6-ReVpeCHLNFE8Cb_OA6XEXp9/s320/20+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+6+-+trek+12.JPG" width="320" /></a>Could be Mars except for the camels </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0zT7JzLkWb0O5zq-TzQcLdbWfEu5uEIARfIGfc55PBXH61aXYmMsldwPXMWkkygswv0KeTFHUHW2OICsQi7TN-zSw15S03hY8WkmYzodYV99TRF2228ORni04R3WoUodcJkroEvcyUid/s1600/21+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+7+-+sunrise+in+sandstorm+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC0zT7JzLkWb0O5zq-TzQcLdbWfEu5uEIARfIGfc55PBXH61aXYmMsldwPXMWkkygswv0KeTFHUHW2OICsQi7TN-zSw15S03hY8WkmYzodYV99TRF2228ORni04R3WoUodcJkroEvcyUid/s320/21+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+7+-+sunrise+in+sandstorm+5.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunrise with beginning of sand storm</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgni4u8e_lwHbaUQLKZfPGr8yr1-DknsVEmERJ3kpJaCZosH7jH0JX2IuHAStBzqz_wAD4Temj9_GuUH88rE-8v2sktATlEQKTerwo4RrUg4xwBT3clCzzmGUbPD3gt8RKMfLWasCUUdq8i/s1600/21+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+7+-+sunrise+in+sandstorm+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgni4u8e_lwHbaUQLKZfPGr8yr1-DknsVEmERJ3kpJaCZosH7jH0JX2IuHAStBzqz_wAD4Temj9_GuUH88rE-8v2sktATlEQKTerwo4RrUg4xwBT3clCzzmGUbPD3gt8RKMfLWasCUUdq8i/s320/21+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+7+-+sunrise+in+sandstorm+6.JPG" width="320" /></a>Start of sandstorm </div>
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By the end of the week Mutlek was comfortable
enough with our skills that he let us do all the feeding, saddling, and
hobbling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would have him check the
saddles after putting them on since if they slipped they could cause pressure
sores and injure the animals but otherwise he trusted us and I think he liked that
he was getting paid and that we were doing all the work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
It was a grand adventure until the last 15 minutes of the
trip as we were riding back into Wadi Rum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Before we started Mohammed had told us that as a Bedouin it is very
shameful to fall off of your camel, but if you do fall off of your camel, “Fall
onto soft sand, not hard sand.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sand
around Wadi Rum village has been driven over by multiple trucks so it was
compacted down and might as well have been concrete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mutlek has been riding camels since he was in
diapers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All week he would periodically
stand up on the back of his moving camel and salute us as it walked along.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDvTWQdHK2OizEdwRINIPl3dRT55UbGS6OR8aqnuqxP1BKiR8QpGnzkjzVnWshPDjGItNFiBMye84gFn7j5TjCWfMUq3NLkxOVD0dibSHIA0uUlE6maDvvpEorAAEQDssfIzm6F2lRKdY/s1600/16+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+2+-+south+to+Saudi+border+-+Mutlek+camel+surfing+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDvTWQdHK2OizEdwRINIPl3dRT55UbGS6OR8aqnuqxP1BKiR8QpGnzkjzVnWshPDjGItNFiBMye84gFn7j5TjCWfMUq3NLkxOVD0dibSHIA0uUlE6maDvvpEorAAEQDssfIzm6F2lRKdY/s320/16+Mar+18+-+Camel+Camp+Day+2+-+south+to+Saudi+border+-+Mutlek+camel+surfing+1.JPG" width="240" /></a>The inspiration </div>
<br />
In those last minutes of the trip I decided
that if I was ever going to try this it was now or never.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No thoughts of the consequences or what I
would do if the attempt failed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Dumb!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I got to my knees in the saddle the voice
in the back of my head was screaming “Maybe that’s far enough!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe that’s far enough!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>while the voice in the front of my head just
said “Shut up back there, I’ve got this!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I didn’t even come close.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon
as I stood up I basically pitched over backwards from the top of the camel,
probably 8+ feet off of the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I
had rotated another 15 degrees or so I would have landed on my neck or
head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t really remember
falling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One second I was standing up,
the next I was on my back in the dirt with a lot of pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first I thought I had just taken a heavy
blow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I jumped up, put both arms over my
head (the last time I would do that for months) and said “I’m OK!”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, after a few steps I had to kneel
down to gather my wits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I reached over
to my right shoulder and felt a bony deformity underneath my skin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically my collar bone had dislocated from
the shoulder and was sticking up at the base of my neck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as I felt this I knew I was really
hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I collapsed to the ground and said
“I feel faint.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By that time Rich (who
is a paramedic) had launched off of his camel and was by my side as I passed
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I woke up I was laying in the
dirt with Rich blocking the sun from me and putting a wet bandana on my
forehead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were close enough to the
village that they had a truck out there within 15 minutes which then took me to
the local clinic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was out of their
league so they called an ambulance to take me to the city of Aqaba about 45
minutes away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A shot of hydromorphone
took the pain away and 3 radiographs showed it to be a Grade 5 clavicular
location (the highest grade).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doctors
tried to reduce my shoulder in a vain attempt to put it back in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t hurt because of the pain killers
but my body didn’t like what they were doing and I almost passed out
again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that point they started
talking surgery and since a delay of a few days would not matter I elected to
wait until I got home to Seattle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
you are admitted to the hospital there your passport is taken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You get it back when you pay the bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also informed me that they only take
cash and that there was an ATM in the lobby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was worried about being able to pay until I got the bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the medical care and ambulance ride
came up to a grand total of the Jordanian equivalent of $40 US.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was able to pay that out of the cash in my
wallet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then spent the next 2 days
sitting by a pool in Aqaba and a day wandering around the capital of Amman waiting
for our flight to leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shoulder
ached but with pain killers and muscle relaxants it was bearable for those days
and the flight home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2 surgeries and 4
months of rehab later I was back at work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-52842539699493192932017-04-13T18:02:00.000-07:002019-10-20T11:17:44.695-07:00Everything we have been taught about Iran is wrong<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For
the record we are not Iranian experts. We are interested in the
country and have done a bunch of reading, of both historical and
current events, and are also going off what Iranians told us while we
were traveling. We have tried to double check facts and be as
accurate as possible but it takes a lot of time to truly know a culture.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A
quick comment also on the politics of US-Iranian relations. There is
plenty of blame on both sides. The Iranian government is one of the
most repressive out there. Dissent is dealt with harshly. People have
been arrested, tortured, and/or disappeared over the years. John's Dad had friends in the Iranian Air Force executed by firing squad after the Revolution. Support
of the militias in Iraq during the war led to 100s of American
soldiers being killed and wounded. Many Americans are still angry about the embassy hostage crisis in 1979 and still feel that no
one ever paid for that insult. From the Iranian perspective the
British and Americans have been committing crimes against their
country for over 100 years now. In 1906 the Iranians passed a
constitution creating an electoral legislature but this government
was overthrown violently by the British and Russians in a deal to
control the countries resources which led to Iran being given only
16% of the profits from its own oil. Again in 1953, when the
democratically elected prime minister tried to nationalize Iran's oil
the government was overthrown in a joint CIA/MI6 operation. While
everyone complains about the Russians hacking of the recent election
they forget that the US has a long history of just outright
overthrowing governments it doesn't like. What we were to find in
Iran is that the people did not hold the actions of our government
against us. They realized that for both the Iranian and American
populace that the governments do things that the people do not
support. We have felt a similar sentiment in many of the other places
we have traveled to. We were told many times “You are not your
government and we are not our government.” </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our
trip was a combination of ski mountaineering and cultural tour which
made our experience wider than if we had just gone sightseeing.
However, it also made the trip more logistically challenging. The
first and maybe hardest part about going on a trip to Iran is getting
permission, especially in these times of travel bans and increasing
tension between the governments. The visa application process took
the better part of two months. We had to fill out forms with our flight
information, who we were going to meet, where we were going to stay,
and what countries we had already traveled to. We had to send a
resume where they could look at our past work experience. We think that they may have examined our online presence (Google, social media, etc). If you have
been a journalist, military, or worked for the government then your
chances of getting a visa are much lower. The paperwork initially
gets sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran who then sends
you a Visa Authorization Number if you qualify. Once this number is
obtained you send your passport to the Pakistani Embassy since the US
and Iran do not have diplomatic relations. Our passports were on a
desk there when the first Trump travel ban came out. Iran decided
that with the ban that they would play the same game and not issue
any visas to Americans while the Iranians were banned. They did take
the higher road and said that they would honor the visas that had
already been issued. We beat the ban by about 2 days. Even in
“normal” times only 1000 to 1500 Americans go to Iran which
averages out to 3 or 4 Americans being in the country on any given
day. We realized that with all the political drama going on that we
might be the only Americans in the country since we were told about multiple Americans being stopped at the border
while we were there. We still are not sure how we got in. The other
hoop that Americans (and British and Canadians) have to jump through
is that they have to have a special “ABC” certified guide with
them at all times. No independent travel is allowed for these 3
nationalities. Since we wanted to climb and ski the highest mountain
in Iran (and the highest volcano in Asia) it meant that we had to
find an ABC guide who was capable of doing the mountain with us. We
had also been warned that the dates we would be there would fall
during Nowruz (Persian New Year) which meant that it would be very
busy and many of the hotels would be booked up. We emailed 5
different tour companies and went with Iran Doostan Tours who told us
that it would not be a problem for them to arrange this. They were
not the cheapest company (or the most expensive) but they were always
very prompt with their email replies, confident that they could make
all the pieces of our trip work including getting the visas, and had
the most detailed itinerary of any of the companies we contacted.
We were very pleased with them as our trip went flawlessly. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before
we left we had declared that we really would not believe that this
trip was happening until we cleared customs in Tehran. We nervously
stood in the line for foreigners and presented our passports when it
was our turn. There was an extra form that the customs official had
to fill out and he needed help figuring out what information was
needed. We were taken to a side desk to fill this out. One of the
questions that needed answered was what hotel we were staying at.
Without Wi-Fi we could not pull up that email so we were not able to
answer that question. We were also supposed to be fingerprinted which
is a tit for tat rule because the American government makes Iranians
be fingerprinted. The customs guys were really friendly and seemed to
want to just talk and practice their English. We were asked if we
were married, asked about our families, and as many places in the
world we have traveled seemed disappointed that we did not have
children. “It is not too late, it is not too late” we were told.
After chatting for 10 minutes they decided that they couldn't find
the ink to fingerprint us and did not need the other information. We
were stamped and waved through with a hearty “Welcome to Iran”. A
good first impression. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On
the other side of baggage claim we met our first guide. “Mountain
Amir” turned out to be one of the top Iranian rock climbers in the
country with several difficult big wall first ascents to his credit.
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQGf2voFUEQPGCE09za8WoD-mudt-3bKbp0w4FlE0UF-NCqZrzXjk8SI8913IlleTrojeMJvxbPDWyp1jjqtPQ5xFm6-SffQv2OtTpoYHsfO4og8ykEfa0hmrjIJwmDQAtQG5r7AI9rUU/s1600/Kathleen+Mountain+Amir+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQGf2voFUEQPGCE09za8WoD-mudt-3bKbp0w4FlE0UF-NCqZrzXjk8SI8913IlleTrojeMJvxbPDWyp1jjqtPQ5xFm6-SffQv2OtTpoYHsfO4og8ykEfa0hmrjIJwmDQAtQG5r7AI9rUU/s320/Kathleen+Mountain+Amir+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>'Mountain' Amir</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">His English wasn't great but was good enough to understand each
other, especially when he used the Google translate feature on his
phone when difficult words came up. We spent the first 2 days skiing
Dizin which is the biggest ski resort in Iran. Americans have been
surprised to learn that Iran has over 20 ski areas, though most are
tiny. We had talked about also skiing Shemshak but were told that the
lift there was broken. Iran has not been able to import any new lifts
since the Revolution in 1979. The gondolas at Dizin were the tiniest
ones we had ever been in. They open and closed like a clamshell and
though never tested, we were not sure they fully closed. The first
time we got on we discovered something about skiing in the 70s. Back
then skis were narrow. John's skis wouldn't fit in the rack at all
and Kathleen had to put her skis in separate slots. John had to take
his in the gondola and they would stick out the roof. The first time
we got on a chairlift we also were reminded that there was no such
thing as a detachable chairlift back then. John learned the hard way
when the chair came crashing into the back of his calf at full speed
causing a wicked charley horse. Once we figured out the lifts we had
a great time skiing. There was fresh snow and unlike any of the
resorts in the US that get skied out within hours there was fresh
tracks to be had all day. The base of the mountain is at 9000' with
the top of the lifts being around 12,000'. It was a good place to
start acclimating for Damavand. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhaJbv_2hdAzTlhopSZ5F8fYobiuVWMtAnVgDezNiwRBltVq-BPj8KjD0xCQmLIOPAZpxzYLqBmG2oWWZnlFPhkDN1jVpu5amUFutDuL1tta8_9IUd-N95k7PRCzppsjrQBb4I10gt0Yg/s1600/Day+2+%252317+-+First+glimpse+of+Dizin+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhaJbv_2hdAzTlhopSZ5F8fYobiuVWMtAnVgDezNiwRBltVq-BPj8KjD0xCQmLIOPAZpxzYLqBmG2oWWZnlFPhkDN1jVpu5amUFutDuL1tta8_9IUd-N95k7PRCzppsjrQBb4I10gt0Yg/s320/Day+2+%252317+-+First+glimpse+of+Dizin+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Dizin Ski Area </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wnagYVBb612ChyM5Zp5VXY_PTDklhGZnwobMc8kE71Axt9T_rwGSLq5eXs0-77U2QMXm04ByikaUlgObTRNnmbJB6CsViJ_OXz1kRjb0RhClbskNG9YzmscP6CYvtw0n5B4aEDgbs6xT/s1600/Day+2+%252321+-+View+from+top+of+Dizin+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wnagYVBb612ChyM5Zp5VXY_PTDklhGZnwobMc8kE71Axt9T_rwGSLq5eXs0-77U2QMXm04ByikaUlgObTRNnmbJB6CsViJ_OXz1kRjb0RhClbskNG9YzmscP6CYvtw0n5B4aEDgbs6xT/s320/Day+2+%252321+-+View+from+top+of+Dizin+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>View from top of Dizin </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To
get to Damavand we took the scenic route on the north side of the
Alborz Mountains so that we could drive through the forests there and
stick our toes into the Caspian Sea.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKy1GhNhRUns7btRYI5amcnBFOascNF8fv33_0WLgQEmArzdp3V6rXFLaeS8fXngMAgV3m9JDkZxu0ke05w9r3xA2BXj-lyJ25iK6DFCi4iCrxQ6YhYvg26T3m19EQldhYZy3TB3ff2M-2/s1600/Day+4+%252310+-+Caspian+Sea+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKy1GhNhRUns7btRYI5amcnBFOascNF8fv33_0WLgQEmArzdp3V6rXFLaeS8fXngMAgV3m9JDkZxu0ke05w9r3xA2BXj-lyJ25iK6DFCi4iCrxQ6YhYvg26T3m19EQldhYZy3TB3ff2M-2/s320/Day+4+%252310+-+Caspian+Sea+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Stormy Caspian Sea </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Damavand holds a special place
in the hearts and mythology of the region. In the Zoastorian religion
(the pre-Islamic religion) there was a 3-headed dragon chained within
the mountain. In later legends the monster was changed to an evil
Arab tyrant named Zahhak who was locked in the mountain after being
defeated. It is not a technical mountain but the weather there can be
fierce and we were told on a bad year up to 20 people have died. We
had 4 days to attempt the mountain. 2 to get up, 1 to get down, with
an extra day in case of bad weather. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWH2upL3GX5rmILd623uIlDWY08WaSpXKm7ZAME4H6sAlCTZ1LemkA4ywJYdmI4QLEZZH2hG3Vk74ED1HD-zGyA5q2iDml_nYkw-ZUMwB-Qr_4ufUrfyzA3SDY4iEZX85CJrkVyD5cPQX/s1600/Day+2+%252319+-+First+glimpse+of+Damavand+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglWH2upL3GX5rmILd623uIlDWY08WaSpXKm7ZAME4H6sAlCTZ1LemkA4ywJYdmI4QLEZZH2hG3Vk74ED1HD-zGyA5q2iDml_nYkw-ZUMwB-Qr_4ufUrfyzA3SDY4iEZX85CJrkVyD5cPQX/s320/Day+2+%252319+-+First+glimpse+of+Damavand+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>First glimpse of Damavand from Dizin</div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
weather was the nicest on our first day though the upper mountain was
covered by a lenticular cloud which signified high winds. The sun was
shining on the lower mountain but as we climbed higher we moved up
into the lenticular cloud and the wind became pretty fierce. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTkInvruq1r73OXK3BDynF0hfbNF4Xc7xyteYKycbfyVBnG1JmfmKHiYqCxbiHaFxXoteiJPOpx8gy8TpTzPmU8LH9vvSY5t0oWOg4K-xyQl6_0Mi0Y6fW9XVKtmhuQCBeMc0v7MLQ-Ow/s1600/Day+5+%252311+-+Boot+packing+at+start+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzTkInvruq1r73OXK3BDynF0hfbNF4Xc7xyteYKycbfyVBnG1JmfmKHiYqCxbiHaFxXoteiJPOpx8gy8TpTzPmU8LH9vvSY5t0oWOg4K-xyQl6_0Mi0Y6fW9XVKtmhuQCBeMc0v7MLQ-Ow/s320/Day+5+%252311+-+Boot+packing+at+start+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Initial hike from road </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Halfway
up to the shelter at 14,000' we passed the Saheb al Zaman Mosque.
Having a gold domed mosque appear out of the mist and blowing snow on
the side of a big mountain was a unique sight.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75zgzkt_5x8TvjPJL1pud6vTAVWCuxqhzEfSsq8-7JHgLQpoecU4fUKBdrzIQORsKe3pPe6jAi3hx1JA-cPBDNkq4U-4fgEotbcmRdCrveujZe6Pi2ToKOkk-s5a3ReHelxAKNIXgtX2n/s1600/received_1378083735589942.jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75zgzkt_5x8TvjPJL1pud6vTAVWCuxqhzEfSsq8-7JHgLQpoecU4fUKBdrzIQORsKe3pPe6jAi3hx1JA-cPBDNkq4U-4fgEotbcmRdCrveujZe6Pi2ToKOkk-s5a3ReHelxAKNIXgtX2n/s320/received_1378083735589942.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a>Saheb al Zaman Mosque </div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There was a shack next
to it that provided some shelter from the wind so that we could eat
lunch. From there up to the Bargah Shelter the conditions became
worse and worse. At the very end we were starting to get cold and it
was going to be dark soon. According to John's altimeter we were a few
hundred feet above where the shelter was reported and started to
wonder if we had overshot but Amir knew exactly where we were going
and led us straight to the shelter.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvtj4xFFuYEM19t1cG7l0ZmlHNWxf3UjRSpFOSvLuCt3UjI8H_VtMLgdh_okFvAAVxPipwfOlAiepizsMQWO7wGgmMNIxK9BetNvuSPaClhN49zCJpHCXXMTAKa_hNqbU4zBJVeJUoxWZ/s1600/received_10155992989465968.jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipvtj4xFFuYEM19t1cG7l0ZmlHNWxf3UjRSpFOSvLuCt3UjI8H_VtMLgdh_okFvAAVxPipwfOlAiepizsMQWO7wGgmMNIxK9BetNvuSPaClhN49zCJpHCXXMTAKa_hNqbU4zBJVeJUoxWZ/s320/received_10155992989465968.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a>Skinning around 12,000' </span></span></div>
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</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first couple of days there
was no one around besides a couple of Frenchmen and 2 Spaniards so we
were able to hang out in the kitchen with the other guides and the
two Afghani caretakers. It was -7C in the hut but the kitchen was
warm if you didn't mind a little bit of gas fumes. The caretakers
where part of a large Afghani refuge population in Iran that does a
lot of the jobs that no one else would do. These guys worked 14 days
on, 1 day off and had a 2 year contract to be there. It was while
hanging out around the heater in the kitchen that the Afghanis told
us that things were better in their country when the Americans were
there and that they wished we would come back. In that same
conversation we had the Iranians tell us that the same thing applied
to Iraq. We never expected an Iranian to tell us that things were
better when the American military was on their border. We spent the
next 2 days making attempts at the summit. The first attempt was our
best shot. We made it to just above 15,000' when the snow conditions
became much icier and the wind picked up. Going any further would have been
dangerous so we turned around there. No one else got that high while
we were up there except for the 2 French who got about 500' higher
and an intense Iranian who soloed up the ridge in crampons (everyone
else was on skis) and summited. He was the only one to get to the top
over a 3 week period. The second day had even crazier wind so we just
skied runs above the hut in whiteout ground blizzard conditions. This
was all the time we had so on the 4<sup>th</sup> day we had to ski
down. This ended up being an excellent run. The storm had left 6
inches of fresh snow so we were able to ski from the hut all the way
back to the road with only a few 100 meter sections where we took
skis off to get across rocks. While not summiting was a
disappointment we had a great time skiing and meeting people. Sporty
mountain people are the same inside no matter what country they are
from. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_leHGlh66FFFvJvDTvA3u1G1xAOoTCeLDQHgc7cV6Oqg-0Xqh_6KaS0ORWzey5UXFlum_Ch15a7thAsoFDpTI4QlrBaDiSJ55oUQz2Sd3nbgoPTKIvvbcOHhrj9uZCcXjP3hCbVg2kfan/s1600/Day+6+%25231+-+Sunrise+over+Alborz+Mountains+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_leHGlh66FFFvJvDTvA3u1G1xAOoTCeLDQHgc7cV6Oqg-0Xqh_6KaS0ORWzey5UXFlum_Ch15a7thAsoFDpTI4QlrBaDiSJ55oUQz2Sd3nbgoPTKIvvbcOHhrj9uZCcXjP3hCbVg2kfan/s320/Day+6+%25231+-+Sunrise+over+Alborz+Mountains+%25283%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunrise over the Alborz Mountains </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgS_tVSPq_mYyaVTb3mqxF4cjfh0PlnL9VDuBUrQdPNUm1x6Wn89K0-_pq5ebkjmwh3qkgIsDtHsj84X6emfcUIucKp-Ax_IY0qbVczfuJGGO6tBTOLOMAQnX23Elk3gxRl0qw88z2qpv/s1600/Day+8+%252312+-+Ski+down+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjgS_tVSPq_mYyaVTb3mqxF4cjfh0PlnL9VDuBUrQdPNUm1x6Wn89K0-_pq5ebkjmwh3qkgIsDtHsj84X6emfcUIucKp-Ax_IY0qbVczfuJGGO6tBTOLOMAQnX23Elk3gxRl0qw88z2qpv/s320/Day+8+%252312+-+Ski+down+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Skiing runs on Damavand </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTo8JvlPoqWmOC-727NcKim9Epf-PyYkbD5oyyLPKfVqu6x8HktShVzthGhjECePRzTv53SoosBne0k50Catths9acVeAPHpm5TqujwHniRBJ1JFZ6d1mQsorhio-PFMF65delDlLP7B0/s1600/Day+8+%252313+-+Ski+down+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTo8JvlPoqWmOC-727NcKim9Epf-PyYkbD5oyyLPKfVqu6x8HktShVzthGhjECePRzTv53SoosBne0k50Catths9acVeAPHpm5TqujwHniRBJ1JFZ6d1mQsorhio-PFMF65delDlLP7B0/s320/Day+8+%252313+-+Ski+down+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Descending from Bargah Shelter </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
second week was our cultural tour. We thought it was going to be
about seeing the sights and history of Iran. It ended up being all
about the people of Iran. There are a ton of places and things to
see. It really would take a month to do the country justice so we had
to pick out some of the highlights. We ended up visiting Shiraz,
Persepolis, Isfahan, Abyaneh, the desert around Matinabad, Kashan,
Qom, and Tehran. We initially flew from Tehran to Shiraz where we met
our guide, also named Amir. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSj5NAVaYleqHRKZC2_lnuwx_ZOEnpZ-e_dxcohUnSpkcXTuZaZzxGR2fcV50dSpiT-WEkuHAikGQCJZyx2yNkuCqSm0XGiNOC-X76QXYviyszET9rxMnoVYWlZ9HubFww0UzAu6UxVtm/s1600/Kathleen+Milad+Tower+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSj5NAVaYleqHRKZC2_lnuwx_ZOEnpZ-e_dxcohUnSpkcXTuZaZzxGR2fcV50dSpiT-WEkuHAikGQCJZyx2yNkuCqSm0XGiNOC-X76QXYviyszET9rxMnoVYWlZ9HubFww0UzAu6UxVtm/s320/Kathleen+Milad+Tower+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>'Cultural' Amir (and friends) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOat6pgYRC2zcD_EJ6OdhuCjhPXedL3QdQylDilxvqxDrdkN6r7Jh-KscSh97WGW7AEshJ9_NdBAmtE6nwx4yg778sF1SU5ltmcEJwBFcNoWz61LVekbp1toYk5MJyiVlTLGYCFa6MiDS-/s1600/Day+2+%25235+-+Leaving+Tehran.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOat6pgYRC2zcD_EJ6OdhuCjhPXedL3QdQylDilxvqxDrdkN6r7Jh-KscSh97WGW7AEshJ9_NdBAmtE6nwx4yg778sF1SU5ltmcEJwBFcNoWz61LVekbp1toYk5MJyiVlTLGYCFa6MiDS-/s320/Day+2+%25235+-+Leaving+Tehran.JPG" width="320" /></a>Alborz Mountains on edge of Tehran</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Before the flight left Tehran the flight
crew found out there were Americans aboard and came back to introduce
themselves. They hoped that we were finding that the perception and
reality of Iran were not the same and asked if we would like to have
our seats upgraded. We were enjoying the conversation we were having
with a women next to us and since the flight was only an hour we were
fine where we were. The woman was a tour guide for a group of French
and someday hoped to get her ABC certification. When we asked her
where she had learned such good English she replied “From watching
episodes of 'Friends' and 'How I Met Your Mother'.” It turns out
that despite being banned there are 10 million satellite dishes
reaching 70% of households in the country. A lot of Iranians watch Western
TV so they know what the West thinks of them and are well informed on
what is going on in the world. 'Cultural Amir' spoke excellent
English and turned out to be somewhat of an Iranian Renaissance man.
He knew a lot about all sorts of topics. He was well versed in the
history and places we were going to see but he also knew a lot about
technology, cars, politics, poetry, and many other topics that came
up. There is a Persian proverb for just about every situation and he
would recite them to us all the time and then explain what they
meant. He reminded us of Kathleen's dad in many ways. It was awesome having a translator since many people would
approach us with questions. Many Iranians spoke English but it was
helpful to talk to those that did not or only spoke limited English.
Tourists are a rare sight and many people have never had the chance
to talk to an American. We would be approached by 30 to 40 people a
day wondering where we were from. Over the course of the two weeks we
were there we talked to over 500 Iranians and had 100% positive
interactions. All of them were friendly and welcoming us with their
hand over their hearts and a short bow. This even included all the
“men with beards” we talked to which was the Iranian term for
religious people. There were several men who could not shake
Kathleen's hand since they could not touch a woman but they also were
welcoming to her. While exploring the mosques, bazaars, ancient
archeological sites, restaurants, and streets of the different cities
it was the interactions with the people that stand out the most.
There was a young girl that approached Kathleen in the bazaar and
wanted to become Instagram friends. There was several times when
there would be a long line for the bathroom (since it was Nowruz) and
the woman would literally pull and push Kathleen to the front of the
line. A flute salesman in the Kashan bazaar rummaged through his
sheet music to find the way to play “The Star Spangled Banner”
and then since he had never played it before wanted our contact
information so that he could practice and send us a video once he
could play it better. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnb7C5EU6ol6JJ-L0Dtzj5lUqDy3YJV9d2eALlnubl3ha6UzdHJjP5bRSGDi-Ddskck2MYw-CBALMmvi0CEV8Iv3su97VpAlnXeYZP5aHM4lM-M-kckXjdUm1lccs16OoPcajLa4WLA5qr/s1600/Day+13+%252329+-+Kashan+-+Flute+salesman+playing+Star+Spangled+Banner+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnb7C5EU6ol6JJ-L0Dtzj5lUqDy3YJV9d2eALlnubl3ha6UzdHJjP5bRSGDi-Ddskck2MYw-CBALMmvi0CEV8Iv3su97VpAlnXeYZP5aHM4lM-M-kckXjdUm1lccs16OoPcajLa4WLA5qr/s320/Day+13+%252329+-+Kashan+-+Flute+salesman+playing+Star+Spangled+Banner+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Kashan Flute Player </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Also in Kashan while exploring the Fin Gardens
we were approached by a radio station that was broadcasting from
there that wanted to interview the American tourists. We were asked
how we were finding Iran, what foods had we tried, what sites had we
seen in Kashan and what did we think of the city, and did we know any
words in Farsi. While being interviewed there were another 50 people
videotaping us on their cell phones. There was another time when a
man pretended to interview John with an imaginary microphone while
his wife videotaped it. Nowruz meant that all the Iranians were
traveling to see their own country so we were able to meet people
from every corner of the nation, not just the tourist cities we were
in. Nowruz also meant that there was a lot of other stuff going on
that wouldn't have been otherwise. We were able to see multiple
traditional bands, a dance troupe, a puppet show, and comedian acts.
</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoPonA99Ooh67tDMIXC9tsHmp1y9FaHdz1Ec3wf6lXfgYacZZehxXvCzK2ipdA2N0GAyY3gr_M9q3klybeZcimq00whWwG32Xbn8KsK97TWKVigpuB9mxTrIe9NsMRshFFP8Lvpgn2yu_/s1600/Day+11+%252362+-+Esfahan+-+Traditional+music+band+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRoPonA99Ooh67tDMIXC9tsHmp1y9FaHdz1Ec3wf6lXfgYacZZehxXvCzK2ipdA2N0GAyY3gr_M9q3klybeZcimq00whWwG32Xbn8KsK97TWKVigpuB9mxTrIe9NsMRshFFP8Lvpgn2yu_/s320/Day+11+%252362+-+Esfahan+-+Traditional+music+band+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Traditional Iranian music </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWqgKvRDno424DlPzjTssE4CrBSsn9Pt_iDjVKX-MyGKw4CwW_Z0RCd2w8K_VSacd1_SB9b6Fo2m9mpScLtn3PVbOwdF_8ff6YbAQ2w7bf57UPYeZRW_JTncZ-x-DKCxfE773SAktuQQz/s1600/Day+14+%252343+-+Tehran+-+Saadabad+Palace+Complex+-+Traditional+dancing+band+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWqgKvRDno424DlPzjTssE4CrBSsn9Pt_iDjVKX-MyGKw4CwW_Z0RCd2w8K_VSacd1_SB9b6Fo2m9mpScLtn3PVbOwdF_8ff6YbAQ2w7bf57UPYeZRW_JTncZ-x-DKCxfE773SAktuQQz/s320/Day+14+%252343+-+Tehran+-+Saadabad+Palace+Complex+-+Traditional+dancing+band+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Traditional Iranian dance troupe </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sw5nsENy5Ah4Z0eclLSPpDUqG0GeWjRdqn9vlLkXctp2461V1uHHFLud8cFyxtfKB5Qq9UdmgrAxFYlDvk9itIKHfvkQgyUhRUsBADsVdP_pVuFGX5P-7YogJfOScNxFwQtHthwrrIih/s1600/Kathleen+Puppet+show+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sw5nsENy5Ah4Z0eclLSPpDUqG0GeWjRdqn9vlLkXctp2461V1uHHFLud8cFyxtfKB5Qq9UdmgrAxFYlDvk9itIKHfvkQgyUhRUsBADsVdP_pVuFGX5P-7YogJfOScNxFwQtHthwrrIih/s320/Kathleen+Puppet+show+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>Nowruz puppet show </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiYW5Krtq5BScUCefUsU9wUehROrRj_AufSOXFO3GXA_lv6uOjL2seEcDcRosMg9q3JXkRV1vVQm5urJDgbuCsHbTe5LiJRib_4UADrjLDZry24unaW0P6D9eWksiiMLSi9nrKJstUNjH/s1600/Day+9+%252338+-+Shiraz+-+Bazaar-e+Vakil+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiYW5Krtq5BScUCefUsU9wUehROrRj_AufSOXFO3GXA_lv6uOjL2seEcDcRosMg9q3JXkRV1vVQm5urJDgbuCsHbTe5LiJRib_4UADrjLDZry24unaW0P6D9eWksiiMLSi9nrKJstUNjH/s320/Day+9+%252338+-+Shiraz+-+Bazaar-e+Vakil+%25282%2529.JPG" width="177" /></a>Reenactor from Qajar Dynasty </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite being warned not to travel at that time it actually ended up
being a great time to travel though the tourist sites were full of
people. It was rare that we would see another Westerner. Foreign
tourism has only been going on for the last 5 years. Currently about
5 million tourists go there a year and the Iranian government's goal
is to increase that to 20 million by 2025. By comparison, 80 million
tourists visit Turkey a year.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetqRfdo6iwjGHYRUVMMqE07qodUfC-kMs5MQNPX9vPhOUQHPHKDdMJV5QQTD0BeGDyvUckoACQhdlbKlY2i8MrC9wq_gB5rZFxqzaNedb4Xp5tFlGCitnbb9MeiuKgWCiV0lQ7Pd24vse/s1600/Day+9+%25236+-+Shiraz+-+Nasir-al-Molk+Mosque+%2528Pink+Mosque%2529+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjetqRfdo6iwjGHYRUVMMqE07qodUfC-kMs5MQNPX9vPhOUQHPHKDdMJV5QQTD0BeGDyvUckoACQhdlbKlY2i8MrC9wq_gB5rZFxqzaNedb4Xp5tFlGCitnbb9MeiuKgWCiV0lQ7Pd24vse/s320/Day+9+%25236+-+Shiraz+-+Nasir-al-Molk+Mosque+%2528Pink+Mosque%2529+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Nasir-al-Molk (Pink) Mosque - Shiraz </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AbxPm7_imNWK5soDVU463m7cPIzv7mwGW6GU-Rb2OQmFAffHPfmSJWBWa72aMWbXWJP9-1ughqM-1XCitWUcBtKOn8XbW716DvF2gi6Db_KUNKkc_l4rGjSyTULJhXdqmHwDZL2D2MHg/s1600/Day+9+%25237+-+Shiraz+-+Nasir-al-Molk+Mosque+%2528Pink+Mosque%2529+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7AbxPm7_imNWK5soDVU463m7cPIzv7mwGW6GU-Rb2OQmFAffHPfmSJWBWa72aMWbXWJP9-1ughqM-1XCitWUcBtKOn8XbW716DvF2gi6Db_KUNKkc_l4rGjSyTULJhXdqmHwDZL2D2MHg/s320/Day+9+%25237+-+Shiraz+-+Nasir-al-Molk+Mosque+%2528Pink+Mosque%2529+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Inside of Nasir-al Molk (Pink) Mosque </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2C8AeaBoCJp5Nvf_IiE5FKBxpTR4018q_G9XpPp0cxnr3h50Hr-DumQ0CN05RCvNOOEw-_FWlCZMQklNhN-8KpiNQBKTXJ2e3uNbg__SqVWi8EGP8CO6nqaA03iBdGeC2jPaY1867FYY/s1600/Day+9+%252319+-+Shiraz+-+Arg-e+Karim+Khan+Zand+Citadel+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2C8AeaBoCJp5Nvf_IiE5FKBxpTR4018q_G9XpPp0cxnr3h50Hr-DumQ0CN05RCvNOOEw-_FWlCZMQklNhN-8KpiNQBKTXJ2e3uNbg__SqVWi8EGP8CO6nqaA03iBdGeC2jPaY1867FYY/s320/Day+9+%252319+-+Shiraz+-+Arg-e+Karim+Khan+Zand+Citadel+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Arg-e Karin Khan Zand Citadel -Shiraz </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDo4CI7qEMhN2o8Y8auWi7nvT0F3uOBmW3W4YwoYqcpvqSwVmoEDpflgLKCHXfrR5TerS3kW8JH8ZdYnFDG2c-jJgTiwZ6w2O7h7KzUxxgw3jxwYHtLjaDJ4YDwYRkAw7kEDrAmWMvOuAA/s1600/Day+9+%252359+-+Shiraz+-+Ali+ibn+Hamzeh+Shrine+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDo4CI7qEMhN2o8Y8auWi7nvT0F3uOBmW3W4YwoYqcpvqSwVmoEDpflgLKCHXfrR5TerS3kW8JH8ZdYnFDG2c-jJgTiwZ6w2O7h7KzUxxgw3jxwYHtLjaDJ4YDwYRkAw7kEDrAmWMvOuAA/s320/Day+9+%252359+-+Shiraz+-+Ali+ibn+Hamzeh+Shrine+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Ali ibn Hamzeh Shrine </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-H3TG1_3OjDwM9NKtMWAWpvhoke0APhba9hi30KVRVgFHv1JqIlUQlsszQgbl8qUTUZvGKc9FOicSQLTR7NjfZK_Nya4QizIv3c2dgd7smfR4Nunuo4FH-qANVCWxTk_1ugrV8tGOyF5k/s1600/Day+11+%252312+-+Esfahan+-+Masjed-e+Imam+square+from+Ali+Qapu+Palace+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-H3TG1_3OjDwM9NKtMWAWpvhoke0APhba9hi30KVRVgFHv1JqIlUQlsszQgbl8qUTUZvGKc9FOicSQLTR7NjfZK_Nya4QizIv3c2dgd7smfR4Nunuo4FH-qANVCWxTk_1ugrV8tGOyF5k/s320/Day+11+%252312+-+Esfahan+-+Masjed-e+Imam+square+from+Ali+Qapu+Palace+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Maydan-e Imam Square - Isfahan </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56VDFqOIlS4QzZH6JCOXqtquhdPmyzb_QvxRgGqPqkC3Mdoj9T5VwEXmGaBSV3OIYXAo7wO4cQXVXpQsC2BBxB4cLXnDchuJA8F87GNnqRIVQD-wbG67HdMynjUoIWXnMH2wI3En2VDlL/s1600/Day+11+%252333+-+Esfahan+-+Masjed-e+Imam+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56VDFqOIlS4QzZH6JCOXqtquhdPmyzb_QvxRgGqPqkC3Mdoj9T5VwEXmGaBSV3OIYXAo7wO4cQXVXpQsC2BBxB4cLXnDchuJA8F87GNnqRIVQD-wbG67HdMynjUoIWXnMH2wI3En2VDlL/s320/Day+11+%252333+-+Esfahan+-+Masjed-e+Imam+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Masjed-e Imam Mosque - Isfahan </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uA0WqhO4AoN7-y-e9rskXj-7CXB2As0pMGH3SVHMYAi68QNgkB6GLRLxLgm4VqzgxSDHgNKmyNEq2Ep58Furn3Q9Nmg_5mgQEcDWUBk5WZO3Z3CV0Qw5iugVISU6RjFloKjK5de-nVGo/s1600/Day+11+GoPro+%25231+-+Esfehan+-+Maydan-e+Imam+square+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uA0WqhO4AoN7-y-e9rskXj-7CXB2As0pMGH3SVHMYAi68QNgkB6GLRLxLgm4VqzgxSDHgNKmyNEq2Ep58Furn3Q9Nmg_5mgQEcDWUBk5WZO3Z3CV0Qw5iugVISU6RjFloKjK5de-nVGo/s320/Day+11+GoPro+%25231+-+Esfehan+-+Maydan-e+Imam+square+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Maydan-e Imam Square - Isfahan </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFKJaWwJmGvylIlB_uVqDz0Hp2PUWlbvRRelea1T54Ay3ZJ4KNSqsb-AZCQnzyHssplJsj5Eng3ZiVJEnnEKJJ02gQLvpJIltL8K3m6KV_BcVPTxfNZtlKVK0SwXLE5hmTYx2nPbKlJCJ/s1600/Day+11+GoPro+%25233+-+Esfehan+-+Masjed-e+Imam+mosque+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFKJaWwJmGvylIlB_uVqDz0Hp2PUWlbvRRelea1T54Ay3ZJ4KNSqsb-AZCQnzyHssplJsj5Eng3ZiVJEnnEKJJ02gQLvpJIltL8K3m6KV_BcVPTxfNZtlKVK0SwXLE5hmTYx2nPbKlJCJ/s320/Day+11+GoPro+%25233+-+Esfehan+-+Masjed-e+Imam+mosque+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Masjed-e Imam Mosque - Isfahan </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWe8-GDiTmJrys3yRmp5IJg0I_-YV1xlLqcwy6WJ0R8VM2Hr0nATog4yTQuSx6myYrKKhxp8NzJb3p5QoT5JblR3VERlqrF7u58sb6vNB7dHjM6XXVZPFnc1hEz6v_u_Ml0qWj8DB3gTxb/s1600/received_1376957739035875.jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWe8-GDiTmJrys3yRmp5IJg0I_-YV1xlLqcwy6WJ0R8VM2Hr0nATog4yTQuSx6myYrKKhxp8NzJb3p5QoT5JblR3VERlqrF7u58sb6vNB7dHjM6XXVZPFnc1hEz6v_u_Ml0qWj8DB3gTxb/s320/received_1376957739035875.jpeg.jpg" width="320" /></a>Abyaneh - inhabited for 2500 years </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLw5IxeanVV_MXjvG66734e-swuwx7dP97zl9v3givUO2WZddLilGi5rpbvh7wifJJ4dn-PKw2pABRZuBQY84V7hhmCKyLJ2IVZg0cHLNEWMLvr78HxUCqZm3KEMOE5i90oY1cWeTby9U/s1600/Day+12+GoPro+%25233+-+Abyaneh+citadel+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLw5IxeanVV_MXjvG66734e-swuwx7dP97zl9v3givUO2WZddLilGi5rpbvh7wifJJ4dn-PKw2pABRZuBQY84V7hhmCKyLJ2IVZg0cHLNEWMLvr78HxUCqZm3KEMOE5i90oY1cWeTby9U/s320/Day+12+GoPro+%25233+-+Abyaneh+citadel+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Old citadel above Abyaneh </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nPkjCWbLx3cVT1QewSviDEGJB5hl81syOMky9io2RE3C3nsuQTSTpGq5MqdJH1BlYLy3EI8bN52bYlWBSpGQfXBNqa3vB1_SNpXuEoOr8scEhrVLgDsn9Zw16wnqlwdodaCKdQHmgh3P/s1600/Day+13+%252367+-+Qom+-+Masoumeh+Holy+Shrine+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3nPkjCWbLx3cVT1QewSviDEGJB5hl81syOMky9io2RE3C3nsuQTSTpGq5MqdJH1BlYLy3EI8bN52bYlWBSpGQfXBNqa3vB1_SNpXuEoOr8scEhrVLgDsn9Zw16wnqlwdodaCKdQHmgh3P/s320/Day+13+%252367+-+Qom+-+Masoumeh+Holy+Shrine+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Masoumeh Holy Shrine - Qom </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNdhMxixPuFnNKKPMdyyfBbuU_LGQb5HcwLQoIG2B2C2-IuJdqbItuVi4OEJ2U1jLQEX0VYjLbVgWYOoiCNz8gJQl674IttEBrq1uJGB0xVaBUiDaH0n1yjGQOx_jIEor8g9_NL3HmlzC/s1600/Kathleen+Mosque+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNdhMxixPuFnNKKPMdyyfBbuU_LGQb5HcwLQoIG2B2C2-IuJdqbItuVi4OEJ2U1jLQEX0VYjLbVgWYOoiCNz8gJQl674IttEBrq1uJGB0xVaBUiDaH0n1yjGQOx_jIEor8g9_NL3HmlzC/s320/Kathleen+Mosque+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a>Masoumeh Holy Shrine - where Ayatollah Khomeini got his start </div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Iran felt very safe
to us. It is a police state and crime is dealt with very harshly. The
biggest crime problem in Iran is the transit of drugs from
Afghanistan on the way to Europe. Iran is still sanctioned from
international banking so credit cards and ATMs do not work there.
Travelers have to bring cash to cover their expenses so
pickpocketing/bag snatching is the biggest risk but even that seemed
unlikely. The most dangerous part of Iran is without a doubt the
roads. The country is like a giant game of chicken. Whoever can get
the nose of their car in front of the other is the winner. Lanes and
traffic lights mean nothing and we often wondered why they even
bother wasting the paint on the road. This leads to over 20,000
traffic deaths a year though recently there have been speed cameras
placed everywhere which has helped lower the death toll. When
crossing the street it is recommended to cross at the same time as a
local and let them be on the upstream side of the cars. Even
following that recommendation we still felt like shouting “I'm
alive!” when we reached the other side. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelcMLA8Es8S2rMEDjyE3J1caDrVX1Ko0A0ACX26FfzL_509PpkPJGm0iIeq34nyd8b4y1D-IsDeSk-IvLtEAwdKgXfy63F52ayHKVQRmXRSjjvtdEfc0xvQJnMmLoy2nMoou2Csva7nOe/s1600/Day+8+%252354+-+Speed+camera+warning+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelcMLA8Es8S2rMEDjyE3J1caDrVX1Ko0A0ACX26FfzL_509PpkPJGm0iIeq34nyd8b4y1D-IsDeSk-IvLtEAwdKgXfy63F52ayHKVQRmXRSjjvtdEfc0xvQJnMmLoy2nMoou2Csva7nOe/s320/Day+8+%252354+-+Speed+camera+warning+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Speed camera warning </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0TYWLCcRY9hBnGOH84VXFx9HvygZ51A0bsrwLvwDjf_vmG4eADMmEJmC3G2WjCs64LFE0A9jRkItVniu6mMnSJf0jVGzmcMLlQ821FOAgEBzAyYW9b_ajucU9vLeJ1DYuCGoYfE48P9C/s1600/Day+10+%252352+-+Persepolis+-+scene+shortly+before+parking+riot+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0TYWLCcRY9hBnGOH84VXFx9HvygZ51A0bsrwLvwDjf_vmG4eADMmEJmC3G2WjCs64LFE0A9jRkItVniu6mMnSJf0jVGzmcMLlQ821FOAgEBzAyYW9b_ajucU9vLeJ1DYuCGoYfE48P9C/s320/Day+10+%252352+-+Persepolis+-+scene+shortly+before+parking+riot+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Typical traffic scene </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We met no anti-American
sentiment. In fact we were told that recently to get people to
protest against America the government has to make its workers go out
and protest to keep their jobs. This year during the anniversary of
the Revolution there was a large amount of push back. This was right
after the travel ban. The Iranians had seen on TV that there were
millions of Americans protesting against the travel ban and felt that
chanting “Death to America” was rude to all the people that were
supporting them. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjRvJwKlz0GKEfE5wRNHC7iaTz-a1Tt5HuqH4Fhj3ztbE-sSQIPmJiMR6Qsy3ARihLmld9-4PF0WFXpDXJ4okkpmQ0t-_pV08VoODMhSns05zC6GyAkIGtd1zjM-FfXZaXHCHBqmtR_vm/s1600/Day+9+%252334+-+Shiraz+-+Bazaar-e+Vakil+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjRvJwKlz0GKEfE5wRNHC7iaTz-a1Tt5HuqH4Fhj3ztbE-sSQIPmJiMR6Qsy3ARihLmld9-4PF0WFXpDXJ4okkpmQ0t-_pV08VoODMhSns05zC6GyAkIGtd1zjM-FfXZaXHCHBqmtR_vm/s320/Day+9+%252334+-+Shiraz+-+Bazaar-e+Vakil+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>The typical sentiment we found </div>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.07in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
landscape is diverse and breath taking at times. The food (it felt
like a cross between Turkish and Indian to us) was delicious and
healthy. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VZVfoW1QGJ5VuzxGfspBKDWTOF3pVh3BsD-6Ahk5i95ym4ZdziTq1E51G1EnjLQU8RUMXAC9v53uU7DzDfmN87wrlqmecyNjslV6RlfF2F7Jg6-C85szFE22gepM2Sn7MF_N-9xu9KfV/s1600/Day+9+%252330+-+Shiraz+-+Bazaar-e+Vakil+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8VZVfoW1QGJ5VuzxGfspBKDWTOF3pVh3BsD-6Ahk5i95ym4ZdziTq1E51G1EnjLQU8RUMXAC9v53uU7DzDfmN87wrlqmecyNjslV6RlfF2F7Jg6-C85szFE22gepM2Sn7MF_N-9xu9KfV/s320/Day+9+%252330+-+Shiraz+-+Bazaar-e+Vakil+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Vakil Bazaar - Shiraz </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_8ELNmmRLOTmWo87Rp4lpiKSW2OZgBloMpahL2J9cV12AD-0jCZ9hhyQVh6nMcskr8rp2FcX9Lt0o0kxT5rl8UuM9Rz3eT-ECASpOh_8Tg7w1xjB1w4J4mw_Y2QykQAfVZLZcoZnFAkg/s1600/Day+9+%252333+-+Shiraz+-+Bazaar-e+Vakil+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_8ELNmmRLOTmWo87Rp4lpiKSW2OZgBloMpahL2J9cV12AD-0jCZ9hhyQVh6nMcskr8rp2FcX9Lt0o0kxT5rl8UuM9Rz3eT-ECASpOh_8Tg7w1xjB1w4J4mw_Y2QykQAfVZLZcoZnFAkg/s320/Day+9+%252333+-+Shiraz+-+Bazaar-e+Vakil+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Vakil Bazaar - Shiraz </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTptlOCkzirGyOmq8AksPIulyUfqm6ZJhChtyHaft2FKEATNq993TBvCDQoqdQ6egFPGC0LvgzXzb4CBUHGFt2R3FVhOtL3iGcUZf2gaCSecbS8Ro9bJec3F-lsw2g69JH78WMGXeIRPC/s1600/Day+9+%252336+-+Shiraz+-+Bazaar-e+Vakil+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTptlOCkzirGyOmq8AksPIulyUfqm6ZJhChtyHaft2FKEATNq993TBvCDQoqdQ6egFPGC0LvgzXzb4CBUHGFt2R3FVhOtL3iGcUZf2gaCSecbS8Ro9bJec3F-lsw2g69JH78WMGXeIRPC/s320/Day+9+%252336+-+Shiraz+-+Bazaar-e+Vakil+%25282%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a>Spices in Vakil Bazaar - Shiraz </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYT_ePNzS-30V8nQpLYEOEtus2jsPLCy-R_5QgZf4dNuawY7t7q_AIsqu6YHMztXYrnoWOZCCj4nJUKTFCGcsI_OK0Bl6R6wyEtAUjuEMC488fJTg_QDS-1NY008Ygxks6JedNrJNcH6lt/s1600/Day+13+%252323+-+Kashan+-+Bazaar+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYT_ePNzS-30V8nQpLYEOEtus2jsPLCy-R_5QgZf4dNuawY7t7q_AIsqu6YHMztXYrnoWOZCCj4nJUKTFCGcsI_OK0Bl6R6wyEtAUjuEMC488fJTg_QDS-1NY008Ygxks6JedNrJNcH6lt/s320/Day+13+%252323+-+Kashan+-+Bazaar+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>More choices in Kashan Bazaar </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4f437wNLq3QiJT20wSjTUngeyoywovNhT-CdfPiaUz3wNitpNU2A-dRo5RNlNEtKcDVwR-Z0THBSG1U19YZdC9ooSp1TImirmsln112AnBivfivAYBbYjJaU7CtHH_mBK7CC4SCa-U-5/s1600/Day+13+%252326+-+Kashan+-+Bazaar+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4f437wNLq3QiJT20wSjTUngeyoywovNhT-CdfPiaUz3wNitpNU2A-dRo5RNlNEtKcDVwR-Z0THBSG1U19YZdC9ooSp1TImirmsln112AnBivfivAYBbYjJaU7CtHH_mBK7CC4SCa-U-5/s320/Day+13+%252326+-+Kashan+-+Bazaar+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Kashan Bazaar </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYo2ru1GysYIvRREc_J3_VSTgWBUPskvEdP-T6EOLNNcXn1It6s6ewAKxnhx2z5TmokPuW3sXnYVAlon8HbBRdV4t1xcddmX47cW-uAJW0n4uJ3Cj7OwZpjYoYsIReNpKbvS36kRsYvJ6A/s1600/Day+13+%252321+-+Kashan+-+Bazaar+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYo2ru1GysYIvRREc_J3_VSTgWBUPskvEdP-T6EOLNNcXn1It6s6ewAKxnhx2z5TmokPuW3sXnYVAlon8HbBRdV4t1xcddmX47cW-uAJW0n4uJ3Cj7OwZpjYoYsIReNpKbvS36kRsYvJ6A/s320/Day+13+%252321+-+Kashan+-+Bazaar+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Copper shop - Kashan Bazar </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The pre-history period there goes back to 7000 BCE and the
written history goes back to 3000 BCE. It is one of the original
civilizations so the layers of history up to the present are mind
boggling. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtuDLUE5-Qt31yo4IAv_Qy8bDr0ApVtoPt205N5bKpzF9zstgvVbsy8fQyea6sZj8d6IHBlWK0gW0U3r9vf52fI2Qam0kRBn0sXbwZHp2oZL5RS-hI2JV6Sp8cKzgz4p-H1mmb-_zlyva/s1600/Day+10+%252350+-+Persepolis+-+Gate+of+All+Lands+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFtuDLUE5-Qt31yo4IAv_Qy8bDr0ApVtoPt205N5bKpzF9zstgvVbsy8fQyea6sZj8d6IHBlWK0gW0U3r9vf52fI2Qam0kRBn0sXbwZHp2oZL5RS-hI2JV6Sp8cKzgz4p-H1mmb-_zlyva/s320/Day+10+%252350+-+Persepolis+-+Gate+of+All+Lands+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Persepolis - Gate of All Lands </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUkJmvd1BAhSbGKmuuTMcO4QSAisha1qUGxV85eyg7vp1iGQ5DM7L7GMLmjxKaP8tzcGPOHxS1ue1287P-UwvqsL5nddeq00g7ACYHkVdtVgcJB27Ha750gFZWxdX3jBYO7eVPxmcqYhM/s1600/Day+10+%252345+-+Persepolis+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiUkJmvd1BAhSbGKmuuTMcO4QSAisha1qUGxV85eyg7vp1iGQ5DM7L7GMLmjxKaP8tzcGPOHxS1ue1287P-UwvqsL5nddeq00g7ACYHkVdtVgcJB27Ha750gFZWxdX3jBYO7eVPxmcqYhM/s320/Day+10+%252345+-+Persepolis+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Persepolis - 515 BCE to 330 BCE </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgMDKisfYUBrB7Q6Xz5Mr8hw4VSmsP8MiGH_RXEU6RPAKOklB56lWX9QTbqvh1FJlVxpKsUxiapnYDJEwLjc5so3V9gLnF0Y5Y0llA2Q63z3KpqTgYkvRjLxrGojfFkimHFw2C9X3nRue/s1600/Day+10+%252336+-+Persepolis+-+Eastern+Apadana+Staircase+Relief+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgMDKisfYUBrB7Q6Xz5Mr8hw4VSmsP8MiGH_RXEU6RPAKOklB56lWX9QTbqvh1FJlVxpKsUxiapnYDJEwLjc5so3V9gLnF0Y5Y0llA2Q63z3KpqTgYkvRjLxrGojfFkimHFw2C9X3nRue/s320/Day+10+%252336+-+Persepolis+-+Eastern+Apadana+Staircase+Relief+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Persepolis - Persian lion conquers all</div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is culturally diverse with many people being surprised
that Christians and Jews are protected by their Constitution and
guaranteed seats in the Parliament. It is a modern and sophisticated
society. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxOu-xHornFR5JjhRQdRStnHOohkiU3OcwZc7_8gObfSd19soNk6w7ZtOeO5Hwp3N6U5g88fxYY1H5CdGHyfEKfLnNVA3X7EBD-ZktMRR0DhpQz3HaCvaj0-ivb2IclrGpUJ106Kwd49p/s1600/Day+11+%252394+-+Esfahan+-+All+Saviours+%2528Vank%2529+Cathedral+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAxOu-xHornFR5JjhRQdRStnHOohkiU3OcwZc7_8gObfSd19soNk6w7ZtOeO5Hwp3N6U5g88fxYY1H5CdGHyfEKfLnNVA3X7EBD-ZktMRR0DhpQz3HaCvaj0-ivb2IclrGpUJ106Kwd49p/s320/Day+11+%252394+-+Esfahan+-+All+Saviours+%2528Vank%2529+Cathedral+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>All Saviors (Vank) Cathedral </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Charity is a big part of their culture. All over the country
(even in remote places on the side of the road) one sees metal
charity boxes where people contribute money for orphans and the poor.
It made us shake our head knowing that in the US many of
those boxes would have been busted open and robbed. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18FhfBlJQzY4sWYmdVUlpU9-c9HvPXjvMGQBurUtxhQQdyWPKYsjjVRB6gSdu3wS1gx0fJlduKIogw6hZqbmzNT1LalcZqwdyevijyGWm4XXBMfNKzhfhnvmeaTRIgwhaCcfhGvwKyHH2/s1600/Day+4+%25236+-+Charity+box+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg18FhfBlJQzY4sWYmdVUlpU9-c9HvPXjvMGQBurUtxhQQdyWPKYsjjVRB6gSdu3wS1gx0fJlduKIogw6hZqbmzNT1LalcZqwdyevijyGWm4XXBMfNKzhfhnvmeaTRIgwhaCcfhGvwKyHH2/s320/Day+4+%25236+-+Charity+box+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Charity Box </div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The landscape,
food, history, and culture were all fascinating but it was hands down
the one on one interaction with the people that made this trip so
special. The first few days we were nervous about saying we were
American but by the end of the trip we were proud to admit it. People
went out of their way to be nice to us and to show that the true Iran
had nothing to do with the hyperbole that is seen on TV. Their
greatest wish was that we would come back to the USA and tell people
what it is really like there. If you are able to go we highly
recommend seeing Iran for yourself. It truly is one of the most
special places we have ever traveled to. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihS7IApBe0L0d_NYbzYfYzh-3ElermV2UO2TMCjN3drAKP_srBP55TAFf6D_1Grsqg87o4FsqYQaLfgw5W9nqPWxIH196AtYNCELR2TzSaK8w4NyolzS3TEN-yNHz5mKNFYMC1MFLv9cJJ/s1600/Day+12+%252341+-+Matinabad+Eco+Camp+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihS7IApBe0L0d_NYbzYfYzh-3ElermV2UO2TMCjN3drAKP_srBP55TAFf6D_1Grsqg87o4FsqYQaLfgw5W9nqPWxIH196AtYNCELR2TzSaK8w4NyolzS3TEN-yNHz5mKNFYMC1MFLv9cJJ/s320/Day+12+%252341+-+Matinabad+Eco+Camp+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a>Who doesn't love baby camels? </div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-61010742759403538212016-05-27T09:35:00.001-07:002016-05-27T09:36:42.980-07:00San Juan Island solo circumnavigation Last
week after I finally saw a specialist and had my surgery scheduled
(on the day of my birthday) the reality of it all sank in. Two
months of being injured stir craziness combined with the knowledge
that my injury had screwed up an incredible 3 months we had planned
to have in South America. The end of World Tour for the foreseeable
future mixed in a little anxiety about having surgery and general
anesthesia (again – wisdom teeth, right ankle, surgical biopsy,
left knee, and now left ankle) and I was depressed. What is the best
thing for John when he is an Unhappy Camper? To go camping of
course! Watching the weather/wind forecast I saw that there was at
least a lack of wind window opening. It was supposed to still be
cool and cloudy but wind is the most important factor when kayaking
in the San Juan Islands. I had 10 days until my surgery which was
going to make me physically worse before getting better since I will
be on crutches and not weight bearing for a couple of weeks. Days
with nothing planned and good weather coincided. I woke up Sunday
morning and decided spur of the moment that I was going to leave the
next day.
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I strapped on my foot brace, ran
around for a day collecting gear, and headed up to Anacortes to catch
the San Juan ferry. For a while I have wanted to paddle a
circumnavigation around San Juan Island. I was able to leave my car
on the mainland and rolled my boat onto the Friday Harbor ferry. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhu5of-aJjwMfXEFxP-xtumpQkM-L1RUz2jxS4yZiQ-eEkKJbZxj5OzBMBRLmAfGMnkkZVWF0oCfQ70EUrr_LxiyJ-G6CTihZIPjB1H8orbOhMixLih-6BrgMdRIuCeu_40Snj8vpfnC9d/s1600/DSCN1944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhu5of-aJjwMfXEFxP-xtumpQkM-L1RUz2jxS4yZiQ-eEkKJbZxj5OzBMBRLmAfGMnkkZVWF0oCfQ70EUrr_LxiyJ-G6CTihZIPjB1H8orbOhMixLih-6BrgMdRIuCeu_40Snj8vpfnC9d/s320/DSCN1944.JPG" width="320" /></a>Ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The
initial plan had been to take a leisurely pace and do it over 5 days
but the best (ie: non-existent) wind forecast was for the first few
days which pushed me to paddle faster and further each day. After
the first 2 days of calm the wind was supposed to become
progressively stronger each day afterward. The west and especially
south side of San Juan Island is very exposed. Strong currents,
strong afternoon winds, and being exposed to swells from the Pacific
coming up the Strait of Juan de Fuca combine to make this a
potentially very hazardous area to paddle.
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTd7f7NdTcko1XGSIgmMHoMX2K5MpK8SpH3qJa-_97whlAayLVOGhwjLM09B5Fg4lUquTChK3byBN9jEf3zv6XwwdIqYvwL9Y5Wknnb_IcboSWbFs3IeOYqkFKPKIpAdO96wBCJ3ZWg7qS/s1600/DSCN1954.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTd7f7NdTcko1XGSIgmMHoMX2K5MpK8SpH3qJa-_97whlAayLVOGhwjLM09B5Fg4lUquTChK3byBN9jEf3zv6XwwdIqYvwL9Y5Wknnb_IcboSWbFs3IeOYqkFKPKIpAdO96wBCJ3ZWg7qS/s320/DSCN1954.JPG" width="320" /></a>Bald eagle that was fighting a vulture over a dead fish.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jnb_yhIHUxMBeQnaV33JsVsqskdmmLbWvD7uXBlibtVtFTpsdUYDMSxJ1W_RR_tsHK0XgT_rJvXSF45-Mu8pdhThC2Gkqd5xQYCJ1p7VpvwP3QFkqu3YrP6ZGo-vPE21ceQvl4j-6b_h/s1600/DSCN1958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jnb_yhIHUxMBeQnaV33JsVsqskdmmLbWvD7uXBlibtVtFTpsdUYDMSxJ1W_RR_tsHK0XgT_rJvXSF45-Mu8pdhThC2Gkqd5xQYCJ1p7VpvwP3QFkqu3YrP6ZGo-vPE21ceQvl4j-6b_h/s320/DSCN1958.JPG" width="320" /></a>Posey Island camp with Spieden Island and Channel in background. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYj2mAk4EzDZfdfUc3PRseOyr2dxcqF4ihYneU7vYSsTB9-tbSt8iK_h4xwKy1n0765kLtGZ32AMO_VzecFLwcJYDWn6GMgtNxLfPFvwQ0CykWekaC_bnZ-8xqI4nOgTOLPk2bjJTqwTM_/s1600/DSCN1962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYj2mAk4EzDZfdfUc3PRseOyr2dxcqF4ihYneU7vYSsTB9-tbSt8iK_h4xwKy1n0765kLtGZ32AMO_VzecFLwcJYDWn6GMgtNxLfPFvwQ0CykWekaC_bnZ-8xqI4nOgTOLPk2bjJTqwTM_/s320/DSCN1962.JPG" width="320" /></a>Looking out on Haro Strait from Posey Island</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3e1V7VU7-JvtOLmWN87QZ07lD-8_5tXY1O51sJzUCvQoHzi3VR1S73XrEuq6QBZEBU9W9uI4DSbS9PGi3mTcxa8elqs3EgDIv31dRcFd_E6_dzEqVQlu5IzKYZz39t5E_P0om-RD7M4a/s1600/DSCN1963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3e1V7VU7-JvtOLmWN87QZ07lD-8_5tXY1O51sJzUCvQoHzi3VR1S73XrEuq6QBZEBU9W9uI4DSbS9PGi3mTcxa8elqs3EgDIv31dRcFd_E6_dzEqVQlu5IzKYZz39t5E_P0om-RD7M4a/s320/DSCN1963.JPG" width="320" /></a>Posey Island Camp </div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For the record: Do not paddle
alone. Especially when in hazardous areas or if you are going more
than ¼ mile off shore. That said, if I waited for people to do
things with than I would never have done most of the paddling or
summits that I have. And to be honest, there is part of me that
likes the solo part of it. The added level of danger and knowing
that I only have myself to get into/out of situations is part of the
allure. I am also fully equipped and practiced at self-rescue
situations though that will only get you so far when it really hits
the fan.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3L5pONYTqgeaN8CTu1antJNM_NisdTL1FLgILhvs7bHOv-kLDCoVuXQARAfTVDGMoaXIO0NxEERO7frebmDcldmdQX-MS46wbBHy5f-MNnt_E6MjmG1fM2Mp_7Mo3G8BLgRcv8-3raJO/s1600/DSCN1964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3L5pONYTqgeaN8CTu1antJNM_NisdTL1FLgILhvs7bHOv-kLDCoVuXQARAfTVDGMoaXIO0NxEERO7frebmDcldmdQX-MS46wbBHy5f-MNnt_E6MjmG1fM2Mp_7Mo3G8BLgRcv8-3raJO/s320/DSCN1964.JPG" width="320" /></a>Olympic Mountains visible down Mosquito Pass</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpzI2yCpMynXedadsNPZd9XAAoqK327l-2M_0lV36sAf5lL7qCzKrolAg5OGpH15GwW_YZzBPMza8U8HaaoRJZWu4_oshGyeSu6atFsEFE5uNCQScs7Krobkic0yAXKdSxf2u_-vDQugV/s1600/DSCN1967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFpzI2yCpMynXedadsNPZd9XAAoqK327l-2M_0lV36sAf5lL7qCzKrolAg5OGpH15GwW_YZzBPMza8U8HaaoRJZWu4_oshGyeSu6atFsEFE5uNCQScs7Krobkic0yAXKdSxf2u_-vDQugV/s320/DSCN1967.JPG" width="320" /></a>I had never seen Haro Strait this calm </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50guu7J1Fq0FO69AMGQMokGP32xHCaQvguZeE-nrWS00TjrTSahsfKqW8LOp4z6xpGKEjURC9pZPdmOYBgDHoHNJGr_7V82U6DL1SKj9f_y3Ifcga2joEKesOK1aFmAQ884FCke0qFJMc/s1600/DSCN1970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50guu7J1Fq0FO69AMGQMokGP32xHCaQvguZeE-nrWS00TjrTSahsfKqW8LOp4z6xpGKEjURC9pZPdmOYBgDHoHNJGr_7V82U6DL1SKj9f_y3Ifcga2joEKesOK1aFmAQ884FCke0qFJMc/s320/DSCN1970.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lunch break at San Juan County Park </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tTu9MSeJeES6HMNDFK4C16vBk10aoiZ2Waes_ssgbHzlpgGuQ7jUIkYb8VzpsVXWDh76pNSWntn8StT04OEOOPD6KuJRVFRMwWMFkuV2-nVc8hyphenhypheneAEjKEF7XffxDpv_fke7WwiYWx5yM/s1600/DSCN1984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5tTu9MSeJeES6HMNDFK4C16vBk10aoiZ2Waes_ssgbHzlpgGuQ7jUIkYb8VzpsVXWDh76pNSWntn8StT04OEOOPD6KuJRVFRMwWMFkuV2-nVc8hyphenhypheneAEjKEF7XffxDpv_fke7WwiYWx5yM/s320/DSCN1984.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lots of seals. :-) No whales. :-( </div>
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The San Juan’s are incredible.
One of my favorite places to paddle in the world, both for the scenic
beauty and the technical nature of the paddling. Not on this trip
but there have been 3 times in the San Juan’s where I have almost
been overcome by the strength of the tidal currents. Timing is
everything. Timing is also why my favorite time to visit is the
month before Memorial Day or the month after Labor Day. The amount
of people around are a fraction of what is the case during the
summer. I spent three nights on the islands (Posey Island, Griffin
Bay, and Turn Island) and had all of these places to myself. I only
saw two other (guided) groups during the 4 days. There was tons of wildlife. Seals, all sorts of birds, and deer. No whales however. If Knucklehead Adventure Tours ever offers to take you on a Whale Watch don't do it! It is a scam. If you are with me than you are pretty much guaranteed to not see a whale or bear.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4fniPbLioUg1r3r_swGoNS_QTTHMRaf2RULzqslXF_dJ1i0G1qArkHeifqtU5a98gcj-d8KRVceHA5NiR9RIL4Hl_eA0pdg4mQBfsqDZTGb6Q8lxyyJhfzYP-iZOgTxvL-uMFOBvpIog/s1600/DSCN1994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi4fniPbLioUg1r3r_swGoNS_QTTHMRaf2RULzqslXF_dJ1i0G1qArkHeifqtU5a98gcj-d8KRVceHA5NiR9RIL4Hl_eA0pdg4mQBfsqDZTGb6Q8lxyyJhfzYP-iZOgTxvL-uMFOBvpIog/s320/DSCN1994.JPG" width="240" /></a>Lime Kiln Lighthouse - one of the (not scary) scary spots on the paddle</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYkkl1Oqn-WFA9j1dPApWPuOwAY_Wf6D33wF3fhUSlDn_OkDPY60YA0-TUrhrtFBvh7QJ6mxxpSbewxuLL8nsEg9UicA5atBfWJncATaJEqwEe7G7TiGq3zfEObcGqoHW_EkLnIf30vzm/s1600/DSCN2006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYkkl1Oqn-WFA9j1dPApWPuOwAY_Wf6D33wF3fhUSlDn_OkDPY60YA0-TUrhrtFBvh7QJ6mxxpSbewxuLL8nsEg9UicA5atBfWJncATaJEqwEe7G7TiGq3zfEObcGqoHW_EkLnIf30vzm/s320/DSCN2006.JPG" width="320" /></a>Turn Island campsite </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGXeo3zo6i7cqEvm7b08WsDOrJSZE4ed_BzWGT38DqRF98rRQz9zlBkU4hsRKYhgJ0nrnoLMnoO48Bmz3sjoEEk_uXk440lm2T3t2zRfUGwu0FP800hOODN5giVcAqPyh9F6DZNO5g_rF/s1600/DSCN2015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCGXeo3zo6i7cqEvm7b08WsDOrJSZE4ed_BzWGT38DqRF98rRQz9zlBkU4hsRKYhgJ0nrnoLMnoO48Bmz3sjoEEk_uXk440lm2T3t2zRfUGwu0FP800hOODN5giVcAqPyh9F6DZNO5g_rF/s320/DSCN2015.JPG" width="320" /></a>There are some incredible boats in these waters </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5ty4AosocFOQZ-5juy4lFGEaJoQvO5RrLTn7IuxvYca32cXgN7XxbfhEVvxhQPuTN4lHk-3kHhFX-yXY6n5onSmf2PvyK4ulP4KyOOwH2onHGPF8Dfp2y28N_EbeIWXVf9z_4yQ-0DTJ/s1600/DSCN2030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji5ty4AosocFOQZ-5juy4lFGEaJoQvO5RrLTn7IuxvYca32cXgN7XxbfhEVvxhQPuTN4lHk-3kHhFX-yXY6n5onSmf2PvyK4ulP4KyOOwH2onHGPF8Dfp2y28N_EbeIWXVf9z_4yQ-0DTJ/s320/DSCN2030.JPG" width="320" /></a>Deer on Turn Island </div>
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All in all, the paddling therapy
worked. I am still not looking forward to surgery but at least I was
able to get out of the house and have a little adventure. There is
only so much reading, writing, picking banjo, and writing I can do
before I start to go crazy. For some reason for me to feel alive I
need to put myself in situations where I have to work at staying
alive. Mission successful. Next project will be looping Lopez Island
whose south side looks even more challenging but that will have to
wait until later this summer or fall. 6 days until surgery.</div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-27020593992163779372016-03-15T14:48:00.000-07:002016-03-15T14:51:10.918-07:00Torres del Paine - more Pain(e) than we had hoped for<br />
Torres del Paine National Park.
The crown jewel of the park system in Chile and a World Biosphere
Reserve visited by people from all over the world. National
Geographic listed it as #5 of The World's Most Beautiful Places. It
has been on the bucket list for a long time to come down to southern
Patagonia and trek there. It is a long way from anywhere but once in the area it is not that far from El Chalten and
Tierra del Fuego so there are other excellent outdoor places within a
days bus ride. January and February are the busiest times at the
park with December and March being the shoulder season. Summer is short this far south. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjns3KgybrvnsvN_UU0BFuupNTrCV4GDv20FSMRbVKl9AFN0JRgF6X2ccy7ig1uaBrMfXs7ud61HO-WKPGh3mv43V8JyGzTQr0zvKwtmcbgRFCki5lLhObSVMCA1dgDMrYmjZ9E-MrIjcV3/s1600/Day+10+-+Views+from+Lago+Pehoe+catamaran+32.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjns3KgybrvnsvN_UU0BFuupNTrCV4GDv20FSMRbVKl9AFN0JRgF6X2ccy7ig1uaBrMfXs7ud61HO-WKPGh3mv43V8JyGzTQr0zvKwtmcbgRFCki5lLhObSVMCA1dgDMrYmjZ9E-MrIjcV3/s320/Day+10+-+Views+from+Lago+Pehoe+catamaran+32.JPG" width="320" /></a>The Cordillera Paine</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI30VO72irDUiiqRpqjvxpdZaOOdAKZT8wJn8SEXhyphenhyphenmTCSOlg7dKaYJYLf6yQaMZl3fbNvpoQwS6DjdlvDZLiiEMX3MURC6aGxgTAi_HN5QrLJdo_-V7SAdmydxXGl3H7gzlSWEo0Y0SYq/s1600/Day+10+-+Views+from+Lago+Pehoe+catamaran+29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI30VO72irDUiiqRpqjvxpdZaOOdAKZT8wJn8SEXhyphenhyphenmTCSOlg7dKaYJYLf6yQaMZl3fbNvpoQwS6DjdlvDZLiiEMX3MURC6aGxgTAi_HN5QrLJdo_-V7SAdmydxXGl3H7gzlSWEo0Y0SYq/s320/Day+10+-+Views+from+Lago+Pehoe+catamaran+29.JPG" width="320" /></a>Cuernos del Paine </div>
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There are a number of hiking
options at the park. By far the most popular option is hiking the
“W”. A W shaped walk that basically consists of 3 out-and-backs
that visit the most scenic spots on the front side of the park. This
takes typically 4 to 5 days which fits most tourist’s schedule.
This is not a wilderness experience as you will pass hundreds of
people on the trail during peak season. For those with more time
there is the “O” which does the “W” and then circles around
the entire park. This takes 8 to 9 days and is therefore much less
traveled. The other nice thing is that the park service restricts
the backside of the park to 80 people a day. We did the “Q”
which is basically the “O” with a day and a half approach hike
across the windblown steppes south of the park. The “Q” covers
almost every trail you are allowed to hike in the park without a
guide. We also met people who were doing “Y”'s and “U”'s. For accommodations
there is the option of staying and eating in the
Refugio huts which means you do not have to carry very much on your
back. This will run you between $115 and $150 a day depending on the
Refugio. The cheap way to do it is to carry your own tent and food.
Camping fees are around $9 a person at the pay sites and there are 4
free campsites run by the park. This is where it gets confusing.
There are two private companies and the park service CONAF that run
the various campsites. Reservations are possible but are not needed at
any of the campsites except for the 2 most popular free campsites.
These reservations are a scramble to get. You can try to reserve at
the CONAF building in Puerto Natales (the closest big town), at the park
entrance, or within the park at specific locations that day. We ended up
getting our reservations for those 2 sites (Campamento Italiano and
Campamento Torres) at the park entrance. The days we wanted were
full so we had to push everything back a day making the first 3 days of our trek
very short mileage.
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The Q: We started on the tail of
the Q which meant that we started about 11 miles away from the
mountain range we were going to circumnavigate. We took the bus from
town to the last stop and got off at the park headquarters. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXg-Dmz3ONGZdA9dg3zQ2_vgQCtuAa5vZ06PQMwFQrqGyuRXO-dG9PBL4MMUAYZgv8ui6U_xnEvpOSvjC6NCnLVSGttukBPDbD3Ln8qV2CsW4MGUVqOUldePX3A7hyphenhyphencgtrtZs4Se4lW2IF/s1600/Day+1+-+View+from+Administracion+Headquarters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXg-Dmz3ONGZdA9dg3zQ2_vgQCtuAa5vZ06PQMwFQrqGyuRXO-dG9PBL4MMUAYZgv8ui6U_xnEvpOSvjC6NCnLVSGttukBPDbD3Ln8qV2CsW4MGUVqOUldePX3A7hyphenhyphencgtrtZs4Se4lW2IF/s320/Day+1+-+View+from+Administracion+Headquarters.JPG" width="320" /></a>Start of Q at Administracion</div>
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At the
park entrance everyone had to stop, pay their 18,000 peso (~$25)
entrance fee, and watch a video of the park rules. They are VERY
serious about fire. If you get caught making a fire in the park or
even cooking outside the designated zones you can be arrested and
fined. People that have been caught making fires having even been
thrown out of the country for life. In 2011-2012 an Israeli burning
toilet paper started a fire that burned 40% of the park. At this
latitude the trees take 200 years to mature. We passed through a
burned area from 1985 that has made no recovery in the 30 years
since. The tail of the Q passed through a combination of open grassy
steppes and burnt forest. The wind was ferocious across the plains
and knocked us around as we tried to walk against it. Trekking poles were a big help.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5Ke3SqvgT2OgJPUTj81g5COG-HjiMLqq2dCh2J1CBaTjAGFI09Wjpg-14p-nvRc_lFjrM182ovwY1mm5L39jM3i2ehEAW79MUBbjtZEtVtbx6F6KkGVzw2zyuawyuG3UCfXb0mzNhCiB/s1600/Day+1+-+hiking+the+tail+of+the+Q+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5Ke3SqvgT2OgJPUTj81g5COG-HjiMLqq2dCh2J1CBaTjAGFI09Wjpg-14p-nvRc_lFjrM182ovwY1mm5L39jM3i2ehEAW79MUBbjtZEtVtbx6F6KkGVzw2zyuawyuG3UCfXb0mzNhCiB/s320/Day+1+-+hiking+the+tail+of+the+Q+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Initial grassy wind blown plains </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsIg25EOeklf0ReaM5_Njl9nOQ5mmA2pl-qkgkkp7eVothVJcjXEtgc3GygNbHoIqPF0Q57CVIZyYx0s1MmfwYA0tYx9mIL8FHQkYTlzRhBjgAEAcEBZiqq1RFAitmFHK5VdZ2KkWXeds/s1600/Day+2+-+Paine+Grande+and+Cuernos+del+Paine+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJsIg25EOeklf0ReaM5_Njl9nOQ5mmA2pl-qkgkkp7eVothVJcjXEtgc3GygNbHoIqPF0Q57CVIZyYx0s1MmfwYA0tYx9mIL8FHQkYTlzRhBjgAEAcEBZiqq1RFAitmFHK5VdZ2KkWXeds/s320/Day+2+-+Paine+Grande+and+Cuernos+del+Paine+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Areas of burnt forest </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFu9AdQaSrGrKaqBc-NKuT7UleKdSqkZPc88zIC61GPsaWZ2pDqZDs7HGgiuUwG77s5yG3C0E86-QRQGprYnnKY8sJ82tNMDxHi7zTXd3PN8lhVAMnxtWvVpoeXhcC4O-UArikSN31zKji/s1600/Day+3+-+Edge+of+burnt+vs+not+burnt+forest.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFu9AdQaSrGrKaqBc-NKuT7UleKdSqkZPc88zIC61GPsaWZ2pDqZDs7HGgiuUwG77s5yG3C0E86-QRQGprYnnKY8sJ82tNMDxHi7zTXd3PN8lhVAMnxtWvVpoeXhcC4O-UArikSN31zKji/s320/Day+3+-+Edge+of+burnt+vs+not+burnt+forest.JPG" width="320" /></a>Transition between burnt and old forest</div>
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The park is
located right next to the Southern Patagonian Icecap which is the 2<sup>nd</sup>
largest piece of ice outside of Antarctica (Greenland is #1) so this
has a huge effect on the weather and wind in the area. The burnt
forest was sad but starkly beautiful in a way. We walked a few hours
to the first free campsite that was in a small hollow tucked out of
the wind along the Rio Grey where ducks splashed in the water. This
was the only water in the park we filtered because of all the geese
in it. Otherwise the water is completely pure and able to be drunk
straight from the stream. There are not many places in the world
where this can happen. The next day was another short day to get to
the Refugio and campsite at Paine Grande where we joined up with the
“W” route.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaQDvuRbI94MrZW2DuViYw7Z9EQmEZNa5VX9nyVuvhBJIPdg_QJ6Ho3ZzlEIDxC6mS9vTV7V1KsGyiTjphmmYQSDq_KBfVzYYZe1t_g6O4o5bISEoUgxuq4OizzA_KdumSG9icBC_OGCj/s1600/Day+2+-+Lago+Pehoe+with+Paine+Grande+and+Cuernos+del+Paine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaQDvuRbI94MrZW2DuViYw7Z9EQmEZNa5VX9nyVuvhBJIPdg_QJ6Ho3ZzlEIDxC6mS9vTV7V1KsGyiTjphmmYQSDq_KBfVzYYZe1t_g6O4o5bISEoUgxuq4OizzA_KdumSG9icBC_OGCj/s320/Day+2+-+Lago+Pehoe+with+Paine+Grande+and+Cuernos+del+Paine.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lakes abound in the park </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1ZzZlGwpTQ-hlR4Q3YzafXM8RiN7hDltBdqoF9s6t-LTDDNUCSYqyn7uZAN_1K9AE0YW6DrICC6QRULlyxJkYZWuNW2rlne-phph3JVYAxMWXBKZfz6neyhkL6Eycv1nUCzYhTm1xY9P/s1600/Day+2+-+Tent+eating+European+hare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1ZzZlGwpTQ-hlR4Q3YzafXM8RiN7hDltBdqoF9s6t-LTDDNUCSYqyn7uZAN_1K9AE0YW6DrICC6QRULlyxJkYZWuNW2rlne-phph3JVYAxMWXBKZfz6neyhkL6Eycv1nUCzYhTm1xY9P/s320/Day+2+-+Tent+eating+European+hare.JPG" width="320" /></a>This rabbit ate a small hole in the bottom of our tent trying to get at our food bag. They are European hares (an introduced species) and are a big problem in the park. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkrjZYqVpt6TEAqqhp2u9d3d3g8SR8sABUYBjWOfEo9kpsAvFefa9tmdu5ctyHNSQVXqGdzVde7R5RVC55V574QIi98j40atvTPZcWCJFiFGhgxwosSbDqmlCNSMzsFGc2sLazZ2eCOeg/s1600/Day+3+-+Wind+whipped+Lago+Skottsberg+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRkrjZYqVpt6TEAqqhp2u9d3d3g8SR8sABUYBjWOfEo9kpsAvFefa9tmdu5ctyHNSQVXqGdzVde7R5RVC55V574QIi98j40atvTPZcWCJFiFGhgxwosSbDqmlCNSMzsFGc2sLazZ2eCOeg/s320/Day+3+-+Wind+whipped+Lago+Skottsberg+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>60mph gusts whipping spray off lake surface</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Do not plan on coming to Torres del Paine to
have a wilderness experience and this is even truer on the “W”.
It is more like a human zoo with a lot of younger tourists that like
to party and not respect the other people around them. There were a
lot of nights where there would be loud voices, yelling, singing, and
general obnoxiousness at wee hours of the morning. We did quickly
discover that these same people did not like to get up in the
morning. If we got up and were on the trail by 0730 (not an
unreasonable time) then we typically would be the first people on the
trail. That meant we didn't have to see anyone for at least a couple
hours before people would start coming down the trail the other direction.
We did not have to do the first out-and-back to Refugio Grey since
that was where we would be closing out the “O” route. The first
out and back we did was up the French Valley to a lookout called
Mirador Britanica. This is a viewpoint that is surrounded by
stunning mountains and cliff faces.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlQeUtiZonMGZiJhB9IYRjfx7a7Bkd3kqFcAjWsvGkVXa2wBcE0G1MCFNAGoxjka14RTz1Fi3ZLmsXVaDOtku9QcWrsJFnlO-4kgwiWne1CGl7jJNCrE3arVB5i07bYnqBZ2yf6kudBMl/s1600/Day+4+-+Long+avalanche+of+ice+on+Cerro+Paine+Grande.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlQeUtiZonMGZiJhB9IYRjfx7a7Bkd3kqFcAjWsvGkVXa2wBcE0G1MCFNAGoxjka14RTz1Fi3ZLmsXVaDOtku9QcWrsJFnlO-4kgwiWne1CGl7jJNCrE3arVB5i07bYnqBZ2yf6kudBMl/s320/Day+4+-+Long+avalanche+of+ice+on+Cerro+Paine+Grande.JPG" width="240" /></a>Ice avalanche down Glaciar Frances </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0C2IygD-rsH5_3nzwj3ZHwpK2jdD_Lg6wMONlqhApHo_apLZyOdIscU8vuD3xQ0oXIunawbrGzzPOacl7_JBdLI1j44we9q80B4CxzMvCPhuBXpC0Ipflbo2rR_Qb2Rz4DKU4tLnish7c/s1600/Day+5+-+Upper+French+Valley+and+Rio+del+Frances+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0C2IygD-rsH5_3nzwj3ZHwpK2jdD_Lg6wMONlqhApHo_apLZyOdIscU8vuD3xQ0oXIunawbrGzzPOacl7_JBdLI1j44we9q80B4CxzMvCPhuBXpC0Ipflbo2rR_Qb2Rz4DKU4tLnish7c/s320/Day+5+-+Upper+French+Valley+and+Rio+del+Frances+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Upper French Valley and Rio Frances</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
With our (not so) early start we
were the first people up there and had 20 minutes to ourselves before
the first other people started to arrive. Then in the hour it took
us to get back to our camp we passed around 150 people and those were
the early risers. It would get even busier later in the day. In fact we
thought that the “W” should be renamed the “O-la” since
everyone says Hola (Hello) to each other as they pass. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRArPp7hQgt6s8r0JtVG3ajRf0Ne9Zlpx_kDlSUjH-UtJ04Makqws5jxKu2aY72TCPM6tknLUSapFYEFiHYJMTySiJvV9ID-suhCEUSsqgvX0LKvj6oVOQ6Pix5Y7n4w37rkY_SjAXC-z/s1600/Day+5+-+Sunrise+over+Lago+Nordenskjold+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRArPp7hQgt6s8r0JtVG3ajRf0Ne9Zlpx_kDlSUjH-UtJ04Makqws5jxKu2aY72TCPM6tknLUSapFYEFiHYJMTySiJvV9ID-suhCEUSsqgvX0LKvj6oVOQ6Pix5Y7n4w37rkY_SjAXC-z/s320/Day+5+-+Sunrise+over+Lago+Nordenskjold+3.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunrise view along the W </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgow5aKNi1tytda_uwb53pirRCNu-6tGWh510htUNsB48VfRKCRm8Atpx1TL_ejQegobD3LyX_zZxfHpuDadYp4551QhnA6KmRiqg3ztFG41Xrl6dDCO_dM2IJv0OBPKuWqIJMcvUBCehG6/s1600/Day+4+-+Cuerno+Principal+and+Cuerno+Este+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgow5aKNi1tytda_uwb53pirRCNu-6tGWh510htUNsB48VfRKCRm8Atpx1TL_ejQegobD3LyX_zZxfHpuDadYp4551QhnA6KmRiqg3ztFG41Xrl6dDCO_dM2IJv0OBPKuWqIJMcvUBCehG6/s320/Day+4+-+Cuerno+Principal+and+Cuerno+Este+4.JPG" width="240" /></a>Views from part of the W </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mODm-hMcI-CXbVaYdnr8oo7i6NmkEdrGMNtK5yk8cLjIRfHa7aM7PHrLDiK67TZd45M5eTbpzbIhkntqvnGalp2KeXa4aycXOs02wxXTsDIV_Rqo5Z3CUqooi6msa3BEkgIV-_6OYXCT/s1600/Day+5+-+Fox+at+Refugio+Chileno+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mODm-hMcI-CXbVaYdnr8oo7i6NmkEdrGMNtK5yk8cLjIRfHa7aM7PHrLDiK67TZd45M5eTbpzbIhkntqvnGalp2KeXa4aycXOs02wxXTsDIV_Rqo5Z3CUqooi6msa3BEkgIV-_6OYXCT/s320/Day+5+-+Fox+at+Refugio+Chileno+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Foxes were often seen at campsites</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The other out-and-back was
up the Rio Ascencio valley to Mirador Torres. It is popular to get
to this lookout while it is still dark in the morning and then watch
the sun rise on the famous Torres del Paine – the namesakes of the
park. These are three monolithic towers of rock and the morning sun
shines directly on to them. There was a long line of headlamps
heading up to the viewpoint that morning. We took a Nalgene full of
coffee and our sleeping bags so we were very comfortable as we laid
on large rocks and watched the show. There were no clouds and just a
small amount of wind so it was a great morning. It would have made a
great time lapse movie.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLPl34asMHxt9qMjivoEV5qbmbneSGxFDYzbBULVpW1CPdAEaR5yxDSrQbSl671XcK8fBSAT1wP3eanxLvOqbtpv7_OBP7JN4XJz-gKo7C2VC6evViyS-ryi2U_OOXQIq9zpGIcXzsa80/s1600/Day+6+-+Torres+del+Paine+sunshine+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnLPl34asMHxt9qMjivoEV5qbmbneSGxFDYzbBULVpW1CPdAEaR5yxDSrQbSl671XcK8fBSAT1wP3eanxLvOqbtpv7_OBP7JN4XJz-gKo7C2VC6evViyS-ryi2U_OOXQIq9zpGIcXzsa80/s320/Day+6+-+Torres+del+Paine+sunshine+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunrise on the Torres del Paine</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This valley was even more crowded then the
French valley and by the end of it we were hating people and ready to
head to the backside of the park. The final straw was watching an
American trail runner elbowing people out of the way on the trail
because for whatever reason he couldn't stop running for a minute to
get around people politely. It has been one of the few instances on
World Tour where we have seen embarrassing American behavior. Plus
he was giving trail runners a bad name so it was a double whammy.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The “O” was the part we had really been waiting for. The trail is limited to 80 people a day and
everyone has to go counter-clockwise so we would be seeing far fewer
people on the trail. In fact when we went through the checkpoint
where we had to show our backside permit only 39 people went through
that day. The hiking is more scenic though the mountains are not as
dramatic as they had been on the “W”. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrA3JRHXNBwnzlbxTLbG0169E2sqOnMbqyZKyIExfv9FlBDvyQRpHdjR2OB3rqSs6BLfiq7eoCwFKO9v6IXAztPrPKEiovOb0W0m9e68BKoDttWI13H-rZqcvtXURzQzavKYK0X6pPKrT-/s1600/Day+6+-+Rio+Paine+toward+Campamento+Seron+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrA3JRHXNBwnzlbxTLbG0169E2sqOnMbqyZKyIExfv9FlBDvyQRpHdjR2OB3rqSs6BLfiq7eoCwFKO9v6IXAztPrPKEiovOb0W0m9e68BKoDttWI13H-rZqcvtXURzQzavKYK0X6pPKrT-/s320/Day+6+-+Rio+Paine+toward+Campamento+Seron+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Hiking into the backside </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81E12NyfpND4JLRsXzAOz1Fwr8QOzI_kbxQiLXf-P7EXLXQx6WEDb1o9JflRzb-jnmNpPylZ6RuoEqdoCTeefgcE3Xw6vKTwXgQG-FpPfWmJ1A9IRmjDwNp3oAQYO2Z2vfI8H3oZeZGw0/s1600/Day+7+-+Lago+Paine+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81E12NyfpND4JLRsXzAOz1Fwr8QOzI_kbxQiLXf-P7EXLXQx6WEDb1o9JflRzb-jnmNpPylZ6RuoEqdoCTeefgcE3Xw6vKTwXgQG-FpPfWmJ1A9IRmjDwNp3oAQYO2Z2vfI8H3oZeZGw0/s320/Day+7+-+Lago+Paine+3.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lago Paine looking toward Argentina</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Our first night on the “O”
there was a very hard frost that night so most everyone was cold that
night. By this time we had met a group of friends that we would hang
out with every night. It was quite the international group – 2
Americans, a dual Irish-American, a dual Iranian-Canadian, an Aussie,
a Scot, and 2 Brits. One of the British girls (Abi) had been on the boat to Antarctica with us.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YQoArWZNyLi6Hs1_17w_pKLztZtOFX_NdGM6EMyplt-b-WOVPIECYmDVRvciY784x7gnXILfe1cUOGR0tROWE2D80Q1cctUDUuZ42bM3pzvTWUTCnrfYEKHOGcuiR0e3aPdLwlEDG49k/s1600/Day+10+-+The+Torres+del+Paine+posse+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YQoArWZNyLi6Hs1_17w_pKLztZtOFX_NdGM6EMyplt-b-WOVPIECYmDVRvciY784x7gnXILfe1cUOGR0tROWE2D80Q1cctUDUuZ42bM3pzvTWUTCnrfYEKHOGcuiR0e3aPdLwlEDG49k/s320/Day+10+-+The+Torres+del+Paine+posse+4.JPG" width="320" /></a>Left to right: American, Scot, Brit, American/Irish, American, Iranian/Canadian, Aussie, Brit.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We were all excited about the campsite at
Refugio Dickson. It had been built up as the best campsite of the
trip but we found it to be very mosquito infested and the guy walking
around in a Tyvek suit with a respirator spraying the buildings with
pesticide did not inspire confidence. It was prettier down near the
lake and the wind there kept the bugs away. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79WxqxEZMkkJGQs1ySYwlbbYsYQBj09X_1Hv94u9WNabArzy7oRlVD_OMbcsFpzgKaVXFObKa-zxy3-QJvWwrQ-is4AYm0eZeD34hFDdq6hBxaIxLnOcLcW6rabFmPArAz7ohxvvIae6j/s1600/Day+7+-+Lago+Dickson+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi79WxqxEZMkkJGQs1ySYwlbbYsYQBj09X_1Hv94u9WNabArzy7oRlVD_OMbcsFpzgKaVXFObKa-zxy3-QJvWwrQ-is4AYm0eZeD34hFDdq6hBxaIxLnOcLcW6rabFmPArAz7ohxvvIae6j/s320/Day+7+-+Lago+Dickson+3.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lago Dickson and campsite </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
John drank a fair amount
of wine that night so did not feel that chipper the next day. John
Gardner Pass was the next obstacle in front of us. The wind forecast
was worse for the next day so we elected to do a double hike past the
Los Perros camp to get to a free campsite on the other side of the
pass called Capamento Paso. John was feeling low energy but wanted
to get to the free campsite. It rained off and on all day and was
even snowing on the top of the pass. It was a damp, cold day and not
that much fun. The woods, mountains, grey, and rain actually reminded us
a lot of being back in Washington. From the Los Perros camp it was
about a 3 hour hike to the top of the pass. About an hour into this
was when John's mountain luck ran out. We have been pushing our luck
in the mountains for the last several years so it seemed like a
matter of time before someone got hurt. It would be nice if there was more adventure and
excitement in the story but there isn't. We were traveling through
an area that had deep areas of mud. So deep that our trekking poles
would not reach the bottom of it. John was trying to cross one of
these areas using tree roots to keep from sinking into it when he slipped
on the wet muddy wood. In the process of stumbling forward several
steps his left ankle rolled and he felt a pop. From then on every
time the ankle had any lateral motion there would be a painful pop as
the peroneal tendon would flip over the bony protuberance of his
ankle (fibular malleolus). There is no search and rescue in the park
and horses are not able to get to this part of the trail. Luckily as
long as the foot was placed flat and the motion was only
forward/backwards then he was able to walk. The closest way out of
the park was to continue over the pass so we did. We were slower as
John had to be very careful, especially when the terrain was uneven. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0DbEIfBNc-dy9JPBpZrehyNsGnSA92seDi6_ss6Yck1pZABPyjU4L2xR-gdMn40k9MO46U3tEPQcMM0W7xe4qfMTO1RSGHnQexA0sv0Wz4kxwY7dDJ1FsrWJPHdOCSJmBrZD1Z9RwiPU/s1600/Day+8+-+Paso+John+Gardner+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic0DbEIfBNc-dy9JPBpZrehyNsGnSA92seDi6_ss6Yck1pZABPyjU4L2xR-gdMn40k9MO46U3tEPQcMM0W7xe4qfMTO1RSGHnQexA0sv0Wz4kxwY7dDJ1FsrWJPHdOCSJmBrZD1Z9RwiPU/s320/Day+8+-+Paso+John+Gardner+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Paso John Gardner about an hour after injury</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
On the top of John Gardner Pass the wind was so strong that it was
almost impossible to take steps forward without getting knocked down.
We would have to wait for brief periods of the wind speed dropping
to move forward a few steps. The scenery on the west side of the
pass is the best of the entire park. From the pass until Refugio
Grey is reached is stunning as you look down on the Glaciar Grey and
Southern tip of the Patagonian Icecap. We have only seen ice like
that in Alaska and Antarctica before. Row after row of crevasses for
as far as the eye could see. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zxAP9qGCrUCDloPevgzzK4Z2orT4M3XF8zn17WIra6SubBSusZHd-cUMJpufXK7POk8HT_up7MZwv4AtZHG0JI1rfC1-dDz5xuij___h2HXPOsdWy_EV-dGJyOF3DjEktlmTvmwqJFI0/s1600/Day+9+-+Hiking+along+Glaciar+Grey+to+Refugio+Grey+32.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-zxAP9qGCrUCDloPevgzzK4Z2orT4M3XF8zn17WIra6SubBSusZHd-cUMJpufXK7POk8HT_up7MZwv4AtZHG0JI1rfC1-dDz5xuij___h2HXPOsdWy_EV-dGJyOF3DjEktlmTvmwqJFI0/s320/Day+9+-+Hiking+along+Glaciar+Grey+to+Refugio+Grey+32.JPG" width="320" /></a>Pictures couldn't capture the scale</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs4A5jgHwRWvCsI6oRUbTz-vPt9fOP_MMjTMpInDhB0Y4ikwemFZYpzzLM1tDNP0onCWlZx2VeqgBeArwOez07_nUuzV5QdM9_HDOsdoFzKmFKO_WP8BIt15CzeYXszEF1lg0v-Qilxqx/s1600/Day+10+-+Hike+out+along+Lago+Grey+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHs4A5jgHwRWvCsI6oRUbTz-vPt9fOP_MMjTMpInDhB0Y4ikwemFZYpzzLM1tDNP0onCWlZx2VeqgBeArwOez07_nUuzV5QdM9_HDOsdoFzKmFKO_WP8BIt15CzeYXszEF1lg0v-Qilxqx/s320/Day+10+-+Hike+out+along+Lago+Grey+11.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lago and Glaciar Grey </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The last two days to hike out were
about 10km each day with much smoother trail so John was able to
continue hiking out though once we reached Refugio Grey we were back
on the “W” highway.
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The end of the trail took us to
Lago Pehoe where we were able to catch a boat across the lake to
where the busses would pick us up and take us back to town. Despite
getting hurt we were glad to have been able to do this trail. We
have discussed coming back some day and running the “O” loop over
2 days. Now John has his ankle immobilized in a splint and we will
see if this lets it heal or not. In the meantime we are going to go
to Santiago to recuperate. Depending on how the ankle is we will
either continue on to northern Chile or worst case have to come home
for further treatment.
</div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-64436180251077394082016-02-29T10:15:00.001-08:002016-02-29T10:15:45.633-08:00Antarctica - touching the bottom of the world <br />
While kayaking in Ha Long Bay,
Vietnam we met a fellow traveler who told us about going to Ushuaia,
Argentina where the cruise ships leave for Antarctica. With some
flexibility to your schedule it was often possible to pick up a last
minute cruise to the Ice Continent for a steep discount if they are
leaving with empty cabins. With low expectations we arrived in
Ushuaia to see what might happen. To our joy we found there were two
expedition ships leaving that week that had discounted cabins. Sarah and Gabriel at Freestyle Adventure Travel helped go through the trips available leaving in the next week. The
discounts were not quite as much as we hoped since many other people
have discovered this trick so the supply and demand is not as
favorable as it used to be. The trip was going to be a budget
breaker but after discussing it we decided that since the trips were
only going to become more expensive as the years went by (or even travel to Antarctica banned) and since we
were returning to jobs in July that this was the time to do it. When
we found out that one of the expeditions was called “Base Camp
Antarctica” and offered ski mountaineering, mountaineering,
kayaking, and camping out on the ice we were 100% sold on going. The
highlight was ski mountaineering, so we raced around Ushuaia and
found a teli and AT ski set up for the week but then were told 2 days
before the trip left that they had made a mistake and that the ski
mountaineering was full. This was very disappointing but there was
so many other cool things to do that this feeling did not last long.
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNx_h-PjlO7n5QDoMlE371ZAKedgp6HIUJKlJ36e0-0PZ1RzOs-34ncvhvgxEdJLIuPbSUp9mqiHSJEDs8_Z6kg19p10GcTLzEIlpPhlSTwMLqn8ZVjNjyzWtTvIZCZHagWiPvsi6wWo2/s1600/Day+1+-+MV+Ortelius.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVNx_h-PjlO7n5QDoMlE371ZAKedgp6HIUJKlJ36e0-0PZ1RzOs-34ncvhvgxEdJLIuPbSUp9mqiHSJEDs8_Z6kg19p10GcTLzEIlpPhlSTwMLqn8ZVjNjyzWtTvIZCZHagWiPvsi6wWo2/s320/Day+1+-+MV+Ortelius.JPG" width="320" /></a>MV Ortelius - former Russian scientific vessel</div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Getting to Antarctica by water
means crossing the Southern Ocean, one of the roughest areas of sea
in the world. In between the southern tip of South America and the
Antarctic Peninsula is the narrowest part of this ocean where the
Pacific Ocean meets the Atlantic. This area south of Cape Horn is
called the Drake Passage and is renowned for horrible weather and
huge waves. This was not to be the case with us. The crew called it
the “Drake Lake”. Some of the crew had never seen the Drake
Passage that smooth and on the return trip it was even flatter. Some
people on the ship still became queasy but nothing like would
normally have happened on the “Drake Shake”.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FUfD5yOT3OzyRv1Fy9qyZgvFlY-QQM20QuCavnA_m4h62BulwH3jeF20hbMKxU9Coec_D6LVUW-Z-hpYMaISUNxwNkbtTDwWOJiXjnR43nTHfrZFs8YNs5llvPHqWJuIkV6rlc5en-fa/s1600/Day+2+-+Sunrise+on+Drake+Passage+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FUfD5yOT3OzyRv1Fy9qyZgvFlY-QQM20QuCavnA_m4h62BulwH3jeF20hbMKxU9Coec_D6LVUW-Z-hpYMaISUNxwNkbtTDwWOJiXjnR43nTHfrZFs8YNs5llvPHqWJuIkV6rlc5en-fa/s320/Day+2+-+Sunrise+on+Drake+Passage+3.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunrise on the "Drake Lake" </div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
From the minute we reached
Antarctica amazing things started to happen. As we were going down
the Gerlache Strait we were greeted by a large pod of Humpback
whales. Spray shooting up from the blowholes and tails were flashing
all around.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMRDGk6n62Txvjk3a_SJ5Lw4oq1WB_L6hLZhW2QP6zEookeykBAvlNxbTzy-ILMHfyBB9EB2gEAsOs_MCLD6QHt_q0anEtcOODpqO828flTUFvuskmMg7zaAa6HtS4_CS1ZlC7fR_Ndlq/s1600/Day+8+-+Humpbacks+near+Melchior+Islands+25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMRDGk6n62Txvjk3a_SJ5Lw4oq1WB_L6hLZhW2QP6zEookeykBAvlNxbTzy-ILMHfyBB9EB2gEAsOs_MCLD6QHt_q0anEtcOODpqO828flTUFvuskmMg7zaAa6HtS4_CS1ZlC7fR_Ndlq/s320/Day+8+-+Humpbacks+near+Melchior+Islands+25.JPG" width="320" /></a>Blowholes!!! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOCBUKgG0kdSu-2lh9O5Gq8GIfS2kduGaVJyXtHtLTgyHnNffP0Syl1jCfum6ehxEHaJ3t6pwAyyKuWq3QCcKXjMw2DSEcvODQISiTzLfAKTckCDwm5XQef3JLyzLtmzQ65q71umrr-b7/s1600/Day+8+-+Humpbacks+near+Melchior+Islands+22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeOCBUKgG0kdSu-2lh9O5Gq8GIfS2kduGaVJyXtHtLTgyHnNffP0Syl1jCfum6ehxEHaJ3t6pwAyyKuWq3QCcKXjMw2DSEcvODQISiTzLfAKTckCDwm5XQef3JLyzLtmzQ65q71umrr-b7/s320/Day+8+-+Humpbacks+near+Melchior+Islands+22.JPG" width="320" /></a>Humpback whale tail</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
That day we also visited our first penguin colony.
There we discovered that penguins make people happy. Their adorable
look and silly antics just makes people laugh and smile. So much so
that we thought there should be penguin psychiatric therapy.
Depression would be immediately cured when surrounded by a colony of
penguins and their chicks. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmWOGMm2N9QXv3jkVgAsK23xpT35bT2XhlT27vA-ioAOMuHkRNJmC1JNCKY_AUP9BZbmYEJ41KqxDtxBMRiPL6o3OhHxdA7FlHFdutgTnCXi6KQ73qScG7NE-OCu0qb0QkhWQHx6D-KGo/s1600/Day+4+-+Cuverville+Island+59.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmWOGMm2N9QXv3jkVgAsK23xpT35bT2XhlT27vA-ioAOMuHkRNJmC1JNCKY_AUP9BZbmYEJ41KqxDtxBMRiPL6o3OhHxdA7FlHFdutgTnCXi6KQ73qScG7NE-OCu0qb0QkhWQHx6D-KGo/s320/Day+4+-+Cuverville+Island+59.JPG" width="320" /></a>Thousands of Gentoo Penguins</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cj7070-6JXUMoq-w-f6F-W6gxv_sM7kbaTW3qWefaTXUJwHR5LO8KkAIAKyW1CoPthBhfNzPoLF-6q3BGOcRK2hFSw5uR6mJBzhQy10wshg54JeeSquHC5WBBgezCNVEtMDwNxFqKxg6/s1600/Day+4+-+Cuverville+Island+27.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cj7070-6JXUMoq-w-f6F-W6gxv_sM7kbaTW3qWefaTXUJwHR5LO8KkAIAKyW1CoPthBhfNzPoLF-6q3BGOcRK2hFSw5uR6mJBzhQy10wshg54JeeSquHC5WBBgezCNVEtMDwNxFqKxg6/s320/Day+4+-+Cuverville+Island+27.JPG" width="320" /></a>Kathleen wanted to keep it </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzWR_ZJq5Mi9O2yqdr33cIxiajJ05362pIIs33uMlPgjdvkYLKKxGsv4b5AQCsBNGFaGN3Sr9_8cvyzmnd4vGleE5WHXGpmP7_eFaCVZKrRbqCgvlq75GWsLDRD6PN2bhP561Q7rhhKRt/s1600/Day+4+-+Cuverville+Island+41.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzWR_ZJq5Mi9O2yqdr33cIxiajJ05362pIIs33uMlPgjdvkYLKKxGsv4b5AQCsBNGFaGN3Sr9_8cvyzmnd4vGleE5WHXGpmP7_eFaCVZKrRbqCgvlq75GWsLDRD6PN2bhP561Q7rhhKRt/s320/Day+4+-+Cuverville+Island+41.JPG" width="320" /></a>Super goofy on land </div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Over the next 5 days there would
be many other opportunities to watch (and smell) penguins and seals.
There were snow shoe hikes up several small hills to get better views
of the areas. It did not take much of an elevations gain to get
spectacular vistas of the surrounding bays, mountains, and glaciers.
With no trees or other familiar objects to judge size from made
perspectives really difficult to perceive. Things always looked much
closer or farther than they actually were. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItOC6A8wKjOngSba_mq0wfaEP3cNU3tmlriSyTj7dRmze6LpNWi9fOF6rUSuRak-Okg1Ecnkpwki7Uv0oIhcAGq6Sncqh16oHzhxgcUAyrRE8BasBN0K8sn1zSkwme2Zspup7E1YZyze-/s1600/Day+5+-+Browns+Station+15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgItOC6A8wKjOngSba_mq0wfaEP3cNU3tmlriSyTj7dRmze6LpNWi9fOF6rUSuRak-Okg1Ecnkpwki7Uv0oIhcAGq6Sncqh16oHzhxgcUAyrRE8BasBN0K8sn1zSkwme2Zspup7E1YZyze-/s320/Day+5+-+Browns+Station+15.JPG" width="320" /></a>View from above Brown's Station</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioziEQF9L2uxW9wg9rax1EmsgGuXaQ1mQ7B87fgQBkYrMxQczDIlYzbXXBL9fyxTJjwAYn4lL-R5LKtT2RwrOlDij1GijLqsZfSc6UuRkR8T2vJBKkwOsHCTAMJ9q2rer8wFST7AaP-ubm/s1600/Day+5+-+Stoney+Point+snowshoe+19.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioziEQF9L2uxW9wg9rax1EmsgGuXaQ1mQ7B87fgQBkYrMxQczDIlYzbXXBL9fyxTJjwAYn4lL-R5LKtT2RwrOlDij1GijLqsZfSc6UuRkR8T2vJBKkwOsHCTAMJ9q2rer8wFST7AaP-ubm/s320/Day+5+-+Stoney+Point+snowshoe+19.JPG" width="320" /></a>View from Stoney Point </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIj8j7mjJv4ZUfwUkvUGi2DuQkrfthxERIRZ7dPo_29rgAK_pj25aV5OkqBCyA6UAuko_-2HSNOP1lD1hKK0vPhGAYFCQIAdz90wmpOaAk2ACxazvOZ4HxouGn2nIdOuvDyBOrrjAHbGK/s1600/Day+5+-+Stoney+Point+snowshoe+20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIj8j7mjJv4ZUfwUkvUGi2DuQkrfthxERIRZ7dPo_29rgAK_pj25aV5OkqBCyA6UAuko_-2HSNOP1lD1hKK0vPhGAYFCQIAdz90wmpOaAk2ACxazvOZ4HxouGn2nIdOuvDyBOrrjAHbGK/s320/Day+5+-+Stoney+Point+snowshoe+20.JPG" width="320" /></a>Another Stoney Point view </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KgXuVo67sqL1FgaruLrIZZKFAjzXUPnuErnQ_J6Xbzo1I3UNXAAIwgRyJp9noeNNNO6xWMIzcXhVg4ent3iK2GLeOJQQ9GkKJOpjd7RUfM6WyJm853ZtN7Nti8UhNkbI84lpTQC1Boxt/s1600/Day+7+-+Hike+at+Neko+Harbour+13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KgXuVo67sqL1FgaruLrIZZKFAjzXUPnuErnQ_J6Xbzo1I3UNXAAIwgRyJp9noeNNNO6xWMIzcXhVg4ent3iK2GLeOJQQ9GkKJOpjd7RUfM6WyJm853ZtN7Nti8UhNkbI84lpTQC1Boxt/s320/Day+7+-+Hike+at+Neko+Harbour+13.JPG" width="320" /></a>View above Neko Harbour </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Antarctica can be a
meditative place to be. We would find a quiet corner of a beach and
sit there and just listen. It was very quiet but full of noise with
the water lapping the shore with ice clinking together, the sound of
air bubbles popping out of the brash ice like a giant bowl of Rice
Crispies, and the occasional thunder boom of an avalanche, glacier
calving, iceberg breaking up, or just the sound of the glaciers
moving. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLq05goDWupm5ZimY7IICtfwzXeRQWFohgHIRxsN3SJOW-Yw5std0aO2dkMcumYzaL9mqvP1_nJwozIaxh-rZJj9o9Mbwl61mXqnunc7CmCTVq4dnumG72Flt5yRW4_mGyJyHnltRbqJS/s1600/Day+4+-+Cuverville+Island+85.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLq05goDWupm5ZimY7IICtfwzXeRQWFohgHIRxsN3SJOW-Yw5std0aO2dkMcumYzaL9mqvP1_nJwozIaxh-rZJj9o9Mbwl61mXqnunc7CmCTVq4dnumG72Flt5yRW4_mGyJyHnltRbqJS/s320/Day+4+-+Cuverville+Island+85.JPG" width="320" /></a>A good place to meditate </div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The weather continued to be much better then could have ever
been expected with bright sunshine and blue skies. It was so nice
that for dinner on the second night there was a BBQ on the helicopter
landing deck on the back of the ship. I have never had a BBQ as
seals on icebergs floated by. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0oBcXqeb1AYgNS8qqhk9vCq4AYbO95LLVrDuUyhbTfz6psarS6ZHvsBZTA7yHQR54STnFeIwtDf1bNbWxXHZE8JKNWK0n0VblpUqBVcJdNERoGUPrW1xIq2AIryvnMeg9ETqpfkrKnKlX/s1600/Day+5+-+Helipad+BBQ.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0oBcXqeb1AYgNS8qqhk9vCq4AYbO95LLVrDuUyhbTfz6psarS6ZHvsBZTA7yHQR54STnFeIwtDf1bNbWxXHZE8JKNWK0n0VblpUqBVcJdNERoGUPrW1xIq2AIryvnMeg9ETqpfkrKnKlX/s320/Day+5+-+Helipad+BBQ.JPG" width="320" /></a>Outdooor BBQ on the heli-deck</div>
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We were able to do activities we
had never thought possible to do in Antarctica. We signed up for the
advanced mountaineering group so we were able to climb on some 50
degree ice and cross a glacier while roped up to get up to a
ridgeline overlooking a place called Jougla Point.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpTWZoB1p7lHGGlSau_jMB2ygpmO2aLXoGEQwmutwVBE_48kdL0Fwdh4b6cwqgPSw7tT3NHOfjCtZx62bUEIaf9Spkb-nhZND0qc-oKNVV1EfhCVkqnxGyshi57QMrFxT3JEx3kvJu0A9/s1600/Day+6+-+Mountaineering+on+Jougla+Point+57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfpTWZoB1p7lHGGlSau_jMB2ygpmO2aLXoGEQwmutwVBE_48kdL0Fwdh4b6cwqgPSw7tT3NHOfjCtZx62bUEIaf9Spkb-nhZND0qc-oKNVV1EfhCVkqnxGyshi57QMrFxT3JEx3kvJu0A9/s320/Day+6+-+Mountaineering+on+Jougla+Point+57.JPG" width="320" /></a>Ice climbing on Jougla Point </div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
We were able to
kayak in the Melchior Islands with seals swimming around us and
icebergs floating by. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dAQ7THoMzLtzmwqbW5eSkNTUXq9WgT8vWCJF0dweGrvv75VL13UbO41jYw4rd9DbmBJWoQ19ZRmAXDynTVltR0939y065oWKdAewx8nt9p-JduYaphiWytuurMwV76gOCkr042428DUL/s1600/Day+8+-+Kayaking+in+Melchior+Islands+86.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0dAQ7THoMzLtzmwqbW5eSkNTUXq9WgT8vWCJF0dweGrvv75VL13UbO41jYw4rd9DbmBJWoQ19ZRmAXDynTVltR0939y065oWKdAewx8nt9p-JduYaphiWytuurMwV76gOCkr042428DUL/s320/Day+8+-+Kayaking+in+Melchior+Islands+86.JPG" width="320" /></a>Kayaking in Melchior Islands </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6lY320pg-UWC14Ag069LzoacVSe0NSiWY0mGFLDin3muSZwiGQbyf5yVMlKoYDhRh-Nc-XXeuY6dmlvXKpQSbA69vEaThEAyWOKKVmnc-wGrQizyc8u0R3MjIkHg-aqQ8RT1xJGjntoP/s1600/Day+8+-+Kayaking+in+Melchior+Islands+30.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-6lY320pg-UWC14Ag069LzoacVSe0NSiWY0mGFLDin3muSZwiGQbyf5yVMlKoYDhRh-Nc-XXeuY6dmlvXKpQSbA69vEaThEAyWOKKVmnc-wGrQizyc8u0R3MjIkHg-aqQ8RT1xJGjntoP/s320/Day+8+-+Kayaking+in+Melchior+Islands+30.JPG" width="320" /></a>Views from the kayak </div>
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We even camped a night on the ice in bivy
sacks and warm sleeping bags. There is nothing like waking up with a
penguin waddling by your head.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3EpbxtjzZvFuGxdWWPT7WPgULJnI0VyYHzQw6BiS059TctqA1fiPPYsAxeegocN1I2dVFUY_p8D2DdXWMLYKXQMuLOjJFyxycvn4iOYavwqHeFnOeO4JIQ5e_F2ndDqn2aMJtZt0xJGc/s1600/Day+6+-+Overnight+bivy+near+Port+Lockroy+20.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb3EpbxtjzZvFuGxdWWPT7WPgULJnI0VyYHzQw6BiS059TctqA1fiPPYsAxeegocN1I2dVFUY_p8D2DdXWMLYKXQMuLOjJFyxycvn4iOYavwqHeFnOeO4JIQ5e_F2ndDqn2aMJtZt0xJGc/s320/Day+6+-+Overnight+bivy+near+Port+Lockroy+20.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sleeping on the snow </div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The magic even continued on the
trip back to Argentina. In the middle of the Drake Passage at the
convergence zone where the cold water of the Southern Ocean meets the
warmer water of the Pacific/Atlantic interface it was decided that it
was calm enough to put the zodiacs in the water and to go on a
cruise. The Captain had never done this before since it was never
that calm. Even with the water as flat as it was it still was a
challenge to get into the zodiacs. The gangway would alternate
between being knee deep in water and then seconds later it would be a
2+ foot drop to reach the zodiac. It seemed like a bit of a
liability risk but the crew was very experienced and skilled so
everyone that wanted to go was loaded safely. The swells were still
big enough that the waves would block sight of the ship at times.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVN3l63Oh6klXBJ0g2iP7VXwXtApPNEYovCqa1w50A3tc7oWe0WT_zS2IH6K3OH0VwEVMhJmgS8BL-MjIRo_5zYG_6bNjJUZLhOL82Fhltv9XVh56houdLJSFVnPxML7Mk72BjMIOiR5P2/s1600/Day+9+-+Drake+Passage+zodiac+cruise+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVN3l63Oh6klXBJ0g2iP7VXwXtApPNEYovCqa1w50A3tc7oWe0WT_zS2IH6K3OH0VwEVMhJmgS8BL-MjIRo_5zYG_6bNjJUZLhOL82Fhltv9XVh56houdLJSFVnPxML7Mk72BjMIOiR5P2/s320/Day+9+-+Drake+Passage+zodiac+cruise+8.JPG" width="320" /></a>Even calm the swells were big</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Amazingly enough the boats came across a couple of Emperor Penguins
swimming in the middle of the ocean. One of them let us get very
close while it bleated and cried out. It sounded stressed but if it
had wanted to swim away it could have without any problem. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVqLAvBBExVSPPjDu3J9JZMNoAHFVdmmyfpg3BiXYeSRijVDbZEfhh0qCgC_fyuZsKMCJCXpEMVjVRk4OZwkAXKdNeBpQjYN-edHSuhnZnsmlEGNdAlMpuinJhPM6eXi_wBFcyFqjfIL7/s1600/Day+9+-+Drake+Passage+zodiac+cruise+24+-+Emperor+penguin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMVqLAvBBExVSPPjDu3J9JZMNoAHFVdmmyfpg3BiXYeSRijVDbZEfhh0qCgC_fyuZsKMCJCXpEMVjVRk4OZwkAXKdNeBpQjYN-edHSuhnZnsmlEGNdAlMpuinJhPM6eXi_wBFcyFqjfIL7/s320/Day+9+-+Drake+Passage+zodiac+cruise+24+-+Emperor+penguin.JPG" width="320" /></a>Emperor Penguin at convergence zone in Drake Passage</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Since the
ship made such good time across the Drake due to the calm conditions
we were also able to sail to Cape Horn and were able to steam past it
going from the Pacific to the Atlantic Oceans. It is something I
have always read and dreamed about but never thought I would go by it
on the water. Another life dream unexpectedly filled.
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf54lnID5wGfir-JxIeZSY9gIetxO7onSVNmGhnCVXRRuYfsAreuzMvgGOfVH4Rgm606fQJ-snGbLmUc-miGxGoXxx5Pd13el-_O3xlZhjJ7ojsLn8f2WbIKa3DPw8PdHB7yNsT7Ejkrc/s1600/Day+10+-+Cape+Horn+21.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf54lnID5wGfir-JxIeZSY9gIetxO7onSVNmGhnCVXRRuYfsAreuzMvgGOfVH4Rgm606fQJ-snGbLmUc-miGxGoXxx5Pd13el-_O3xlZhjJ7ojsLn8f2WbIKa3DPw8PdHB7yNsT7Ejkrc/s320/Day+10+-+Cape+Horn+21.JPG" width="320" /></a>Cape Horn from 3 miles away</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It was a week and a half of being
in a dream world. It had been a dream to go to these places and once
there it had a dream like feel to it. The air is so clear from the
lack of pollution and the dry air that vast distances can be seen.
The light, clouds, water, and ice is constantly changing in
appearance.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIu7DodbBUTd_67DhzAeUciNPP0wFBQ7zyEgD0QVTmqUOsPDgfngVAebsu06oavKsxwO-aQSrLdYHg2gP9gU3QT9O3ROVh8m4DXTWci-Q8X64iGesvaUK56My9aaiQ4gGAhz57uQnz13T/s1600/Day+7+-+Mind+blowing+sunset+Gerlache+Strait+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIu7DodbBUTd_67DhzAeUciNPP0wFBQ7zyEgD0QVTmqUOsPDgfngVAebsu06oavKsxwO-aQSrLdYHg2gP9gU3QT9O3ROVh8m4DXTWci-Q8X64iGesvaUK56My9aaiQ4gGAhz57uQnz13T/s320/Day+7+-+Mind+blowing+sunset+Gerlache+Strait+8.JPG" width="320" /></a>A constantly changing view </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Every 15 minutes the view would be completely different
even if you were sitting in the same place. The sound of the wind,
water, ice, and penguins has a hypnotizing effect. Both of us along
with multiple other people we talked to were brought to tears at
times by the magic of the place. We have only been back in Ushuaia
for half a day and we already want to go back.
</div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-69606480490239214322016-02-17T15:24:00.001-08:002016-02-18T10:15:20.332-08:00FidEgan's FastPacks - Episode 10 - Tierra del Fuego - running at el Fin del Mundo<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">John
and Kathleen are currently on a world trip where we plan to pursue our
passion of trail running through the various landscapes and
environments of the world. As we pass through each country we want
to post our top pick for a trail run (or hike) that we did. This
does not mean that this is the best trail to run in that country. It
just means that it was our favorite that we did. We are both using
Ultraspire Epic Fastpacks to carry our gear, hence the name of the
column. </span><br />
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Where:
</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Glaciar Vinciguerra, outside
town of Ushuaia, Island of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Facilities/Trailhead:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
No facilities. The trailhead is about 10km outside of Ushuaia at Turbera Valle Andorra. A
taxi is the easiest way to get there for about 130 Argentine pesos
(~$9). We hitchhiked to get back but this may take walking down the
dirt road for a bit. </span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Fees:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Free besides transportation costs to get there. </span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Terrain/Trials:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
This ended up being a combination of a run and a hike. There are
very flat and rolling sections good for running and very steep
sections that we had to hike. The trail is marked by orange and blue markers.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUH1RUvGfpaWjWarno513udWIc-m-6SZrEieWpWLrWqwoKI93xoQQuovftxSEfzW_4t1-zueI7999KgzJVTmxYl8o5mq8OdfBqG1NEx9JrTVZ4VyzRlqU5-gBlalSLh4diiENG-_KH45S/s1600/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUH1RUvGfpaWjWarno513udWIc-m-6SZrEieWpWLrWqwoKI93xoQQuovftxSEfzW_4t1-zueI7999KgzJVTmxYl8o5mq8OdfBqG1NEx9JrTVZ4VyzRlqU5-gBlalSLh4diiENG-_KH45S/s320/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+3.JPG" width="320" /></a>Trail markers on trees </div>
</div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Distance:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
13km</span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Description:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We
had run in the Tierra del Fuego National Park the day before and
enjoyed these trails a lot more. The park is a bit of a scam between
the high prices the minivans charge to get there and the park
entrance fee. The trails in the mountains north of town are more
scenic and free so we would recommend going there. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
trail starts at the end of the road at Turbera Valle Andorra which is
a peat cutting operation. The gate says in Spanish “No entrance”
but it is referring to cars. It is permitted to walk across their
property, just make sure to close the gate behind you. Follow the
road a couple of hundred meters and then go left when a
trail/secondary road breaks off. If you reach the buildings you went
too far. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR49m32QCb_vhTxMfWMjyIXW2152xqS2b8Kd1stmhF5EouW08SX9S7lhZelFiDI_9-5vbtOA5AxIWgzWY0XUrgSJbksN-Z-PauxiepbE9O_dVPOIKT5lhVjMSc20fcyR947WSYSHvJYfgT/s1600/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+-+Turvera+Valle+Andorra+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR49m32QCb_vhTxMfWMjyIXW2152xqS2b8Kd1stmhF5EouW08SX9S7lhZelFiDI_9-5vbtOA5AxIWgzWY0XUrgSJbksN-Z-PauxiepbE9O_dVPOIKT5lhVjMSc20fcyR947WSYSHvJYfgT/s320/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+-+Turvera+Valle+Andorra+7.JPG" width="320" /></a>Peat cutting farm in front, glacier in back</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
first 2 km is along a pretty flat section as you pass through areas
of cut bog with a gentle river flowing to your right. The trail is
marked by yellow stakes and is obvious as you cut across the fields.
This was a great section to run through. This eventually led to a
bridge that crossed the river where the climbing began. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArryN79fJKyzFNlK5o4ztlHfW_7-v71k1ONDJ9eunB_NRzXyZKJl31SrTOgpHezhV0dE020Xhrk8PxZnbZ_BPNYVp7oJSLAoD1MsG4vJYZPngNIC78PfHwLDYLcnvi8kjBZ-A8zDegLTc/s1600/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+-+Turvera+Valle+Andorra+peat++cutting+operation+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArryN79fJKyzFNlK5o4ztlHfW_7-v71k1ONDJ9eunB_NRzXyZKJl31SrTOgpHezhV0dE020Xhrk8PxZnbZ_BPNYVp7oJSLAoD1MsG4vJYZPngNIC78PfHwLDYLcnvi8kjBZ-A8zDegLTc/s320/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+-+Turvera+Valle+Andorra+peat++cutting+operation+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Riverside running </div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">There
are numerous muddy sections where log boardwalks have been built.
Better for twisting an ankle on then running.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TgN9hOcSHIVxD_7If9LgDcBZhlIIbMkru0ZLR0hqCu3HWAuqVtyBLKO1GJtZutAJUChmLeNILRZUTCnUMe1v-bdgtAddhoyrZ3gtpSjAOP8DSh7qAYr4Dmul9qbKX-TMZs1vin7Mc1IC/s1600/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TgN9hOcSHIVxD_7If9LgDcBZhlIIbMkru0ZLR0hqCu3HWAuqVtyBLKO1GJtZutAJUChmLeNILRZUTCnUMe1v-bdgtAddhoyrZ3gtpSjAOP8DSh7qAYr4Dmul9qbKX-TMZs1vin7Mc1IC/s320/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Log boardwalk after crossing bridge </div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This led up to the
first steep hill which was a series of switchbacks that led up to a
trail intersection. For an added bonus the right trail goes up to
Laguna Encantada which would add another hour or more to the
experience. Going to the left continues on to Laguna de la where the
trail alternates between runnable traverses across the hillside and
steep uphill sections. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQifCAX3mVB097AbWwcmNNWyXpM7_bVu5kR_VkX-xgk2L7KlBPaxX62pnW5zTl9yzWNR4zFrSLPaRPKJtJR0s54u7W2ZwprGNsW5dEH-thHmkWOOzbfX3skhAK5LAs4faroF96tLiN7_S/s1600/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQifCAX3mVB097AbWwcmNNWyXpM7_bVu5kR_VkX-xgk2L7KlBPaxX62pnW5zTl9yzWNR4zFrSLPaRPKJtJR0s54u7W2ZwprGNsW5dEH-thHmkWOOzbfX3skhAK5LAs4faroF96tLiN7_S/s320/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+7.JPG" width="320" /></a>Uphill section </div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Eventually it leads up to where the Rio de
Leche is flowing out of the lake. There is a flat area where beavers
have built two dams and a large lodge. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wVmYiGoGqh03WyOpauZHLHYH5rKLAKHbo_yWmBH5T86PPAGEjqtaY24eI3zo3tIMSryqm7WZUMLZiLeEDyIdTFlFhYq0gVe3QVZiQcGOx2QyabvlVtDJX2b2QPaHlt_Xa-RFhD_kknud/s1600/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+-+Rio+de+Leche+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8wVmYiGoGqh03WyOpauZHLHYH5rKLAKHbo_yWmBH5T86PPAGEjqtaY24eI3zo3tIMSryqm7WZUMLZiLeEDyIdTFlFhYq0gVe3QVZiQcGOx2QyabvlVtDJX2b2QPaHlt_Xa-RFhD_kknud/s320/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+-+Rio+de+Leche+8.JPG" width="320" /></a>Beaver flats with snow rainbow </div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">From this flat section of
terrain it then becomes steep glacial moraine up the last section to
get to the lake. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfms_Pwjlq2HEfmnin23KpAabcISVC_DDN3OpvlzRph_JmvZT414M_EKmCGVwHjqSf91VpVnnTZugO_yv0RmmSpAsPCiRFaiKVHjeFfGyyZI5J4FBqnEsjsIZ-ScrQlLTsZpfBIKaLjMM/s1600/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+-+Rio+de+Leche+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfms_Pwjlq2HEfmnin23KpAabcISVC_DDN3OpvlzRph_JmvZT414M_EKmCGVwHjqSf91VpVnnTZugO_yv0RmmSpAsPCiRFaiKVHjeFfGyyZI5J4FBqnEsjsIZ-ScrQlLTsZpfBIKaLjMM/s320/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+-+Rio+de+Leche+7.JPG" width="320" /></a>Last climb to the lake </div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Despite being late summer here (the equivalent of
August) it was snowing sideways with a bitter wind, while at the same
time it was sunny, and behind us a rainbow could be seen lower in the
valley. Be prepared for every weather imaginable when hiking/running
in Patagonia. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6va3SLCWcROhZcKn-Cw6d2oHVFi7RQaU_YSCRSZus6qM9273vdw5nYTwcyEY53ShMqHDfFThiZUz5Dlw0b6B5CMO3_8i3wv8YcHL085BaOBZXN4GkSNwiR_Sg8IWT_ejvJ5ZLBPq178WZ/s1600/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+-+Laguna+de+los+Tempanos+7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6va3SLCWcROhZcKn-Cw6d2oHVFi7RQaU_YSCRSZus6qM9273vdw5nYTwcyEY53ShMqHDfFThiZUz5Dlw0b6B5CMO3_8i3wv8YcHL085BaOBZXN4GkSNwiR_Sg8IWT_ejvJ5ZLBPq178WZ/s320/Glaciar+Vinciguerra+hike-run+-+Laguna+de+los+Tempanos+7.JPG" width="320" /></a>We had to hold each other to stay warm</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It
was a quick trip back down the hill. The guide books say that the
hike should take 5 to 6 hours round trip but with running the parts
we could the trip took us just over 3 hours with a quick lunch
break. We were also told that from the same trailhead there is a 31
km trail that crosses Paso de la Oveja that would make a great trail
run but at the same time they said that camping at the lake near the
Pass was really worth it so it might make a good backpack/fastpack
also. </span></span>
</div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-69500613808622114452016-02-14T09:00:00.001-08:002016-02-14T10:14:38.367-08:00Cerro Aconcagua - the highest mountain outside of Asia<br />
15 years ago John came to Argentina to climb Cerro Aconcagua by
a more technical route. This year Kathleen
wanted to try so we agreed to try the “Normal Route” which on the
surface is considered a walk up. That walk up however is to an
altitude of 22,841 feet (6962 meters) which makes it a serious climb
no matter which way you go. Typically the summit success rate for this
mountain is only about 30%. This year the strongest El Nino in
history is making the season one of the most difficult in 30 to 40
years according to the guides there so the success rate is far below
20%. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGIfW8JCZrUcNofxzxu4XkY9gMMpYDpQldrTv51O6_s7VUSA_SMH-o1Kkzd-h7-EVq9jTtb_SCdHQlVWPxwcWSLphnNTnOXdaL6WKNMbd-bfYv2kx5o5WPYNqO31zx_vcUCtoCbuAhZXF/s1600/First+view+of+Aconcagua+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGIfW8JCZrUcNofxzxu4XkY9gMMpYDpQldrTv51O6_s7VUSA_SMH-o1Kkzd-h7-EVq9jTtb_SCdHQlVWPxwcWSLphnNTnOXdaL6WKNMbd-bfYv2kx5o5WPYNqO31zx_vcUCtoCbuAhZXF/s320/First+view+of+Aconcagua+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>First view of mountain from road
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
On John's first summit (Polish Glacier Route) there was months
of planning and organizing from the US involved. This time there was
almost no pre-planning. We had some gear and clothing with us but
the plan was to arrive in Mendoza (the gateway to Parque Provincial
Aconcagua) and figure it out on the fly. Limited with our packing space since we are traveling for several months afterwards, we opted to supplement our cold weather clothing with anything extra we needed for high
altitude mountaineering at a local rental shop. We would also arrange mule transport to carry food and equipment to
Base Camp and arrange permits to climb the mountain there. In two days
we were able to get everything done that we needed though it took
some scrambing and our credit card company shut down our credit card
due to the large amounts of money we were spending. While we were
doing this we heard that so far only 15 people had summited instead
of the usual 350 people by that time of year and half of those
“successful” people had to be evacuated for frost bite and one
had died by accidently walking off of the South Face. Not an
encourgaging statistic. We met a girl named Bri from Seattle at the
gear rental store who gave us some great information about the
mountain; most notably about
the high winds and heavy snow that she and her team had just experienced while there.</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Once the preliminary work was done we caught a 3 hour ride back
up the road toward Santiago, Chile to the little ski resort of Las
Penitentes. This is where the two trailheads to the mountain are
located depending on which side of the mountain is being climbed. We
were to head up the Horcones River valley to the Base Camp at Plaza
de Mulas. It is a two day hike to Plaza de Mulas but as soon as we
arrived at the intermediate camp at Confluencia we started feeling
the effects of the altitude. This camp is at 11,119 feet and neither
of us had had any signs of AMS (acute mountain sickness) at this
altitude before. The trick with big mountains like this is
distinguishing between the annoying mild symptoms and the more life
threatening moderate to severe symptoms which can progress to fluid
buildup in the lungs or brain swelling. John had never felt that
poorly at that low of an altitude and Kathleen didn't feel
that great either. Because of these symptoms it was elected to spend an extra
night at Confluencia and to spend a day hiking out to a place called
Plaza Francia and back. This was well worth the time since the hike
takes you to the bottom of the magnificent South Face of Aconcagua.
This is the side of the mountain where legends and climbing carreers
have been made. A person has to be pretty much crazy and extremely
skilled to climb routes here due to the very steep nature of the
terrain and severe avalanche risk.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6XWoL3JhddLJwN0JkoDyD61zTvhwDjuAAGNzxEjxF8njBiZP20vQEaQJFKnczLkvQpu7t09egZY_CE-rSL9sEgvpejpWn8IHSiT5mKbDYyNQ5FuJXEiUwExM8KEMZlZuEfFomeww1nC7/s1600/Aconcagua+pool+reflection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi6XWoL3JhddLJwN0JkoDyD61zTvhwDjuAAGNzxEjxF8njBiZP20vQEaQJFKnczLkvQpu7t09egZY_CE-rSL9sEgvpejpWn8IHSiT5mKbDYyNQ5FuJXEiUwExM8KEMZlZuEfFomeww1nC7/s320/Aconcagua+pool+reflection.JPG" width="320" /></a>View near Plaza Francia </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGxCldp_Gp3HZzWEBDrcqDU6r5om-IuYoyuT40cTzY0XSqlggNvqiLbrfUa1KRO1KCNsLnY7sdMscDmaBUXc8opDoLKh4FwnhoZLVBmRnQW2iXS38tNBiikragxGG7846WlfyZFjyBD6d/s1600/Plaza+Francia+viewpoint+shrine.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUGxCldp_Gp3HZzWEBDrcqDU6r5om-IuYoyuT40cTzY0XSqlggNvqiLbrfUa1KRO1KCNsLnY7sdMscDmaBUXc8opDoLKh4FwnhoZLVBmRnQW2iXS38tNBiikragxGG7846WlfyZFjyBD6d/s320/Plaza+Francia+viewpoint+shrine.JPG" width="320" /></a>Shrine near Plaza Francia </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqqF6meG4H3zEvQGo7oHXY7vVwOvUnkrswFvFuNF4dLW2B7KH37xmDBrhBgDBK9cS1aa51xsmJUqEAIVxG4sEhSM5OhARuuDoXkCKMdNPzqMXawMsqlgLgN1RuiXF2Z1a_9pNURe0R2Dg/s1600/Playa+Ancha+mules+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqqF6meG4H3zEvQGo7oHXY7vVwOvUnkrswFvFuNF4dLW2B7KH37xmDBrhBgDBK9cS1aa51xsmJUqEAIVxG4sEhSM5OhARuuDoXkCKMdNPzqMXawMsqlgLgN1RuiXF2Z1a_9pNURe0R2Dg/s320/Playa+Ancha+mules+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Mules carrying loads up Horcones Valley</div>
<br />
Spending the extra day here
helped with our symptoms so that the next day we were able to
continue on to the Plaza de Mulas Base Camp. This is a small tent
city where 100 to several hundred climbers are located depending on
the day and time of season. We were self supported but for people
willing to pay for it there are dome dorm tents to sleep in and full
meal support.
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oaszhIr-u7k_CLbNroUCTZ4aCc1umhnuFo1T7noo0T9gd24L1RszXSxLtJPwLKmDUgzFCymuy9MyJHySTZ4lxzbR-mBWEjQwGgQ-zg5dIsrbinoel3k_mp9ibPb1FoZDeK1nnJHwzi5w/s1600/Sunset+behind+Base+Camp+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1oaszhIr-u7k_CLbNroUCTZ4aCc1umhnuFo1T7noo0T9gd24L1RszXSxLtJPwLKmDUgzFCymuy9MyJHySTZ4lxzbR-mBWEjQwGgQ-zg5dIsrbinoel3k_mp9ibPb1FoZDeK1nnJHwzi5w/s320/Sunset+behind+Base+Camp+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunset behind Base Camp</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
From here it was time to start a process called double carrying
following the principal of “Climb high, Sleep low” as we moved up
through the 3 high camps. We would spend a day climbing up to the
next high camp, leaving a cache of food and fuel. We then would
climb back down to where we started and spend the night. The next
day we would grab our tent and clothes and make the permanent move up
to that higher camp.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmNkpw77hYfmsoK5aR7tY6R2DsMWZbWbVJKAjDmkpq98HPrpzTBEcnuVioS6ker8O68q4ouOe12E2g3GpVP4MK2-zf0IiW3PGy62Z9d720cwMwBct0jWy8DVw5P4UAZ7WeYYYF66s_4_U/s1600/Camp+Canada+view+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmNkpw77hYfmsoK5aR7tY6R2DsMWZbWbVJKAjDmkpq98HPrpzTBEcnuVioS6ker8O68q4ouOe12E2g3GpVP4MK2-zf0IiW3PGy62Z9d720cwMwBct0jWy8DVw5P4UAZ7WeYYYF66s_4_U/s320/Camp+Canada+view+5.JPG" width="320" /></a>View from Camp Canada </div>
<br />
We were fortunate with good weather until we
had our food and fuel for 7 days stashed at Camp 2 which is called
Nido de Condores. Here we heard that a large multi-day storm was
coming so we elected to leave our supplies there and retreat to Base
Camp where we would be more comfortable during the storm. Nido de
Condores is very exposed to wind being on a ridgeline. We were glad
we did this as the next couple of days were rough. Snow and thunder
where we were with heavy rain in the valleys below us. We have not
been in too many thunder-snowstorms and they are always intense.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWRBBURmrc2WAUy4e5JqedAd3xrjqVnbKi0P2bSokMFdUNVKlBaMuGr9JfK0rQaoj05YgWclDueCm397Vb9o5WOe_JvpvVCKeVm5zCOwN-XbynQcvvtA5WyqfpywTslbgH4JQpHP1BTWS/s1600/Lenticular+clouds+and+snow+from+Base+Camp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQWRBBURmrc2WAUy4e5JqedAd3xrjqVnbKi0P2bSokMFdUNVKlBaMuGr9JfK0rQaoj05YgWclDueCm397Vb9o5WOe_JvpvVCKeVm5zCOwN-XbynQcvvtA5WyqfpywTslbgH4JQpHP1BTWS/s320/Lenticular+clouds+and+snow+from+Base+Camp.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lenticular cloud and fresh snow</div>
<br />
Multiple landslides washed out the road between Penitentes and
Mendoza. This caused the parks rescue helicopter to be busy further
down the valley. Since there was no ability to rescue climbers the
Park Service closed and evacuated the entire upper mountain. The
linked video clip shows what was going on lower down as climbers were
trying to hike back out to the road. It was a bit of a mess.</div>
<a href="https://youtu.be/jNVwspunNn0">https://youtu.be/jNVwspunNn0</a><br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
We ended up being stuck at Base Camp for 4 days waiting for the
weather to break. We had to ration our food for these days as our
best food was at Camp 2 but luckily some of the things that we hadn't
wanted up higher like pasta had been left at Base Camp. We played
lots of cards, took some short hikes, slept a lot, and obsessively
checked the weather report.</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Eventually a weather window started to form that looked like it
would be our only chance to make the summit before our permit ran out
after 20 days. The first few days of climbing would still be during
the storm but if we could get into position higher up on the mountain
then we would have a couple of nicer days to try to reach the top.
On 27 January 2016 we started up and spent the night at Camp 1 (Camp
Canada). During that night it started to storm and snow heavily
again. Waking up the next morning was discouraging and this was the
morning of John's crisis in confidence. Our options weren't good no matter
what we did. Staying at Camp Canada was the poorest choice as we
were going to run out of food and fuel that day. Choice 2 was to
descend to Base Camp basically giving up on the summit and we still
would have to go back up to Camp 2 (Nido de Condores) to get our
equipment. That left Choice 3 which is what Kathleen pushed for –
to climb up to Camp 2 in the midst of the storm. It would suck for
several hours but then we would be in better position for the weather
to end and we would have pretty much unlimited food and fuel. This
is what we ended up doing. John's mantra for the day became “Just
a typical day in the Alaska Range” as he reminded himself that it
had been as bad or worse when climbing Denali.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrbBz5yBgtYGQ7xkAcZr8ONF6-Ao-eSMdzXR67apTaszFloegE5BJalo3lUtWCAh_JR1fYEcomkPL7zHYFWuYoU75cL2FRXYWzvMT7xjtIUZ2iHJUB-q-lhCF2YyG_tZfVW3cJfapAW2K/s1600/Moving+to+Camp+2+in+crappy+weather+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidrbBz5yBgtYGQ7xkAcZr8ONF6-Ao-eSMdzXR67apTaszFloegE5BJalo3lUtWCAh_JR1fYEcomkPL7zHYFWuYoU75cL2FRXYWzvMT7xjtIUZ2iHJUB-q-lhCF2YyG_tZfVW3cJfapAW2K/s320/Moving+to+Camp+2+in+crappy+weather+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Just another day in the Andes</div>
<br />
Once we had made the
move we were happy though the next morning the park rangers informed
us that we had set up our tent in the helicopter landing area so we
had to move. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ExDQbjOc7LGZhfTbt9FEdN9Yo9Gsl3To3HVsWNDoP6Vck5IGJjoXFFo67Lidu79_W5o2q588s7JzpGGqvBBXImTfSSx-oQ7Ro71vETZBYZQ7mQKv-eNU6YU8iyvSUUxjTDIxuXvbaoo7/s1600/Camp+2+after+storm+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ExDQbjOc7LGZhfTbt9FEdN9Yo9Gsl3To3HVsWNDoP6Vck5IGJjoXFFo67Lidu79_W5o2q588s7JzpGGqvBBXImTfSSx-oQ7Ro71vETZBYZQ7mQKv-eNU6YU8iyvSUUxjTDIxuXvbaoo7/s320/Camp+2+after+storm+1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Move it before a helicopter hits it</div>
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
From here we got our break. The weather improved so that we
were able to move up to Camp 3 or Camp Colera which means Camp Angry
though we thought at first it was named after Cholera, the disease.
Either way, not the best named camp. We didn't spend much time
there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLdc1VgDjwAnofA0rU4jcvl5nfPiWpEz-hO7d11rPSZPJnjkkDlsMxxW8TnZ9aWn_vzxSrVz4O6T2pV9udhCAzEbeuNZRJ8DFjBXPvgjEc9PBJWLjrLpxh6uRbBcb_duqrqb87p_RJLfF/s1600/Technical+section+to+Camp+Colera+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLdc1VgDjwAnofA0rU4jcvl5nfPiWpEz-hO7d11rPSZPJnjkkDlsMxxW8TnZ9aWn_vzxSrVz4O6T2pV9udhCAzEbeuNZRJ8DFjBXPvgjEc9PBJWLjrLpxh6uRbBcb_duqrqb87p_RJLfF/s320/Technical+section+to+Camp+Colera+2.JPG" width="320" /></a>Scramble section up to Camp 3 </div>
<br />
That night we woke up at 3am to start melting snow for the
day and to eat breakfast. At 5am we started up on our summit push.
We could already see a line of headlamps dotting the hillside above
us as other people made their way up the hill. It was intensely
cold. Kathleen is very sensative to cold in her hands and was having
some issues at first but we were able to get things under control
with chemical hand warmers, and 3 layers of gloves/mittens. By the
time the sun came out and we were able to turn the headlamps off we
were about 1/3 of the way up. The sun burst with a red line on the
horizon that then spread to the clouds below us and eventually we
could see the shadow of the mountain cast onto the sky. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWzn7Ssw9b0Yhr6X8DiH7Qxpz_Pw1ph4H4f6h2rSwASIJ3gGN_GghKRddta19c7VjXAAgNPATIFBscHySDs1DuovUC8thxQh6HNYq8yzw6g8Y7Y_ltL2a9QFv1onO27FDR-5JmWNW80wx/s1600/Shadow+of+mountain+against+sky.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWzn7Ssw9b0Yhr6X8DiH7Qxpz_Pw1ph4H4f6h2rSwASIJ3gGN_GghKRddta19c7VjXAAgNPATIFBscHySDs1DuovUC8thxQh6HNYq8yzw6g8Y7Y_ltL2a9QFv1onO27FDR-5JmWNW80wx/s320/Shadow+of+mountain+against+sky.JPG" width="320" /></a>Sunrise shadow of Aconcagua</div>
<br />
Soon after
this we got stuck behind the group that we dubbed “The Boy Scouts”.
These guys did not look good. Some of them were staggering and
barely moving along. John had kept warm until this point where upon
he had to put his big puffy parka on. There was no room to get
around these guys since the trail was very narrow with ice on either
side. They were the first group that we had encountered that did not
allow faster people behind them to go by. Very frustrating to be
stuck behind and it was cold to be standing there waiting for them to
move. After an insuffurably long time they finally took a break and
we were able to get by. The top 1/3 of the climb is called the
Canuleta. It is an area of very loose dirt and small rocks that is
frustrating to climb as one slides back a foot for every two feet
climbed. This year the extra amount of snow turned out to be a
blessing. Cramponing up this snow made the route much easier though
the thin air still made it rough. We would take a few steps and then
stop for 4 breathes or more. It was slow but steady going. The
Canuleta led up to the summit ridge and then the summit block.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXz4RqZ3rX3dq3lnH_EpwcoEULufuVu7n_rQ8rIlRGmhmwgnZk_Hi7iRVr2qZHNQLzjUfD0510uI_GaAzB0jGxXggrNw9ymEQHn8mPgK4YwwI8LHXAJ1xxpbDM-k2ebDgeJgUMYq38nuu/s1600/Another+South+Summit+ridge+shot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGXz4RqZ3rX3dq3lnH_EpwcoEULufuVu7n_rQ8rIlRGmhmwgnZk_Hi7iRVr2qZHNQLzjUfD0510uI_GaAzB0jGxXggrNw9ymEQHn8mPgK4YwwI8LHXAJ1xxpbDM-k2ebDgeJgUMYq38nuu/s320/Another+South+Summit+ridge+shot.JPG" width="320" /></a>Summit ridge and South Summit</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvBNbcnW8-hkvCVVyAiJ22KllFRbey4PDMtNidiYjXbpTxecDUWarDS5YsZhcyOf0jYw4jH_RJyUzlF-DnfT8zOzZqjl19nKM0i20p_zo-yO08_Hgz63gVdfHyq3XI1nBBTqjwgcbtEXm/s1600/View+down+South+Face.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicvBNbcnW8-hkvCVVyAiJ22KllFRbey4PDMtNidiYjXbpTxecDUWarDS5YsZhcyOf0jYw4jH_RJyUzlF-DnfT8zOzZqjl19nKM0i20p_zo-yO08_Hgz63gVdfHyq3XI1nBBTqjwgcbtEXm/s320/View+down+South+Face.JPG" width="320" /></a>View down South Face </div>
<br />
We
had been able to move efficiently enough that by the time we summited
we were the 4<sup>th</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup> person on the summit
that day. Now that the sun was out it had warmed up and we were able
to spend about 20 minutes on the summit. 3 Chileans arrived right
after us. There were still extensive views but there was a growing
number of clouds building up below us. The Chileans and us took
turns taking picutures for each other and then it was time to start
going down.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM7Dzza_SFCUfyoRBOWMa5qgdqoMum2DqyOl77pNwrDm-bLYTecJUADywDN7Xdt7TP4Akqu5r7e91InQWk_14bguD5yiEozWxUZJPmOXxN6GUiEyrkVZTRWQrQk34ZZyK61Qw7t67DYYW/s1600/Summit+-+both+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsM7Dzza_SFCUfyoRBOWMa5qgdqoMum2DqyOl77pNwrDm-bLYTecJUADywDN7Xdt7TP4Akqu5r7e91InQWk_14bguD5yiEozWxUZJPmOXxN6GUiEyrkVZTRWQrQk34ZZyK61Qw7t67DYYW/s320/Summit+-+both+3.JPG" width="320" /></a>Summit - 22,841 feet</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
At the bottom of the Canuleta we came across a party of South
Africans that we had been climbing next to pretty much from the first
days of the expedition. They had become good friends and we had said
that if they did not summit then our expedition would feel like a
partial failure. Their expedition was led by a man named Alex Harris
who had climbed all of the 7 Summits (highest mountain on each
continent), skied to the South Pole, and most impressive to John, had
been part of the first team to cross the Empty Quarter of the Arabian
Desert self supported by pulling a 1000+ pound cart of food and water
along with Marco Broccardo who was also on the trip. Their team had
all sorts of problems. Team mates had lost their luggage on the
flights to South America, people had gotten sick, tents and equipment
had blown away, along with a bunch of smaller problems. They also
ended up summiting but then when they hiked out it turned out that
there was a bridge washed out so they still ended up missing their
flights back to South Africa which cost them an extra $1000+. We
felt pretty sorry for them but were psyched that most of them had
succeeded.
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
After taking 16 days to climb to the summit it only took 2 days
to hike back out to the road. We were ready to be out of there and
put our heads down and hiked out as quickly as possible. For days we
had been fantasizing about food. As soon as we got back to the hotel
in Penitentes the first priority was a shower. This was rapidly
followed by finding cold beer and a good bottle of wine. The
climatic finalle of the night was dinner. John had one of the best
steaks ever while Kathleen had a huge hunk of salmon. Fantasy
and reality merged into an explosion of culinary delight.
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
We were glad to be done and to have made the summit. Neither of us
planned on going back and trying again if we hadn't reached the top so it felt
good to have accomplished our goal. We had made friends from all
over the world, climbed in a beautiful part of the Andes, and
overcome a lot of obstacles. The next day we caught the bus back to
Mendoza and started our process of moving south into Patagonia for
further adventures in the mountains.
</div>
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Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-45882455301597822862016-01-06T18:27:00.000-08:002016-01-06T18:27:15.668-08:00The South American Un-plan<div class="ecxStandard" style="line-height: 19.5px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">
<span style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); line-height: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;">6 months at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Africa was the beginning of the summer but it seems like years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the standout experiences of our trip
was living and working in Malawi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Making
friends and being part of a community but a community that was nothing like
anything we had ever been a part of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then we came home.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"> For John the transition back
to “normal” life in the states was quicker and easier then it was for
Kathleen. John enjoyed the ease of life in the United
States. Grocery stores overflowing with not just any type of food or
vegetable that we would want but multiple choices. Instead of 3
types of breakfast cereal there would be 3 different types of one
kind. We had not driven in years and suddenly we had cars and the
ability to drive around and out of town whenever we
wanted. Electricity was available 24 hours a day. Clean
drinkable water was available out of a tap. It may have been because
of the ease of all of these things that Kathleen had a harder transition back. Realizing
that most of the world does not have the abundance and luxury that America and
Europe have bothered her more. Even harder to understand was how
this abundance is just taken for granted here. Yes, there is hunger
and homelessness but in Malawi most of the children we saw had stunted growth
from malnutrition. Protein is not a usual part of their
diet. The main source of nutrition is corn porridge (similar to
grits) with a little bit of vegetables mixed in. Meat is too
expensive for most of the people. Clean water means walking to a
town pump to fill jugs. The difference between “poor” Americans and
“normal” sub-Saharan Africans is still a big jump. This transition
back to an American/Western lifestyle took Kathleen longer to adjust back to.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Then we were back for 6 months. During
that time John worked as an Emergency Veterinarian as much as possible to save
up for the next chapter of World Tour. Kathleen started working as a
gear representative for a hydration pack company called Ultraspire where she is
also one of their sponsored athletes. She started reconnecting with
friends and trail running a lot. After a summer and fall of
incredible runs and adventures Kathleen felt like she was finally getting back
into solid running shape with a group of friends that wanted to run on a
regular basis. 6 months was enough time for her to just be getting
back into a comfortable routine. John on the other hand was back in
his work routine and missing the days of being a nomad. Some months
he was working more than full time. During the summer it was fun
being back but once the grey, dark, and wet returned to Seattle he was ready to
leave. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Whatever head space we are in
at some level does not matter because we are about to launch into the South
America leg of our World Tour. We fly to Santiago, Chile on 9
January and will be in South America for 6 months. As usual, we have
a rough idea of what we want to do but no definitive plans. Besides the
plane ticket there is no set itinerary. The plan is to initially go
and make an attempt on Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Western and
Southern Hemispheres. John summited this mountain in 2001 and
Kathleen wants to make an attempt. We then plan on going to El
Chalten to do trail running, trekking, and climbing in the area around Fitz Roy
and Cerro Torre. All these mountains are in Argentina where the peso
just collapsed 40% in the last few days making everything on sale if you have
American dollars. We plan on being at the foot of Fitz Roy on 14
February to have a memorial service for our friend Chad Kellogg who tragically
died descending that mountain two years ago. Then it is off to
Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America. We plan on
swinging around into Chile (probably early March at this point) to explore
Torres del Paine and do some more trekking. Eventually we
will make our way north through the Chilean Archipelago to the Atacama
Desert (the driest place on Earth) and then to the salt flats of
Bolivia. Continuing on to Peru we plan to see Machu Pichu (this will
be a repeat for Kathleen), hike in the Cordillera Blanca Mountains, and
hopefully do some volunteer veterinary work. Then to Ecuador to
climb Chimborozo. The summit of this mountain is the closest to the
sun a person can get while attached to the planet. The Earth bulges
at the equator so this mountain sticks out into space more than any other spot
including Mount Everest. Lastly, we plan on being in Columbia to
meet our friend Amanda McNabb and do some bike touring. We will be
back by July 1 as John's hospital had an opening that needed
filled. 6 months to explore another corner of the world together
which should be just enough time for us to just have readjusted to being on the
road again. Then we will have to readjust back to the US again. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been
fortunate to have been supported on our World Tour by a few sponsors and that
continues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>GU Energy Labs gave us a huge
amount of gels and chomps that we continue to use on our adventures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultraspire gave us new Epic Fastpacks to use
as our day packs and even hired Kathleen as an employee this summer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seven Hills Running Shop has continued to
help us out over the summer since we tend to burn through running shoes pretty
quickly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lastly we are psyched to
announce that Vasque footwear contacted us this summer and asked if we could be
Adventure Travel Ambassadors for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since we already used their products it was a natural fit so now we have
new boots and running shoes from them.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 14.65pt; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Stay tuned to the blog and Facebook for the continued travels of the FidEgans and Knucklehead Adventure Tours. </span></div>
</span><br /></span><br /></span><br /></div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-66274820061855835492015-06-04T11:36:00.000-07:002015-06-04T11:36:35.911-07:00Culture Shock can be a good thing<br />
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Culture shock!?!? Everyone keeps asking us and wondering about
the level of culture shock we are having. Two years of being in some
very foreign countries the expectation is that we would be having
issues about being back. Lots of people seem to like using our
return as an excuse to rag on the US reminding us of the things we
dislike – the commercialism, consumerism, materialism, shallowness
of TV and news programming, racism, etc (lots of -isms). While at
some level these things are a part of the American culture but
despite that our culture shock has been surprisingly small.
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
We have been living in some rough conditions for so long that at
this point we are mostly just enjoying the ease of being back and
living in the United States. We have nice houses that we are staying
at (visiting family) with comfortable beds. The electricity is
always on and our plugs work without needing an adapter or series of
adapters. When we take a shower we don't have to first check that
there is hot water (or that the water is running at all).</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
We like that we don't have to think about food or water. Ice
water at a restaurant or out of the tap can be guzzled without fear.
Grocery stores are like giant playgrounds. In Malawi we would have
to go to three different stores and the local farmers vegetable
market to get all of our food supplies for the week. In SE Asia
there were mostly only 7-11 type mini-marts and most people would go
out to eat since it was so cheap. Even in Europe the grocery stores
tended to be smaller with not as much of a selection. We are finding
going into an American supermarket is a dangerous proposition.
Things we had forgotten about or haven't had access to are rapidly
piled into the cart. The quantity and variety of foods are amazing
after you haven't seen it for a couple of years. It does seem
ridiculous at times – does there really need to be 3 or 4 different
varieties of Fruit Loops? At the same time we are not complaining
about all the new flavor of chocolate that exist now that we have
never seen. On top of the incredible selection we are also blown
away by the prices. Everything is so cheap compared to where we have
been with the exception of alcohol. Africa was surprisingly
expensive which is why in Malawi most people only eat Nsima (corn
porridge) and local vegetables that they can grow. Even with the
favorable exchange rate Europe was still pricey. Only in SE Asia was
food cheaper.
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
When we go to restaurants we are still getting used to the size
of the portions here again. In Thailand we would order 3 entrees
each (for a total of $3 to $6) in order to get enough to eat. Here
one serving could last for 3 meals. In restaurants, like the grocery
store, the variety and selection is at times overwhelming. In most
of the world you get what you get. In Vietnam there were some times
when we had no idea of what we were ordering and just hoped that
there would not be a beak or foot involved when it showed up on the
table. Here they ask you if you want corn, flour, or gluten free
tortillas. You can have chicken, beef, pork, sirloin, barbacoa, or
tofu. Do you want Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, or Cherry Coke? It's
crazy at times!</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Another big difference about being back is traffic. In the US
for the most part everyone drives in an orderly manner and tends to
follow the rules. In Germany you didn't go in the left lane of the
Autobahn if there was a car within ½ mile of you because they were
going well over 100mph and would be on top of you within seconds. In
other parts of the world traffic lights are more like recommendations
and a two lane road easily becomes 3 or 4 lanes if people want to
pass. We are still getting used to driving on the right side of the
road. Most of the countries we drove in (except Germany) drive on
the left side. We still find ourselves trying to get into the wrong
side of the car. A pleasant bonus of being back is that gas is dirt
cheap. The price of gas in the USA is 50% to 75% cheaper then the
other places we were. Most of the world pays between $6 and $10 a
gallon. As pedestrians we have noticed that you can walk out into a
crosswalk and expect the cars to stop. No guarantees but that is the
expectation. Anywhere else in the world and you would be run down.
Many people ride bikes around the world. In many countries that is
the only transportation they can afford but even in Europe everyone
rides their bike around town. In the US almost everyone wears a
helmet. In Europe almost nobody wears one.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
A few nights ago at dinner we were talking about schools. In
Malawi when we visited a classroom there would be 150 kids in the
room with no electricity or desks. They sit on the floor crammed
side to side. When we would enter the class they would all stand up
and in unison say “Hello Viz-E-Tor! Welcome Viz-E-Tor! How are
you Viz-E-Tor?” My brother Tom laughed at this and said that in
the US we teach our kids in school STRANGER DANGER!!!! In the US we
definitely don't see 5 year old girls taking care of the newborn baby
with no adults in sight like we would in Africa, Nepal, and SE Asia.
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Being back in America the biggest difference we are seeing boils
down to convenience. Life here is easier then the other parts of the
world we have seen. Things are available, abundant, and cheap. It
is a reminder of how lucky we scored on the birth lottery ticket to
have been born where we were which has given us the life
opportunities we have had. At this point I would say that I am
having less of a culture shock and more of a Give Thanks reminder.
We have a lot to be Thankful for. By going away it has really given
me a better perspective on how good a life we have here.</div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-28454367195397619132015-05-14T07:50:00.001-07:002015-06-04T11:34:57.753-07:00FidEgan's Fastpacks - Episode 9 - Reaching the high point of Malawi<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">John and I are currently on a world
trip where we plan to pursue our passion of trail running through the various
landscapes and environments of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we pass through each country we want to post our top pick for a trail
run that we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This does not mean that
this is the best trail to run in that country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It just means that it was our favorite that we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are both using Ultraspire Fastpacks to
carry our gear, hence the name of the column.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On this trip John carried his larger backpack to carry more gear while I
used my Fastpack.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Due to an unfortunate error while (attempting to) download our pictures they were accidently deleted. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Where:</span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A traverse of the Mount Mulanje massif in southern Malawi right on the
Mozambique border.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5x0OT5cbmITD0bhm0dxJRLbIbqY2LZORbOoWj6eweUdLccW9KBopkHaw1Z0TuxR3pCFQNaTuLCVQvZDSok1TG5XOiixdfHUt2kvMvkQjJdlyAC1eUE4AfB9mbG_e-Iqyi8u6g0bQLT7-E/s1600/0-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5x0OT5cbmITD0bhm0dxJRLbIbqY2LZORbOoWj6eweUdLccW9KBopkHaw1Z0TuxR3pCFQNaTuLCVQvZDSok1TG5XOiixdfHUt2kvMvkQjJdlyAC1eUE4AfB9mbG_e-Iqyi8u6g0bQLT7-E/s320/0-jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a>Mount Mulanje massif (Google images)</div>
</div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Facilities/Trailhead:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">We started our hike from the Likhubula Forestry Office/Park
Entrance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hiked out at Fort Listers
Gap which was just a small farming village with no park facilities there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took a half day of mini-buses to get to
the Likhubula Forestry Office from the city of Blantyre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were very lucky to have hitched a ride out
of Fort Listers Gap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This village is on
a very rough dirt road and is a long way from any public transportation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once you reach the town of Phurumbu it is
still a half day of mini-buses to get back to Blantyre.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Fees:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The park
entrance fee is only 100 Kwacha (22 cents) per person.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A local guide is required in the park and the
government set rate is 11,000 Kwacha (~$25) per day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Porters hire out for 8000 Kwacha (~$18) per
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a choice of using the huts
or camping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even when camping you are
free to use the hut to cook dinner in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Camping
was 500 Kwacha/person/night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
experience has been that huts tend to be crowded and noisy so we elected to
bring our own tent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were glad we did
as it provided both privacy and a better barrier against bugs at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Terrain/Trials:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">There is a network of trails that intersect between all the
huts scattered around the massif with trails that come up from the various
villages around the mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A trip
from one day to over a week could be arranged depending on how long you would
want to hike there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also a
number of peaks on the top of the massif that can be climbed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These range from walk ups to technical rock
climbing to get to the top of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Distance:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">We never saw a map with distances so are not sure about the
actual number of kilometers covered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
did hike 4 hours the first day, 8 hours the second day (5 of those were going
up and down Sapitwa Peak), 8 hours the third day, and about 3 hours the last
day (though without a ride it could have been many hours more).<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Description:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">The guide we had found in Blantyre was named Fanuel and he
ended up being great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was born and
grew up at the foot of the mountain and is now very active in the Blantyre
Mountain Club.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He often climbs there
just for fun and has been up most of the peaks including the technical
ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is an orphan and the eldest of
all his brothers and sisters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is
supporting his entire family along with 4 Mozambican orphans (one of which is
blind) trying to get them through school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We highly recommend him as a guide and we hired his brother Victor as a
porter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is possible to contact him
via phone (0999329808) or email (<b><a href="mailto:fanueljarson@yahoo.com"><span style="color: windowtext; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">fanueljarson@yahoo.com</span></a></b>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Other guides can also be found in the town of Mulanje.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiUJZ3HNlPui7bb_5n9fRwg5CRytHJ13GZ-CWoKNknnKttUMEnzfDCYLnVbrGQ1It3qVO4d9YWGTLFePyQCRyWVkFKkEWAFuIcV0r-b-DQ-X_xYU5vk8Yl-McK6-6voTGTshizaCLPL81/s1600/Mt+Mulange+guide+Fanuel+1_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDiUJZ3HNlPui7bb_5n9fRwg5CRytHJ13GZ-CWoKNknnKttUMEnzfDCYLnVbrGQ1It3qVO4d9YWGTLFePyQCRyWVkFKkEWAFuIcV0r-b-DQ-X_xYU5vk8Yl-McK6-6voTGTshizaCLPL81/s320/Mt+Mulange+guide+Fanuel+1_edited.jpg" width="320" /></a>Our mountain goat guide Fanuel</div>
</div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are several trails from the Likhubula Forestry Station to the top
of the escarpment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usual we chose the
shortest but steepest way called the Skyline Trail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the base of the mountain are verdant green
tea plantations and most of the mountain is steep rock cliffs that go up to the
upper plateau.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lower elevations tend
to be hot and the clay soil makes it very slippery if there has been any recent
rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A variety of birds and vervet
monkeys could be seen in the trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were leopard here at one point but none have been seen for many
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once on the upper plateau there
is an entire new mountain range on the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A variety of mountain summits stick up with valleys and ridgelines
in between them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent the first night
at Chambe Hut and this was the only night where there were other tourists
around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The amount of stars visible at
night was stunning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 2 involved hiking 3 hours to
Chisepo Hut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left our packs and
Victor at the hut while the rest of us hiked to the top of Sapitwa Peak which
is the high point of Malawi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not
technical to summit but it is steep in places and scrambling across rocks and
ledges is required.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starting early in
the morning is recommended as in the afternoon the view is often obscured by
clouds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the top there are extensive
views over the plains into Mozambique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some people have been known to camp on this summit.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 3 was a long day and we were
tired from the previous days effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
hiked to Sombani Hut but the nice thing was that there were 2 other huts along
the way which provided good places to stop and take a break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The day consisted of a series of climbing up
and over a ridgeline and then across a valley with a river marking the low
point of the valley.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of these
rivers had inviting looking swimming holes in them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On each day we had come across multiple
villagers poaching cedar logs out of the forest but on this day we saw the
most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cKs3V7jddzFpIMtk_JQ8sxdnGrxdqAphk9x96t-wY3lA2n0S8ZTLa1QczjRexweeFdfgIJsc96_8bM1ercazBh2qBFW0wjA6cpOBg4AvJltgqxQ__GABSnKQH4g-ztwC9D8PokE9xeR8/s1600/800px-Waterfall_on_Mount_Mulanje.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cKs3V7jddzFpIMtk_JQ8sxdnGrxdqAphk9x96t-wY3lA2n0S8ZTLa1QczjRexweeFdfgIJsc96_8bM1ercazBh2qBFW0wjA6cpOBg4AvJltgqxQ__GABSnKQH4g-ztwC9D8PokE9xeR8/s320/800px-Waterfall_on_Mount_Mulanje.jpg" width="320" /></a>One of the many swimming holes (Google images)</div>
</div>
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 4 was a short day of hiking back
down the mountain to the plains to a village called Fort Lister Gap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1893 the British built a fort there to try
to end the slave trade caravans that were moving between Malawi and Mozambique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a easy and scenic hike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were lucky once we hit the rough dirt road
in Fort Lister we were able to find someone with a car that gave us a ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without that it would have been a very long
road hike or ride on a bike taxi to get to the town of Phurumbu where mini-bus
transport can be found back to Blantyre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="Standard" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A wide variety of trails are on the
mountain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Day hikes or overnight trips
are possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a week or more pretty
much the entire upper mountain could be explored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also a number of different
mountains that could be climbed of varying difficulty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a beautiful place and the locals could
use all the tourist money they can get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The more tourists that visit places like this, the more likely those
places will be protected by both the government and the local villagers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-57370906864036316252015-03-21T07:32:00.002-07:002015-03-21T07:32:39.274-07:00Disaster Flood Relief - helping animals to help people<br />
In January
Malawi and northern Mozambique were struck by the largest floods in a
generation. This caused almost 200,000 people to become homeless.
Now there is a cholera outbreak further worsening conditions. This
was in largely rural regions were people are farmers and depend on
their livestock for their income. They don't have bank accounts so
often their “money in the bank” is in the form of cattle and
goats. Little veterinary care reaches these areas normally and none
has occurred since the floods. Recently LSPCA (Lilongwe Society for
the Protection and Care of Animals) in conjunction with HSI (Humane Society International) and <span style="background-color: white;">WTG (Welttierschutz Gesselschaft)</span> went south to figure out
what they could do to help those affected by the floods. Some
districts were being helped but no relief had gone to Balaka, Zomba,
or Machinga agriculture districts so this is where our attention was
focused.
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Kathleen and
I went down to Zomba on a Monday afternoon via minibus. Public
transportation is always an adventure in Africa. The bus does not
leave until every seat has been sold and by that I mean there are 5
people for every 4 seats. The drive takes about 4 hours in a car but
it was closer to 7 hours in the bus and that was without any
breakdowns. We talked to someone else a few days later that went the
same route and it took them 14 hours with 2 breakdowns. We met
Jender in Zomba. Jender is the project coordinator at LSPCA for the Disaster
Relief and he had already been down in the Balaka and Zomba districts
for a week. We ended up working in Zomba for one day and in Machinga
district for 3 days.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Kathleen and
I have always been interested in and talked about doing some sort of
relief work in Africa. This turned out to be out first chance where
we were able to actually do this. The plan was that LSPCA and its
partners would supply the drugs and the Malawi government through
their agriculture field offices would supply some manpower and get
the farmers and villages organized. The diseases mainly effecting
the animals were the sorts of things that occur after too much rain.
Foot Rot, Lumpy Skin Disease, and especially intestinal parasites
were at high levels. The poultry in this area is also periodically
effected by New Castles Disease which tends to kill most of them.
The plan was to deworm as many animals as possible, treat the ones
that needed it with antibiotics, manage any wounds, and vaccinate the
poultry against New Castles Disease. Each district is broken down
into different EPAs (Extension Planning Areas). We would visit a
different EPA each day. Some people would go through the villages
door to door on bicycles or motorcycles to vaccinate the chickens.
This is done by placing a drop of I-2 vaccine in their eye.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToDoREIDbi4cChAw9IDp5QmmSJE8HUtfasJdl2Jh4XiFW4TG7kesl4zO0ltRFsGmTN9krEayOGG_5sn4jAKTk6CunZwMBuszxu7ATYJEsYzO4su7WpQ9rulPuKj31tP1BAsdjrgZfTRK2/s1600/Classroom+treatment+spot+4+-+New+Castle+vaccination_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiToDoREIDbi4cChAw9IDp5QmmSJE8HUtfasJdl2Jh4XiFW4TG7kesl4zO0ltRFsGmTN9krEayOGG_5sn4jAKTk6CunZwMBuszxu7ATYJEsYzO4su7WpQ9rulPuKj31tP1BAsdjrgZfTRK2/s1600/Classroom+treatment+spot+4+-+New+Castle+vaccination_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Vaccinating a chicken </div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
While
they did this Jender, Kathleen, and I would go to the local dip tank
where there would be a cattle chute where we could treat the cattle.
Large herds of goats would also be gathered there to be treated.
Goats and sheep were given oral dewormer.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-pN3e5Wh9-3TpHrdykdwIjLyVADrEIP7brJ46qEk0D0IID6_U21SWpAJ4upXh0wK0dzXrha4ATiCNJUs39LY6K-jGBGmjyoJMdqLEr-WS1bY_aXpxw2eBoaEeF0enr9K9ta68lTjt1HH/s1600/Classroom+treatment+spot+17_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-pN3e5Wh9-3TpHrdykdwIjLyVADrEIP7brJ46qEk0D0IID6_U21SWpAJ4upXh0wK0dzXrha4ATiCNJUs39LY6K-jGBGmjyoJMdqLEr-WS1bY_aXpxw2eBoaEeF0enr9K9ta68lTjt1HH/s1600/Classroom+treatment+spot+17_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Deworming a goat </div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The cattle were injected
with ivermectin and if they had other problems then I would figure
out what needed to be given. When we would first arrive we would
often meet the local chief (often a woman) and the head of the
herders association.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DEkhxrqpvksjuFlwGzKpmU6TI4bLll70Jt03zYCcaLwth48b9jZp9R0SF8iNU5HfjMNKlJ6vNhWnYdOL0VdcJAEUGQ57qff7d14QDMDKqL9qA0wsWte2jeCNkU8iZZDnISQbGjHlOn7Z/s1600/Meeting+the+village+chief+2_edited_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DEkhxrqpvksjuFlwGzKpmU6TI4bLll70Jt03zYCcaLwth48b9jZp9R0SF8iNU5HfjMNKlJ6vNhWnYdOL0VdcJAEUGQ57qff7d14QDMDKqL9qA0wsWte2jeCNkU8iZZDnISQbGjHlOn7Z/s1600/Meeting+the+village+chief+2_edited_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Village chief thanking us </div>
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<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Some of the herders were very organized and
worked together as a team. The cows were moved through the chute
efficiently and we were able to treat all the animals. Other EPAs
were each herder to himself and it was harder to treat as many
animals. We didn't like the way they would hit them with sticks at
times and would occasionally make suggestions on how to move them in
a less violent way. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XS-K7gBW63ckwNyRDceVxvFedbr_civ5aSp8Raom8ThAnaRs0G6kLMLFnMPRFh0hHcv0o3a5NIbv8JjEdub14LZrMq1-PmXxZvlUp8LM-XWRmzqd8N11kO5Is7VWtDw9mCeelqFKo2zF/s1600/Lake+Chilwa+crush+5+-+herders+meeting+with+AEDC+-+Agriculture+Extention+Development+Coordinator_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3XS-K7gBW63ckwNyRDceVxvFedbr_civ5aSp8Raom8ThAnaRs0G6kLMLFnMPRFh0hHcv0o3a5NIbv8JjEdub14LZrMq1-PmXxZvlUp8LM-XWRmzqd8N11kO5Is7VWtDw9mCeelqFKo2zF/s1600/Lake+Chilwa+crush+5+-+herders+meeting+with+AEDC+-+Agriculture+Extention+Development+Coordinator_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Herders making a plan on how to treat</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVo_L8S0Ex9rH5t4IdXbNGbDLDb7OGQoURWnGyYrAgcit3qV6AxiSnlsz3Z7rdBVvwuuI45rjbtd4elf7r7FlQUqzPlm8LkqmO2ucLlqPW8O9CXi-iouNv0DJq-cz3YR0nbTTQUe5Gjx_/s1600/Lake+Chilwa+crush+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAVo_L8S0Ex9rH5t4IdXbNGbDLDb7OGQoURWnGyYrAgcit3qV6AxiSnlsz3Z7rdBVvwuuI45rjbtd4elf7r7FlQUqzPlm8LkqmO2ucLlqPW8O9CXi-iouNv0DJq-cz3YR0nbTTQUe5Gjx_/s1600/Lake+Chilwa+crush+2_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Examining the cows in the chute </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDMrkaCxFk214uxheQWZdq0j5I1r7ONXpwaf2rzirY1_e9B-aN8RWsZNft3PYSWzrHrUafD8FT5zfD7fzTsORZw2nGXKk1AbjAoTOn6hsvcH37KhaZ14TWLREeDRfjXwD4b0QsMj9OfIs/s1600/Flood+Relief+Machinga+30+-+Nafisi+Dip+Tank_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDMrkaCxFk214uxheQWZdq0j5I1r7ONXpwaf2rzirY1_e9B-aN8RWsZNft3PYSWzrHrUafD8FT5zfD7fzTsORZw2nGXKk1AbjAoTOn6hsvcH37KhaZ14TWLREeDRfjXwD4b0QsMj9OfIs/s1600/Flood+Relief+Machinga+30+-+Nafisi+Dip+Tank_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Too much hitting going on </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJp72otbwRG6nRlUX4S2d8FecYsv9MzBN9GY0BBnooLOehzp2aVX-XhJrQPiXWGm6MtxvmYSn5EGeXIpSSG1rWaYZghRu2qvUhHsp6HoUIdcsdwIoHzRRt5FPp6_9R2_H4jtELWmjqUDg/s1600/Nifisi+Dip+Tank+4_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJp72otbwRG6nRlUX4S2d8FecYsv9MzBN9GY0BBnooLOehzp2aVX-XhJrQPiXWGm6MtxvmYSn5EGeXIpSSG1rWaYZghRu2qvUhHsp6HoUIdcsdwIoHzRRt5FPp6_9R2_H4jtELWmjqUDg/s1600/Nifisi+Dip+Tank+4_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Loading the cows into the chute </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8FXrJmSDEKF9Bu91JyK4qVqwsJ2Weg1YVt1mF-qpg-JhVyzAiW8xwDwdIVqTDIbIxCCwj_lXP5A0FTm3e0UWV0a8big9MK5sVXok0qB_y90mO2BXfJdXEUFAXetoW9a42pZBA5ZdlGOj/s1600/Flood+Relief+Machinga+39+-+Nafisi+Dip+Tank_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8FXrJmSDEKF9Bu91JyK4qVqwsJ2Weg1YVt1mF-qpg-JhVyzAiW8xwDwdIVqTDIbIxCCwj_lXP5A0FTm3e0UWV0a8big9MK5sVXok0qB_y90mO2BXfJdXEUFAXetoW9a42pZBA5ZdlGOj/s1600/Flood+Relief+Machinga+39+-+Nafisi+Dip+Tank_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Jabbing cows </div>
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<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Over the course of the 10 day intervention we
managed to treat 2172 cattle, 37963 goats, 1453 sheep, 1871 pigs, and
34513 chickens. Our goal beyond treating as many animals as possible
was to also help the local AVOs (Assistant Veterinary Officers) and
AHSAs (Animal Health Surveillance Assistants) improve their
techniques and skills. It was also to start more regular veterinary
care by starting treatment now but then leaving additional drugs for
future use.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
To get to
these areas would involve driving 2 hours down a “road”. It
would start as a dirt road, become a dirt track, and by the end of
the road we would be jeeping the car down a path the width of a
bicycle. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcbDuRa0bpuoKq_KNqkv_hgdNnw9PeJYFb2pt0zW3x1py28CTnwupAdQdzwKY0xEMp7_8ooWXVtuC5MkCOOleHVNG8rwt9UghiWdenNjYMfOeCDXcUtutB9FL3LlSWtvjHl72NCN02NNf/s1600/Drive+to+Chikomoni+Dip+Tank+4_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIcbDuRa0bpuoKq_KNqkv_hgdNnw9PeJYFb2pt0zW3x1py28CTnwupAdQdzwKY0xEMp7_8ooWXVtuC5MkCOOleHVNG8rwt9UghiWdenNjYMfOeCDXcUtutB9FL3LlSWtvjHl72NCN02NNf/s1600/Drive+to+Chikomoni+Dip+Tank+4_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>View out the windshield of "the road"</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The bottom of the car would scrape along some of the ruts
and there were several streams and big puddles we had to cross.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksk700-kBPUKsUMU6pcnnA7cs_0ldOgAFi38l5ImsUOtHfc8AIAGjF91Mry_4F_DCRt-l-j0pIq_cVqzS8GGn_j4gCH-hIH95evTYyJog_ZlybeqIph6pILYCNydzrZDDxQdo0-9H9gUe/s1600/Flood+Relief+Machinga+47+-+jeeping+back+from+Nafisi+Dip+Tank_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksk700-kBPUKsUMU6pcnnA7cs_0ldOgAFi38l5ImsUOtHfc8AIAGjF91Mry_4F_DCRt-l-j0pIq_cVqzS8GGn_j4gCH-hIH95evTYyJog_ZlybeqIph6pILYCNydzrZDDxQdo0-9H9gUe/s1600/Flood+Relief+Machinga+47+-+jeeping+back+from+Nafisi+Dip+Tank_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>One of the "puddles" </div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
When
it rained the road became a muddy quagmire that we would easily get
stuck in. The car we had was not ever designed for this type of
terrain.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wkeq4KKtxQ1uJym-ZV10BjyEKZ-bqncxQVW5rAMEw1A3WnTup8ufslt7E472WCEnbMwVMackaxiS2NWTX_l9sHDvqtmfS_G5VT6-zoIDqwqQVoN1DNIaWm4xu28uIbms5jo71YGwh1xH/s1600/Stuck+in+mud+3_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wkeq4KKtxQ1uJym-ZV10BjyEKZ-bqncxQVW5rAMEw1A3WnTup8ufslt7E472WCEnbMwVMackaxiS2NWTX_l9sHDvqtmfS_G5VT6-zoIDqwqQVoN1DNIaWm4xu28uIbms5jo71YGwh1xH/s1600/Stuck+in+mud+3_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>20 minutes of rain was a problem </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-8yiXeW4nfVidGJPe_BkH4fWjaQIuCTMIR_jS97IKgcLpdZVT7f573n8xB2dQJ-Fi4lujeXaS0DKU0ncs0EjL77818_oGaWo4tLdXJ0AZRmMmpsveZ2nHVQAwhNHEU8JDh65mrlq0wBe/s1600/Bypassing+washed+out+bridge_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK-8yiXeW4nfVidGJPe_BkH4fWjaQIuCTMIR_jS97IKgcLpdZVT7f573n8xB2dQJ-Fi4lujeXaS0DKU0ncs0EjL77818_oGaWo4tLdXJ0AZRmMmpsveZ2nHVQAwhNHEU8JDh65mrlq0wBe/s1600/Bypassing+washed+out+bridge_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Carrying supplies in past washed out bridge</div>
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<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Along the way we would pass multiple tiny villages and
scattered farmhouses. Corn fields were everywhere but we also saw
rice paddies, beans, zucchini, and tobacco being grown. Some of the
villages were near big lakes where people fished for a living.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuikgLGbXlEAZtOmWl1MGKR8_L091H7Hv8u4uzea2zyxQ8afmgEFG_n_aU9jclTZUB1H70rS6t33aTtIxdiFggWeOYHF1_yFsbvbGSHpLaCyZTHNcIWuc3FQgDLP6N1he_aPMyZVbgRxV/s1600/Local+hut_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuikgLGbXlEAZtOmWl1MGKR8_L091H7Hv8u4uzea2zyxQ8afmgEFG_n_aU9jclTZUB1H70rS6t33aTtIxdiFggWeOYHF1_yFsbvbGSHpLaCyZTHNcIWuc3FQgDLP6N1he_aPMyZVbgRxV/s1600/Local+hut_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Typical farm dwelling </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaajOk6TlcCh_SVuZZvmQE6l8J8Uk0hv7n4GWnCnUbWfpSz72QF_1EjYQh7-4HAMOSYb1gKrLoehesmvz5Mm9Z149QertfGHiCe75oFc1fGo4UzPQ9MsFt4wzkMmrYq1JNdDIFwcJK8XU-/s1600/Drying+fish_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaajOk6TlcCh_SVuZZvmQE6l8J8Uk0hv7n4GWnCnUbWfpSz72QF_1EjYQh7-4HAMOSYb1gKrLoehesmvz5Mm9Z149QertfGHiCe75oFc1fGo4UzPQ9MsFt4wzkMmrYq1JNdDIFwcJK8XU-/s1600/Drying+fish_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Drying fish at Lake Chilwa </div>
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<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Along
these roads we would pass refuge camps for the displaced people.
Most were living at the local schools so the children have not been
able to learn since the rains began. Many of these families lost
everything they owned and now have only one blanket and some food
relief provided by the government and NGOs. Rotary International and
an organization called Shelter Box were setting up large tents for
people to move into so that they could have some privacy. Once the
rainy season ends in the end of April/beginning of May then the
people will go rebuild their houses.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZVftLVzIHS5xjHXbNMdJnsIpcBbVrLKdhX52UXi3oKWBuDCgn232lCceyQFT_soTeKsRd2fHUe2qQWD5_oph78NJ-7NgdiH7ku0NyJFwerF7n4q_noQD9KV_a9GhaPxBdyi-V8oin4di/s1600/Displaced+Persons+Camp+10_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZVftLVzIHS5xjHXbNMdJnsIpcBbVrLKdhX52UXi3oKWBuDCgn232lCceyQFT_soTeKsRd2fHUe2qQWD5_oph78NJ-7NgdiH7ku0NyJFwerF7n4q_noQD9KV_a9GhaPxBdyi-V8oin4di/s1600/Displaced+Persons+Camp+10_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Shelter Box tents at a refuge camp</div>
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<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
In one tiny village we passed
through there were three funerals that day. A cholera death where
the person had gone from healthy to dead in just over 24 hours and 2
malaria deaths. We passed some houses of natural healers or “witch
doctors” who are often the only type of medical care in some of
these areas. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0HEyUTPSmMM9PdplVKTvNSHpKwVSJb5cOd3QEeg1ZPir_SrV4LKY79rS-rcDL0sNRlqXrqFA02AVqbkxcAVPyLt1HmIf3wMCwhyphenhyphensyzohD_PFkqtnPTCrTQbqX_pIbxN-oPvd7XzovOpv/s1600/Natural+healer+(witch%2Bdoctor)_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0HEyUTPSmMM9PdplVKTvNSHpKwVSJb5cOd3QEeg1ZPir_SrV4LKY79rS-rcDL0sNRlqXrqFA02AVqbkxcAVPyLt1HmIf3wMCwhyphenhyphensyzohD_PFkqtnPTCrTQbqX_pIbxN-oPvd7XzovOpv/s1600/Natural+healer+(witch%2Bdoctor)_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>A natural healer we met</div>
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There was one school that we passed that was still in
session. We saw that there were children outside sitting under a
tree with a blackboard. I had seen this sort of thing in National
Geographic before so we stopped to take a look in real life. This
had the effect of pretty much disrupting the entire school. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhLSNQW_RcYN9apg1qp2EQhU1q_fUkTAKowI6eXQAlu6p1NAkVpHw8GTLkFzgXLqIj_WMKT4qyqdfCh-abDCRZ20vSy6GjHFEyLOVInmCK3DC86Hoc4y02YxvJpXwuhn80PKwLXvu-bRh/s1600/School+visit+8+-+outdoor+classroom_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJhLSNQW_RcYN9apg1qp2EQhU1q_fUkTAKowI6eXQAlu6p1NAkVpHw8GTLkFzgXLqIj_WMKT4qyqdfCh-abDCRZ20vSy6GjHFEyLOVInmCK3DC86Hoc4y02YxvJpXwuhn80PKwLXvu-bRh/s1600/School+visit+8+-+outdoor+classroom_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Outdoor classroom </div>
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The
headmaster came out to see what the commotion was and ended up giving
us a guided tour of several classrooms. The school was horribly
overcrowded which is why 3 of the classrooms are outdoors. If it
rains then there is no class. The indoor classes had up to 160
children in each class. The would sit on the floor and there was
pretty much no way to get any more kids into the room. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizztCkx1sM4BU1RhFp2oejzoxuMzdzzaCDsGEzQL6zRGoxjfsgtumBsjIPjgNOFSLEPx6CB4yXoUuehI1pUxN7CLOl2uyI5PcjvtVW8cmtkC1zyTHghAVuG-7wTLC-pGpp1KWeNW1ps_07/s1600/IMG_1167_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizztCkx1sM4BU1RhFp2oejzoxuMzdzzaCDsGEzQL6zRGoxjfsgtumBsjIPjgNOFSLEPx6CB4yXoUuehI1pUxN7CLOl2uyI5PcjvtVW8cmtkC1zyTHghAVuG-7wTLC-pGpp1KWeNW1ps_07/s1600/IMG_1167_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Typical overcrowded classroom</div>
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Jender was
able to translate for us so we were able to have some fascinating
conversations with people. Jender always liked to ask people if they
had seen Mzungu (white people) before. Often the answer was that
they had seen one once or twice but had never spoken with one. They
would ask if there were poor people in America and we were asked if a
person in America makes more money does it mean that someone else
makes less? Children would scream, point, and chase after us. The
adults were more subdued but would still come out of their houses to
stare and wave. Herders would want to shake our hands and thank us
for coming so far to their country. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5zz9xXDxoWZD-73xhI9-yG2nooECvGcTDrZpN3ufnXbAcZT8Gf9K2n7wGxGfAAQWAUDJRee3b0o7S3gTQV1zNgrrfM_j2P7jLPVKemb1U79phLVJXdtYirQFjTDmKofYYzgZMF5WcOKt/s1600/Kids+swimming+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5zz9xXDxoWZD-73xhI9-yG2nooECvGcTDrZpN3ufnXbAcZT8Gf9K2n7wGxGfAAQWAUDJRee3b0o7S3gTQV1zNgrrfM_j2P7jLPVKemb1U79phLVJXdtYirQFjTDmKofYYzgZMF5WcOKt/s1600/Kids+swimming+2_edited.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a>Kids chasing the car </div>
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<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The living
conditions were rough. It was good that we had been traveling
through many developing countries by this point because it did not
faze us. Our hotel had no toilet seat, no running water (you poured
water from a bucket into the toilet), and to turn the light on/off
you had to screw the light bulb in and out of the socket. The
mosquito nets had holes the size of a head. Not a mosquito head. A
human head. There was only one restaurant in town that would have
had most westerners skipping food. We would often have to go buy the
food in the market and bring it to the restaurant to be cooked. It
was better if you didn't look in the kitchen to see where the food
was being prepared. Kathleen and I must have pretty strong
gastrointestinal systems at this point because we haven't gotten sick
despite questionable water and cleanliness conditions. We still plan
on deworming myself when I get back though. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJNZXWSiQLGmvaJVXkTeF1b3MCwqGJ4pmX3qlVCCY2H4QTu132odl-rzpvT0n2wwt6qUmMdzUetAiBuZpoM5M9ciNCvzuxe_tPGrf1-KsflYdnjy3qtUm15NMW6gYMbj6_e2nBLKn1BzC/s1600/Restaurant+where+we+ate+for+3+days.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJNZXWSiQLGmvaJVXkTeF1b3MCwqGJ4pmX3qlVCCY2H4QTu132odl-rzpvT0n2wwt6qUmMdzUetAiBuZpoM5M9ciNCvzuxe_tPGrf1-KsflYdnjy3qtUm15NMW6gYMbj6_e2nBLKn1BzC/s1600/Restaurant+where+we+ate+for+3+days.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>The local eatery</div>
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The week flew
by. I almost felt guilty that I was having so much fun since the
situation that these people were in was not a lighthearted scene. It
did feel like we made a positive impact to the people we were able to
help. We were thanked by everyone (herders, local agriculture staff,
village chiefs, etc) and we could see that by helping their animals
that we were helping the people since there is such a close
connection between the two. Kathleen and I hope that at some point
we will get another chance to help like this again. It was quite the
powerful experience.
</div>
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Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-55151199834737391132015-03-08T13:11:00.003-07:002015-03-08T13:30:57.699-07:00World Spay Day - Malawi<br />
For the last month Kathleen and I
have been residing in the capital of Malawi, a sleepy town called
Lilongwe where we have been volunteering at the LSPCA – the
Lilongwe Society for the Protection and Care of Animals, an
organization that is working on multiple levels within Malawi. Some
are at the national level: They are currently working on an EU
initiative on tightening guidelines for Animal Welfare at
slaughterhouses and Better Training For Safer Food. They have helped
the Malawi government start enforcing the animal cruelty laws and now
the first convictions are trying to stop the roadside puppy mill
trade. They are helping with fighting the poaching and ivory trade
in the region. This organization also helps on the local level:
There is community outreach done where LSPCA education officer(s)
visit primary schools to teach children about animal welfare. They
run a clinic where clients can come with their animals for veterinary
care and vaccinations. There is a charge for this service. They
also perform free spay/neuter and vaccination clinics in the poor
parts of the city. They also do a monthly large animal clinic and
are hoping to soon start a program for donkeys to teach people how to
take better and more humane care of them.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Malawi has really stoked
Kathleen's fire. She has on numerous occasions claimed this is her
“happy place”. She is involved in many of the projects going on
at LSPCA and has fallen in love with her typical “day at work”.
In the mornings she has been teaching at the primary schools how to
provide the basic needs of animals and the 5 Freedoms of animal
welfare: Freedom from Fear, Freedom to express natural behavior,
Freedom from discomfort, Freedom from hunger and thirst, and Freedom
from pain, injury, and disease. She also teaches a bit on animal
behavior, rabies awareness, signs and symptoms, and tips on
prevention. In the afternoons, she often visits the Animal Kindness
Clubs at the schools, encouraging the children to continue learning
and practicing compassion towards animals. There they use dance,
poetry and debate as medium to celebrate and teach animal welfare
objectives. Kathleen has also been briefed on the animal welfare
slaughterhouse legislation and plans on visiting slaughterhouses
later this month. Most recently, Kathleen has joined the Triathlon
Committee and is taking the lead on behalf of LSPCA on fundraising for
the event which will take place in April. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF318bZw_6jPV9eiitaTWbS5UUA4lRpVhYgM1Z53SKH8VXJgjYusdxYQqxX3nahoLHRA0GlImeaQdVPMb5AqmT2bb_hWq91r1dMkosgCSx0SqqmT9wnaQJxEntR_yg761-8pUzTdHmcAhS/s1600/Kathleen+teaching_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF318bZw_6jPV9eiitaTWbS5UUA4lRpVhYgM1Z53SKH8VXJgjYusdxYQqxX3nahoLHRA0GlImeaQdVPMb5AqmT2bb_hWq91r1dMkosgCSx0SqqmT9wnaQJxEntR_yg761-8pUzTdHmcAhS/s1600/Kathleen+teaching_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Kathleen teaching Animal Welfare</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My role is more simple. I am here
as a veterinarian. I help run the hospital along with the resident
South African vet Robyn McCann. Since we are staying at the
accommodation on the shelter grounds I also am the after hours
emergency vet. Every Tuesday and Wednesday the vets go out into the
communities around Lilongwe and do a free spay/neuter clinic. Rabies
vaccination and some basic veterinary care is also provided. These
are very poor areas and the conditions are primitive. Basically we
are doing surgery on folding tables under some trees in a dirt
square. People will be lined up with their dogs on chains, wires,
and ropes hoping to get them neutered or spayed. The majority of the dogs are
medium size short hair brown dogs – the generic Malawi mutt. They
are pretty adorable but many of them are not socialized and they
often get into fights amongst each other as they wait. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrzSK_cTTPUYCQDqBQIIOMX5yppgF_usnzdXXaTHgoska2vw8EI6vN-z9xLScX0mqEgfYqY7cGPE_EC9lZRZdiuN0fwcWEpdbg7tsA-dLDhExAr71OqrG5dmagbhZTUHthtXCAB_bWWjJ/s1600/Spay+Day+-+banner_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfrzSK_cTTPUYCQDqBQIIOMX5yppgF_usnzdXXaTHgoska2vw8EI6vN-z9xLScX0mqEgfYqY7cGPE_EC9lZRZdiuN0fwcWEpdbg7tsA-dLDhExAr71OqrG5dmagbhZTUHthtXCAB_bWWjJ/s1600/Spay+Day+-+banner_edited.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>Publicity banner</div>
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This last week was World Spay Day
which the LSPCA stretched into 3 days to maximize the effect. Our good friend and vet
colleague Amanda McNabb heard about what was going on and with less
then 2 weeks notice managed to completely change her work and bike
race schedule, gather up 2 suitcases of donated medical supplies and
donations for an orphanage Kathleen has visited, and through a
GoFundMe campaign raised a bunch of money for supplies toward
stocking the shelter. We were incredibly impressed with the
generosity of our friends and veterinary community that helped out.
Drugs from multiple clinics as far away as Wisconsin helped give what
they could. Amanda showed up on Monday, did a ton of surgeries for 3
days, held the hospital down for a day while Kathleen and I went to
renew our visas, and then went and enjoyed the spectacle of the first
Malawi Veterinary Association meeting since 2013 before leaving the
next day. It was fun having a friend come visit again so now Amanda
is tied with Dan Sears and Seth Wolpin for meeting up with us twice
during World Tour (though Seth still has the lead since he spent a
grueling 3 months with us hiking across the Himalaya). Over the
course of the three days 221 animals were spayed and neutered. Each
day there would be a couple of hundred dogs waiting as we pulled in.
Many people stood in the hot sun for a full day or more hoping to get
the surgery performed. The recovery building was piled up with dogs waking up from anesthesia.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCInoSad6gLmhxXGMfvF30WlYEEDaU41nCEMfN-iS-I6hH4w9scx4sMdtZUXPdZi4gsxWA_dZewcFaOXJu05zZ8X0MBd5PfWzSKiagL-kME603oSYZiYPlATZwrGhZUnOjbpgFJn20krjX/s1600/IMG_6514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCInoSad6gLmhxXGMfvF30WlYEEDaU41nCEMfN-iS-I6hH4w9scx4sMdtZUXPdZi4gsxWA_dZewcFaOXJu05zZ8X0MBd5PfWzSKiagL-kME603oSYZiYPlATZwrGhZUnOjbpgFJn20krjX/s1600/IMG_6514.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Standing in line all day </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDOSXJgINSAw53EEzJuEt698oCra8hysLpqbDEiju7-r6ObGrBAnNm5eD8PiuieMGQ-ZZoKNb4UOgeOr08XyPZKv2jqQpPqvtrwahZ0IbqSZCVz3MGzuUTkxNL5b6scdWoRlLIZFg1oPJ/s1600/IMG_6503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBDOSXJgINSAw53EEzJuEt698oCra8hysLpqbDEiju7-r6ObGrBAnNm5eD8PiuieMGQ-ZZoKNb4UOgeOr08XyPZKv2jqQpPqvtrwahZ0IbqSZCVz3MGzuUTkxNL5b6scdWoRlLIZFg1oPJ/s1600/IMG_6503.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Recovery - this building actually collapsed the next week</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEgI8TeK-Ba4RmyDNX8sp9MIcWDg-5LKhlZfH7m1TejPLfOQ4M0FvIDO4OXODtGfDR-n3xmgAf49GpGzmxI66fNXX6AZ24AXQjw7VfhBEUix5Wi75ZaINtCLk0ot7xmS9N19MmXOz1Lvv/s1600/IMG_6522_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEgI8TeK-Ba4RmyDNX8sp9MIcWDg-5LKhlZfH7m1TejPLfOQ4M0FvIDO4OXODtGfDR-n3xmgAf49GpGzmxI66fNXX6AZ24AXQjw7VfhBEUix5Wi75ZaINtCLk0ot7xmS9N19MmXOz1Lvv/s1600/IMG_6522_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Dogs recovering from anesthesia </div>
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There were also vets from Uganda (the head of
LSPCA Richard Ssuna), South Africa (Robyn), England, Zambia, and a
Finnish vet that lives and works in India. On the first day we even
had two Dutch vet students drop by and we rapidly put them to work.
A large group of Malawi veterinary para-proffesionals (vet techs and
assistant equivalents) helped us out by monitoring patients during
surgery and recovery, inducing and prepping for surgery, and in
helping with the registration and crowd control. Kathleen used her old human clinical medicine skills and found that dogs aren't that much different to monitor. Dozens and dozens
of children would gather and watch. At the end of the days they
would get very excited when cameras were taken out wanting to get
their picture taken. They always loved to look at the screen to see
themselves. High fives were also popular and Amanda taught some of
them how to do exploding fist bumps. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYl6f0O3nB_Y739UoJCmlBGK3bI8lD-OjALJawOD0hwoyngK2ZoCzVXciBoPV47UomZ-6OFnrT_zCVI9_I2eIEJnzUum3WSKV8XU1erFwMSTFNJ2DUYiR9zCEw8dsccAqdWWpzuH1vfsKm/s1600/Spay+Day+-+surgery_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYl6f0O3nB_Y739UoJCmlBGK3bI8lD-OjALJawOD0hwoyngK2ZoCzVXciBoPV47UomZ-6OFnrT_zCVI9_I2eIEJnzUum3WSKV8XU1erFwMSTFNJ2DUYiR9zCEw8dsccAqdWWpzuH1vfsKm/s1600/Spay+Day+-+surgery_edited.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>Elona and Amanda doing surgery </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi931E5r8RbwHMEpHeqQpz1iz0ZdAMHxYc5jO7d0vdnqQ7bjy4i-mg5jYausMn3AE9eM1BIil6VXb18lQNsvoF2QqWZc_O3dru6c_MbDfQxMHGr0B-JZygBTfIzRaKqfTH5keHR5zrS2rEA/s1600/IMG_6509_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi931E5r8RbwHMEpHeqQpz1iz0ZdAMHxYc5jO7d0vdnqQ7bjy4i-mg5jYausMn3AE9eM1BIil6VXb18lQNsvoF2QqWZc_O3dru6c_MbDfQxMHGr0B-JZygBTfIzRaKqfTH5keHR5zrS2rEA/s1600/IMG_6509_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Me yelling at Amanda to work faster</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYER0BQsWuY3wrRvEXzDzp9nphZtrtVly_m3brGCN3qKE4RfsEL7hGLQ3y0mMXowr4NGqPWqp2S7L70bbjDePXEAmZm4SuspXrv0P8kERcluHpbnm-JXLFC8mtlUwGHw88HrmF7LjKS_d/s1600/IMG_6577_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYER0BQsWuY3wrRvEXzDzp9nphZtrtVly_m3brGCN3qKE4RfsEL7hGLQ3y0mMXowr4NGqPWqp2S7L70bbjDePXEAmZm4SuspXrv0P8kERcluHpbnm-JXLFC8mtlUwGHw88HrmF7LjKS_d/s1600/IMG_6577_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>The children were fascinated </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HQ4GRnw5C_Vwc7JF6qBkidZmHXaZGyGfCXCJfjYlZ6IL0nfGLINURm1YKCoj1yXcBllhdcURP0XtihoJgjIHh1YuE4zaieNW9-kW2aZxFkjqV2qEzrAcaN7Zp-Q16D4w-gETQKFF0_1F/s1600/McNabb+1_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0HQ4GRnw5C_Vwc7JF6qBkidZmHXaZGyGfCXCJfjYlZ6IL0nfGLINURm1YKCoj1yXcBllhdcURP0XtihoJgjIHh1YuE4zaieNW9-kW2aZxFkjqV2qEzrAcaN7Zp-Q16D4w-gETQKFF0_1F/s1600/McNabb+1_edited.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>The team </div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There were some sad moments and
some great moments. I had to put down a suspected rabies dog that
was hypersalivating, neurologic, and acting strange according to the
owner. In the afternoon of the third day I saw two elderly men
sitting on a wall with their dogs. They had been waiting for a long
time. At least all day if not since the previous day. I found that
they were number 2 and 3 on the waiting list for females to be
spayed. I promised them that I would get their animals done next. I
injected the next 3 females with xylazine to sedate them. After I
did this I would place a piece of tape on their head with their
estimated weight. One of the grandpa's dogs did not want the tape,
freaked out, slipped out of its leash, and took off running. The dog
ducked under a fence and disappeared with the poor man chasing after
her in the hot sun. I was really bummed. I had wanted to help him
and now his drugged dog was loose in the town. Fortunately after
about 20 minutes he came back with his dog reattached to the rope.
The dog was still able to walk but just barely. 40 minutes later he
had a spayed dog and everyone was happy. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEBV76uq6WvLhUoqhvv-ywelQHu6vXixcdNGHNciVkLVlqG18WD1YlcaNK5I074Rxxjb265DxoQ4iImbTCFRSsJkr3XSQt9ih44CRDw8Rs_qXdE9Mgfmt7V0kfhrx6ghxmqpZruk1ah6m/s1600/Spay+Day+-+xylazine+injection_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfEBV76uq6WvLhUoqhvv-ywelQHu6vXixcdNGHNciVkLVlqG18WD1YlcaNK5I074Rxxjb265DxoQ4iImbTCFRSsJkr3XSQt9ih44CRDw8Rs_qXdE9Mgfmt7V0kfhrx6ghxmqpZruk1ah6m/s1600/Spay+Day+-+xylazine+injection_edited.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>Sedating dogs with xylazine</div>
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We want to give a HUGE thanks to
all our friends and colleagues who helped out with supporting World
Spay Day. This type of activity has a real impact on peoples lives
here. Rabies kills a scary number of people here. A regional
hospital where Kathleen and I were at for flood relief had 10 confirmed rabies deaths last year and they
thought that there were many more in the villages where people did
not seek health care. In Lilongwe 2 weeks ago a woman and 4 month
old baby were attacked by stray dogs and the mother was killed. This also is not an
uncommon occurrence. Vaccinating and trying to control the dog
population helps save human lives also. Many Malawi at spay day
thanked me profusely and that thanks goes back to the sponsors that
helped make it happen. As they say here, Zikomo!</div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-80901659910324277172015-01-28T23:53:00.000-08:002015-01-29T05:13:11.447-08:00Drakensberg Traverse - a trip out of Africa Light into Africa HeavyThe Lord of the Rings Trilogy may have been filmed in New
Zealand but when J.R. Tolkien first had his inspiration for Middle
Earth it was taken from the Drakensberg Mountain range in South
Africa and Lesotho. A land also known as the Barrier of Spears to
the local Zulu's. Hundreds of caves with paintings in them from up
to 2400 years ago dot the landscape. From below it is a line of huge
rock cliffs stretching as an escarpment for 1000 kilometers. From
above the top of the range is a large plateau that can be very flat
in places though in Lesotho where we were it has been eroded by water
into many deep and irregular valleys. It is a mountain range like no
other that we have seen. Like a combination of the US desert
southwest combined with the greenery of Ireland. The Grand Traverse
that we were interested in doing is a 220 to 240 km (136 to 150
miles) hike that starts and ends in South Africa but spends most of
its route within the Kingdom of Lesotho. There are 6 mountains along
the way that are the “checkpoints” of the route. Any path can be
taken to connect these peaks. There are no trails so it is up to the
individual to find the most efficient way across the countryside.
Technically it is not entirely legal to wander across the border but
since there are no towns or settlements this is not enforced. It is
recommended that you bring your passports just in case.
<br />
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The record for covering this traverse was set last March by two
South Africans, Ryan Sandes and Ryno Griesel who crushed the previous
record finishing the entire thing in 41 hrs 49 min. They were
gracious enough to share their GPS track with us as it turned out
that this traverse would have been impossible without it due to the
confusing landscape and often thick fog his time of year. One night shortly before we
left for the traverse we were hanging out at our local friends house,
the Bensons. Alcohol may have been involved. Their son had 2 hobby
horses (one horse, one zebra) that he had gotten for Christmas. I
started to ride it around the house and then had an idea.
Lately many people we know have been doing a variety of crazy things
that have never been done before to get the “Only Known Time” and
thereby setting a record. Without doing any research, I was pretty sure that no one had ever ridden a hobby horse/zebra across
the Drakensberg Mountains and I decided that I wanted to be the first
one to do this. Luke Benson (without his knowledge) donated his
hobby zebra to the mission. Other local friends also helped us out
with the logistics. Georgina Ayre offered to meet us in the middle
for a resupply and Andrew and Suzie Jed offered to drive us down to
the trailhead. None of this would have been possible without the
help of everyone listed above and we want to say a HUGE THANKS for
their help. Also a big thanks goes to Dawn Greensides and Paul Pleva
(Home Base South Africa) where we have spent a lot of our time. I
have watched the movie Madagascar pretty much once a day with their 2
year old, so in Piper's honor, the zebra was named Marty.<br />
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<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<b><u>Day 1:</u> </b> We were given a ride to the trailhead where we found
ourselves within a cloud with the wind blowing and a heavy mist
making everything wet. I pulled out Marty the Zebra and off we rode
into the fog. The first few kilometers was the only real trail we
would see for the next week. This trail led up to the Chain Ladders
which climb up a ~40 foot section of cliff. Not a good place to
slip. Once above these cliffs you are on the escarpment and the
terrain becomes more rolling. There is also no trail after this
point and the navigation across the alpine landscape began. The fog
made it difficult to see any landmarks but using the GPS we were able
to head in the right direction to Mount Aux Sources, our first peak.
From the top of the Chain Ladders we started to pass Basotho
tribesmen dressed in leather shorts, rubber boots, and a brown cloak.
As it became afternoon we were able to gain enough elevation to get
above the cloud cover. At 5pm as we were contemplating where to camp
a tribesman came to the other side of the river from where we were
and started to do a dance. He chanted, danced, shook his stick,
yelled, and leaped into the air for over 5 minutes. We just sat
there with our mouths hanging open. We weren't sure if we were being
challenged, if he was praying to the setting sun, or what was going
on. When he was done he just walked off and disappeared over the
hill. We hiked a little further and found a place to camp. 5
tribesmen came over to check us out. They spoke no English but gave
us a lot of thumbs up. When I rode Marty around they were in
hysterics and when one of them grabbed him and started to ride him
also the other tribesmen had tears in their eyes they were laughing
so hard. Marty ended up being a great ice breaker. Through hand
gestures they told us that it was ok to camp where we were and we had
an uneventful night.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKSTQaoATZeC5yhjKrvakPZux4JUUVcDlj5POJYR-gQ4Ly6PGb7boN34PVm6ndVYt3LhHvpt4O_OeAHtAVXW-O6h426R2yrpf5Q8Nr-9T7AhJdScTDr06srNTeIRq5g0gQ9qfZ8WzfC_O/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+1+-+Sentinal+Carpark+5_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKSTQaoATZeC5yhjKrvakPZux4JUUVcDlj5POJYR-gQ4Ly6PGb7boN34PVm6ndVYt3LhHvpt4O_OeAHtAVXW-O6h426R2yrpf5Q8Nr-9T7AhJdScTDr06srNTeIRq5g0gQ9qfZ8WzfC_O/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+1+-+Sentinal+Carpark+5_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Riding Marty out of the parking lot</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusrB6IVqzUDrdLfEwnhKd0MUzEfGAdOKncxfkd9-roFIxRgsJ-sc1x-Kc6nmCGQMsVf2_Y7psDvt94P4fDpRP4k5hYfQGi3wTvoTB1i9S9XU42bK1NrCujacz74z_6kvJqfgI7Q5segW4/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+1+-+Chain+Ladder+1_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusrB6IVqzUDrdLfEwnhKd0MUzEfGAdOKncxfkd9-roFIxRgsJ-sc1x-Kc6nmCGQMsVf2_Y7psDvt94P4fDpRP4k5hYfQGi3wTvoTB1i9S9XU42bK1NrCujacz74z_6kvJqfgI7Q5segW4/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+1+-+Chain+Ladder+1_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Marty climbing the chain ladder</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pewjA6GK9jsA9Uj4Qw9SVtueVm2iThFUlx2FT0i4Iaxqs7IqbG0s6M_qszOL0SVIFrBzX3xhmo933sBLNAKKjipiZsOTTeSKI1ud83CsmU40J3P-_Ba1v5X5pq5BRd6hIOz8_1ZqeBK1/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+1+-+Mount+Aux+Sources+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pewjA6GK9jsA9Uj4Qw9SVtueVm2iThFUlx2FT0i4Iaxqs7IqbG0s6M_qszOL0SVIFrBzX3xhmo933sBLNAKKjipiZsOTTeSKI1ud83CsmU40J3P-_Ba1v5X5pq5BRd6hIOz8_1ZqeBK1/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+1+-+Mount+Aux+Sources+2_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Summit of Mount Aux Source </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mRxoAuGofuaCEP7akp9Myu6Cry7ErPm_upQPm92YBXISvDpbylSIVrUs-t3BcLw3KUO9_88n3Rp3U3ayncO76oDPtHe-dWgMzNFTg10osV6G-12od20mpvH84f_h_X7WtBrWGeU9zDpG/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+1+-+Basuto+tribesman+riding+Marty+the+Zebra_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7mRxoAuGofuaCEP7akp9Myu6Cry7ErPm_upQPm92YBXISvDpbylSIVrUs-t3BcLw3KUO9_88n3Rp3U3ayncO76oDPtHe-dWgMzNFTg10osV6G-12od20mpvH84f_h_X7WtBrWGeU9zDpG/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+1+-+Basuto+tribesman+riding+Marty+the+Zebra_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Basotho taking a ride with Marty</div>
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<b><u>Day 2:</u> </b> The Marty rider and his friend came back in the
morning. These people do not seem to see many white people. They
were fascinated by our tent. They kept wanting to touch the material
and when I folded up the tent poles they yelled out and were very
excited by that. The day started by climbing up a river valley. We
found a sheep path to follow for part of it. Occasionally we would
find a cliff blocking our way and would have to traverse around it.
The terrain was often fairly flat so once again the GPS was very
useful to find the correct way. We only met one Basotho who spoke
English and it was on this day. He already knew about us. It
appeared that news travels fast in these highlands. We passed many
more Basotho that day. They were as fascinated by us as much as we
were them. Fathers would call their sons over to look at us. We saw
no women or young children- only men and adolescent boys. The day
remained sunny where we were but below us was a solid sea of clouds.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalEKqSTAe0IqjCOMUOxzSx-wnKjTwf8nKdQlrY1p2eChluB25C95Npgk01-F_tkS_KbmQRCeT-2nu7S3qHDmRoDRcYX7gTRdrEgv_FFKOrfjipqBZ0_6h8qeodPieWF9jomUGlAfiO3tz/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+2+-+View+from+Escarpment+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgalEKqSTAe0IqjCOMUOxzSx-wnKjTwf8nKdQlrY1p2eChluB25C95Npgk01-F_tkS_KbmQRCeT-2nu7S3qHDmRoDRcYX7gTRdrEgv_FFKOrfjipqBZ0_6h8qeodPieWF9jomUGlAfiO3tz/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+2+-+View+from+Escarpment+2_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>View over the sea of clouds </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFJi4WkSi6PXJ0a03vGwnzuSRgYu34KSLsmMKR6KtRk4clq7wEOw1bRoHTHejaKIzY0aJFBW6mUVSr-PhqMFB2_miICCFWPJW5lCFF7NSsNkVvXvVNo-KabDfZ_ODBycFI8upYBwg4skg/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+2+-+River+crossing+on+zebra_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFJi4WkSi6PXJ0a03vGwnzuSRgYu34KSLsmMKR6KtRk4clq7wEOw1bRoHTHejaKIzY0aJFBW6mUVSr-PhqMFB2_miICCFWPJW5lCFF7NSsNkVvXvVNo-KabDfZ_ODBycFI8upYBwg4skg/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+2+-+River+crossing+on+zebra_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Riding Marty across the river</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmIS1cXBbO_mGq8nuFH_lI4_iS-PkaDGze9t_Q_vfoAe0Lz68kqCC6lwoRC8qddk9otFmZHvaB4OePm_giVswlmw-bFPEp3Xj6WDw5tQBdJOK30mocQ1cKUEeLmJv-1PyMWnBR3GLtSpE/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+2+-+Escarpment+-+Mnweni+Pinnacles+1_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmIS1cXBbO_mGq8nuFH_lI4_iS-PkaDGze9t_Q_vfoAe0Lz68kqCC6lwoRC8qddk9otFmZHvaB4OePm_giVswlmw-bFPEp3Xj6WDw5tQBdJOK30mocQ1cKUEeLmJv-1PyMWnBR3GLtSpE/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+2+-+Escarpment+-+Mnweni+Pinnacles+1_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>View of the escarpment edge</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEacIZ01pF9fCs5RB9qH5_R-6uW0ZYZrKtCiwX9DMjbTSjerollIXEjuYbYlHwWnX_9sdXB9_6Y5DpSLlT94IJZqgKfG1w0hRbM-1aiM1HjATGPLQYDZ0OnUTPzWUvu36-PG_W5CawMhF/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+2+-+Basuto+huts_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEacIZ01pF9fCs5RB9qH5_R-6uW0ZYZrKtCiwX9DMjbTSjerollIXEjuYbYlHwWnX_9sdXB9_6Y5DpSLlT94IJZqgKfG1w0hRbM-1aiM1HjATGPLQYDZ0OnUTPzWUvu36-PG_W5CawMhF/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+2+-+Basuto+huts_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Basotho huts along the trail </div>
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<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<b><u>Day 3:</u> </b> Each day usually started with us climbing out of a
river drainage and moving into the next watershed. Today we did this
twice. We saw fewer people but there were multiple times where
Kathleen and I both felt like we were being watched. Around mid-day
the clouds rose up from the valley below and rolled over the edge of
the escarpment in huge waves. When we were enveloped by fog the
visibility was only about 10 yards. However breaks in the cloud
would open up so we could see the route ahead. When we got to the
saddle above the river it was very difficult to determine which way
to go. We could tell that there were cliffs all around and needed to
be careful so we ended up camping earlier then we had hoped. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmz2MntPg5mRRM3PikMBI83z1qxZ-lhXp55sgA83kyPqQIXfcIuI0nhaWTOxKlM1yw-KxY09-8nqRNhpmktAHGX3kNYkzzMOLdTCp8mpv_1UkcmwF3iH99alDVilNFL-v772L2wIjEIkD/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+3+-+Flower+headed+up+Kokoatsoan+River_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGmz2MntPg5mRRM3PikMBI83z1qxZ-lhXp55sgA83kyPqQIXfcIuI0nhaWTOxKlM1yw-KxY09-8nqRNhpmktAHGX3kNYkzzMOLdTCp8mpv_1UkcmwF3iH99alDVilNFL-v772L2wIjEIkD/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+3+-+Flower+headed+up+Kokoatsoan+River_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Kokoatsoan River Valley </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoe4B3XrKoMgulWlXO2hoTww3-Pxc5rjEQChR67oteBOed6df0Gx3QEvGTgMyukfqxpBYl5hbMK7ACRlez6G8BDKtwTCGBGaOzpVTpspE2rMFhMBk3IrLRazm7W0D7LYZrXjR5K84jI9Fl/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+3+-+Kwakwatsi+Valley+with+fog+coming_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoe4B3XrKoMgulWlXO2hoTww3-Pxc5rjEQChR67oteBOed6df0Gx3QEvGTgMyukfqxpBYl5hbMK7ACRlez6G8BDKtwTCGBGaOzpVTpspE2rMFhMBk3IrLRazm7W0D7LYZrXjR5K84jI9Fl/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+3+-+Kwakwatsi+Valley+with+fog+coming_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Clouds starting to spill over escarpment</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1G5-nF7sBrv7MoBAIeHxYzNms7oj5Lood9aOcyGMUeeoZLcecGEPH-AgoNWqMwPSvfClWansK2Rgz0m-VxxEeei1USONjxdACkuhnozTDJNjxyZBOuFnPIZQlQPjVlLFRm-hF6TTbEtG/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+3+-+Fog+about+to+hit_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw1G5-nF7sBrv7MoBAIeHxYzNms7oj5Lood9aOcyGMUeeoZLcecGEPH-AgoNWqMwPSvfClWansK2Rgz0m-VxxEeei1USONjxdACkuhnozTDJNjxyZBOuFnPIZQlQPjVlLFRm-hF6TTbEtG/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+3+-+Fog+about+to+hit_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>About to be hit by fog bank </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSFHSq1f6j9iI_QbIVcXTVWXBTypmvC5nFKHhHIliS42t36ef_p7L5YdFyxvZx0fSYaKJ8oUCvGKdBy5ZBLXwe9uMhMsz8Qd3gF_eKW-w9vheoLS2svh3W342yq0wx5eJZolFk2vNS3S2/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+3+-+Zebra+ride+3_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSFHSq1f6j9iI_QbIVcXTVWXBTypmvC5nFKHhHIliS42t36ef_p7L5YdFyxvZx0fSYaKJ8oUCvGKdBy5ZBLXwe9uMhMsz8Qd3gF_eKW-w9vheoLS2svh3W342yq0wx5eJZolFk2vNS3S2/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+3+-+Zebra+ride+3_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Peering through fog at Elephant Peak</div>
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<b><u>Day 4:</u> </b> We started very early to try to make up for lost time.
The fog was still present but not as thick. The mornings goal was
Cleft Peak, the second checkpoint. I became completely turned around
at one point when my brain said we needed to go one way and the GPS
said the complete opposite. We followed the GPS. The top of the
Peak was on the edge of the escarpment cliff – a drop of over a
thousand feet with mist swirling around below so that the bottom
could not be seen. Luckily the fog dissipated as the next section
involved climbing around the side of a mountain called Ndudemi Dome
on a series of narrow ledges. Even with the GPS this would have been
a stupid place to be stumbling around in the fog. Luckily we could
see what we needed to though we occasionally got cliffed out again.
Today was a musical day. We passed two teenagers playing harmonica,
had 2 younger boys ask us for sweets (they got a granola bar), and
then another teenager playing a single stringed instrument made out
of an old can with his friend dancing down the trail in front of him.
This was a long day that led to us being camped high on a ridge line.
To go get water took an extra hour of hiking into the valley below
that night.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiElycUP5S5Va664_s4s_gfE7mxLivhH-qOwvTupRHVicGoA2Bgioj8ZCCNTqYP1ah7eRrWvJdJNHolq-AzLAbtdZ37fAjTUMbzbsMBJGiNx2x3vm4faMugyyLeMTAqg8pcOrexKU8o9-X/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+4+-+Horses+in+fog+climbing+Cleft+Peak_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiElycUP5S5Va664_s4s_gfE7mxLivhH-qOwvTupRHVicGoA2Bgioj8ZCCNTqYP1ah7eRrWvJdJNHolq-AzLAbtdZ37fAjTUMbzbsMBJGiNx2x3vm4faMugyyLeMTAqg8pcOrexKU8o9-X/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+4+-+Horses+in+fog+climbing+Cleft+Peak_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Wild horses </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeaIknA064Z8UbxqgGXLxliotiBWA51gSsDUoq6TIeVg2Xzhoh7KtQ52qbzcsgbgA3TRv-g-445FP3AY8updw8OVrMbby349ISeEJxuQl3rxJfJxgJv1mIrIGiEeHeKHzheU3bis3ez4mv/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+4+-+The+cleft+on+Cleft+Peak_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeaIknA064Z8UbxqgGXLxliotiBWA51gSsDUoq6TIeVg2Xzhoh7KtQ52qbzcsgbgA3TRv-g-445FP3AY8updw8OVrMbby349ISeEJxuQl3rxJfJxgJv1mIrIGiEeHeKHzheU3bis3ez4mv/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+4+-+The+cleft+on+Cleft+Peak_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Looking down the cleft of Cleft Peak</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXCOuCgwYU3HjJD3Ckd35NekVZGW2-K61eVE4pMhECdDaX4YpABWg1LaO6_KgRFokfdCTLbFwmGi7iIgYpnCbqAwvMloDzTsm1Ek0M8FpDU8_5Zo9KJ6HFdSSMIocNVpjMr-i79LfskMD/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+4+-+View+from+Ndumeni+Dome_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXCOuCgwYU3HjJD3Ckd35NekVZGW2-K61eVE4pMhECdDaX4YpABWg1LaO6_KgRFokfdCTLbFwmGi7iIgYpnCbqAwvMloDzTsm1Ek0M8FpDU8_5Zo9KJ6HFdSSMIocNVpjMr-i79LfskMD/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+4+-+View+from+Ndumeni+Dome_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Another view from the escarpment </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2tcd04RWv06FpqFLHAScEyac8Gr-FGo7ycPMaMdBw_C6m0rU3admZK0nJOPSaPQ9pmf5DS9k9ZEmCaDXjM0y8-SAay3DYNnKUdfeuQ7q77oFRM4AYURn7rHN_e4G5HYSl2h5FXo-zFTu/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+4+-+young+Basuto+boys_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2tcd04RWv06FpqFLHAScEyac8Gr-FGo7ycPMaMdBw_C6m0rU3admZK0nJOPSaPQ9pmf5DS9k9ZEmCaDXjM0y8-SAay3DYNnKUdfeuQ7q77oFRM4AYURn7rHN_e4G5HYSl2h5FXo-zFTu/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+4+-+young+Basuto+boys_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Young Basotho boys </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrpLoKtbaoZLBj1-tPnuhY6o2vuvV87aadrvd07FxDK78JLlSSq7Kkus9HYq8UikuGl0HqOug8nbrzjW6ThCetYb6XCpnMSEyjE-9Bqv-AI24nNqsNFBs9OBo32yXFLJE646_tjpPV_3G/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+4+-+Basuto+musician_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSrpLoKtbaoZLBj1-tPnuhY6o2vuvV87aadrvd07FxDK78JLlSSq7Kkus9HYq8UikuGl0HqOug8nbrzjW6ThCetYb6XCpnMSEyjE-9Bqv-AI24nNqsNFBs9OBo32yXFLJE646_tjpPV_3G/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+4+-+Basuto+musician_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Basotho musician </div>
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<br />
<b><u>Day 5:</u> </b> We saw a beautiful sunrise though the red sky made me
worried about the weather to come later in the day. The first part
of the day was easy as we followed the ridgeline for several miles.
It was sunny but very windy. This led to Champagne Castle, the third
checkpoint, which reminded me of neither champagne nor a castle.
This was another cliff where it would have been a great place to BASE
jump. We needed to meet Georgina with our resupply at Giant's Castle
Camp so looking at the map it looked like it would be a shortcut to
descend Ship's Prow Pass and follow a trail on the map to the camp.
This ended up being the wrong decision. Ship's Prow Pass was a super
steep grass and rock slope that descended into the valley below. We
had to be very careful not to slip. This led to one of the worst
bushwhacks we have ever done in the mountains. It took us 6 hours to
go 4 kilometers and we ended up having to camp in the middle of this
area due to a thunderstorm starting and running out of daylight. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiR_QBxogLHRhQl0aa7g-TbiXWnTlBzRyWaYU18dsYUoh5q3KRoTgow-L0HchhY1-7QUQgcWwJWJ-nqqGDaGXaZ_Ll4KBkw7drQg8helxqbz6b2ot82CpzhRyflrvT33UPg62Wbf2RybU/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+5+-+Ships+Prow+Pass_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiR_QBxogLHRhQl0aa7g-TbiXWnTlBzRyWaYU18dsYUoh5q3KRoTgow-L0HchhY1-7QUQgcWwJWJ-nqqGDaGXaZ_Ll4KBkw7drQg8helxqbz6b2ot82CpzhRyflrvT33UPg62Wbf2RybU/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+5+-+Ships+Prow+Pass_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>View down Ship's Prow Pass </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1F8hgGNgNKvJ6wx0NVg-AbkvQgyU9DKhpJtMLgS2zXR8WYsMSm9XF4e_6FIqxRwfQ2fid9q89jzCANAB9TMgODjvPGMhFUs14tGJ0lI4VxSXu5Hhh9GCcSCVAZIn-z_lPo6Rck8zXSAw/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+5+-+near+camp+site_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht1F8hgGNgNKvJ6wx0NVg-AbkvQgyU9DKhpJtMLgS2zXR8WYsMSm9XF4e_6FIqxRwfQ2fid9q89jzCANAB9TMgODjvPGMhFUs14tGJ0lI4VxSXu5Hhh9GCcSCVAZIn-z_lPo6Rck8zXSAw/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+5+-+near+camp+site_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>The bushwhack along Ship's Prow Creek</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCaRlpAs5Pye_d0sbx_zd4SYE6qR0leg6P1SGzk020Sv2u4n2VK8mz-2rS0_mTyz_WFPYit4G1fjPpd2b_HNGo5b9D8GwDhbjkhci3dcuwzhe0VzSCWZaDJjATtKNerLjLjXYspCxlL2E/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+5+-+Serious+bushwack_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCaRlpAs5Pye_d0sbx_zd4SYE6qR0leg6P1SGzk020Sv2u4n2VK8mz-2rS0_mTyz_WFPYit4G1fjPpd2b_HNGo5b9D8GwDhbjkhci3dcuwzhe0VzSCWZaDJjATtKNerLjLjXYspCxlL2E/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+5+-+Serious+bushwack_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>The inside of the bushwhack </div>
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<b><u>Day 6:</u> </b> It was another frustrating couple of hours for us to
finally bash our way out of the bushes, trees, rocks, and creeks. We
then had to scramble up a steep grassy hillside using clumps of grass
as hand holds. We found a faint dirt trail overgrown by grass which
made us excited but after 20 minutes we lost the trail and it took us
30 minutes to find it again and another detour around more cliffs. A
troop of baboons moved across the hillside in front of us. After the
third time of losing the trail we realized that we were never going
to make it to Giant's Camp in time so we elected to go to Injisuthi
Camp which was the closest ranger station. It was also during this
section that I stepped on a Berg Adder, one of the three types of
poisonous snake in the park. The effects of the venom are described
as “disorientation, double vision, and deterioration of the other
senses”. I didn't even notice that I had stepped on it. Kathleen
watched the whole thing as I stepped on its head. Luckily it was
early in the morning and cold so the snake was still lethargic and I
pinned its head with my foot instead of stepping on the tail. This
was the final straw that made us decide to quit the traverse when we
met Georgina and to come back in April when the weather was better. Both Kathleen and I had been having a 6th sense that we had recently been pushing our luck in the mountains and that this was a time where we should not push so hard. It wasn't any one thing, just an accumulation of small things that we were feeling in our gut.
We were able to get to the Injisuthi Camp within a few more hours where cold
beer, red wine, and a cabin was found for the night. A fierce
thunderstorm hit the area that afternoon. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjDgA-qWfOfNqm-lD9DsOya7eEGHf5y8Ekwr1QvUrMlGBh4vs12OTVU5AbtU4EAU7tWT2Y8rEUyiZMintzlTYYHYlR9d4UIxFejxxGh9uCG0b6tA7WY61OVBHPNE6XzZB6OkkWhNTv543/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+6+-+Sunrise+on+Ships+Prow_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjDgA-qWfOfNqm-lD9DsOya7eEGHf5y8Ekwr1QvUrMlGBh4vs12OTVU5AbtU4EAU7tWT2Y8rEUyiZMintzlTYYHYlR9d4UIxFejxxGh9uCG0b6tA7WY61OVBHPNE6XzZB6OkkWhNTv543/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+6+-+Sunrise+on+Ships+Prow_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Sunrise on Ship's Prow Pass </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsm1gNp_XKyU_ULOhaMr4yNBDR-WoN2Iqfo3ILzOf7crhCNS82ovlLeBvb6zm155z7TcrT0LlMbhctXXocp9ElkEtMletNpeZH7Zs3fGl6M9ALnv5Tkunuy7I-fdkK_YJdl3SUUW6Unw_A/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+6+-+Strangling+Marty+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsm1gNp_XKyU_ULOhaMr4yNBDR-WoN2Iqfo3ILzOf7crhCNS82ovlLeBvb6zm155z7TcrT0LlMbhctXXocp9ElkEtMletNpeZH7Zs3fGl6M9ALnv5Tkunuy7I-fdkK_YJdl3SUUW6Unw_A/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+6+-+Strangling+Marty+2_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Marty and I having differences</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5Cc-8pLM6A1QknNBkoLgN7sGE8Z8rNVYifzYsiDzFGnl4OdSK3Nhy8jILD1m4yJCdNVYQFssJE0OgYbhXU1PmkBiO3xXTE7JFvNvK0YOTYznXZmJ43w1p_atynJW8eVuEegBoe6EctNz/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+6+-+Selfie+kissing+Marty_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5Cc-8pLM6A1QknNBkoLgN7sGE8Z8rNVYifzYsiDzFGnl4OdSK3Nhy8jILD1m4yJCdNVYQFssJE0OgYbhXU1PmkBiO3xXTE7JFvNvK0YOTYznXZmJ43w1p_atynJW8eVuEegBoe6EctNz/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+6+-+Selfie+kissing+Marty_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Making up with Marty </div>
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<b><u>Day 7: </u></b> This day was an adventure in hitching rides. We
initially caught a ride with the camp's handyman named Robert who was
taking employees into the town 1 ½ hours away to buy groceries since
it was payday. We left first thing in the morning and as we drove
down the road there were hundreds of children walking from every
direction going to school in their uniforms. Robert was a Zulu and
had grown up in the area. He was able to explain a lot about peoples
living conditions, the schools, hospitals, and how things had changed
in recent years. Once in town he talked to some other park employees
from Giants Castle and arranged for us to get a ride with them that
afternoon when they returned. That ride was in the back of a 2 ½
ton truck. There were a large group of employees returning home with
their groceries in this truck. Live chickens wandered in the back
with us and one of the employees and I shared beers and did vodka
shots on the way to Giant's Camp. The employees were definitely not
used to white people hanging out with them in the truck. They kept
talking to us in Afrikaans and were surprised when we told them we
were from America. Georgina and her friends Tim and Rich showed up
later that night and cooked us a great feast of a BBQ.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWFnHN8dxukBiGUOOQprKY-QkyhD5mkMi51MllIkn1PvlBPWwykB5_Yz7vceBOh01PJn0UQld19i_mOHCBHOPDGrlOIWiSbl2RkBUME1DEZMpRIKDJxV0GTkNQOGARMUpuQrNuT6GoAFO/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+7+-+riding+in+back+of+truck+to+Giants+Castle+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWFnHN8dxukBiGUOOQprKY-QkyhD5mkMi51MllIkn1PvlBPWwykB5_Yz7vceBOh01PJn0UQld19i_mOHCBHOPDGrlOIWiSbl2RkBUME1DEZMpRIKDJxV0GTkNQOGARMUpuQrNuT6GoAFO/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+7+-+riding+in+back+of+truck+to+Giants+Castle+2_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b><u>Day 8 and 9:</u> </b> We spent the next two days with Georgina, Rich
and Tim hiking up to Bannerman Hut and spending the night there. The
original plan was to camp in Spare Rib Cave but the weather turned
and we were not able to climb that high. We met a South African
named Mark that night and he soon became a part of our party. The
next day we hiked up Bannerman Pass to the top of the escarpment
(passing Spare Rib Cave along the way) and then walked south to
Langalibalele Pass. We had been warned that hikers had been roughed
up in this area by tribesmen but we were a big enough group that we
didn't have to be worried about this. The views from the edge of the
cliffs were like being in an airplane. <span style="font-style: normal;">It
was a nice mellow couple of days with new friends. As we drove away
from the mountains to go back to Pretoria the entire mountain range
was covered with very dark clouds and we were hit by repeated violent
thunderstorms for the rest of the day and night. We were very glad
that we were not up in the mountains that night. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_42fUUJ_ejJb5YrZby5GjtF5qmZ6VZ8G7xreEOxPcpf_tZhRqeRTk2JcHxJt0d6QVnXTv6XWc1HBmVFI5pxybUpGg63BYSR8A8ONb1CpXFbdiIpl2r9kqLY12wXwT5l_ylJwKlAXNcrO7/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+8+-+Bushman's%2BRiver%2Bnext%2Bto%2BGiants%2BCastle_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_42fUUJ_ejJb5YrZby5GjtF5qmZ6VZ8G7xreEOxPcpf_tZhRqeRTk2JcHxJt0d6QVnXTv6XWc1HBmVFI5pxybUpGg63BYSR8A8ONb1CpXFbdiIpl2r9kqLY12wXwT5l_ylJwKlAXNcrO7/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+8+-+Bushman's%2BRiver%2Bnext%2Bto%2BGiants%2BCastle_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Bushman's River </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc0mQmGhrkW78XEmU7gANLnZCYG3EL3BaO24HyNbgkzRXWGPeind3ZvfyGpwTHXUfNiMbFPDsg9LJCQHL_C0v_N6cQhlLbeP-xdM-rmicqtKeZJ0IcpcJlem2dWWmxV_G9cSDDOn_P90I/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+8+-+hiking+to+Bannerman+Hut+5_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc0mQmGhrkW78XEmU7gANLnZCYG3EL3BaO24HyNbgkzRXWGPeind3ZvfyGpwTHXUfNiMbFPDsg9LJCQHL_C0v_N6cQhlLbeP-xdM-rmicqtKeZJ0IcpcJlem2dWWmxV_G9cSDDOn_P90I/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+8+-+hiking+to+Bannerman+Hut+5_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Hiking to Bannerman Hut</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35E7dh3y1ty5_dL2BQPp0E-7DYUhhkIYGvmHcyYD1Brs7dhYH5OnjB9uelPJTyAhbKOhoD6pkI8sowPwQAzITbB4PDtqOaz4PHdTpt0zsPmQZN5oIW_dyiz_FI37GBs6__mvSa8qg4bLx/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+9+-+sunrise+at+Bannerman+Hut+5_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35E7dh3y1ty5_dL2BQPp0E-7DYUhhkIYGvmHcyYD1Brs7dhYH5OnjB9uelPJTyAhbKOhoD6pkI8sowPwQAzITbB4PDtqOaz4PHdTpt0zsPmQZN5oIW_dyiz_FI37GBs6__mvSa8qg4bLx/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+9+-+sunrise+at+Bannerman+Hut+5_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Sunrise at Bannerman Hut </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAS4tlt0oFuuGFK6_tGwnEYcwmEtX3fhsKW_JT_kwsXCd2LoLtaL8dsTCthXjvyOyqEHPErdqdm1lzal2Lto4H9Hi0NJXW2W_LHV3Xm6NFssezhiNNKiAzlDOcyAbYNqaIxTYm5vIKFgJl/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+9+-+view+from+top+of+Bannerman+Face+1_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAS4tlt0oFuuGFK6_tGwnEYcwmEtX3fhsKW_JT_kwsXCd2LoLtaL8dsTCthXjvyOyqEHPErdqdm1lzal2Lto4H9Hi0NJXW2W_LHV3Xm6NFssezhiNNKiAzlDOcyAbYNqaIxTYm5vIKFgJl/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+9+-+view+from+top+of+Bannerman+Face+1_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>View from Bannerman Face</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60Rc2ordPD7YnR-yo2ePB3UM0x8YpjffynS4uYTM9ycuMJcuQW9Uae44pawAnOD8v_urUIGJmMnuLKBfNqvTFCovTDFjwHDr68X-eSmBkZiwYKqLpe4W6jWe4HuU2oItiYthYu2qdxJPl/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+9+-+view+from+top+of+Bannerman+Face+3_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg60Rc2ordPD7YnR-yo2ePB3UM0x8YpjffynS4uYTM9ycuMJcuQW9Uae44pawAnOD8v_urUIGJmMnuLKBfNqvTFCovTDFjwHDr68X-eSmBkZiwYKqLpe4W6jWe4HuU2oItiYthYu2qdxJPl/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+9+-+view+from+top+of+Bannerman+Face+3_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Looking at Bannerman Face</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdEaSx5akECIuGPz7tJHmiirziGnSLxiNs927JZ2FuKDLGcPDrzHI4EDqzxUpiRSmEBO-blPJuAyyU7J94h1h1HN8q_JFT0emmFDk66w6Eg0KzOf6YbW1SD-tmVf97PHqP6UT3ZUS5cFV/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+9+-+Eland+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdEaSx5akECIuGPz7tJHmiirziGnSLxiNs927JZ2FuKDLGcPDrzHI4EDqzxUpiRSmEBO-blPJuAyyU7J94h1h1HN8q_JFT0emmFDk66w6Eg0KzOf6YbW1SD-tmVf97PHqP6UT3ZUS5cFV/s1600/Drakensberg+Traverse+Day+9+-+Eland+2_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Eland near Giant's Castle </div>
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</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">We found the Drakensberg to be an
amazing place. We only had positive encounters with the Basotho
people, the scenery was like no other, the danger of poisonous
snakes and lightning, the wild horses and baboons, and the challenge of the navigation made it a
place where we want to return to. Our plan is to come back in April
when the weather is more stable and make another attempt. Marty the
Zebra now has his own Facebook page (Marty Marty) and is recruiting
Facebook friends for his next attempt to be the first hobby
horse/zebra to cross the Drakensberg. Please feel free to support
his effort.</span></div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-56311975219540725182015-01-04T06:56:00.000-08:002015-01-29T05:14:46.328-08:00The World Yearns for Freedom.......Not So Much<br />
There is a pattern that I am noticing the more that we travel.
I had seen it before but since we have been traveling for so long it
has repeatedly come to my notice. I grew up as a military BRAT and
reading a lot of WWII history which gave me an image as a kid of
America as the beacon of freedom – of “truth, justice, and the
American way”. I pictured oppressed people all over the world
looking toward the United States to help raise the yokes of
oppression. Once I got older, as many of us do, I became more
cynical. I am always up for a good conspiracy theory and know that
there are forces at work at many levels of government, business, and
society in general that are not out to promote the general welfare.
I have come to accept that there are two sides to the US persona.
The realism and the idealism. The conflict between these two is
probably what leads to a lot of the gridlock the American government
finds itself in.
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
I still like to believe in the ideal. That America is the land
of the free and that democracy is the best form of government.
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people...” in
the words of Abraham Lincoln and that the rest of the worlds
“oppressed” people want that for themselves. I am being proved
wrong.
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
When Kathleen and I got engaged in Tunisia it was a year after
the Arab Spring Jasmine Revolution. The first of the Arab nations to
overthrow their dictatorship. This was the first time I was
disillusioned when we were riding in a taxi and the driver informed
us that it was better before because “the trash used to be picked
up”. He was very embarrassed about the garbage lining the side of
the road.
</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
In Thailand there were actual protests going on against
democracy. The protesters wanted the elected government thrown out.
I don't exactly include this example in my disillusionment because
ultimately these protests were just a struggle for political power
but I found it hard to imagine that thousands of people were on the
street protesting against democracy.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Especially in the last couple of months I am
realizing that people do not want freedom. They want security. They
want their kids to be able to play in the street. They want to be
able to go to the market to find food and not be robbed in the
process. They want to be able to raise a family in peace and are
quite willing to not have some freedoms in order to get that. </div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
When
we were in Turkey we met an Iraqi. He was a Shiite so should have no
love for Saddam Hussein but he was lamenting back to the days before
the American invasion. He said that it was hard during those years
but he did not have to worry about bombs exploding every time he left
his house like he does now which is why he has left his country and is
trying to move to Canada.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
In South Africa we have heard from 3 different people that run
the racial spectrum. A white, a “colored”, and a black. Every
single one of them says that since democracy has come to their nation
that the country has gone downhill and that it is not safe. The
violent crime rate makes Johannesburg one of the top 10 most deadly
cities in the world. Each one of them also said that they just see
things getting worse and had little hope for their nation. Each one
of them also told us that at some level they miss the days of
apartheid. This was from a colored and black man that grew up during
that time and were discriminated against. They told us how they
could not go to the beaches and had separate entrances to places and
train cars on the metro. Despite that oppression they said that part
of them (not all of them) missed those days because it was safer.
I was dumbfounded to hear that from a non-white person.</div>
<br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
The ultimate realization I guess I am coming up with is that a
country can be a democracy but not be free. Real freedom needs
peace. It needs government services to work. With the amount of gun
violence and government dysfunction maybe the United States isn't as
free as we like to think. This is the sort of thing that is one of the main reasons we are
traveling. To see how other cultures work and think and to challenge
the paradigms that I have formed over the years about how the world
works.
</div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-13636512073542414162014-12-15T05:15:00.000-08:002015-01-29T05:36:54.895-08:00Namibia - right from the pages of National Geographic<br />
I think that the first exposure most Americans have had of
Namibia is from the pages of National Geographic. I know it was
mine. I remember reading about the drought tolerant lions and
elephants, seeing pictures of wrecked ships being pounded by the
surf, and the incredible orange dunes of the Namib Dune Sea around
Sossosvlei. I would look at the pictures and read the stories
thinking “That would be neat to go there", but the chance never materialized. It is a long way from the United States.
Then we heard from our Canadian friends Kristin and Ryne that they
would be in southern Africa at the same time we would be. Schedules
matched up that the Namibia section of their trip would be the time
to meet them. Without them we probably would not have made the side
trip there. Thanks KOP and Ryne!!!!<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="rso"></a><span style="text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> Home base Africa is in
Pretoria, South Africa where Kathleen's grad school friend Dawn,
husband Paul, and daughter Piper live. We were able to spend
Thanksgiving with them. We were able to have a delicious potluck
feast with members of the USAID, CDC, and State Department community
which even included an informal 5km Turkey Trot. It was nice having
a little dose of Americana after being on the road for so long.
There are several discount airlines in South Africa so we were able
to get a cheap flight to Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. This was
where we first really felt like we had burst out of our protective
bubble with Dawn and had truly entered Africa. Almost immediately we
noticed that the cost of things, especially food in the grocery
stores was not that cheap (close to US prices) for a nation where the
per capita income is $5461 per year. Like in South Africa (and the
US), the income distribution is among the most unequal in the world
so there are many people that make much less then this. How people
afford food was one of the big questions we had. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> We all rented a car and drove
about 6 hours to Sossusvlei in the Namib Dune Sea. Namibia has one
of the lowest population densities of any nation in the world. Miles
and miles of savanna with rocky mountains jutting up out of the
plains were stunning. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX7X2_3YK1PoCYw79S2J9j-BePvCvp85Fd7emLw2m35d7CBOc_HDPoKWtv_qtQR4sGEKgoQseZslRPqzR7_pkwZS1adMZUpjoe5Y5a4ib8gggX34wn8s7Fkss8pEErRQe2vFnwnXtbc8R/s1600/iPad+-+Skeleton+Coast+1+-+drive+to+coast.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX7X2_3YK1PoCYw79S2J9j-BePvCvp85Fd7emLw2m35d7CBOc_HDPoKWtv_qtQR4sGEKgoQseZslRPqzR7_pkwZS1adMZUpjoe5Y5a4ib8gggX34wn8s7Fkss8pEErRQe2vFnwnXtbc8R/s1600/iPad+-+Skeleton+Coast+1+-+drive+to+coast.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>Big sky country</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Once there, huge bright orange dunes stretched
for as far as the eye could see with bright white salt pans
reflecting the sun in between them. We often felt like we were on
Mars traveling through this landscape. We spent 2 days climbing 1000
foot steep sand piles, exploring a slot canyon, and eating too much
food at the extensive buffet. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLNWyFuMHj_9720AWXmU1Fu5Wr1USDjQAJPaFF6KMKV8REFLso-rNnhfdoFJk6EfycNaORPdN2wbYlYCoDo40X6fI_7B0E9l2I1OMZiHJ2ZBT6RTFs8rtlhTMTr0fXhMqzgk9nT_ZNGZA/s1600/Sossusvlei+18+-+Dune+45_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLNWyFuMHj_9720AWXmU1Fu5Wr1USDjQAJPaFF6KMKV8REFLso-rNnhfdoFJk6EfycNaORPdN2wbYlYCoDo40X6fI_7B0E9l2I1OMZiHJ2ZBT6RTFs8rtlhTMTr0fXhMqzgk9nT_ZNGZA/s1600/Sossusvlei+18+-+Dune+45_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>View from Dune 45</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TnBtcpvN0JOkSHGYkPIuB3OUM-fI-WqutR-J1pOTh864sWhGLgHsfWjwgQvkkmaLaPSR1kzWxzxd2Isxo-Wz-v7CO6697QwGp-5Tr4C7RyZJxUisiR5Z7qu4PziQ7Fm3G2_AgvdsUx9J/s1600/Sossusvlei+22+-+Dune+45.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0TnBtcpvN0JOkSHGYkPIuB3OUM-fI-WqutR-J1pOTh864sWhGLgHsfWjwgQvkkmaLaPSR1kzWxzxd2Isxo-Wz-v7CO6697QwGp-5Tr4C7RyZJxUisiR5Z7qu4PziQ7Fm3G2_AgvdsUx9J/s1600/Sossusvlei+22+-+Dune+45.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a>Summit of Dune 45</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuN1czXp6_RPPgAyuMo5JGHkYsg75mi_VVfeNND0erzEy7xlh7a9MgOt3D7quxKTiV1NdbW9VQIvt6ozy5p9j5C1TZjoUNHJ-EKhKG93OqiDJOUZJWLdEixC97QCbsITGpRbo87I6pwfx/s1600/Sossusvlei+56+-+Deadvlei_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuN1czXp6_RPPgAyuMo5JGHkYsg75mi_VVfeNND0erzEy7xlh7a9MgOt3D7quxKTiV1NdbW9VQIvt6ozy5p9j5C1TZjoUNHJ-EKhKG93OqiDJOUZJWLdEixC97QCbsITGpRbo87I6pwfx/s1600/Sossusvlei+56+-+Deadvlei_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Deadvlei (Dead marsh)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzje613WKcIUWtKyp8TspZ3UH2YryrARvHx92kdaj-WVuD_YSi0mqXvBOfaY3V0Tk6kSUduakKQv7z_0hxm5NAyJ89CAGeGn7No652NbPtLmYBi5GUSEgkTOHMRggTlDtrNMG4iWgkUwO/s1600/Sossusvlei+91+-+Deadvlei+-+Climbing+Big+Daddy+Dune_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzje613WKcIUWtKyp8TspZ3UH2YryrARvHx92kdaj-WVuD_YSi0mqXvBOfaY3V0Tk6kSUduakKQv7z_0hxm5NAyJ89CAGeGn7No652NbPtLmYBi5GUSEgkTOHMRggTlDtrNMG4iWgkUwO/s1600/Sossusvlei+91+-+Deadvlei+-+Climbing+Big+Daddy+Dune_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Climbing Big Daddy Dune</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayYKuOrGj9uejD8epjhmrLRcHahdCR1JXX-K9rwVJqcA7p5r1gP5rVc8nTC95pRMN9J7_Ehv1dxPkwyu2KUbzPA45sOi-9PpkloPlJeP9rv5nEhZPe_AGn4-YHQNYXm5SkQpQaYWH3RaG/s1600/Sossusvlei+97+-+Deadvlei+-+Climbing+Big+Daddy+Dune_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayYKuOrGj9uejD8epjhmrLRcHahdCR1JXX-K9rwVJqcA7p5r1gP5rVc8nTC95pRMN9J7_Ehv1dxPkwyu2KUbzPA45sOi-9PpkloPlJeP9rv5nEhZPe_AGn4-YHQNYXm5SkQpQaYWH3RaG/s1600/Sossusvlei+97+-+Deadvlei+-+Climbing+Big+Daddy+Dune_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>View of Deadvlei from Big Daddy</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmo07egVPM3ORA6h8Adfoeh26CdboqGGiXOBArRyFvtVUxzuzPe5HgP6HBnaIxqaz91vI04HkX1eEhHsfnOSBhSTktbrFBwjF7l7b_IHlk30tDRXvi6wzPWRtB9Z4Ss6BxhwlCgw3hx6NN/s1600/Sossusvlei+121+-+Deadvlei_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmo07egVPM3ORA6h8Adfoeh26CdboqGGiXOBArRyFvtVUxzuzPe5HgP6HBnaIxqaz91vI04HkX1eEhHsfnOSBhSTktbrFBwjF7l7b_IHlk30tDRXvi6wzPWRtB9Z4Ss6BxhwlCgw3hx6NN/s1600/Sossusvlei+121+-+Deadvlei_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Deadvlei playa</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOGH4eAiE3TNzzyMK0_Q1oCceYzEowDaH34L_jY8j9ZGhTUE6z1m-0NtRRIsfm7MBakKpybNxyzjD5GgLbumkpAFhf6PPyi4QBNnieeurkGkhDuPVA0SEzFdGe4gEa3cRQR3nIwMQjreH/s1600/Sossusvlei+158+-+Sesreim+Canyon_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOGH4eAiE3TNzzyMK0_Q1oCceYzEowDaH34L_jY8j9ZGhTUE6z1m-0NtRRIsfm7MBakKpybNxyzjD5GgLbumkpAFhf6PPyi4QBNnieeurkGkhDuPVA0SEzFdGe4gEa3cRQR3nIwMQjreH/s1600/Sossusvlei+158+-+Sesreim+Canyon_edited.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>Slot canyoneering in Sesreim Canyon</div>
<br />
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We had a great time hanging out with
Ryne and Kristin but it was unfortunately too short as they had to
move on to Cape Town while Kathleen and I spent another week and a
half exploring Namibia. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> For the next section of road trip
we rented a 4x4 truck that we kept describing as “Snorkel in the
front, Fridge in the back”. The front had a sand snorkel due to
the dusty conditions. The bed of the truck had a canopy that was a
solid metal box that could be locked very securely. There was a
fridge in it that ran off a separate battery and worked very well.
The back had drawers to hold supplies and a folding table. There was
a large water tank and two spare tires. We want a truck like this
for home.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLQUIwmuoDU1kvcpFEAAfjO6a5J20_F5HXMHOX9L74BumYJeQahsMv2VEs598Gn9U4nMnETQXfaey1dmdDPGXUC7-Coa4kdC4bSRqJLIJM8AQ6Ux_A8cz7jQTP10EjThIwbdqT-s53m2k/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+8+-+Jackkalsputz_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLQUIwmuoDU1kvcpFEAAfjO6a5J20_F5HXMHOX9L74BumYJeQahsMv2VEs598Gn9U4nMnETQXfaey1dmdDPGXUC7-Coa4kdC4bSRqJLIJM8AQ6Ux_A8cz7jQTP10EjThIwbdqT-s53m2k/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+8+-+Jackkalsputz_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>"Snorkel in the front, fridge in the back"</div>
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><br />
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Our next destination was The Skeleton Coast. Even though
we were warned that the coast would be “overrun” due to the
holidays we found only isolated beaches with huge cold pounding surf
and large flat beaches that reminded us of the Washington coast. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG59BfM-IYvWX3ZvOpN2ClpGSiygKzNnz1EOnEsLiTaoDZzOllQechGTTIfIBO4gWSiPENiYVJ0aIU9R8X7CUH_UB-47ygUKpzb2YofncOHGD9lrqs86V3rQOs5tcKjwcE9qQUudhjK4x/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+6+-+Jackkalsputz_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOG59BfM-IYvWX3ZvOpN2ClpGSiygKzNnz1EOnEsLiTaoDZzOllQechGTTIfIBO4gWSiPENiYVJ0aIU9R8X7CUH_UB-47ygUKpzb2YofncOHGD9lrqs86V3rQOs5tcKjwcE9qQUudhjK4x/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+6+-+Jackkalsputz_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Fog back drifting up coast </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBkRFtIBAw55wpYT-VZQ_zLQIsCEUrq0-5nOi1TmdYtqC08baCABcMwY0CdxqzFWrieS38NyqwFbKEqvvZgILNXabAHc5ZZF7FEzs5c6ZHkgdVZq7gwflRz1lC7FQhCvXSnzLu1OMOhj3/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+23+-+Jackkalsputz_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzBkRFtIBAw55wpYT-VZQ_zLQIsCEUrq0-5nOi1TmdYtqC08baCABcMwY0CdxqzFWrieS38NyqwFbKEqvvZgILNXabAHc5ZZF7FEzs5c6ZHkgdVZq7gwflRz1lC7FQhCvXSnzLu1OMOhj3/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+23+-+Jackkalsputz_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Sunset over the Atlantic Ocean</div>
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><br />
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">For
centuries ships have been crashing into this shore so we would
occasionally pass the remnants of hulls sticking up out of the surf
or half buried in the sand. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs7gi1rpQTL-emMSj3hiwV396qU4BZ1CS-zwIj0IlWrRD9b6PuFds-sK8QD7S3xo1Ljlbarnz_LCCZE055WHcMmO8FFsOebGSYAFOx5p8hSbRlcvjSjwhyNrC1CEegurs_aAyI_bjFoLs/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+51+-+Wreck+of+the+South+West+Sea_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqs7gi1rpQTL-emMSj3hiwV396qU4BZ1CS-zwIj0IlWrRD9b6PuFds-sK8QD7S3xo1Ljlbarnz_LCCZE055WHcMmO8FFsOebGSYAFOx5p8hSbRlcvjSjwhyNrC1CEegurs_aAyI_bjFoLs/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+51+-+Wreck+of+the+South+West+Sea_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Wreck of "South West Sea"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhck5WNR8sY7vtZx9Nc0LUfeVaScDEnL9XJh8v6rVNxqgazgv7p-iiA7vfRlU1o7B2Rt97rbncWRmZVGdIpv90-dBmIRnhKsEc6ZmKkQTs1_5QAWljiuqBiMrHXo76T9LDofvPpbKpnNzdE/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+65+-+old+oil+derrick_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhck5WNR8sY7vtZx9Nc0LUfeVaScDEnL9XJh8v6rVNxqgazgv7p-iiA7vfRlU1o7B2Rt97rbncWRmZVGdIpv90-dBmIRnhKsEc6ZmKkQTs1_5QAWljiuqBiMrHXo76T9LDofvPpbKpnNzdE/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+65+-+old+oil+derrick_edited.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>Rusting oil derrick in desert</div>
<br />
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We also stopped at the Cape Cross Seal
Reserve where it is reported that up to 100,000 fur seals live. I am
not sure if it was that many but tens of thousands of seals stretched
for a couple of miles along the shore and in the water. Every sound
known to animals could be heard from the seals – sheep baaing,
goats bleating, cows mooing, horses neighing, dogs barking, squeaks,
moans, groans, and screams could be heard. A boardwalk allowed us to
walk right amongst them. The seals are constantly trampling over
each other and fighting as a result. It was not a place for the
faint of heart. Some of the visitors we saw at the same time left in
tears. The smell could bring you to tears also. While we watched we saw one baby seal get trampled and killed
and dead baby seals littered the sand. At the same time we witnessed
two baby seals be born. We had only ever seen something like that on
TV before. It was so fascinating to watch that I didn't want to
leave. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-DsVw_zWU6Z2bRkm_M0L9OX8Ja93nWEGeBYSRylB7Z6u9A3kLOSzmVi153K8BtoDiQb0iCSpV1nr-Ilb5FZwv8AiMjYoi5AurW6xO2aqD-w0BfcbsazTGhNHSS5As_n9t65tLEUcvcYW/s1600/iPad+-+Skeleton+Coast+14+-+Cape+Cross+Seal+Reserve_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-DsVw_zWU6Z2bRkm_M0L9OX8Ja93nWEGeBYSRylB7Z6u9A3kLOSzmVi153K8BtoDiQb0iCSpV1nr-Ilb5FZwv8AiMjYoi5AurW6xO2aqD-w0BfcbsazTGhNHSS5As_n9t65tLEUcvcYW/s1600/iPad+-+Skeleton+Coast+14+-+Cape+Cross+Seal+Reserve_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Cape Cross Seal Reserve </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZs_Ydp-sNflZrIBxbV2O3bPu4OmYGWtCyYZ02LinzYzDijCsFpaYdRYzjg7sbQOQ2lNE4cLgSMm9tWQ3HKd8A5o95NvfJ1g6HAj0gPuGj13T12Fqmvw6shaPEXJeou_seDGhcdVvMVezP/s1600/iPad+-+Skeleton+Coast+17+-+Cape+Cross+Seal+Reserve+-+pup+being+born_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZs_Ydp-sNflZrIBxbV2O3bPu4OmYGWtCyYZ02LinzYzDijCsFpaYdRYzjg7sbQOQ2lNE4cLgSMm9tWQ3HKd8A5o95NvfJ1g6HAj0gPuGj13T12Fqmvw6shaPEXJeou_seDGhcdVvMVezP/s1600/iPad+-+Skeleton+Coast+17+-+Cape+Cross+Seal+Reserve+-+pup+being+born_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Seal pup being born </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSQZb7fYFUG_eJtKnyHzd0-1fzIYRMzzb4kjXPowpIawT91EYZcVwDgpYf88K1kxYG4rfwR4cNwg1Tt8WIwiaK9dS9pD6aw4rz3XuDTYzhqBI08WPCh41ADp2eernbBMBSsvRRe4vE8T5/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+44+-+Cape+Cross+Seal+Reserve.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUSQZb7fYFUG_eJtKnyHzd0-1fzIYRMzzb4kjXPowpIawT91EYZcVwDgpYf88K1kxYG4rfwR4cNwg1Tt8WIwiaK9dS9pD6aw4rz3XuDTYzhqBI08WPCh41ADp2eernbBMBSsvRRe4vE8T5/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+44+-+Cape+Cross+Seal+Reserve.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>Bad place to be a fish </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3Sdmz5FEnLkT00E6ekyr6IvGUvI81Ljtcg-fGC5O1eUlm64xTfsLpxjtGxS1qDMTGx9Li_mXk0p3_1cvKVjxcT88Et0bNoz2z9zYLwZvA2hzYDCYdyGAhJW8sof7YoYhYpkTXdacd1Yb/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+46+-+Cape+Cross+Seal+Reserve_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3Sdmz5FEnLkT00E6ekyr6IvGUvI81Ljtcg-fGC5O1eUlm64xTfsLpxjtGxS1qDMTGx9Li_mXk0p3_1cvKVjxcT88Et0bNoz2z9zYLwZvA2hzYDCYdyGAhJW8sof7YoYhYpkTXdacd1Yb/s1600/Skeleton+Coast+46+-+Cape+Cross+Seal+Reserve_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Adding her voice to the bedlam</div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> Once we left the coast we entered
Damaraland where there is ancient rock art from 3000-6000 years ago. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoowP_r1FAIuQ1HPxanrasz9iTIaeetSfgCirh9aVBevuaXWmyyMUHW5ORzdN-z2GghTR7mlKmJsbplWUZGhFMH5V8CN4mUR9ZBDvAAOxt1Ta7PQ-qCtlfbdduT0ApBOLI_GO56ep1Z0e/s1600/iPad+-+Damaraland+5+-+Twyfelfontein+rock+art.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVoowP_r1FAIuQ1HPxanrasz9iTIaeetSfgCirh9aVBevuaXWmyyMUHW5ORzdN-z2GghTR7mlKmJsbplWUZGhFMH5V8CN4mUR9ZBDvAAOxt1Ta7PQ-qCtlfbdduT0ApBOLI_GO56ep1Z0e/s1600/iPad+-+Damaraland+5+-+Twyfelfontein+rock+art.JPG" height="320" width="239" /></a> Twyfelfontein World Heritage Site</div>
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><br />
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
This is in an area where they speak one of the click languages. You
know you are not in Kansas anymore when you are in a bar and everyone
is speaking click around you with the ticks, tsks, and tocks. It is
really fun to listen to and makes me smile every time I hear it.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> Our last stop was Etosha National
Park where you are allowed to do a self drive safari. We spent two
days driving the park along the edge of a salt pan that is big enough
to be seen from outer space. We saw all sorts of animals – impala,
springbok, reedbok, foot long centipedes, zebra, giraffes,
wildebeest, numerous lions, cheetahs, and 2 white rhinos. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbq5PJ_ova7O36oJW5xCXTUdqpgIS0E6eaWo1jW6j4v3p6Vs8QVhqALNKTNEQIMQQd_ZHLu1hyv3kNBSbsRsjIJGuthGqto-WGBDrfj_jovAZd2mMjKq8y_X4G8WBOVFVwo_bPK5paol3/s1600/Etosha+National+Park+8+-+giraffe_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbq5PJ_ova7O36oJW5xCXTUdqpgIS0E6eaWo1jW6j4v3p6Vs8QVhqALNKTNEQIMQQd_ZHLu1hyv3kNBSbsRsjIJGuthGqto-WGBDrfj_jovAZd2mMjKq8y_X4G8WBOVFVwo_bPK5paol3/s1600/Etosha+National+Park+8+-+giraffe_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Giraffe </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdC-SGxwJUVWc5FDIqbQk2SBz1-DB_YiM1JjFsKjo3uj9Y2Lt08NxesN7viZdoJ-jkeIzGWhBvPZi9QAewuGzYIMJiofkOlHYGyNSkLX8Lapz0VkXhnNAoI8gP26wt3axIFBTKK3aohZg/s1600/Etosha+National+Park+16+-+Wildebeest_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdC-SGxwJUVWc5FDIqbQk2SBz1-DB_YiM1JjFsKjo3uj9Y2Lt08NxesN7viZdoJ-jkeIzGWhBvPZi9QAewuGzYIMJiofkOlHYGyNSkLX8Lapz0VkXhnNAoI8gP26wt3axIFBTKK3aohZg/s1600/Etosha+National+Park+16+-+Wildebeest_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Wildebeest</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis40LTlth7iCAcz47ibUd9dmVxGJPgXLqUi0f_1zjfyBxVJFN13V6uPQxIvt8y_tmevUpdIfCu3VrhVj-oEGJ_IlMsNMLmlwt-RJTrB5Ap-4Wbg-HoUtNk2J5LoD6xXq8fyHodxGXEASp7/s1600/Etosha+National+Park+25+-+Ostrich_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis40LTlth7iCAcz47ibUd9dmVxGJPgXLqUi0f_1zjfyBxVJFN13V6uPQxIvt8y_tmevUpdIfCu3VrhVj-oEGJ_IlMsNMLmlwt-RJTrB5Ap-4Wbg-HoUtNk2J5LoD6xXq8fyHodxGXEASp7/s1600/Etosha+National+Park+25+-+Ostrich_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Ostrich </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6HFl61Yu5UsiVgklISu97ZgxognhInYYmgleNXYZTdnFcipIoHZgFW7gLSVWnMMaGizdiD4XqfeSRw1cju9bGwz776kSg-1hxa13aguY4z0I7G2FURoUjM_DS1XLHq55q_Ik0R7Wkptx/s1600/Etosha+National+Park+45+-+huge+millipede+with+foot+for+scale_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp6HFl61Yu5UsiVgklISu97ZgxognhInYYmgleNXYZTdnFcipIoHZgFW7gLSVWnMMaGizdiD4XqfeSRw1cju9bGwz776kSg-1hxa13aguY4z0I7G2FURoUjM_DS1XLHq55q_Ik0R7Wkptx/s1600/Etosha+National+Park+45+-+huge+millipede+with+foot+for+scale_edited.jpg" height="320" width="239" /></a>Giant millipede</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1dozxUccmkGlF_k0BM72WMP2nakkZtKQbF8iYKMRYR2WeD1r2cOMc2pRi6S9XOwMsI4z3eUbiDZv1x4pXwOHOHIawhMSC7-4HMINBH6gb33QigAOxKzAcdjs7Rd4mOBt0fDP01OSSGPG/s1600/Etosha+National+Park+55+-+Lion_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /> Lion </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9ca3DOxqSVx9-JVccr0bVKsdReNGPwItUCTVE0dB8N3d6cKUnzRE3uEUdPVQ3ZYrNDM9CeOlNLkie_7X2u7hNiftLKkix47ZE71YO-sK3NPwSCbRtVXznf3mprvcxhyphenhyphenu9hE-N27KY8pS/s1600/iPad+-+Etosha+National+Park+20+-+zebra_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9ca3DOxqSVx9-JVccr0bVKsdReNGPwItUCTVE0dB8N3d6cKUnzRE3uEUdPVQ3ZYrNDM9CeOlNLkie_7X2u7hNiftLKkix47ZE71YO-sK3NPwSCbRtVXznf3mprvcxhyphenhyphenu9hE-N27KY8pS/s1600/iPad+-+Etosha+National+Park+20+-+zebra_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Zebra </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ipaf9E6VUQ4hGp_IJysiThue8oU31rFOxBftyvi7R8VH37wvi5XG8mw6AErM8OSYu7HEk792sCr7UQuPfr1yqPbVWd_D-WMJ_Au9vXHuuf67y6AMmMOzrN1D6ar9kAVPM2DskfW0wLyy/s1600/iPad+-+Etosha+National+Park+64+-+Lions_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ipaf9E6VUQ4hGp_IJysiThue8oU31rFOxBftyvi7R8VH37wvi5XG8mw6AErM8OSYu7HEk792sCr7UQuPfr1yqPbVWd_D-WMJ_Au9vXHuuf67y6AMmMOzrN1D6ar9kAVPM2DskfW0wLyy/s1600/iPad+-+Etosha+National+Park+64+-+Lions_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Lazy Lions </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnISd5yHoOP2n7RM9hkuHSfnj5L3XNyFeQ3SaSQPG_tsNm1cL8Vrv1ltXhsiieFeeDzKfOtJk5wISj_u3QUgHxM5IFVdlyIvXyRryywSYV-6UI2i_6XoAGG5FLcA94mNKVOVXNnta8QGsP/s1600/iPad+-+Etosha+National+Park+75+-+Etosha+Pan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnISd5yHoOP2n7RM9hkuHSfnj5L3XNyFeQ3SaSQPG_tsNm1cL8Vrv1ltXhsiieFeeDzKfOtJk5wISj_u3QUgHxM5IFVdlyIvXyRryywSYV-6UI2i_6XoAGG5FLcA94mNKVOVXNnta8QGsP/s1600/iPad+-+Etosha+National+Park+75+-+Etosha+Pan.JPG" height="74" width="320" /></a>Etosha salt pan</div>
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span><br />
<span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We even
got to see lions protecting their zebra kill from the jackals and 3 cheetahs fail to try to take down a springbok.
The only disappointment was we were never able to find elephants
though this time of year they have migrated to the mountains. On the
second day we had a flat tire while driving in the park. It was the
first time I have changed a tire while needing a lookout due to the
risk from being attacked by a lion. I had that tire changed in 5
minutes. Nothing like some motivation to work fast. </span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"> If you want to drive around with
your mouth hanging open due to the scenery and beauty around you then
visit Namibia. Most of the roads are dirt but are in excellent shape
compared to what I had seen before in other parts of Africa. You
have to stay vigilant since it is Africa after all but we felt safe
where we camped. We did find jackal tracks right outside our tent
one morning. We both felt that 2 weeks was not long enough. Some
day we would like to go back to explore Fish River Canyon and to see
the ghost town of Kolmanskop. Namibia was a great introduction to
Africa and ranks up there with Laos as one of my favorite countries
visited so far on this trip.</span></span></div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-61200042669937051182014-11-24T11:03:00.000-08:002015-01-29T05:16:03.561-08:00FidEgan's FastPacks - Episode 8 - The Lycian Way - Turkish Hiking, History, and Hospitality<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">John and I are currently on a
world trip where we plan to persue our passion of trail running
through the various landscapes and environments of the world. As we
pass through each country we want to post our top pick for a trail
run that we did. This does not mean that this is the best trail to
run in that country. It just means that it was our favorite that we
did. We are both using Ultraspire Fastpacks to carry our gear, hence
the name of the column.</span></div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">In
this case this we did this trail as a backpack. It theoretically
could be done as a Fastpack but because we are currently living out
of our backpacks, and it's a point to point trail, we elected to
carry all of our gear and full camping equipment and take our time as
we moved along the coast. It was just easier that way.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmuIPQXls1KnFfs3pL8TW5Vs2Ra15nOLAp2R81TCO3V2oFsta7oKjlUHtI2XxCoaLfSTwmYZHMlVqra5OF0JW0SVK5y40RVif3omFiFi5G_VR1KnMk8Zx3fgLf-LHjHK4AF8m65zvxZqw/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+3+-+Alinca,+Turkey+-+sunset_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmuIPQXls1KnFfs3pL8TW5Vs2Ra15nOLAp2R81TCO3V2oFsta7oKjlUHtI2XxCoaLfSTwmYZHMlVqra5OF0JW0SVK5y40RVif3omFiFi5G_VR1KnMk8Zx3fgLf-LHjHK4AF8m65zvxZqw/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+3+-+Alinca,+Turkey+-+sunset_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>One of many incredible sunsets</div>
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<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Where:</b></u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
A hiking trail that follows the southern coast of Turkey between the
cities of Fethiye and Antalya. Most people hike this trail in the
spring, but fall is another popular time. Summer is too hot and
during the winter the upper terrain is covered in snow. </span></span></span>
</div>
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<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en"><u><b>Facilities/Trailhead:</b></u></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The trail ends are in the villages of Ovacik in the west and
Geyikbayiri in the east which are close to the towns of Fethiye and
Antalya, respectively. There are many towns and villages along the
route that have bus and dolmus (minibus) service so shorter sections
of the trail can be easily hiked. For the entire length of the trail
with the exception of two sections in the eastern mountains there are
pensions and hotels you can stay at. Sometimes this means catching a
dolmus at the end of the day to get into town but you could do the
majority of this trail without camping gear. However, if you have a
tent and cooking gear then the variety of camping spots is vast.
Water is the only limitation when it comes to camping as this region
is very dry. Many of the cisterns and water sources along the trail
are less than ideal. If you camp then you absolutely will want a
water filter (not just water purification tablets). Camping fuel is
also a difficult find. White gas or butane canisters might be able
to be found in Fethiye or Antalya, but not easily. A Whisperlite
International that burns gasoline would be a good choice. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihetP_N_grSkwLNN4F7w3SajSqTG9PMo32YIjtSFeAGFBP0jsBG6jr0vJW-lMRPLdKl4elL7pgGE1XynPnTB8cdRYVXHFuIoD317bemcVBuIESWN35pkpfYe48MEXJX_9GydTBfLzu7mdm/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+2+-+Kabak+Beach+1_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihetP_N_grSkwLNN4F7w3SajSqTG9PMo32YIjtSFeAGFBP0jsBG6jr0vJW-lMRPLdKl4elL7pgGE1XynPnTB8cdRYVXHFuIoD317bemcVBuIESWN35pkpfYe48MEXJX_9GydTBfLzu7mdm/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+2+-+Kabak+Beach+1_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Kabak Beach pension </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhgRts-CrTrhkpMhXt4S2rpJOPKWhyphenhyphenriGFz5npGAPUXXukO-NDPHIIjWW5db3UZscvAsB9TBO2oFiAepYgbf4beDG6lUPJCXmsCVcUyUeZPCHlRBtvlhUlK77pdFP9rHt3hnpRsgCkKeu/s1600/iPad+-+Lycian+Way+Day+24+-+Alakilise+-+Church+of+the+Angel+Gabriel+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidhgRts-CrTrhkpMhXt4S2rpJOPKWhyphenhyphenriGFz5npGAPUXXukO-NDPHIIjWW5db3UZscvAsB9TBO2oFiAepYgbf4beDG6lUPJCXmsCVcUyUeZPCHlRBtvlhUlK77pdFP9rHt3hnpRsgCkKeu/s1600/iPad+-+Lycian+Way+Day+24+-+Alakilise+-+Church+of+the+Angel+Gabriel+2_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Camping amongst ruins</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en"><u><b>Fees:</b></u></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
There is no cost involved with hiking the trail itself except for at Chimaera and Guynuk in the eastern end of the trail. There the trail passes through "park" areas that charge a few dollars for entry. If you are going east to west there would be a charge to enter Olympos but going the other way you enter the area from the mountains were there is no entry gate. Staying in
pensions ran in the 70 to 120 Turkish Lira range per night (~$30-$55)
for two people. Eating in restaurants usually cost about 15-20 Lira
($7-9) for an entree. The food in Turkey is amazing, one of many
things we will miss about this country. Word of warning about this
trail – the availability of ATMs along it is sparse. Have plenty
of cash on hand so that you don't run out in the middle of the trail
(like we did) which involves a day of riding buses for hours to get
to a money source. </span></span></span></span>
</div>
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<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Terrain/Trails:</b></u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The trails runs the gamut of terrain types. From goat paths, to
single track trails, sandy beaches, Lycian and Roman roads that are
worn smooth by 3000 years of feet and hooves on them, to dirt and
paved roads. Much of the smaller trails are covered with fist size
rocks that would probably make running on the terrain (for many)
painful. The trails are marked by yellow signs and red/white paint
hashmarks. For the most part the trail is well marked and if you go
more then 200 meters without seeing a marker then you need to start
looking around. Many days we would miss a marker or turn but would
quickly realize it. There is some trail rerouting going on Gurses
and Demre which is the only area where we really got lost. Part of
our problem was that we had an old edition of the guidebook and map.
Having the current edition with the latest updates probably would
have solved that problem.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_5GXFi3R5URccSFNBAAtFMxNxthL8Qnn8B6pHP-4wgTrgEwbBdbz1_BeL72puyJshYKAHNdAcaMPir0LyFo5XBW3TG1fKymM1MJmXjm-lfWJR2uI2OfPrCkIM6mgggkQ1SCd3HttiH9a/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+5+-+Signage_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT_5GXFi3R5URccSFNBAAtFMxNxthL8Qnn8B6pHP-4wgTrgEwbBdbz1_BeL72puyJshYKAHNdAcaMPir0LyFo5XBW3TG1fKymM1MJmXjm-lfWJR2uI2OfPrCkIM6mgggkQ1SCd3HttiH9a/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+5+-+Signage_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Sign trail markers </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphwJwZjGe8fPhsxDIecqk_qzTEF8zxBH8dV-6nCWbyrIccCrMUB8Ted6Zq8CiEUnOwM-IXm_mpZJA9UAoGo1YqQaLQ39ihYj-UFqVqKPhSenrnN17Kq1O8tdxlQOX0CJ3lmYPnxqgtJDc/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+4+-+Marker+with+bay+below+Alinca_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphwJwZjGe8fPhsxDIecqk_qzTEF8zxBH8dV-6nCWbyrIccCrMUB8Ted6Zq8CiEUnOwM-IXm_mpZJA9UAoGo1YqQaLQ39ihYj-UFqVqKPhSenrnN17Kq1O8tdxlQOX0CJ3lmYPnxqgtJDc/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+4+-+Marker+with+bay+below+Alinca_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Paint trail markers</div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
</div>
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<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Distance:</b></u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The trail runs for over 500km (300+ miles) along the coast and
coastal mountains of southern Turkey. The guide books describe
hiking the trail over a 30 day period. We took 38 days as we would
find a scenic beach or town and not want to leave. It was refreshing
not to have to make a deadline as there are some incredible spots
along the coast that warrant a longer stay.</span></span></span></div>
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<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en"><u><b>Description:</b></u></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
This trail has a huge amount of the three things we like best about
Turkey – hiking, the history, and the hospitality. The hiking is
gorgeous. Sometimes you are at sea level walking along the beach.
At other times you are at 5000+ feet with panoramic views. Every
corner we went around there was a new sight or perspective to see.
The history along the trail is like nowhere else we have ever seen.
Layer after layer of history going back 3000 years just lying in the
bushes everywhere as we walked along, from the early Lycians who
fought against Greece in the Trojan War, to Persia, Alexander the
Great, Romans, Byzantine, the Crusades, the Ottoman Empire, and now
theTurkish Republic. There are all types of ruins and buildings all
along the trail: Lycian tombs, remnants of cities, Roman
amphitheaters, baths, and aqueducts, some of the first ever Christian
churches, forts built by Christian Crusaders, Ottoman era cisterns,
and statues of Ataturk line the path that we hiked. It was a rare
day that went by without passing some piece of history. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfH3_CudaLgThLnHKlvS3A1O3hYaPoCcRe1H7Q5MouPxybjOwm0muObjw1AC2CWCeYB6kW8d_z3WaMMVxLKAhai0rDgCIcf8XTfKgf-s03aq7P1tS9yKDXpDasziN_IAgYPkxKPXeffSO/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-+Roman+Aqueduct+3_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwfH3_CudaLgThLnHKlvS3A1O3hYaPoCcRe1H7Q5MouPxybjOwm0muObjw1AC2CWCeYB6kW8d_z3WaMMVxLKAhai0rDgCIcf8XTfKgf-s03aq7P1tS9yKDXpDasziN_IAgYPkxKPXeffSO/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-+Roman+Aqueduct+3_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Trail is a Roman aqueduct</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Qvd61lwRdBOcbJk8e2AlUYkiYmMH9pZyCMRviec3U8rK8neCcvoH-7Y8KBQXWkd9QbPd0IKZXfO0uB4U4t6yCpGU3Sq5TJt0vyp9PRwBJkLuc7hksVVCnEk1pt-NDX-s_d-6fWuF-ZXU/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+7+-+Delikkemer_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Qvd61lwRdBOcbJk8e2AlUYkiYmMH9pZyCMRviec3U8rK8neCcvoH-7Y8KBQXWkd9QbPd0IKZXfO0uB4U4t6yCpGU3Sq5TJt0vyp9PRwBJkLuc7hksVVCnEk1pt-NDX-s_d-6fWuF-ZXU/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+7+-+Delikkemer_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Roman aqueduct Delikkeer</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lL35fACxLuDoCggHueK59w4xaDHkSiC3H4kf9EU20sUcn0Ur2Wjc0pVf2dKC0IcG9r4b9O1OcMIDEM4qruiWazjtFQbJVAjA_fGfJGmIeJVCdrGBxtWAaRT0ODu6ZK_08iwltrmsKjjP/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-+Ataturk+in+Kinik_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lL35fACxLuDoCggHueK59w4xaDHkSiC3H4kf9EU20sUcn0Ur2Wjc0pVf2dKC0IcG9r4b9O1OcMIDEM4qruiWazjtFQbJVAjA_fGfJGmIeJVCdrGBxtWAaRT0ODu6ZK_08iwltrmsKjjP/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-+Ataturk+in+Kinik_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Statues of Ataturk abound </div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">After
several earthquakes some of the ruins are now under the ocean where
you can swim or kayak over them. Turkish hospitality like most
Muslim hospitality we have met cannot be beat. Strangers would
invite us to stop and have tea, bread, and olives with them. People
would pick apples, pomegranates, and grapes and give them to us as we
hiked by their homes. The Turks would also be very helpful as we
moved along the trail. Many times as we left one village we were
told that their friends in the adjacent village would be ready to
receive us once we got there; “it is only a phone call away”,
they'd say. The one warning we would offer for those considering this
trail is to beware if you are allergic to bees or have a fear of
snakes, or dogs. This region is known for its honey making,
especially in the western part of the trail closer to Fethiye. There
were thousands of bee hives that we passed so often you could hear
the trees buzzing with them, and some of the water sources are
overwhelmed by them. The bees seemed fairly docile, however, so as
long as you don't freak out they will not bother you. John did get
stung once in the ankle when one got caught between his foot and shoe
but that was a freak occurrence. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHwDbpWUL975kvTX5T8aNMQQIVrEtQwbCPKqrWZd9duKEgDgittb5DU5FRgfznNTDhBXpwJ9HTCcX4a4yNCbNifTZKzL45fxh2S2iG9H1p8ywQ2qzFnZrxN0hdGaCHRAQNmseT9zUMkaS/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+2+-+Beehives+3_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRHwDbpWUL975kvTX5T8aNMQQIVrEtQwbCPKqrWZd9duKEgDgittb5DU5FRgfznNTDhBXpwJ9HTCcX4a4yNCbNifTZKzL45fxh2S2iG9H1p8ywQ2qzFnZrxN0hdGaCHRAQNmseT9zUMkaS/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+2+-+Beehives+3_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Cluster of bee hives</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="en"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We saw multiple snakes. None of the
ones we saw were poisonous, though they do exist here. Most were
grass snakes which are harmless as was the Whip Snake we saw.
However, the Whip Snake was very large (~6 feet) and moved super fast
(faster then we could run) which was a little unnerving. Probably
the biggest threat was all the dogs, especially the sheep dogs
guarding their flocks. Many were just noisy and were scared to come
close but there were a few that were downright aggressive and had to
be chased off with our hiking poles. We were warned by several Turks
that these dogs can be dangerous, especially at night. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGDrHCx2bxsiPquW78rBEuYul3VRLZizUCp082rmDXFtQfGXxymBJIC_qnX9ipxX87SjwhWy-Gg_ctX9g8uyOfy1kTg5YVrxrNjsTBRYMwovC0F6pyLJEZbmnqKh3eAbPIh66pabWTimi/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+1+-+Olu+Deniz+view+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVGDrHCx2bxsiPquW78rBEuYul3VRLZizUCp082rmDXFtQfGXxymBJIC_qnX9ipxX87SjwhWy-Gg_ctX9g8uyOfy1kTg5YVrxrNjsTBRYMwovC0F6pyLJEZbmnqKh3eAbPIh66pabWTimi/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+1+-+Olu+Deniz+view+2_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>View over Olu Deniz</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPkf74Ps2QQ4jEsuvYrZE1r8zk-fxBeDeQU_ZMRHl0AtixXDOdpXvzpLZFbf6q6byM85AMXktSic2sxAIxpCuh8ezpyYbe7ZIRoCVcfpYmkepcRsMthxYHmPiOATFzmONhvsVAvtwZHBj/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+3+-+Canyon+to+Alinka+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfPkf74Ps2QQ4jEsuvYrZE1r8zk-fxBeDeQU_ZMRHl0AtixXDOdpXvzpLZFbf6q6byM85AMXktSic2sxAIxpCuh8ezpyYbe7ZIRoCVcfpYmkepcRsMthxYHmPiOATFzmONhvsVAvtwZHBj/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+3+-+Canyon+to+Alinka+2_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Canyon to Alinka</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ETnAIHBmC7ff4DKPCoPCHsb92RB2YbT1QSdmUELgt4oVfmBIA2ivqhBJ5bNwz6K1ty8Qa9JemklUKWCanjwg9K62fSoAYBBLaNgPvDyhb7n70Cgl5AZ1ehsS1B4eNOGrcGj38IM_QoVM/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-+Letoon+-+Leto+Temple+5_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ETnAIHBmC7ff4DKPCoPCHsb92RB2YbT1QSdmUELgt4oVfmBIA2ivqhBJ5bNwz6K1ty8Qa9JemklUKWCanjwg9K62fSoAYBBLaNgPvDyhb7n70Cgl5AZ1ehsS1B4eNOGrcGj38IM_QoVM/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-+Letoon+-+Leto+Temple+5_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Leto Temple, Letoon</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIKdJxnyc-dEX_w5zH9A1dj8bOHh8p6AJLKVJGiP7e3CmYO89oS_DEz6DrfuVh6uHAlR4z2CsvLR3c3g3EFOFNFSXTSo0DQisARB0-ilsceXTtEpP_ZOnsAqevgVsRvRFjrNBH1JCNa9e/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-+Letoon+amphitheatre+3_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIKdJxnyc-dEX_w5zH9A1dj8bOHh8p6AJLKVJGiP7e3CmYO89oS_DEz6DrfuVh6uHAlR4z2CsvLR3c3g3EFOFNFSXTSo0DQisARB0-ilsceXTtEpP_ZOnsAqevgVsRvRFjrNBH1JCNa9e/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-+Letoon+amphitheatre+3_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Letoon Amphitheater</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXSxM-0yYCth1utwIHJ4V6pt-R1ELqXVlP2RSeAiMqXudwo4J1JFmeDYfYouGBw0tdECmjBgNT1OHoS61c6qWMvXfoePn4fSheW0uNDfAELfOWbtTwlVLIhjQeNDOh7qvKzPqYh-F2RUh/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-+Xanthos+-+Harpy+Tomb_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXSxM-0yYCth1utwIHJ4V6pt-R1ELqXVlP2RSeAiMqXudwo4J1JFmeDYfYouGBw0tdECmjBgNT1OHoS61c6qWMvXfoePn4fSheW0uNDfAELfOWbtTwlVLIhjQeNDOh7qvKzPqYh-F2RUh/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-+Xanthos+-+Harpy+Tomb_edited.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>Harpy Tomb, Xanthos</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0HRpA7OBatPir1U4vOCbadEfwcjmzOPOrHL7c6pXRhgE8EfMugpt8y7X4IgGEOaAISwA1QrZulOOmmD6nfgZhskEzF8ohVAzPhZIJFX1svUkP6O_TeZDW5K73q9sbgMUnUn3Ua5z41DC/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-Xanthos+-++Panorama+of+amphitheatre+2_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ0HRpA7OBatPir1U4vOCbadEfwcjmzOPOrHL7c6pXRhgE8EfMugpt8y7X4IgGEOaAISwA1QrZulOOmmD6nfgZhskEzF8ohVAzPhZIJFX1svUkP6O_TeZDW5K73q9sbgMUnUn3Ua5z41DC/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+6+-Xanthos+-++Panorama+of+amphitheatre+2_edited.jpg" height="83" width="320" /></a>Amphitheater, Xanthos</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIx1hJT6W6t19t7CyGAlI5jytApt_LMkZHRU9Ryh_URLvaw37U8pSTIFX2Rgp9iXK6nJn7zY1AZg2lP97kJSsv42FbaeCR_5cqRDACQOwfLLB0Irn833Q3iN60Ni8kueDRAJeR9y7eZ09/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+8+-+Patara+-+Tombs+and+Arch+of+Modestus+1_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXIx1hJT6W6t19t7CyGAlI5jytApt_LMkZHRU9Ryh_URLvaw37U8pSTIFX2Rgp9iXK6nJn7zY1AZg2lP97kJSsv42FbaeCR_5cqRDACQOwfLLB0Irn833Q3iN60Ni8kueDRAJeR9y7eZ09/s1600/Lycian+Way+Day+8+-+Patara+-+Tombs+and+Arch+of+Modestus+1_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Tombs with Arch of Modestus</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HfkvX-dq1mqidldU-CLuGsOVmlKkJcRgJbU95Am6u4NTY6O1JLxVlA0eZeINCzBy4X5gs5ozx8zrNU0pnworyypGFk5Lrb7_eqzPDh4AwdoZrnn7MeVJ9ZBwCgOM5h39gytWLLyL6-K-/s1600/iPad+-+Lycian+Way+Day+20+-+Simena+Fort+6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4HfkvX-dq1mqidldU-CLuGsOVmlKkJcRgJbU95Am6u4NTY6O1JLxVlA0eZeINCzBy4X5gs5ozx8zrNU0pnworyypGFk5Lrb7_eqzPDh4AwdoZrnn7MeVJ9ZBwCgOM5h39gytWLLyL6-K-/s1600/iPad+-+Lycian+Way+Day+20+-+Simena+Fort+6.JPG" height="239" width="320" /></a>Genoese fort, Simena </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabBmT869mKT0MNsJFQbDFraPsENkxaoqNt6g8WQLvaDMPJlIJXXLjEz8G4TKTp4TgLdJSWqzcjHtikI_C8fr4urAYRjMXfH74DocVoPtTkbBaH9HMiw61_ervAHHuuotY5pVh-UMQJAF3/s1600/iPad+-+Lycian+Way+Day+20+-+Ucagiz+Bay_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabBmT869mKT0MNsJFQbDFraPsENkxaoqNt6g8WQLvaDMPJlIJXXLjEz8G4TKTp4TgLdJSWqzcjHtikI_C8fr4urAYRjMXfH74DocVoPtTkbBaH9HMiw61_ervAHHuuotY5pVh-UMQJAF3/s1600/iPad+-+Lycian+Way+Day+20+-+Ucagiz+Bay_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Ucagiz Bay </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRCFSm2XwqBikswoi0swLGAAQxZCvmSpj2px-HiTrhCl1nxotP6fb1nWdSb0hXB5Joz1TdmzUdiRXy_O-Vxv6MoFM4LpZlq16NIhFyeonxIvndZZxAMa0wfoA9p6WP_sgE0qAnhVxeLeI/s1600/iPad+-+Lycian+Way+Day+23+-+Myra+4_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmRCFSm2XwqBikswoi0swLGAAQxZCvmSpj2px-HiTrhCl1nxotP6fb1nWdSb0hXB5Joz1TdmzUdiRXy_O-Vxv6MoFM4LpZlq16NIhFyeonxIvndZZxAMa0wfoA9p6WP_sgE0qAnhVxeLeI/s1600/iPad+-+Lycian+Way+Day+23+-+Myra+4_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Medusa, Myra </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP_FivMeuVqIjNYFtTAW7Wev6TKqd0WiAdqZFvRMKCXNUSlzLZPJlXvk_wI__QaYA3UHPPJ0hM-2gpzs8WuT5vMxbI4pRr2-DYEu_rY9NHb0xQh6v8zoczUtlJHDyDxMPMikB495HzjjJ/s1600/iPad+-+Lycian+Way+Day+23+-+Myra+6_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtP_FivMeuVqIjNYFtTAW7Wev6TKqd0WiAdqZFvRMKCXNUSlzLZPJlXvk_wI__QaYA3UHPPJ0hM-2gpzs8WuT5vMxbI4pRr2-DYEu_rY9NHb0xQh6v8zoczUtlJHDyDxMPMikB495HzjjJ/s1600/iPad+-+Lycian+Way+Day+23+-+Myra+6_edited.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>Tombs in Myra </div>
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<div lang="en" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">If you enjoy eating excellent
food, good hospitality and hiking all day through ancient history
then this trail might be for you. There is a reason it was voted on
the World's Ten Best Walks. </span>
</div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<br />
<br /></div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-42140839326856594232014-09-29T09:38:00.000-07:002015-01-29T05:16:31.502-08:00FidEgan's FastPacks (or not so fast) - Episode 7 - The GR 20, Corsica, France<span style="font-size: x-small;">John
and I are currently on a world trip where we plan to persue our
passion of trail running through the various landscapes and
environments of the world. As we pass through each country we want
to post our top pick for a trail run that we did. This does not mean
that this is the best trail to run in that country. It just means
that it was our favorite that we did. We are both using Ultraspire
Fastpacks to carry our gear, hence the name of the column. On this
trip we had our Fastpacks for the side trip we did but for the main
trail full size backpacks were needed for all our camping gear.</span><br />
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Where:</b></u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The GR 20 hiking trail which traverses the island of Corsica from
north (Calenzana) to south (Conca).</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHd54vKLuUTRO5vXsfyzausGw4kOCNCJzj-xpmriPeiJmJv5djbdlIA8iuSZs3CFsVgwGbVCfvasLYB_9u2kNdEoBekZ3eyWxHIp-zKO7yy6EA0zlT_LiqI2ZGY0kWE2LA8eDK_vHXKrCr/s1600/250px-GR_20_map.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHd54vKLuUTRO5vXsfyzausGw4kOCNCJzj-xpmriPeiJmJv5djbdlIA8iuSZs3CFsVgwGbVCfvasLYB_9u2kNdEoBekZ3eyWxHIp-zKO7yy6EA0zlT_LiqI2ZGY0kWE2LA8eDK_vHXKrCr/s1600/250px-GR_20_map.png" height="320" width="211" /></a>Map from Wikipedia</div>
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<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Facilities/Trailhead:</b></u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The trail is split into a northern and southern section with the
village of Vizzavona being considered the middle point. In the north
the town of Calvi can be reached by train or bus. A bus or taxi will
be needed for the last ~10km to get to the trailhead in Calenzana.
The southern terminus in Conca can be reached from the town of Porto
Vechchio by bus. Vizzavona has a train station which is the best way
to get there. There are some supplies available in each of these
towns but it will be cheaper (and better selection) if you stock up
on any supplies you need in the larger towns. Have enough money with
you. They take cash only and the nearest ATM is an hour train ride
from Vizzavona in the town of Corte. </span></span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">There
are Refuge mountain huts where you can stay or camp. Camping is only
legally allowed at the Refuges. It takes between 5 and 9 hours of
hiking between the huts. During the summer months there is food
served (breakfast/dinner). There are also some private
Bergeries scattered around but we didn't count on them. They were
bonus places to find a tasty lunch (homemade cheeses, fresh bread, salami and drinks). The huts are often full and crowded. We elected
to bring a tent and stove so we could could feel independent.
This caused heavier backpacks and a slower pace but decreased the
worry of not having a place to stay. It is possible to make
reservations beforehand, however. The Refuges also had tents that they
rented. Most Refuges had a kitchen or outside gas stove that
the campers could use and each had some limited supplies
for sale (pasta, tuna, chocolate, biscuits, bread, soup, wine, beer, beans, etc).</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHtKlv2c3iURmafJnntaQwhXEkJH66ETjsINFE0AXmmWvP7jv9UCman6IzLeuiM7YdvW-ulLDPyD5J1OPSepHfThxw7IKW2Csgf6fQsdQyyGDCBx1NbOoAIcuxOgvdaDphX5VSTMrOtk8/s1600/Day+7+GR20+-+Refuge+Tighiettu_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSHtKlv2c3iURmafJnntaQwhXEkJH66ETjsINFE0AXmmWvP7jv9UCman6IzLeuiM7YdvW-ulLDPyD5J1OPSepHfThxw7IKW2Csgf6fQsdQyyGDCBx1NbOoAIcuxOgvdaDphX5VSTMrOtk8/s1600/Day+7+GR20+-+Refuge+Tighiettu_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Refuge Tighiettu - Stage 5</div>
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<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Fees:</b></u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The huts were typically 13 Euros per person to stay in. Camping was 7
Euros per person; renting a tent was an additional 10 Euros per person. We found the meals a bit pricy for what you received. 20 Euros for dinner (soup,
pasta, dessert) and 10 Euros for breakfast (typical European bread,
butter, jam, tea/coffee). Two people completely relying on the huts
would be spending around 83 Euros per day not including any alcohol,
drinks, or snacks. It adds up so bring a big wad of cash if you are
going this way. We cooked our own food and slept in our tent and
spent around 40 Euros per day for everything (less alcohol would have
made it a lot cheaper).</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Terrain/Trails:</b></u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The northern section (9 stages) is the much tougher section of the
hike and involves a fair amount of scrambling. There are many spots
that are steep with large exposure. Chains and handrails exist in
some places but in many areas you will be using your hands to climb
across the rocks. If you don't like heights then this part of the
trail is not for you. The rock tends to be solid granite and makes
for beautiful climbing. If you rock climb this would be a great
place to have a rope and full climbing rack. Climbing lines of all
levels are in every direction you look.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
southern section (6 stages) is less rocky and rugged but passes
through some very pretty areas. The Plateau de Coscione is the well
known part of this but there are many other scenic spots.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Most
people hike the trail from north to south to get the technical parts
done while they are still fresh. This is the way we went. Hiking
from south to north would be better for photography as the sun will
be at your back as you walk.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
is the best marked trail we have ever hiked. There are red/white
paint marking and cairns. If we went more then 100 meters without
seeing a marker we would instantly stop and look around since we were
off course. We did not have a guide book, only a map and probably
could have done it without even that (this is not recommended
however!).</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrUk12sFfAoMzsC2NZMXrgsT8l63dAyD2lZfUkuHPlQ_kj71aZFjx1wDg-gD7FqF2JmTTr6t7jHqyg5ro6UP3J289cK1xRIImtKlWM0c_dOpv6K5-bMV95UOrsnhbtO8hKBJYZIuhDrvw/s1600/Day+8+GR20+-+Trail+marker_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmrUk12sFfAoMzsC2NZMXrgsT8l63dAyD2lZfUkuHPlQ_kj71aZFjx1wDg-gD7FqF2JmTTr6t7jHqyg5ro6UP3J289cK1xRIImtKlWM0c_dOpv6K5-bMV95UOrsnhbtO8hKBJYZIuhDrvw/s1600/Day+8+GR20+-+Trail+marker_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Trail marker</div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span> </div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">There
are a number of side trips possible along the way. There are
mountains to climb or lakes to hike to. There are also a few places
where there are “variants” - usually the variant goes over a
mountain while the “normal” trail goes around.</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Distance:</b></u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
180 km or 112 miles with about 33,000 feet of vertical change.
This is considered to be one of the most difficult (and scenic)
hiking trails in Europe and is listed on the National Geographic
Adventure website as one of the 20 all time epic trails in the world.
</span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><b>Description:</b></u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
We chose to do the trail slowly and just hike hut to hut. There are
some days where it is totally possible to do a “double” and
shorten the time spent out there. The standard is 15 days. The
French Foreign Legion do it as a military training exercise in 7
days. The record is an INSANE 32 hours by Guillaume Peretti. </span></span></span>
</div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
first day is mostly up and takes you into the rocky steep first half
of the trail. If you start in the morning you will spend most of the
day in the shade which is good because it can get hot in Corsica,
especially lower down. Section 2, 3, and especially 4 are the most
technical of the route. On section 2 with our heavy packs it took us
6 1/2 hours to go 7km. The trail consists of a lot of up and down
steep scrambling with little forward progress. Day 4 is the Cirque
du Solitude which is the crux of the whole trail. Here is where you
find the most chains, metal ladders, and hand rails to help get
through this area. Even with the artificial help you will still have
a lot of exposed rock scrambling to do. Being comfortable with
exposure helps in getting through this section. It would be a very
bad place to fall. Section 7 has some beautiful lakes that can be
climbed down to. From there to the halfway point at Vizzavona there
are still some brief scrambling areas but much less. </span></span></span></div>
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<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
southern section of the trail is more mellow. The trail goes through
more forested sections but there are also large meadows, ridgelines,
and fields you pass through. The Plateau du Coscione provides huge
wide open vista views and easily competes with the north for beauty.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span> </div>
<br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
both sections we saw Mouflon (wild sheep), wild boar, and foxes. Be
careful about leaving food lying around. </span></span></span></div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegwrmvk5-WWPHrk6ozMYziDekgnoUDHrutqkWT-fWRrqFkRZq9r4QjEgY2quqPyzE5ONRGYss-74kMQ9VftoV-0sKGFzvMuNcV0LOY4qB4D58XdliQJVacORChHpWAYpQxEjVfeJoOuyi/s1600/Day+6+GR20+-+Mouflon+shot+7_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegwrmvk5-WWPHrk6ozMYziDekgnoUDHrutqkWT-fWRrqFkRZq9r4QjEgY2quqPyzE5ONRGYss-74kMQ9VftoV-0sKGFzvMuNcV0LOY4qB4D58XdliQJVacORChHpWAYpQxEjVfeJoOuyi/s1600/Day+6+GR20+-+Mouflon+shot+7_edited.jpg" height="210" width="320" /></a>Mouflon sheep </span></div>
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<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">We
took the side trip to the top of Monte Cinto which is the highest
point in Corsica. The trailhead for this is at the end of Stage 3
(Refuge Ascu-Stagnu). There is some rock scrambling involved here
and makes a great day trip. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKWmcQ1MpKDrtf75ZLDhTg0_QGF0S-ZYu-WPoi2gQ5R1RP-8Bh4_Hxg2jKBAubBuQxNPUaEJPnPwhQTzaZIpowUZSqO8ed2GAQ3jZskX_WhgTme8Nf4WIQPtzvBFUzjgFWHwFp2rolbNB/s1600/Day+4+GR20+side+trip+-+Monte+Cinto+summit+-+our+1st+summit+together_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJKWmcQ1MpKDrtf75ZLDhTg0_QGF0S-ZYu-WPoi2gQ5R1RP-8Bh4_Hxg2jKBAubBuQxNPUaEJPnPwhQTzaZIpowUZSqO8ed2GAQ3jZskX_WhgTme8Nf4WIQPtzvBFUzjgFWHwFp2rolbNB/s1600/Day+4+GR20+side+trip+-+Monte+Cinto+summit+-+our+1st+summit+together_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Summit of Monte Cinto</div>
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span>
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Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-4870611091210007852014-08-26T04:27:00.001-07:002015-01-29T05:17:56.246-08:00FidEgan's FastPacks - Episode 6 - Tour du Mont Blanc<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">John </span>and I are currently on a world trip where we plan to persue our
passion of trail running through the various landscapes and
environments of the world. As we pass through different countries we
want to post our top pick for a trail run that we did. This does not
mean that this is the best trail to run in that country. It just
means that it was our favorite that we did. We are both using
Ultraspire Fastpacks to carry our gear, hence the name of the column.
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Where:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The Tour du Mont Blanc – a hiking trail that circumnavigates the
Mont Blanc massif mountain passing through the French, Italian and
Swiss Alps.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Facilities/Trailhead:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
There are multiple places that you can use as trailheads. The most
common places are Chamonix, Les Houches, Les Contamines in France,
Courmayeur in Italy, or Champex and Martigny in Switzerland. There
are other possibilities also. We started in Les Contamines where
we left our car at a trailhead parking lot. We were told by the
Tourism Office that car breakins were not a problem but we made sure
that nothing was visible inside the car. We left our larger
backpacks and valuables at one of the guesthouses in Les Houches
where they would be more secure. </span>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div lang="en" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There is camping along the route
but we chose to use the wonderful Refugios and Guesthouses or Gites.
These provide overnight accomodation and can include dinner (usually
a 3 course meal (appetizer, main meal, and dessert) and breakfast
(standard European coffee/tea, bread, butter, jam, honey and
sometimes included cereal or fruit). We chose to stay in the cheaper
dormitories (dortoir) but there are private rooms available. This is
a popular trail so the private rooms in the huts are usually booked
ahead. Even the dorms were pretty full at some huts since we did
this in August. Reservations are recommended, especially for larger
groups.There were showers at every hut. Sometimes they charged extra
for this (2 Euro) but most of the time it was included. Bring
slippers or flip-flops as boots/shoes are not allowed inside most of
the huts. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZ1lg1OfbYsgyAkb8uDno5YKjzC9WuwwPH1DHmf8gKVu1Z0h8CwwLIkBzzD-BKtiiPsKaRWa8uKZBfe_0NmDWzFcETs18mhpo0-tWHzComKfDBvLcThi_7EG0UHFgpjbRPYpf_LkEFMmz/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Refuge+Elena,+Italy_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZ1lg1OfbYsgyAkb8uDno5YKjzC9WuwwPH1DHmf8gKVu1Z0h8CwwLIkBzzD-BKtiiPsKaRWa8uKZBfe_0NmDWzFcETs18mhpo0-tWHzComKfDBvLcThi_7EG0UHFgpjbRPYpf_LkEFMmz/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Refuge+Elena,+Italy_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>One of many beautiful Refugios</div>
</div>
<div lang="en" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are multiple huts or towns
along the entire route so lunch options existed every day.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Fees:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
There are no park fees or cost for using the trail. Staying at the
huts runs about $65 per person for 1/2 pension (dormitory
accomodation, dinner, breakfast). Drinks and snacks are extra. Some
of the huts have heartier and bigger meals than others and vegetarian
options exist (veganism is more of a challenge because of the meat
and cheese culture of Europe). You may be charged about $8 to camp
near some of the huts or at designated spots. Wild camping is
frowned upon but we saw lots of people doing it with no consequences.
</span>
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Terrain/Trails:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The trails ran the full gamut from wonderful single track to dirt
roads and some pavement (usually when passing through the
towns/villages). On one section of trail above Argentiere there are
ladders and handrails to get past the rock cliffs. The scenery is
ridiculously beautiful with alpine passes, forested valleys, and the
ever present Mont Blanc massif with its constant changing perspective
as you work your way around these massive mountains and glaciers.
The “normal” direction is to travel counter-clockwise but either
direction would work fine. Hikers will often take 10 to 14 days to
do the loop. We “ran” it in 7 days. The winners of the
Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) race cover the distance in 21 hours
(that is FAST!!!). We really recommend taking your time to truly be
able to stop and enjoy the beauty of this loop. Don't rush through
it.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Distance:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
The full loop is 170 km or 105 miles and has about 33,000 feet of
vertical ups and downs. The Tour du Mont Blanc does not follow the
UTMB course exactly. The hiking loop is longer, has more vertical,
and is more scenic. The trail is well marked with signs and symbols
painted onto rocks, buildings, and trees.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBw0uNKN-6XUoyG6kCXCozePrcTyX_33E9B4GP-2T9ygbwIDUBZw1V1AyQ6gj4SghVaADqfYsGa2OQvf3vJjqhg5Kg7Ibtz0zbT32ZCIAUG_zdyh3erPN7iuM29IT5R1i-joOCcA19Dre/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Trail+marker+in+France.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBw0uNKN-6XUoyG6kCXCozePrcTyX_33E9B4GP-2T9ygbwIDUBZw1V1AyQ6gj4SghVaADqfYsGa2OQvf3vJjqhg5Kg7Ibtz0zbT32ZCIAUG_zdyh3erPN7iuM29IT5R1i-joOCcA19Dre/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Trail+marker+in+France.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Trail marker in France </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVe_PhgJxP_RsZFX8b2BnbSORNJJ_ScfmbNSvJFRj-16ESv6eBmum_WTr-1bV9G0F8Qf1QRV4w0zrCG6DCf8buywim32jQ3i75nBUbv4RdadMYLqtujb97DGVjAR0xjOUKc6HhFew71w9/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Trail+marker,+Italy+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZVe_PhgJxP_RsZFX8b2BnbSORNJJ_ScfmbNSvJFRj-16ESv6eBmum_WTr-1bV9G0F8Qf1QRV4w0zrCG6DCf8buywim32jQ3i75nBUbv4RdadMYLqtujb97DGVjAR0xjOUKc6HhFew71w9/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Trail+marker,+Italy+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Trail marker in Italy </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESQEV11hZwEcZOaGc_fVR4GXRChP1ZhyphenhyphenH68CXxsLF6Pr3wb3SXA8Cp_OhZ48hE5XDpJe_0cvQlFh08P6T9BE2QU3tQQ_pVKTexyZVVYix1eVoGU0I1E5HccGJCbKheDl5gvt2_OasdZE6/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Swiss+trail+marker_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESQEV11hZwEcZOaGc_fVR4GXRChP1ZhyphenhyphenH68CXxsLF6Pr3wb3SXA8Cp_OhZ48hE5XDpJe_0cvQlFh08P6T9BE2QU3tQQ_pVKTexyZVVYix1eVoGU0I1E5HccGJCbKheDl5gvt2_OasdZE6/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Swiss+trail+marker_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Trail marker in Switzerland</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSorrxScEl_QbpQW0gwbA6f7eqzKXuRQnjJzuWtTITnpRZ-xGmuKd48lYKacehQEEO3CEwnyNdoY90BOeBpM3KCXs2UJQ_s8s3UIhF-Ft2mkF-oiwqHKrD9NZoqFRJFVfm_qGMmJAqT-iR/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+trail+signage,+Italy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSorrxScEl_QbpQW0gwbA6f7eqzKXuRQnjJzuWtTITnpRZ-xGmuKd48lYKacehQEEO3CEwnyNdoY90BOeBpM3KCXs2UJQ_s8s3UIhF-Ft2mkF-oiwqHKrD9NZoqFRJFVfm_qGMmJAqT-iR/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+trail+signage,+Italy.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Lots of trail signage </div>
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<div lang="en" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Description:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;">
We were originally going to start in Les Houches but the weather was
so bad that day we elected to drive to Les Contamines and start from
there where the weather was better. This area is notorious for bad
weather and Mont Blanc creates its own conditions. While it was
pouring rain in Chamonix it was sunny and beautiful in Courmayeur.
We were fortunate to have our friend Glenn Tachiyama fly out from the
United States to join us. The trail first traveled over the double
pass of Col du Bonhomme and Col de la Croix du Bonhomme. This was
one of our favorite passes and was a good introduction to some of the
climbing that we would have to do. Once above the trees the terrain
is alpine grass that almost looks like it has been mowed. Cows with
large loud cowbells graze the fields. The UTMB race was two weeks
away so we had some really fast tough looking runners going by us at
times as they trained. We stayed that night at Refuge des Mottets
and were glad we had a reservation since it was very crowded. Just
as we got to the Refuge it started to rain and that continued all
night. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmLb6qvYtPfO0YvaZUmdTJhWlbH-WSP6oafNy4nY0HfheH5YwE7GYxMwIQJGHeG-NVZsjWTPTGCIMCWgzNHcUGbzCP0YJ45RVeG9ynOdHPUfUE8QwFszXpsljiFEU2OdOs9PH7WlhDctS/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Start+of+trail+in+Les+Contamines-Montjoie,+France+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYmLb6qvYtPfO0YvaZUmdTJhWlbH-WSP6oafNy4nY0HfheH5YwE7GYxMwIQJGHeG-NVZsjWTPTGCIMCWgzNHcUGbzCP0YJ45RVeG9ynOdHPUfUE8QwFszXpsljiFEU2OdOs9PH7WlhDctS/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Start+of+trail+in+Les+Contamines-Montjoie,+France+2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Starting in the rain </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKko8Nj2RVZ3IvSRo5qD-cVgHlp0gAIpdKXeupxaX4MtK2lFuDG_o0CJQ4BSp-PTAYfHrUoStHQA5KH72UYKU7nDySNRAXqGS107tKxlAwHstNTQ4YqeWXQbAWl8Vae-6C0NxdcaGeqmk/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+view+down+from+Col+de+la+Croix+du+Bonhomme,+France_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKko8Nj2RVZ3IvSRo5qD-cVgHlp0gAIpdKXeupxaX4MtK2lFuDG_o0CJQ4BSp-PTAYfHrUoStHQA5KH72UYKU7nDySNRAXqGS107tKxlAwHstNTQ4YqeWXQbAWl8Vae-6C0NxdcaGeqmk/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+view+down+from+Col+de+la+Croix+du+Bonhomme,+France_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>View from Col de la Croix du Bonhomme</div>
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<div lang="en" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The weather was still ugly at
the start of the next day as we climbed Col de la Seigne which was
the border into Italy. Once we started the descent into Val Veny
(Veny Valley) the rain became even worse. High winds, driving rain,
and cold with the rain bordering on sleet/snow. The wind was so
strong it would almost knock you down. During this section as we
approached the Courmayeur ski area we literally had to run for our
lives. We called it the “Race Against Hypothermia”. At the
Refugio Monte Blanco we were able to find shelter and some of the
best hot chocolate we have ever had. It was literally like a mug of
melted chocolate. Yumm! The weather improved in the afternoon as we
passed through the charming but large town of Courmayeur and then
climbed up the next ridge to Refuge Bertone where the clouds broke
and we finally got our first good views of Mont Blanc. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70dG0RFxaV-nGqnPYc2p_ugZE45FP89Sy4ZBG-0m4XrZUFWxEbJzV9QpRseSvvyo5XSAtaerp7ZlEnaSvsdG493bBpoWn12rwZUXAtY43qBX216bPa_yaz79ei0YPrgD6M2-03VXbovqY/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+race+against+hypothermia,+Italy_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70dG0RFxaV-nGqnPYc2p_ugZE45FP89Sy4ZBG-0m4XrZUFWxEbJzV9QpRseSvvyo5XSAtaerp7ZlEnaSvsdG493bBpoWn12rwZUXAtY43qBX216bPa_yaz79ei0YPrgD6M2-03VXbovqY/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+race+against+hypothermia,+Italy_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>The Race Against Hypothermia</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal;">The
next day running along the ridge of Mont de la Saxe was wonderful
compared to the day before. Panoramic views of the Mont Blanc
mountain range and wonderful runnable single track. This was one of
the best days of runnable single track all the way to Refuge Elena at
the base of the Grand Col Ferret which is the highest point on the
loop (2537 meters).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFi95Lz8keMxUDTxA1Ty2LAuzm10xMf7GE7BwooePz5ucS0IQWJ2S-gB1zFodaRlkLRrPJd8GNhu9oQhlSDlC0fSa9oHmhFxHNW7sCtkzqQswxX95DoeuBAoRarpsErow7khDpr5XXWRM/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+panorama+of+the+Mont+Blanc+massif,+Italy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFi95Lz8keMxUDTxA1Ty2LAuzm10xMf7GE7BwooePz5ucS0IQWJ2S-gB1zFodaRlkLRrPJd8GNhu9oQhlSDlC0fSa9oHmhFxHNW7sCtkzqQswxX95DoeuBAoRarpsErow7khDpr5XXWRM/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+panorama+of+the+Mont+Blanc+massif,+Italy.JPG" height="78" width="320" /></a>Mont Blanc massif</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<div lang="en" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Crossing the Grand Col Ferret
takes you into Switzerland. The price of everything jumped up even
higher once across the border. This was our other day of bad
weather. At the top of the pass we had 5 minutes of a view before
being engulfed into a cloud and it started to snow. It was cold
enough that it was starting to accumulate on the ground but we were
able to descend enough that it turned to rain. This day's trail
passed through another beautiful river valley called Val Ferret.
The trail passes through several small villages that are so perfectly
Switzerland that they almost look fake. The tidiness of Switzerland
is like no other place in the world. That day ended up in the town
of Champex next to a small lake. There are numerous hotel and Gite
(guesthouse) options here. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkIQwmNR3o1bTzTHKh34mZ7_Oxw66pVO5mMwf_hBaumpJFjxpIcH6FWiK6QbK6kQbgJ4xjnfsHFqm_I6V37eXXaY0YWtsygAdyDfta7YacBxD-_mtSCsJ9WqJGx_K_5Mu9mv1nb7q5dvu/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+cows+on+trail+below+Refuge+Elena,+Italy+1_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVkIQwmNR3o1bTzTHKh34mZ7_Oxw66pVO5mMwf_hBaumpJFjxpIcH6FWiK6QbK6kQbgJ4xjnfsHFqm_I6V37eXXaY0YWtsygAdyDfta7YacBxD-_mtSCsJ9WqJGx_K_5Mu9mv1nb7q5dvu/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+cows+on+trail+below+Refuge+Elena,+Italy+1_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Cows on the Grand Col Ferret</div>
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<div lang="en" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 5 took us up and over the
Col de la Forclaz and then to Col de Balme which was the border back
into France. This route has expansive views looking north into the
Martigny valley. The hike up to Col de Balme was steep with constant
switchbacks. The end of the day brought us to the Refuge du Col de
Balme but we elected not to stay there. It was small, dingy, had no
potable water, and the lady running it was grumpy. We elected to
take the chairlift/gondola combination down to the town of le Tour.
Since there were no affordable hotels there we then caught the
bus/train combo to the town of Vailorcine where we stayed at a nice
guesthouse called the Gite Mermoud. The owner was concerned that he
didn't know how to cook anything without butter or cream but he ended
up being very successful at feeding Glenn a vegan dinner.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRwspqJWlb0w7CMY7Sro_LKp2OdnIZz1OyltI3CK71GoBfebtBwl4OqgaVaePZOYapu4GzUxFtjcLOaEksdjtwwMVaQUBits80MhcFhWZODdwpsWkqmtsHuPLCLUOtN2oY_MAL50QiFvU/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+panorama+of+view+north+from+ridge+toward+Martigny,+Switzerland_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRwspqJWlb0w7CMY7Sro_LKp2OdnIZz1OyltI3CK71GoBfebtBwl4OqgaVaePZOYapu4GzUxFtjcLOaEksdjtwwMVaQUBits80MhcFhWZODdwpsWkqmtsHuPLCLUOtN2oY_MAL50QiFvU/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+panorama+of+view+north+from+ridge+toward+Martigny,+Switzerland_edited.jpg" height="75" width="320" /></a>View into the Martigny Valley</div>
</div>
<div lang="en" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Day 6 took us through the most
“technical” section where the trail follows the mountainside on
the north side of the Chamonix valley. There are sections of
ladders, handrails, and steps driven into the rock to get past some
cliffs, especially in the Echelles area where numerous climbing teams
were negotiating the rock walls above us. Our lunch spot at Chalet
de la Flegere had a hot tub on the porch next to the tables but none
of us had the nerve to jump in. The trail then followed a rugged
ridgeline across Col du Brevent and Le Brevent mountain before
dropping steeply down into Les Houches. Since our backpacks were
there for the first time all week we were able to have access to
clean clothes.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0T8dJzkyrF4qQ7yUQdo8nkwAaBAJ1T7ccUSaAUJeujnTSD99i1TM9Y3pe_25mjkDUKf6lj0gP7wKoo_efvro9WmKcn1bfYXtVfpSf3664HQwh4XH-SHlt-pz8Vx4g0Aowx7EApHgNXiA/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Glenn+climbing+up+Echelles+ladders,+France_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0T8dJzkyrF4qQ7yUQdo8nkwAaBAJ1T7ccUSaAUJeujnTSD99i1TM9Y3pe_25mjkDUKf6lj0gP7wKoo_efvro9WmKcn1bfYXtVfpSf3664HQwh4XH-SHlt-pz8Vx4g0Aowx7EApHgNXiA/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Glenn+climbing+up+Echelles+ladders,+France_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Glenn coming up a steep section </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNEc3J8opWyCCO44gZk4CB_rexVUUxm-2JZxNqsemzNZzqjxhraYkV0emp0SM9dtNpybwwyhrAwH6gmuUgxqWeN2y1ljHpgmbOXdUppQNyqXRL2VP9cUZDV5SSZ5twymu-YsVIbTnc5M0/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Glacier+de+Argentiere,+France_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMNEc3J8opWyCCO44gZk4CB_rexVUUxm-2JZxNqsemzNZzqjxhraYkV0emp0SM9dtNpybwwyhrAwH6gmuUgxqWeN2y1ljHpgmbOXdUppQNyqXRL2VP9cUZDV5SSZ5twymu-YsVIbTnc5M0/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Glacier+de+Argentiere,+France_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>View from trail above Chamonix</div>
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<div lang="en" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">The last day was an easy one
from Les Houches over the ski area and Col de Voza to get back to Les
Contamines and our car. It was nice to have an easy last day since
our legs were pretty tired. The sunny weather helped our sense of
accomplishment as we slowly closed out the loop. You know it was a
good trip when you are glad to be done but at the same time wish it
never would end.</span> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsd5mFSUKOR832Kbajibk0y9yj3W7FKLjRLqeUYYpD8KsbWGNPFsK6_FvTV7y1lkjC2cLqgvBdBselGJmMgHP3loJ_nwbDtRGb-3m_DyfDdehxAfXlc12tOHujYq9WuGsC0fprabtgSBe/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Mont+Blanc+from+Les+Houches+ski+area+going+up+Col+de+Voza,+France_edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXsd5mFSUKOR832Kbajibk0y9yj3W7FKLjRLqeUYYpD8KsbWGNPFsK6_FvTV7y1lkjC2cLqgvBdBselGJmMgHP3loJ_nwbDtRGb-3m_DyfDdehxAfXlc12tOHujYq9WuGsC0fprabtgSBe/s1600/Tour+du+Mont+Blanc+-+Mont+Blanc+from+Les+Houches+ski+area+going+up+Col+de+Voza,+France_edited.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>Mont Blanc from Les Houches ski area</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>
</div>
Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-53345889437156191812014-07-30T14:36:00.000-07:002015-01-29T05:18:18.159-08:00The Trail tests. The Trail provides.<span style="font-size: small;"> How does one summarize hiking over 1200 miles in 87
days? Through every type of mountain terrain imaginable. Trails,
roads, bushwhacks, rock climbs, glaciers, rappelling, river beds,
glacial moraines, grassy fields, stone staircases, farmers fields,
and village streets. Over 30 named passes, some as high as 20,000
feet with glaciers and sometimes waist deep snow. Through lowlands
where the heat was stifling and monkeys would scamper through the
trees. The variety was endless. So where the challenges. Some
challenges were the same each day. Waking up at 4am. Packing up the
tent while it was soaking wet from rain or dew. Walking between 10
and 15 hours (usually 12) a day with a full pack until your feet
ached like they had broken bones in them. Trying to find food since
we were burning 5000+ calories a day but only able to consume a
fraction of that. Trying to not get lost as we followed either a
maze of trails or sometimes no trail at all. Dealing with a language
barrier as we were trying to find food or get directions. Suffering
from the gastrointestinal distress that is inevitable when you spend
so many days in Nepal in often quite dirty conditions. The trails in
Nepal are covered in horse, yak, and goat poop and the flies
especially in the west were very thick at times. Dealing with the
bureaucracy of Nepal was a headache. Over 20 different permits were
needed as we crossed the country. In some provinces (Makalu, Dolpo,
and Humla) the police would not let you pass unless you had a Nepali
guide with you. 6 year old Nepali children could walk the trail but
experienced mountaineers like us needed a guide to show us the way.
Some challenges were unique to the area we were in. 5 of the passes
we crossed were technical involving ropes and harnesses where we had
to rock climb, rappel, or both. They all ended up being more
difficult than we expected. Each pass had a different set of
problems of finding the correct route, trying to figure out where to
set up rappel anchors, and how to avoid crevasses and rock fall.
Both Kathleen and John took serious falls on separate passes that
could have led to serious injury or death. Snowfields had to be
crossed that led us to post hole into the snow as the snow was warmed
by the sun. Seth even fell through a snow bridge into waist deep ice
water at one point. Some rivers did not have bridges so we had to
figure out how to cross them by rock hopping, using logs, or by just
wading through fast moving waist deep water. Security was also a
concern. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world so we
had to watch our equipment that no one took an easy opportunity to
help themselves to something. We camped next to a kitchen tent one
night that was robbed at gunpoint and the equivalent of $600 was
taken. Little did the robbers know that even more than that was in
our tent. We also had one evening where drunken villagers decided to
form a mob and chase us away from their village with sticks and rocks
at 10 o'clock at night. The trail tested us every day. Sometimes
multiple times in a day.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Despite the challenges, the trail provided for us,
often when we needed it the most. The people of Nepal were very
generous and would help us out of the blue. The Nepali loved to self
appoint themselves as our guides and lead us along the trail.
Sometimes they would accompany us for 2 houses until we could see
where the trail went. Sometimes they would lead us for 2 days. We
were taken down many shortcuts that went through peoples yards and
fields that we would never have been able to find on our own. In
some remote villages we were invited into peoples homes and fed dahl
baht. Some where surprised when we paid them money in return. We
were also invited to sleep in churches, schools, prayer rooms, and
there were times we slept in abandoned buildings. Those tended to be
the nights when it poured rain. The nights we camped tended to be
clear (with only a few exceptions). For the most part on the trip we
had good weather. The monsoon season begins in June and we knew we
would be hiking until the beginning of July. There were days where
we would get to a lodge at the end of the day or at a lunch spot
under shelter and then it would start to pour rain. The day after we
arrived in Simikot at the end of the trail it started to rain all day
and night for days. This caused us to be stuck there for 5 days
waiting for our flight but at least we were not hiking through it. </span>
</div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Throughout all the highs and lows I was fortunate
to be accompanied with Kathleen and Seth. You can't go through an
experience like this with the associated stress and exhaustion
without tempers becoming short at times. However, at least from my
perspective, I felt that we could snap at each other or disagree
about something but at the end of the day I was still traveling with
good friends who I wanted to share a beer with. I would not hesitate
to do another adventure with this team again. They picked me up when
I needed it and gave me a kick in the ass (usually the case) when I
needed that, too. </span>
</div>
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<div align="LEFT" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As far as we know there were 8 people (including
us) that did the Great Himalaya Trail this year. Remy Levin and his
friend David Vanneste we met in Ghunsa at the start of the trail.
Remy has many mutual friends in Washington but we never actually met
him until we were in Nepal. Stuart Bilby was a Kiwi who was doing
the trail the opposite direction and was by himself for most of the
trip. We met him while at Last Resort dealing with a supply drop. He was able to tell that we weren't on a “normal” trek from the
large pile of gear and food we had. We also met Carmelina Maione who just fnished the trail with another guy by the name of Ray Mustey.
They were on a guided expedition through World Expeditions and were
the only other group we met that had done all of the high passes also.
Carmelina will be the first Canadian woman to complete the high
trail. Their trip was 150+ days which is hardcore just by itself.
There may have been a couple of other people that we didn't meet but
it is a very small group that attempts this trail each year. This
trail is still in its infancy. The concept of “The Great Himalaya
Trail” was just started in 2009 by Robin Boustead but I expect that
as more people hear about it and the challenge involved it will
become more popular. This will be a good thing for the poor villages
along the path providing a much needed source of income. We had a
lot of help as we researched the trail from some people who had done
the trail before us, especially Doc McKerr (the first solo trekker of
the trail) and Robin Boustead (the trails inventor). A huge thanks
to them. If you are looking for the hardest hike of your life then
this trail is for you. Just make sure you fatten up some before you
start it as you will have lost it all by the end of the trail. Happy
hiking!</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">To see a collection of photos taken from our trip see
our teams Facebook page: Great Himalaya Traverse.</span>Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346608452391271457.post-88719306743403135092014-03-24T21:01:00.000-07:002015-01-29T05:18:54.200-08:00Great Himalaya Trail: What We Know and Our GoalsWe are wrapping up our tour through Southeast Asia and about to embark on the next Chapter: Nepal and the Great Himalaya Trail (GHT). The GHT is a proposed trail that will stretch from one end of the Himalaya Mountains to the other. So far only the Nepal and Bhutan sections have been walked, mapped, and documented. The other sections are still being researched. The Nepal section offers a High Trail version and a Low Trail version. The Low Trail crosses through villages and is called "The Cultural Route". The High Trail traverses through the heart of the Himalaya range with an average altitude between 12,000' and 15,000'. The Nepal section was first done over two seasons in 2008-09 by Robin Boustead and his team. <br />
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The GHT was first hiked in one season during 2010, involving a combination of the high and low routes. Our focus is on the High Trail, which hasn't yet been completed in one season. A large part of this is weather and conditions permitting, however. Snow conditions will be the biggest factor on whether we attempt the biggest passes of the High Trail. If conditions are too hazardous then we will detour around these areas on the Low Route. When we arrive in Nepal in a week we are going to do a "shakedown" trek to asses conditions at Tillman Pass which is one of the most difficult passes we would cross on the trail.The amount of time it takes to cover the GHT is highly variable. Some of the first expeditions took 120-150 days but in recent years the speed record was set at 49 days. We have talked to some other people that we believe move at a similar pace and figure it should take 9 or 10 weeks. The wild thing about this trail is that it is a trek in and of itself to get to and from the trailhead.<br />
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We are fortunate to be joined in this endeavor by two great friends: Molly Eimers and Seth Wolpin. Molly will be joining us from Idaho and Seth from Washington. We know Molly and Seth through trail racing and our ultrarunning community; both have a zest for outdoor pursuits and lead lifestyles of adventure. Seth has most recently been spending a lot of time in Nepal helping lead treks and a stage race in the Everest and Annapurna circuit. He has a lot of contacts over there in relation to this trail and has been the driving force in gathering data on what we are about to attempt. We can't thank him enough for the work he has put into this.To learn more about Molly and Seth, you may visit their blogs at <a href="http://missmoeimers.blogspot.com/">http://missmoeimers.blogspot.com/</a> and <a href="http://www.sethwolpin.com/">http://www.sethwolpin.com</a>, respectively.<br />
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Once we get going communication will be mostly via GPS and SPOT. You may track our GPS coordinates through our <a href="http://www.greathimalayatraverse.org/">team website</a> ("Where Are We?" tab) that should show a map and our last GPS coordinates. SPOT will be posted under "Current Location" on this blog. Bear in mind SPOT coverage is reported to not be that good in Nepal.We also have a satellite phone and an SOS function on our GPS trackers in case there's an emergency. For photos, updates and other ramblings we have created our team facebook page called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/greathimalayatraverse">Great Himalaya Traverse</a> which you are welcome to join.<br />
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Finally, as we trek we are raising funds for an organization called Wide Open Vistas which helps improve education and health outcomes for Sherpa children in Nepal. $10 will send a kid to school for a month. Our goal is to try to raise at least $5000. See <a href="http://www.wideopenvistas.org/">Wide Open Vistas</a> or visit our team website ("How to help") to learn more about our fundraising campaign and how you can help. Thanks for all your support everyone! We'll be in touch when we can.<br />
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<br />Fid and Kathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07161386689644058569noreply@blogger.com0