“Especially of that "Carnival" thing...”

“Thanks, y'all. The draw back to no job is, amazingly, less time to post on TT. Funny how that works!

Ahh, ya know I'll post from some seedy internet cafe in the middle of nowheres. The web is very cool for that!

Winter is the best time for trekking in the Andes. It's dry!”

“Bon voyage.

I dream of spending a large part of some summer vacation climbing in Bolivia and I am really looking forward to your trip reports.

Happy, happy trails.”

“Watch out for hungry soccer players down there.... <VBG>”

“.and the award for first TT to get malaria goes to....

Have an awesome trip and stay away from anybody named Chacmool. :)”

“Alrighty, kiddies. This is it. Bag is mostly packed (wish I could post a pic of all our gear layed out. Hmmm, maybe before I go...). I don't know what my pack weight is either, but will have to find out and post it before I split. We have moved out of the apt. completely and everything left is in storage. The garage sale went well and we netted about $650! About ready to take a last-minute trip to REI and get a few final thangs. On Monday we fly from where we are now in Portola Valley (Stanford) with relatives (taking the pets) to Hell-A to see Grandma and some friends for a few days.

Then it is off to Lima, Peru, spend the night in the airport (ugh) and head out the next morning to Quito, Ecuador where we will be for the first month. There, we'll live with a family and take total emersion Spanish for 4 hours a day. Hopefully, we'll be able to squeeze in a few overnighters in some of the surrounding parks.

I'll post when I can. Gonna miss all those hours in front of the computer TTing at work but destiny calls. Have fun, guys and remember: Hike as much as you fuggin' can!

Peace to all.

Josh”

“Josh,

I wish you the best of luck on the adventure of a lifetime.

Stay safe and have fun!

Jay”

“OH! That is totally great!! Are you planning on keeping a diary? Are you gonna take 50 million billion pictures?

Have a great time. What a great adventure! We'll miss you too!”

“Dear Josh,


I hate you.


Have a great time, bud!”

“Now I can't get this freakin' song outta my head...



Well, I used to be a burglar
Rolled too many numbers
Now I am a smuggler on the Amazon
Living on thrills down in Brazil
Got a big plantation on the Amazon

Well, I'm living undercover
So I won't be discovered
Sailing hot cargo down the Amazon
Living on thrills down in Brazil
Got a big plantation on the Amazon

Well, I got a ton of acres
Got a lot of land
Got a outlaw lady who really understands
Why her musician
Is a South American Man

Well, I used to be a drummer
But it got to be a bummer
Now I am a bandit on the Amazon
Up in the city you think my crop is pretty
Taking care of business on the Amazon

Well, I got a ton of acres
Got a lot of land
Got a outlaw lady who really understands
Why her musician
Is a South American Man
Why her Mill Valley musician
Is a South American Man



ON THE AMAZON
Skip Battin and Kim Fowley
© 1974 Kyo Music / Bad Boy Music (BMI)

Appearing on the "Brujo" album
by The New Riders of the Purple Sage



Have a large one.... and keep your head down, <G>

-- Mark”

“What a bunch of BS.... a solid contributor to TT goes on an adventure of a lifetime, and only 5 people roll in to wish him luck!!!!!! This place is beginning to seriously suck, and now I can understand why raddy and tarpy left.”

“Wow - have fun Rosey - It sounds like you're heading on an adventure that will enhance your life in many ways.”

“be careful and have the time of your life, Rosey! although i'm sure i don't need to tell you that. take lots of pics, especially ones with you in them.
;-)”

“Good luck. Sounds like an awesome trip. Can't wait to see the pics.”

“`Don't have much time to post right now and I guess I'll just ascertain the interest of people. At any rate, currently in Quito though after being here for a month, we're ready to get the feck out and hit the trail! Gonna do some shopping up north, maybe do a 3 or 4 dayer in the cloud forest and then the Mrs. and I are going to do a 6 day cross country trek that starts at hot springs in Papallacta, about 50 miles to the east and then ends at 20,000 foot Cotopaxi. Probably won't climb the mountain but there will be plenty of other 15,000 ft.+ scrambles nearby that should satiate.

Hope all is well with everyone.

Oh yeah. Here are some pics (sorry no time for a hotlink)...

http://community.webshots.com/album/82397422NvuWPo”

“Watch out for those high altitude gastrointestinal rumblings... <G>”

“Hey to you too!

Thanks for the pictures but I’m still too jealous to say anything nice.

Glad to see your little trip has dulled your radical politics.
; )”

“Woo hoo!
Check in as often as you can.
Cool shots. Looks like you and Jill having a good time.”

“Nice pictures. Thanks.

Where's your dog? Was that it on the balcony?”

“Cool pics! Keep 'em coming!”

“Wow, great pics, Rosey. Been wonderin' where ya been...”

“Great to hear from you! Glad your having a good time. Going to check the pics right now!”

“Is this something for work, Rosey? Geeeeeeeeeeeeeezzzzzzz (some guys have all the luck!)”

“like i always say....the only good liberal is one in south america.....heh heh


ok, i don't really always say that....i just made it up, just hen..

looks like a killer time mang, wish i could crash the party...”

“Awesome Rosey! We want mooooore!”

“(one word)

Awesome!

”

“hi, Rosey! you look like you're having so much fun...you SOB.
;-D”

“Looks awesome, We're all jealous!! Sooo.........................


............We were thinking we'd rent a bus and all come to see you. Where are you staying??”

“I am green with envy, but I really enjoyed the pics.”

“have a great time, great pics”

“Cool! Looks like you're having a great time! Keep the pics coming!”

“Awww, man. My first real backpacking excursion: 5 days from the small town of Papallacta, west of Quito past several 5,000 meter mountains to the grand daddy, Cotopaxi. About 60 miles, cross-country. Had all the maps, GPS, etc. We were stoked! Our first backpacking trip in South America! And quite a challenge at that, with route finding to be the biggest!

We set out in the morn. They sky was grey, a slight breeze and clouds and mist were low, obscuring all peaks. A taxi (really one of the town's inhabitants with a 4-wheel drive pickup)from the town dropped us off at the community access road that would serve as the jumping off point for the trek. As we finalized our gear and got ready to jump on the trail, a bloke from the hut across the way informed us it would be $10 to use the Cooperative trail. Arguing produced no changed results and we were forced to part with the cash. He issued us a very unoffocial looking voucher and we headed out on our way. We followed the muddy road out of town and within 50 yards, were up to our knees in muck and cow #&%!$! Umm, shoulda started out with the goretex and gaiters. Oh well. With muddy pants and boots we contined on and soon the short entry entry road disintegrated into bog. Now we were up to our shins in water. The gaiter and goretex pant combo worked well (a virgin outing for the Sentinel GTX MEC pants and they kicked ass!). The scenery was quite picturesque, dispite the lack of mountain views. Hell, we were at 12,000 feet so in reality, we were in the mountains but I'm talking glaciated peaks and all that. In particular, Antisana, a 18,000 foot volcano that hovered somewhere behind the mist and cloud bank.

Alas, we continued on, frequently consulting the topo and working our way up a river valley covered in golden grass and grazing wild horses, we came to our first river crossing. We dickered around for a while trying to find a place to rock hop. The river really wasn't wide at all, but had carved quite a deep trench, making "stepping" down to its level a challenge. Eventually we located a place we could have leaped across, but it would have been impossible with the packs on. So I had the brilliant idea to heave our packs over and then make the leap. Well, my pack weighed about 60-70 pounds (remember, we have all our crap for a year abroad with us). And so while Jill's made the journey, my discus hurl cleared the bank but promptly rolled into the river. Ugh! Fortunately, it floated and I was able to bend over the bank and with Jill's assistance, fetch mine from the water. It was about half soaked. This obviosuly wasn't going to work. More riverbank searching and fighting the scrub yielded a couple of big rock and by passing my pack across, we were able to traverse the river.

Now came a decision: which valley to proceed up. Our trail (or lackthereof) description was vague and we choose the one that seemed to approximate most closely. After much bush whacking and another river crossing, we found the necessary mountain pass and headed downward towards a lake near the base of Antisana. However, clouds and fog thicked, reducing our visibility, off and on, to about 50 feet. Then the rain started.

We became disoriented and after much sloshing and cursing, decided to camp for the night as the light was fading and temp dropping. We found a suitable flat location in a saddle by Mount Tambo and got settled for the night. The rain soon unleashed and did not let up for the next two days. Owing to no visibility and driving rain, we stayed put and spent the following day tentbound (thank you Hilleberg GT for being so dang accomodating!), playing many games of chess and reading.

The third day, it seemed to clear and we had our first partial views of Antisana towering above, capped in white and seemingly close enough to reach out and touch. We were filled with inspiration and hope of accomplishing our journey. Food was not a problem since we always pack extra for a couple of days and hence, we capable of continuing.

We were able to locate Lago Volcan about 1,500 meters below (a far cry from the 1997 trek description we had which indicated nothing about a steep decent to the lake. Even the 1-50,000 topo was deceptive in the decent). The decent was spectacular, whith waterfalls spilling from (presumably) the glacier on Antisana and several other rivers pouring into the lake. Unfortunately, it quickly clouded over again and we had no sooner made it to the lake, pitched our tent in a shelter cover, that the sky opened again.

To make an already dreadful story short, we spent another day waiting out the rain and hoping the clouds would clear so we could navigate the next section of our journey (dependent on identifying peaks for navigation purposes), but to no avail. On the fourth day, we retraced our steps out, through the bog and noticibly, even deeper, mud and back to our originating destination.

But don't feel sorry for us. In two days, after all our muddy gear is cleaned and dried, we're heading to Cotopaxi for a 4-day trek around the peak.

Peace, all.”

“Lots of mud!

Get into any mud fights? Sounds like a great time.”

“It's still better than work, right?

Glad you are having a good time, rosey!”

“hmm, do you think he had a good time?? lol. I think it will be one of those stories you won't forget... Yeah...he is having a good time, mud and all!”

“Sweeeeeeeeeet! I'm glad you are posting TR's rosey, and it's great o hear from you and the missus. It sounds like you are haveing a nice adventure down there. The $10 thing is Bull#&%!$ though. I'd have walked right past them and let em' shoot me, but I wouldn't have a wife with me. lol.

Thanks for sharing and stay safe down there.”

“Great report RM, keep 'em coming if you can. We appreciate very much that you took the time to post it.”

“Nice report, rosey!!! Glad you two are having a blast! Stay safe and keep the reports coming. :-)”

“Seriously wild, dude. Have fun and watch out for the banditos! <G>”

“I theenk he already see one, Senor...”

“I think so, too.

Just pray the muck doesn't get so deep that you wish you brought snowshoes.”

“Well, rosey should be speaking espanol fluently and ready to take on Bolivia any day now.”

“Sure wish he'd find a friggin internet cafe and tell us about the south american hot mamas!”

“No doubt, I enjoyed hearing about his adventures. Very cool he's doing what he's doing.”

“I can't friggin wait for the TR! Maybe we can arrange a roseyaplooza homecoming. What a great excuse to head out west!”

“Now that would be a cool idea.”

“Buddhy, that is a great idea! We can sit around the fire and listen to all of his SA stories of adventure.

When is he due to come home?”

“I think this spring.”

“I read something the other day about Americans being discouraged from traveling in Bolivia right now because of the civil unrest there. But they might be okay in the backcountry, and could be avoiding the cities.”