Princess Jasmine goes camping.

I woke up to a knock on my door rather than my alarm clock. It was 7:30 a.m., an hour and a quarter after my intended meeting time with Marla and our guide from rock-climbing, Chalex. So much for the showering off last nights dancing sweat...

Our weekly volunteer costume party is at the Aldea Yanapay restaurant on Friday nights. The theme this week was "Disney". A Princess Jasmine costume easy to pull off, thanks to my partiality to a certain turquoise colour and arabian-style pants.  The only things I bought were a couple of scrunchies and a golden bangle, which cost me four soles and fifty centimos ($1.60). I figured no one would recognize Jasmine without her hair so I put my leggings on my head and put the scrunchies on the legs to create her signature voluminous ponytail. After our dinner we played some drinking games, like passing an orange from person to person with your neck ("Nice to meet you too, random german girls breasts!") and musical dance partners where the odd one out had to dance with a broom. Fortunately for me my team kept winning (or losing, depending how you look at it), so I didn´t have to choke down any Ron Cartavo. Later we had a limbo competition, which Marla and I tied for the win. We finished the night dancing at IncaTeam... our costumes (especially mine and Heather´s homemade garbage-bag-and-tape Cinderella dress) drew a few looks. One guy asked where I was from and the way he said it made me think he meant what planet, rather than what country... Marla and I left around 1:30.

Fast forward to 8 am the next morning and I am in a spendy hotel near our bus stop, using my best spanish "pretty please" to convince the concierge to let us use the bathroom before our 4 hour ride; when you sleep through your alarm for the first time ever you neglect important parts of your morning routine. "Us" was Marla, me and a Texan we had just met that morning named Chandler. I feel privileged to have met some named that in real life. The bus ride was sleepy and slightly queasy. A baby bundled in colourful cloth on his mothers back held on to my finger part of the way. We got off the bus and into a taxi in Tinqui. The driver took a regular station wagon up winding, rocky roads that I would never attempt in anything but a quad... or maybe a horse. The land was crisscrossed by dozens of mortar-less stone walls (some topped with cacti) containing cows, alpacas and potato crops... dividing the rural area into each family property. We climbed and climbed, further and further from the highway and into the middle of nowhere. We got out of the taxi near the barely-there village of Packchanta, ditching our big bundles of gear at the roadside for the horses and walking the rest of the way to our campsite. At the campsite a stone-scattered valley spread out before us across the swollen Packchanta river. Not a tree in sight, it was as though God had taken a mountain and thrown it to earth, smashing it to pieces of every imaginable size. At the end of the valley loomed snowy Ausangate, impressive even mostly veiled by clouds. Our campsite seemed to exist in some parallel universe, though the village was just behind us, hidden behind the ridge; far from anything but the perfect, lone, white-washed, mud-brick-and-thatch house perched on the hillside to our right. Bouldering and exploring, then a steaming bowl of soup in the Party Tent (as we called our orange, circus-like kitchen tent). We went back out to boulder, but I was too cold for climbing so I started building an Inukshuk nearby. A local woman came by, traditional dress and all, came by to sell me her handicrafts. Luckily for me I hadn´t brought any money. She sat with me for a few minutes anyways, babbling away in Quechua, even though I clearly had no idea what she was saying. Her teenaged daughter came and sat with me when she left, helping me choose stones for my Inukshuk and laughing with me when it fell over.

 In the tent I shared with Marla I changed into my bikini as fast as I could manage then bundled back up into every layer I had brought (plus the down coat Chalex had brought) to ward off the bitter cold of the Andes at night. Fifteen minutes walk to the village later we were stepping into the perfectly warm water of the Packchanta hot springs. It was pretty surreal to sit in deserted outdoor hot pool in the Andes in the dark. I also appreciated the dark because it camouflaged the murkiness of the water. These hot springs were no luxury spa, that´s for sure. The pools were just a pair of rectangular concrete basins (a little slimy in places), the latrine was locked and the change room was a creepy, graffitied concrete box with a dirt floor which I came to refer to as the "Sketchy Shed". But oh how the water warmed you through... and kept you warm until bedtime, which came after the most delicious bowl of spaghetti I have ever eaten. One of the guides with us, Alfredo, was principally there to cook; and cook he did. We ate about five (delicious) meals a day; breakfast, first lunch, second lunch, soup and supper. Camping was not like the camping I have done at home; little annoyances like washing the dishes were non-existent, the food was always ready when we were and because we didn´t have to carry our gear far I could afford to have two sleeping bags.

Thanks to two down sleeping bags I woke up at 6:30 feeling refreshed and ready for a day of hiking.
Six hours went by like lightning. How can I describe the hike? Surreal. Our trail wound past creeks farms and valleys, turquoise lakes and herds of alpacas. The local people tended to their livestock; shearing and  herding, all in traditonal dress. The men wore wide-brimmed felt hats adorned with bright, woven bands. The women´s voluminous skirts swayed as they walked after their alpacas with nothing but crude leather sandals on their feet. Their hats were platter-like circles perched on their heads, secured by strands of white seed beads and covered in colourful embroidery with yellow, red or pink fabric hanging over the edges like a tableclothes. Each lonesome adobe house was a little more remote than you had thought possible before, snuggled into the base of imposing mountains. As we struggled up hill after hill it became obvious that we were at even higher altitude then Cusco. Each twist and turn afforded incredible new vistas; a glacier here a soaring rock face there... We arrived at the base of Ausangate (summit 6384 m), for our picnic lunch of sandwiches, apples and cookies (that would be lunch number one). Clouds twining around the rocky peaks of Ausangate and it´s nearly-as-impressive neighbours lent a mystical impression to the landscape. We sat there staring for a while, layering up again after hiking in powerful sunshine for part of the three hours we had been on the trail. We had to set off again without seeing the full summit, unfortunately. I was filled with energy after our meal and rest and was happy to bound along the now downhill trail when I fell behind taking photos. We crossed a spongy meadow where tiny white flowers punctuated the emerald green grass between deep, serpentine creeks, leaping across the water where we had to. Hawks, viscachas and vicuñas all made their appearances as we went by, the natural inhabitants of the landscape. Rain, sun and wind all fought for supremacy but it was the sun who was winning as we finished the hike and found the perfect spot for a nap. It turned out to be the perfect spot to view Ausangate completely for the first time. I was in awe. A local man stopped by to give Chalex a gift of a whole roasted cuy (guinea pig) and some potatoes in a plastic container. Dinner was good, but it wasn´t cuy. I would rather try it when it is fresh and has been beheaded. After hot-springing it with Marla it was time to get my poi out for the first time this trip and put on a bit of a show beneath the murky multitude of stars.

The next morning we had the most delicious breakfast; homemade hot chocolate, bread rolls with butter and cold chewy, perfectly seasoned alpaca meat (another gift). Mario, our local contact, sat tightening yarn as we ate, waiting to pack up the camp and load the horses for our departure. Marla and I started our return walking as Chalex waited for the gear and the car to load it in. As we passed children in the road we would wish them "Buenos dias." and they would just stare at us and giggle, turning over their shoulders to look as we walked on. I know that because I was turning over my shoulder too. But these were the friendliest most curious stares and it just felt right.

The bus ride back to Cusco, despite amazing views ("So that´s when we gained all that altitude!"), was not the most pleasant experience. Stench, wailing music and inconsiderate behind-seat neighbour. We got back to Señora Haydee´s house twenty minutes before school started. So much for showering off all that camping filth.

With love from,
Julia

"You have a drunk drivers tan."

I just got back to the hostel after a day of rock-climbing.
Apart from having fun, the reason we went was to prepare ourselves to take about 25 of the older kids from Aldea Yanapay climbing on Saturday. ¡Que locuro! What madness! I think it will be a really fun opportunity for them, though. My peruvian co-teacher from familia Uvitas, Natalie, arranged it with a guide she has climbed with before. There were four of us volunteers there; myself, Natalie, Sam from Manchester and Marla from Alaska. Alex the rock climbing instructor´s paramedic friend Fabio was there too, because he will be teaching a first aid class on Saturday. We met in Plazoleta San Blas just after 8:30 in the morning. I put sunscreen on for the first time since arriving in Peru as we waited for Alex and Fabio in the glorious sunshine. I put on a good hearty dose too, because it exploded out of the tube thanks to the air travel!

The taxi ride out of the city took us by the ruins of Sacsayhuaman and Q´enqo. Driving out of Cusco, weirdly, reminded me of Australia... because the hills on the outskirts of the city are covered in Eucalyptus trees. When we got out of the car I felt like dancing! It was such a relief to be out in the hills and  fresh air, with Cusco just out of sight. I really do enjoy Cusco, but I am a country girl and definitely need a break every once in a while. Our climbing spot was just a few minutes´ walk off the road, a small-ish, lumpy, rock face with a fang-like protrusion sticking out from of the green hills. The whole area was grassy, with jagged grey rocks sticking out  everywhere and purple flowers scattered accross the hilltop. Alex and Natalie set up the ropes for rappelling while the rest of us took in the view and breathed deeply. I was excited to strap on a snazzy tuquoise, purple and neon yellow harness, knowing I was about to climb "real live rocks" for the second time in my life. The rappel was an uneven vertical face at the top and then a "negativo" at the bottom, which just meant that the face angled back, preventing you from touching it. On our second rappell we waited at the bottom and then set ourselves up to climb. Fabio made it look easy (and sylish, with his pants tucked into his socks), but the wall was actually quite challenging. I was the first to try it (tucking my pants in too, of course!) and fell off trying to get out of a sticky spot. Swinging on the rope is fun, so I didn´t mind falling. That is, until Marla made it up first try! Though she is more experienced... Sam was facing a fear of his (heights) and did really well, making it up to where I fell the first time. The second try I made it a lot farther, but still not quite to the top. We spent a while learning our knots, then gathered up the gear, ate our lunches (avocado and tomato sandwich and chocolate cookies) and started our walk back in to Cusco. It was a beautiful walk through the rolling, emerald hills and past various lesser-known ruins. At one point we saw lots of horses being ridden and grazing. I wanted so badly to hop on one and gallop through one of those fields in the rain, which was falling gently though it was still sunny. At one point there was a lost in translation sort of moment discussing the different expression for farmers tan in our respective languages. Marla had zoned out and asked what we meant by a "drunk driver´s tan". :) We spent a while bouldering at some pre-Inca ruins. Moving sideways along a wall barely as tall as yourself, with minimal footholds, is harder than it looks, especially when the ants who live around your handholds start climbing on and biting you. I managed to do both walls I tried; the ants were just motivation to do it faster. The walk back to Cusco was along a grassy path flanked by low, stone walls. The sun was so powerful today that despite two applications of SPF 55 my skin is displaying evidence of the beautiful weather. I had a late afternoon meal of salad, soup, rice, peruvian soy-meat stew and cool chamomile tea with Marla and Natalie on our way home. The whole thing cost 5 soles (about $1.80). The combination of sun, rock-climbing, food and a long, long walk left us completely "knackered" (as Sam said). Time to go nurse my sunburn and maybe take a little nap before maybe going out tonight.

With love,
Julia

How to Hike the High Rim Trail (concluded)

DAY THREE
Tuesday, October 5th

7:00- Good morning, sunshine! Don your toque and emerge from your ice-encrusted tent to take some pictures of the day's first rays of sunlight over the valley. The frosty foliage is lovely as the sun rises. Fetch the food from last night's slightly more successful food cache. Get out the stove, pot and lighter, planning to wake Orissa up with piping hot oatmeal for breakfast. Realize you have no idea how to work the camp stove. Dang. 

8:30- Wake Orissa up. Shake the ice off and hang the tent fly on a branch to dry in the sun. Get Dave out for the one and only photo-op of the trip (sorry, Dave!). After a little camp stove lesson and breakfast, strip down behind the fly-curtain (whee! that's brisk!) and change into your day clothes.

10:45- Finish packing up (Can't forget that bear spray!) and move on from Wrinkly Face.

11:45- Stand on a cliff edge high above Oyama, eating trail mix and trying to get a photo of your house, which is inconveniently positioned that a tree blocks it no matter where you stand, even though you can see your neighbours on either side.

12:30- Climb a steep hill at km 30, on top of which "the Monolith" rests. Stare at the massive boulder that looks like it fell from the sky. Stare at the ground around you when you think you hear rattlesnake or twelve nearby.

1:50- Cross Oyama Lake Road, your last chance to get off the trail before Vernon. Shortly thereafter, arrive at the awkwardly-named Cum-A-Long Bridge. Stop for some major regrouping. Stand in the icy creek to numb the pain in your feet. Share some lovely Vegetable Mr.Noodle and an apple for lunch, with a side dish of two Advil for Orissa (once again, new boots do not belong on the HRT!).  Refill all the water containers and do the dishes in exchange for your partner's reluctant cooperation in a self-timer picture. Question Rissa's sanity when she suggests that you finish the 20 remaining kilometres of trail tonight. Agree that it's not impossible, but decide to see how you feel after a couple more hours.

3:00- Resume hiking.

4:45- Start battling your way up the seemingly never-ending Microwave Station hill.

5:00- Crest the hill and experience your reward; the best view of the entire trip, a panorama of all of Vernon, Swan Lake and Kal Park, even some of Okanagan Lake over the western side of Kal. You can practically see to Prince George from here. You have no option but to spend the night. Take pictures and play with the bold little chipmunk who came to inspect your Nature Valley wrapper.

5:30- Convince Orissa that she wants to camp here too. Start looking for a tent site. Feel awkward when a family shows up in a truck. Quickly warm up to the company when the son points out that the lock of the tower store-room-type dealio has been blown open. Grin ear-to-ear at the prospect of sleeping in a warm, bomb-shelter-esque room with electric lights and no set-up required. Go exploring for another viewpoint with the dad, a photographer named Steve. Find your view just in time the catch the sunset over Okanagan Lake and learn a photo tip or two. Be welcomed back to the campsite by the sounds of a crackling fire and a strumming guitar. Use the tripod that Steve sets up to take some pictures of Vernon at dusk. Chat a bit more with your new friends before they head back down to the valley.

7:30- Eat all the rice and Craisins you have left  (you only packed food for three days). Savour your simple meal by the fireside with the stars twinkling above you and the lights of Vernon doing the same below. Laugh when Orissa remarks how romantic it is and asks you why you're not a boy... because you were thinking the exact same thing. Talk until you're tired enough and head for bed. But only after you've brushed your teeth and (creatively) put out the remains of the fire.

 

9:00- Get cozy in the microwave tower vault, smiling all over at your amazing good fortune and knowing that it's all downhill from here, literally.

How to Hike the High Rim Trail (continued)

DAY TWO

Monday, October 4th

(Hey readers! I have noticed that a lot of people visit my blog to read this post and the others about hiking the High Rim Trail... Which is super cool! Please comment about whether the posts were helpful, entertaining... or share your High Rim stories in the comments section! Happy trails and happy reading!) September 21, 2011

8:45 a.m. - Untangle yourself carefully from your sleeping bag and emerge from the tent to greet the day. Do a few Sun Salutations to stretch last nights hard-ground-induced cricks away. Retrieve food from tree. Wake Orissa up for breakfast time... then choke down the oatmeal you love so very much.

10:15 - Make some final adjustments to your pack and head out onto the Trail. In case you've forgotten which trail, please refer to one of the multitude of helpful signs marked "High Rim Trail".

11:00 - Arrive at "The Grand View". Marvel at the view of Kelowna from 1380 metres. Also marvel at the perfectly level space framed with wood and marked "TENT", the benches, the fire ring and the PIT TOILET. This could have been your campsite. If you are Orissa, laugh heartily. If you are Julia, force a laugh and try not to throw yourself off the cliff in frustration.

12:00- Make your way through the "Forest of Despair", a grey and lifeless place that seems to suck enthusiasm for hiking right out of your very bones and make your pack twice as heavy.

2:30-ish - Lunch of a crumbly bagel with cream cheese from a tube and a delicious apple on a rocky ridge.  When you pack up to move on, do NOT place your Buff in the sternum strap of your backpacking for "safe-keeping". Continue through the changing landscapes; the sparse, arid forest and stony ground of the high rim... the steep ravines and more lush, mossy foliage flanking creeks whose banks are clothed in every fall colour... the groves of trembling aspen with leaves like golden coins, which turn the path into a Yellow Brick Road... Soak in the beauty.

4:30 - Stop for a snack and to take some jumping pictures over Winfield. Realize that jumping after about 6 hours of hiking is easier said than done. Do it anyways. If you have ignored the instruction about not placing your Buff in your sternum strap, this is when you will realize that it is lost forever, and be very disappointed because it was such a lovely and useful item.

5:30 - Arrive at Wrinkly Face Provincial Park, at km 31, just in time to admire a sunset view over the valley, especially Kelowna, and snap some lovely photos of the evening light.  Layer up, set up camp, then build your first successful campfire EVER while Orissa prepares tortellini with tomato sauce. Share and savour a delicious mint-chocolate bar by the firelight. Before going to bed, sit together outside the tent watching the city below light up. Sing Hey Jude, Kiss a Girl and Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of your lungs, with a multi-lingual, disjointed duet of O Canada as finale to the mountaintop concert.

9:00 - In the tent, confer about tomorrow's plan of action and finally decide not to decide, just to play it by ear.

9:30 p.m.- Fall asleep feeling that good kind of tired you only feel at the end of a long day of exertion out in the fresh air.

HOW TO HIKE THE HIGH RIM TRAIL; Two Girls' Epic Journey of Bagels, Layering Their Clothes and Not Showering... Oh, And Amazing Views.

DAY ONE
Sunday October 3rd
1:30 p.m. - Start hiking at Philpott Road in Kelowna. Spend a very steep km + sweating it up "Cardiac Hill". Meander through the forest; up, down and around. Around km 5 hike up "Cardiac Hill" (Surprise, that first one wasn't actually Cardiac Hill!); it feels like "Heart Attack Hill". Admire the forest, then wonder when you're going to get a good view. Get well acquainted with a certain man's face whose picture has been affixed to several trees aroud km 7 (that was a nice kilometre). Wonder whether you will be able to get to "the Grand View" to camp before dark and camp there.

5:30 - Keep going even when Orissa is clearly ready to stop. Fail to control the inexpressible need to "Just see what's around that bend." Miss a turn and walk about 1 km off-course. Realise it and take some lovely sunset-y pictures as you get your bearings and turn around. Keep pushing, hoping to make it to "the Grand View" to camp.

6:30 p.m. - Call it quits at an open dirt road-type-area. Sit down immediately and pull off your hiking boots. Feel your body start to freeze as soon as you stop moving; change into every piece of clothing you have apart from those sweaty things you were hiking in. Set up the tent. Light the camp stove. Watch as your pot of water is engulfed in foot-and-a-half high flames for about 3 minutes. Wait for stove to cool. Cook a very large amount of rice and then broccoli, burning some onto the pot. Garnish with cheddar and seasoning salt and enjoy. Nearly choke to death on a mouthful of rice when Orissa makes you laugh too hard and you can't stop laughing, even as your life flashes before your eyes (You'd think that would dull the humour...). Spend a ridiculous amount of time trying to throw a rope over a high branch some distance down the road. Break rope while hoisting food into tree. Repeat step 1. Finally manage to suspend food from tree branch... about 4.5 feet in the air. Oh well. Dispose of your uneaten half of a salmon sandwich under a heavy rock.  Back at camp, present Orissa with one of the brownie cakes you bought at Safeway during the Vipers' game on Saturday night as her Chocolate Surprise. Watch her be unimpressed. Enjoy your own brownie cake anyways.

9:00p.m.- Snuggle into your warm and cozy sleeping bag for the night. :)