Update 9

“The care of the Earth is our most ancient and our most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope.”

                      -Wendell Berry

UPDATE 9

It has been exactly a week now since we left on our second expedition, with our packs and rhythm of our feet to hold us in place. We walked out through the back of Palugo farm, through open fields and small forest passageways. We explored in dug out caves and walked up dirt roads lined with eucalyptus trees. On that first night we arrived at the beautiful campsite called Encañada, near an almost jungle like river. There, expedition truly began, we set up our tents and had a wonderful afternoon of reading ‘The Alchemist", and some pretty intense riddle telling, that overflowed into the next day as well. Our hike to our next campsite Muerte Pungo (the door of death) was about 12.5kms. 

We left la Encañada, precariously crossing over the little river with our heavy packs and walking until 6pm that night. We walked on cobblestone roads and up over ridges, we hid from a herd of wild cattle as they charged down the mountain and we trudged through rain and hail. The next morning we awoke and had some heavy oatmeal with dried fruit that we had prepared. Marcela, Michael, Tupak and Raina left about a half hour before us and we began what was intended to be a day of solo group hiking and navigation. However, as night drew near and as we descended the last ridge after Chuzalonga hill, we felt that a longer group solo was calling us. Through the radio, our teachers instructed us to stop walking and set up camp if we reached 6pm and had not arrived to camp yet. So, we set up our tents in a circle and we draped our tarp over it to create a kind of little house. We were in a valley that stretched out to the base of Antisana and out to where, Tupak, Raina, Marcela and Michael were camping almost humorously close. There we all sat, late into the night, waiting for our dinner to boil and looked our onto the mountain that we would soon be climbing. Two days later we began glacier school on Antisana. We learned how to use our crampons, ice axes and how to work in rope teams. We camped for two nights at Campo alto (4,700mts) in the harsh rocky moraine and every night as the sun went down, you looked out onto the clouds that spread out at the same level that you were standing on.

Early Wednesday morning at 1.45 am we arose to climb Antisana. We sleepily stumbled from our tents and with our headlamps we began to climb up the rocks to the glacier. Seeing the group weave ahead though the freshly falling snow was like watching a train of silent lights floating in the darkness. As we climbed higher and higher finally reaching the glacier we put on our crampons, secured our ropes and took our ice axes. As we were walking warmth began to permeate our body, pushing away the chill that stillness would bring. 

As we began our climb on the ice at about 4:30am, everything had a new kind of light. We were up above the first layer of clouds and the stars that shone so brightly above us blended in with the lights of our train. The stars and the lights guided our way up through the glacier over crevasses. As the first rays of light began to saturate the clouds with a golden glow the coldest part of the morning set upon us. We were not able to summit Antisana because of a huge crevasse that we could not cross and blocked our route. However, I think we are all very happy with what we accomplished at this amazing place for it gave us some knowledge about mountaineering and a little bit of its wisdom.

Now we are preparing for our 3-day group solos, which will bring us close to the base of Cotopaxi where we will use the skills, we have learned here. Looking out at these mountains, as the clouds that change so rapidly about them, at the wind and rain that erodes their peaks, and see this change as our only constant. I see that change is the only thing that will always be there and in that I see that boredom is merely a figment of everyone’s imaginations.

Lots of love, I hope you are all doing well,

Siena Powers.

Permission Por Favor

By Nicole

Antisana, may I climb your peak?

Even though I may seem weak,

I have the will power in my brain,

To fearlessly climb your vast terrain.

I may be a novice that is true,

But I can surprise you out of the blue,

Scaling slippery glaciers,

With crampons sharp as razors.

Please grant me this experience,

So I shall not feel pertinence,

Climbing high has made me see,

The capability of what I can be.

The higher I go,

As my ears begin to pop,

I proceed to grow,

Until I reach the top.

Update 8

 

“Even after all these years, the sun never says to the earth ‘you owe me’. Look what happens with a love like that, it lights the whole sky”

                                    -Hafiz

Dear Readers,

It has been about two and a half weeks since we arrived back to Palugo from our first expedition, and somehow in a crazy whirlwind of crafts, cooking, lessons on permaculture and political history, we are now preparing ourselves to be launched back into the nomadic form of living and onto the Ecuadorian highlands for our final expedition. These weeks have been filled with laughter and music; and weaving through all of our work, let it be running at 5 in the morning, carving a spoon or drawing a healing dragon, the idea of active rest has guided our lifestyle.

The first week back was relatively calm and gave us the space to rejuvenate after our travels. We worked on lingering projects such as embroidery, spoons and knitting. We had a mega minga to clean all of our gear that had been traveling with us, and continued to work on our semester book. We had personal meetings with Marcela, Michael, and Mathias and most importantly we celebrated Zoë’s 18^th birthday! For that inaugural occasion we feasted on chocolate cake with cream cheese icing, and a much anticipated mango mousse that has been discussed since our time in New Hampshire.

It has been especially nice these past few weeks to find the space to relax with one another and do something that might not be required, something that isn’t scheduled, and take in for a moment the unique time that we are, for a short period of our lives, embedded in. It is calming to sit and read in our cabañas, all of the girls there together, snuggled up with a jar of peanut butter and listen to the romantic words of “Like Water for Chocolate”. We have now finished that book and have started on Chronicles of a Death Foretold, The Glass Castle, and The Post Man Always Rings Twice, we like to get ambitious with our make shift book club.

On Thursday, the 1^st of November, we woke up for chores and had a quiet morning of personal preparation before we went out on Solo. For two and a half days we found our place somewhere in Palugo’s encompassing land, and sat in one spot with only our clothes, water, and ourselves for company. We sat there among the grasses, watching the sky change from day to night, imprinting the path of the sun on our eyes, and waiting for it to be traced by the moon. We saw each change with a mind sometimes empty and sometimes full, our thoughts coming and going with the clouds above. At night we were cold, and maybe at times wishing we were warm in some other place. But looking back at those moments, I feel a kind of peace and clarity. I can not exactly put to words the feeling that I remember during those days, but it gave me, and many others I am sure, a way of learning, a way of coping, and it showed me, from a perspective that was not totally my own, the art of waiting.

On Saturday morning Mathias came to each of our spots and gathered us all together at the highest point on the farm. We stood there for a moment, all together after being alone for more time than we ever have in the past few months, and were able to reset our minds, and our group, for this culminating section of semester. Having this time alone, to reflect on everything that has been moving so quickly around us and through us, I believe was very important, especially at this particular point. It is a difficult thing to live so closely, and share so much of yourself with other people for such a long while, some kind of tension is bound to arise. Frustration and impatience are very human traits and within a group of people it is very hard to avoid this bubbling of emotion. Yet it is good, it is not something we should suppress or try to run away from. From these eruptions come a new appreciation, and love is just as human a trait. Before solo, we had some struggles, and this time away did not erase those feelings, but we have been able to improve our communication and our ability to confront each other in a direct manner, which is something that many people struggle in learning. Some go through their whole lives and never do.

Saturday was also the holiday Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) here in Ecuador, and after re-gathering ourselves we walked down into the town of Pifo for lunch and to visit the graveyard there. It was a beautiful thing to see the celebrations of life and around every grave were flowers, food, and other offerings to people that someone has loved. That night Raina and Tupac returned from their days off and brought us all sugar cane and fruit candy. We ate with a hungry satisfaction after days of fasting, and listened to Shai’s long share.

Starting into the next week, we began our building project which is called Guagua Choza that will serve as a workshop (ground floor) and a place for teachers to stay (first floor). It has been a lot of fun figuring out this project from the very beginning, and it is a nice feeling to see our work begin to take shape in such a long lasting way. We have spent many mornings working on the Guagua Choza and in the afternoons we have had a multitude of guest teachers, and time to work on the numerous projects that we have embarked on. We have gone to cook with Adela and have made the most delicious bread with chocolate called Guagua Pan (which means baby bread) and Colada de Morada which is a traditional meal to make on Dia de los Muertos. We have also worked with her on pottery and are very excited to see how our creations turn out. Marcela’s brother, Ricardo came on Wednesday evening and gave a talk on the socio political situations in Ecuador and Latin America as a whole. It was so interesting to look at this place where we have been living in such a different manner, and take in everything that is currently happening around us and is affecting everything we do. We are not just here to climb mountains in an isolated fashion but also to live. To be aware of your greater surroundings is such an important thing. We have been working with Marcela on theatre and a man named Herman came to work with us on leather projects for three days. We made sheaths for our machetes, covers for our semester books, and many people also made extra projects like bracelets, belts, and wallets.

On Friday we left right after breakfast for a day of rock climbing at a wall that is close to Palugo. We rode over in the back of a pick-up truck, bouncing around on the precarious roads. It was a beautiful spot that many of the Nahual climbers helped open, and we set up five routes to climb on. It was a great day, filled with a lot of fun testing our skill on the rocks. Afterwards we went fishing for dinner and caught about 20 trout, they were delicious! A few nights later we invited the Outward Bound semester over for dinner and we had a wonderful night with them. It was a very special thing to share all of our experiences with them and to hear all of their stories as well. In some aspects both trips are very similar, yet they are also so different in the way they unfold. Their group was a little older than ours, mostly in their twenties. We all had a great night of delicious food, some pretty funny games including a lot of spinning outside in the dark and some beautiful music.

One of our highlights these past few weeks happened very early just a few mornings ago. We awoke at our usual time to go running, 5 o’clock, and set out on a fairly routine route that we have done many times. We were maybe 15 minutes into our jog and were turning one of the corners of our loop, when suddenly I hear this shrill scream emanating from Zoë! She turned around with an amazing amount of vigor and started sprinting the other direction followed by an equally determined Nicole. And then I saw the culprit. A little, smelly, black and white tail scuttled back into the bushes leaving behind its pungent aroma. We had been attacked by a killer skunk! Saturated with its stench we promptly decided to change our course to avoid further battling, and finished our run with as much dignity as we could, leaving a slight trail of perfumed air behind us.

I hope you are all well and happy, and enjoying this last month without us.

Lots of love, Siesta Powers.

Just a little loving note from all of us here, we love mail! And have been so appreciating all the wonderful people who have sent us their warm wishes! Especially when it is in chocolate form... Also Meredith would like to say Happy Birthday to her sister!

 Pictures will be posted later. Please check in again.

Update 7

Shiwakotcha

Dear Readers,

Ashanga

It’s a strange thing to sit here, looking out on the fields of Palugo, being back at a place that has become my home after so long away from its beauty. I am here after calling the wilderness my home, San Clemente my home, Shiwa Kutcha my home. I sit here writing to you all, I sit here to tell you all a story of our travels, of our tribulations, of our joys, of our jokes, and above all of the experiences we have begun to internalize as our own wisdom. But more than any other time that I have sat down to this task, it is a challenge, it is hard to depict in words the changes that have happened in the last few weeks. I could go on for a long while about its beauty, about the images we saw, I could describe the countless dogs, the curious people, the vines and symbiotic relationships of the forest, I could talk about all of them in great detail but that is not the greatest change that has occurred. It is some kind of roundness, some kind of wholeness that I feel materializing. We are no longer a circle of people drawn flat on a page, but we have risen up, filled out, to create a spherical collective of individuals that work together with a greater conscience. That is the greater change I have witnessed, it is not something that is permanent, it is not something that has a definitive end or beginning, it is simply a kind of potential that lives within us. Or maybe it is something much different, maybe it is something I do not completely understand, and that is why it is such a challenge to describe.

Restday in Ashanga

The last time we left you was in the mountains, in the midst of the harsh yet beautiful panorama. We traveled on our bikes, with their circular rhythm carrying us from one place to the next. After epic days of up hills, through rain and hail, sun and wind, through sickness and some tears, we reached the hot springs of Papallacta. We combed the knots from our hair (for Ciara it was more of a struggle than most, her hair being that of a lion’s mane), we cleansed our bodies and welcomed Nicole back into the expedition after her much missed absence (she had to take a rest for two days back in Palugo due to her stomach which was bothering her). I cannot explain how wonderful that feeling was, the feeling of immersion in the heat, the soaking, the detangling of emotions and stress, the pruning of my fingers that symbolized all the sweat and dirt leaving my body.

Service work in Shiwakotcha

From there we began our descent into warmer weather, into fewer layers, into an easier life, and into the land of bugs and yucca. We spent Friday night (the 19^th) in Cosanga, a little town nearing the jungle in a house in the midst of construction. In exchange for the generosity of this “randomic” lodging we helped the man Lucas, whose house it was, by milking his cows in the morning. On Saturday we biked our farthest day (50k), although I have to admit it was one of the easier days seeing as it was mostly down hill. After crossing the final mountain range we truly began to make our way down into the jungle and with every turn of the road the plants became more luscious, they grew taller and remind me more and more of Dr. Seuss. In the afternoon we reached Ashanga, where Mathias, Nicole, Ayra, Davicho, and his daughter Violeta were waiting for us with delicious food. Ashanga is the jungle escape of Marcela’s parents and a place of peace by the river. We stayed in this alcove for two days, bathing in the river, sleeping, and eating wonderful things like pancakes, fruit, and plantain. We listened to the birds; we watched the sun setting over the majestic trees, and took in this magnificent transformation of landscape from the highlands to the jungle.

Campsite on the Yatun Yaku

Monday was our last day of biking, and throughout that extremely intense and hot day, two ice cream stops were of great necessity. We ate lunch not by a river, but actually sitting in it, desperately trying to soothe our newly obtained sun burned skin. In the afternoon we reached our destination by the Jatun Yaku river, meaning the Great Water in Kichwa, in which we spent the next day and a half preparing for the river section of our expedition. Here Thomas and Nadino joined us, which was so much fun and we are so grateful for everything they have taught us. Amidst our new struggle with the bugs we accomplished the feat of everyone in the group getting sick at least once, except for the mighty Mateo who has somehow slid by unscathed by the curse of nausea.

Navigation update

As we began the river portion, a new kind of peace fell upon our journey. The constant sound of the river flowing through the back of our minds cooled our thoughts, and brought on a kind of tranquility. During the days we spent our time paddling over the water in our rafts, we made our way through rapids and calm water, stopping for lunch on sandy beaches and observing the magic and beauty of the jungle float by us. We jumped off of trees into the water, swam by the boats, and had wonderful conversations as the land sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly carried us to the next stage.

Life in the jungle

Our last day of paddling brought us to the town of Misahualli, where we set up a beautiful camp and said goodbye to Thomas. From Misahualli we rode in the back of a pick up truck to where we would start hiking into the jungle to find Nadino’s family in Shiwa Kutcha. It was a strange feeling to be moved by this machine after self-propelling ourselves across the land for so long in a totally self-sufficient manner. It made you think about time in a different way, it made you value your own footsteps, your peddling, your stroke after stroke in the river, and it made you love that internal human power that is the most renewable source of energy and always available.

Botany studies

As we walked through the rainforest we were surrounded by its vitality in a new way, and upon our arrival to Shiwakotcha, we began our jungle life. Nadino´s parents welcomed us with cinnamon water and bananas (the most delicious bananas ever). To them and to the entire family, I would like to say Thank You for receiving us with such clarity and for letting us be a part of their family for three wonderful days. With them we explored the jungle, swam in the river, carved bowls out of pilche fruits, made spoons and baskets, and ate many green bananas due to our extraordinary impatience with food. We stayed up late into the night singing beautiful songs and painting our faces with Huito; we heard the stories of the dyes and through its culture could appreciate the special designs that leave a physical remembrance of their community. The days passed quickly and before we knew it we were packing up the kataraft for our final drift downstream, and for our last day on expedition.

As we paddled down that calm river, all 18 of us piled on one raft; it was as if the river reflected back to us the stories and faces of our journey. The sun shone down upon us with rays of satisfaction, we listened to the sweet music of Charlie’s ukulele, and with bittersweet feelings we began our departure from the jungle. We read Siddhartha, and finished its last few chapters, hearing the wisdom of the river through the story’s lyrical words, and seeing its beauty with our own eyes. In the afternoon we reached our take out, we unpacked the raft, and disassembled the carriage that had brought us so far. We loaded ourselves onto a bus and for four or five hours we traveled back through the path of nostalgia, traveled back across the land we had just traversed for 21 days and arrived back to Palugo late in the night. Mathias welcomed us home with tea and banana chips, and with tired minds and bodies we fell into sleep.

Learning from the indigenous people

I hope you are all happy and well, lots of love. Hasta Pronto,

                                     Siena Powers

  

Malcolm would like to say happy birthday to his mum, Kat would like to say a very happy birthday to her brother, Ciara would like to say happy birthday to her dad, and Shai would like to say happy birthday to a bunch of people in her family.

Quote:  ¨Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it into a fruit salad¨ 

We can’t actually remember who said that, Phoebe just wrote it on the board and I liked it.