An Adventurous Tale

24 Sep 1:55 am by Nathan Welch Category: The Expedition

There´s been some very challenging tales to share from the last week or so. Currently we are in Yauri. Phil & Mark are in pretty good shape but Nath has a bad back problem that has hampered things a little. As Marko would say the last week has been “The Nathan Welch Show!” (& not for the best reasons!)
Nath has really struggled with Altitude Sickness & you will see further down that a back problem has defintely created a challenging mix for the team to overcome.

The team reached the Source of the Amazon (Mt Mismi) on Wednesday the 19th. What a huge mission it was. We all suffered Altitude Sickness at around 5000m & to put it politely it was “bloody cold”. Thanks to First Ascent for their superb mountain clothing - we gave them a real workout on the side of the mountain & they delivered big time!

It was an amazing experience for us all to find & drink from that first trickle of water that marks the absolute beginning of the mighty Amazon River. Upon completing our first goal we trekked back to our base camp on the side of the mountain (4800m). From here things got pretty hectic - we were all feeling the harsh effects of Altitude Sickness & then as if laughing, the Mountain Gods delivered an intense snow storm with the works…snow, thunder, lightning & crazy winds!

The next day we awoke to a new challenge. The morning snow twinkled in the sunshine of a new day but before we could really enjoy it, it became clear that Nath was not only struggling with Altitude Sickness but had also hurt his back. Regardless, we all set out on our trek to follow the first stream of the Amazon. We made it to Carhusanta before it was clear that Nath could not continue with his back condition. We were in a spot of bother - what to do?
We pulled out our Explorer 500 BGAN from Electrotech & gave the sat phone a good workout… making a plan! We are very impressed so far with the what the Electrotech crew have provided us with this BGAN system & it has now officially saved our bottoms once!

Again with Petronio´s help we organised for an emergency pick up to get us through to Cailloma, but time was working against us & we had limited daylight left in the day. We dropped most of our food rations & rearranged our packs to lighten Naths load. It then became a race against time (& darkness) to climb our way out of a deep valley & to a pick up point. Marko has been our shining light through all this, his mountain experience has come to the fore & his aclimatisation has been amazing. To cut a long story short somehow we made it out that night. Only to jump into a vehicle that took us on a wild, wild ride through some pretty hairy Andes mountain & river passes that night. We made it through to Cailloma in one piece but all exhausted from the last few days.

In Cailloma, we assessed Naths situation - it was clear he could not go on with a backpàck, but we were determined to push on somehow, as we know how important it is to get to that Apurimac whitewater ASAP. We desperately tried to organise mule, donkey, llama…any pack animal support to carry Naths bags & equipment, leaving him to try & walk without weight or pressure on his back. We even organised for a community radio announcement that was broadcast over the town loundspeaker. It seemed we had a deal done & dusted to hire a horse, but at the 11th hour it fell through!

In desperation we joined a couple of local miners in another amazing journey through the remote Andean highlands. This in itself gave Nath´s back a full workout & by the time we had reached a hidden little Peruvian mountain village called Sucatambo, Nath was looking as stiff as ever. Sucatambo was an amazing little place & what made it a little scary was the GPS cordinates from our Garmin GPS did not match with our official Peruvian Maps at all - had this little town moved in the last 40 years??

We were like some alien lifeform in this remote village & caused quite a stir as the 3 white gringos! Again, despite our best efforts we could find no one willing to hire us mule support - this continues to baffle us! Anyways, whilst in Sucatambo we met up with some visiting Uni students from Cusco, who we thought were taxi drivers - but they were really on a uni road trip. So then began a new adventure joining them in their hired taxi, following the Apurimac River through to Yauri. Another amazing jouney that saw us visit an old infirmary in the middle of nowhere, that was used to hide people with nasty diseases way back when. We even ran out of fuel & waited about 2 hours before we were able to make a plan to get us into Yauri.

We can´t do justice to what we have all experienced over the last week with just this one post. Suffice to say it has been adventure, challenge & making a plan on the run. Perhaps the real positive to bubble up from all this is that, whilst we are all mates, there has been a definite team spirit manifest itself and a staunch looking out for each other. Here are our individual thoughts of what has transpired in the last week….

Mark: Well, Nathe has explained pretty much what has transpired over the last week. It has been tough from the outset. In a funny way that is what makes it so awesome. We have met the most amazing and friendly people and travelled through some unbelievable scenery. Things have not exactly gone to plan. But, that is what expeditions are all about, thinking on the go, making alternatives, being flexible. If you have an agenda set in stone and you do not deviate from that agenda pretty soon that stone breaks…and you and your team with it. I feel mostly for Nathe. He has been the heart and soul of this expedition for 4 long years and to be hammered first with AMS and then his back problem. How do you deal with that? You just got to make a plan. A little bloke who was pretty good at kung-fu once said “Walk on…”. Thats it. It just means keep going. No matter what happens…walk on. Make it to your goal by adjusting and adapting to your situation and environment. That´s what we are going to do. Walk on…

Philip: n Boer maak a plan!
That has been one of our many mottos and probably the most used one. For the small number of people that doesnt speak Afrikaans, directly translated it means “a farmer/afrikaner will make a plan” and since Philip is the token African, we´ve been using it alot. Philipo was also a big attraction in Caylloma. There was a big commotion and everyboby was ammazed to see a blanco (white) African! They were amazed and I think if they had there way, Philipo would´ve joined the Peruvian circus.

But South America, in some ways are a lot like Africa. Time for instance, it doesnt exist! We can try and plan things, but it’s useless to try and plan anything more than a day ahead. Even trying to plan something an hour ahead is very ambitious. So now we don´t plan anymore, we simply look at options… things change by the minute over here. To Phil, who´s been living and travelling around Africa pretty much all his life, it was easy to fall into the South American pace of living and doing things, but since Mark and Nath lived in Africa too, they seem to be getting into it fairly easy.

And finally Nath:
The last week has been very challenging for me personally. Obviously the challenges with the Altitude Sickness & my back have limited my physical capabilities. Its been difficult to be & know that you are the weakest link - a situation I have not found myself in too often. And this is even harder to swallow when I think back to all the training I did in preparation. It seems as if an instant all that was taken away from me! On the positive side of the split, its been quite amazing to have these 2 mates beside me who are actually there for me & have taken over all those things I have been unable to do - simple stuff like taking down tents, cooking meals, cleaning dishes & fetching water. Sounds small but in the grander context it is huge. Now the big challenge for me is to make decisions that hopefully allow me to continue with this first leg of the trip, does not jeapardise my back for the remainder of the expedition & is obvioulsy conducive to the team completing Expedition Amazonas!

10 Comments »

We’re so proud of you boys - I’m sure you’ll be able ‘to make a plan’ so that Nath can continue with the first leg of the trip and also for the remainder of the expedition. That’s what ‘mates’ are for! Amazing what you’ve experienced already and the interesting people you’ve met. Wow!

Absolutely fantastic photos too!

Onward towards your goal and all the best for a safe and exciting journey. With love and all our best wishes.

Comment by Donna — September 24, 2007 @ 3:15 am
Nathan, don’t suppose you’ve tried the ‘Laughing Therapy’ eh?

Comment by Donna — September 24, 2007 @ 3:16 am
Nat,Mark,& Phil, what a chapter 3 for your book AMS , personal injuries ,snow storms,mountian truck adventures and the support of true comrades.
Nat we know how disappointed you feel at this moment our thoughts and prayers are with you, Mark & Phil . I know the brains trust ( Petronio ,Mark & Phil) will develop a stradegy which will enable you to continue the adventure.
There used to a TV commerical which used say ” it times likes these you need minties” in your case it should be ” it times like these you need Donna’s laughting therapy”.
Once again a special thanks to Petronio.
Chin up Nat it will eventually work out. Lots of love Bill & Toni

Comment by Bill Welch — September 24, 2007 @ 9:27 am
Guys just got back from my own hell trip sailing brissy to coffs harour through 40 knot winds, Llightening storms and 6 metre waves. Nothing compared to the AE trip of course but let me tell you I think I know how your first hot shower would have been!

Nath, mate I understand the back problem…really nasty and debilitating and sounds like you are putting in an awesome effort…if it takes a little more time then do it a bit slower to save your back.

Good to hear from you boys and take care!

Aj, standing by.

Comment by Aj the legend — September 24, 2007 @ 10:56 am
Well, sitting in front of a computer.. i have to say that story sounds like something most people would like to have been part of (minus the pain). Take paracetamol? (joking - although something anti-inflammatory like that may prevent further damage?) rest if you can? Nathan: You are not the weakest link. (the team comments - this is a group challenge, it doesn’t matter who is the one getting hurt). Sounds like you’re all very resourceful and together guys. The most important journey is inside your head.
Bron

Comment by Bronwyn — September 24, 2007 @ 12:29 pm
The Aussie/African combo is a power to be reckoned with - you GO GUYS! I am following your journey daily and wish you great strength, guidance and success.

Cheers … Carol, Chicago

Comment by Carol — September 24, 2007 @ 4:54 pm
Nice work boys. Phil, The boks are looking good.

Rich, New York

Comment by richard — September 25, 2007 @ 4:40 am
Hey Phil! Bit of frost bite ?? Hope you are enjoying the trip. Keep up the good work and come home alive!

Comment by Michael Moerdyk — September 27, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
Hi Guys (especially “Buff”)

I have really enjoyed reading your posts so far - your courage and your sense of humour shines through!

Maintain your inner strength, cherish the journey and keep the goal in sight.

Cheers Sheila and Adam

Comment by Sheila Mclauchlan — September 29, 2007 @ 9:11 pm
Hi Guys,

It sounds like you are well into adventure in just the start of the expedition. It is great to see that the team spirit has evolved so early for you guys, I read the posts and I can’t stop this little thing inside that would love to be there to experience it. NATH, your name keeps on popping up in prayer over the last week so, just know that the power from above is watching over you my friend. I will specifically be praying for your back this week and believing that as you call out for it to be healed it will be done.

God’s speed, grace and protection my friends,

Mick

Comment by Mick — October 3, 2007 @ 2:13 pm