Abysmo Trek (by Phil)

25 Oct 10:57 am by Mark Kalch Category: The Expedition

After our exciting 5 days on river we had to put on our boots and pack our back packs for a 7 day trek around a canyon, called the Abyss. This section of river gets very narrow and with 50 compulsory portages in the canyon. So we decided to walk around the canyon, but as you probably know by now, the Andes runs throught the whole of Peru… So you have two choises, up or down, level ground is not an option.

Mario managed to organise a guide and donkeys for us to make the path clear and the load a little bit less. There were no trails on the maps so without Romo (our guide) we would have taken a lot longer to find our way. One cannot really get over the magnitude of these mountains, as far as the eye can see and as soon as you think you are at the top, there is a higher peak waiting for you. But on we go, one step at a time, sometimes our steps were going at different speeds…

At some places we had the most amazing sites and camp spots that made the effort well worth it, we were at places where not many, if any, gringos have seen before. With endless snow capped mountains all around, and condors soaring a few meters above your head it is impossible to describe the sense of freedom and accomplishment you get.

And not to forget whats going on around the world, Philip and Scott were proudly flying the colours of the South African flag on the day of the Rugby World Cup final. The spirit rubbed off on Nathan and Mark who at times were heard whistling Nkosi Sikelele, the South African anthem.

The bad news came on the morning of the sixth day, when Scott surprised us with his untimely departure. There was nothing we could do or say to convince him to stay. Not only was he a critical part of the expedition with the photography and paddling, he is a really good guy who’s a lot of fun to have around, and not to mention the killer soup he often brew. So all the best to Scott, aka Stickography, we’re going to miss you and thanks very much for your unreplaceable contributions!

2 Comments »

hi guys. you look quite fat and healthy, your trek sounds great. i see phil left as well, but at least Rooi Jan has joined the team so you should be fine. het julle gehoor lucky dube is dood? hy is in n hijacking voor sy twee tieners doodgeskiet, die ouens is in die tronk. baie baie bad, dit was net voor die world cup. so dink aan hom en sing sy musiek… ok paddle paddle paddle…

love and peace to the world!

fritz

Comment by fritz — October 26, 2007 @ 12:21 am
Hey Nonny (and the other boys!!)

Oh my goodness I love reading about your life!! I am so proud of you and continue to spread the news about you crazy boys!!

Your birhtday is coming up fast and I will be in London!! I have tons to do before then so I wanted to be the first to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY, for the 18th, and know I love you and will be thinking about you!!

You are a super star Nonny and I have never seen your smile so bright!! Keep shining super star!!

Your lil sis
Jaks

Comment by jaks (nat's lil sis) — November 2, 2007 @ 5:46 am