Lost in the Andes

Chad: So we spent 3 months surfing all of Ecuador and Northern Peru. We have ended the surfing portion of the program a week ago in Chicama, Peru, the longest wave in the world (2 km long rides) and water too cold for Janes liking. We sold our surfboards to lighten the load and headed inland to do some trekking in the Andes mountains. We are now in Huarez, a cool rock climbing town situated at 3100 meters. We just did a 60 km, 4 day trek up to 4750 meters (about 15,000 feet). Without doubt this is the nicest mountain scenery I have ever seen. One would think a trek of this magnitude would justify bringing technical hiking boots instead of my light trail runners. Now I am paying for it as my big toe-nails are turning black and will most likely fall off. Here is one good story for you...

During the third day of the trek, while setting up camp at 4100 meters, two 22 year old Israeli Nationals in our 12 person group got lost. They were within 10 meters of camp but due to a series of bad luck, missed the campsite. After about 30 minutes Jane noticed that they were not in camp. Our guide could not believe it was possible as he saw them less than 10 meters from our camp site. After we climbed a high rock and everyone searched the camp for them we set up 2 search parties; one to go north, and one to go south. It was dusk and cloud cover had moved in so you could not see very far in the valley. Jane and I found them about 2 hours after they had gone missing, over an hours trek south of the camp. They had no idea where we were and kept hiking thinking the group was ahead of them, not behind. They were pretty scared and preparing where to spend the night in an Andes cave (at 2 degrees C) without adequate survival gear as it was on the pack donkeys back in camp. How you ask did we find each other in the fog, at dusk, in a valley in the Andes, beside a loud glacier river...they heard our whistling from the whistles that were attached to our backpacks (for this very reason).

Actually there is more to this story. 4 days earlier, I was being made fun of (again) by some friends for the two whistles that Jane and I each have attached to our backpacks. I caved to peer pressure and took mine off in mild embarrasment (the whistle has been on my pack for years). Jane still had a whistle on her pack when the Israelis went missing. Note to friends...who is laughing now.

Cheers, Chad and Jane.

---

---