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Published: September 18th 2007
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Sunrise 1
Atop Pico da Bandeira. The cross and the shadow of the peak behind it. Once again I found myself sitting alone on a bus heading off for a few days of uncertainty. I can't say I tried all that hard to recruit anyone to join me and as usual I enjoyed the idea of taking off on my own. My destination: Parque Nacional do Caparaó and the Pico da Bandeira. Sitting on the border of Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo this park hosts some of the highest mountains in Brazil. Pico da Bandeira was once thought to be the highest peak in Brazil, but at 2,892m (9,254ft) is now known to be the third highest peak. Though nothing compared to the mountains of Argentina and Chile, I could not wait to get away from chaos of the city.
After two buses, a train and a taxi I arrived the entrance of the park. Exhausted after the 12 hours of travel I was not pleased to find that my campsite was 3000 ft above me and some two hours of hiking away. Having no other option I picked up my pack and started up what seemed a never ending road winding through the ever darkening tropical forest known as the Mata Atlantica.
Though tired and stumbling the view was quite stunning as the darkness below me was lit up by small towns and the usual brush fires that line the Brazilian country side. I arrived at Tronqueira (my first campsite) to find myself alone in the eerie silence. I set up camp, made dinner and headed to bed.
The next morning I went to a nearby waterfall and upon my return realized that I had somehow torn a good sized hole in the bottom of my tent. Had I been back in the states this is a quick fix, just take it back to REI. However in Brazil things such as tents cost about double what they do in the USA. My only option was to just forget about the hole, pack up and head to the next camp. It was in the process of packing that I realized my entire bag of food was missing. Hmm, maybe the hole in the tent was not from me. After a quick look around I found what little was left of my food. Luckily I had some nuts and dried fruit that the fuzzy little bastard did not get and so
Night
Sunset over the Minas Gerais. despite sounding unappetizing eating that for three days I saw no other option.
I arrived at the next camp to find it empty, but soon after a group joined me and to my delight they offered to feed me given the fact that they had way too much food and I too little. As night came I found myself unprepared for the freezing temperature. Before turning in at 8PM I was startled to find my tent was caked with ice. Ice in Brazil I thought? Apparently.
After waking up at 2AM I headed to the Pico da Bandeira to see the sunrise over the state of Espirito Santo. Heading off alone into the darkness was amazing as the stars illuminated the mountain around me. Arriving at the ridge leading to the peak the cities of Espirito Santo lit up the sea of darkness to my left and those of Minas Gerais to my right. I sat on the peak for over an hour freezing awaiting the sunrise. Though the initial rays of sun brought little warmth the sight was spectacular. The rugged mountains in front me framed a sunrise I won't forget. Not to mention
Waterfall 1
As I was taking this pic some little animal was feasting on my food. I took about a hundred picture too keep my mind off my frozen fingers.
After descending the peak I found my neighbors had fixed some lunch and I readily accepted the offer to eat with them. That day we were joined by about 40 other campers who stole what was a tranquil experience. That night about 50 people headed to the summit as I did the day before. Apparently being alone on the summit during sunrise is a lucky experience.
On of my friendly neighbors who headed to the peak that second night was not so lucky as not only did she miss the sunrise, but she also badly twisted or broke her ankle and had to be carried down the rocky trail to camp. Once she arrived at camp she was faced with the fact that there was still another 2 hour hike back to the parking lot. Luckily it was arranged that she be taken down in a stretcher by five or six guys. Once at the parking lot I was delighted to find that the ambulance awaiting her was headed to the same city my bus home parted from. That means no
need for a two hour hike, expensive taxi and bus connection. I know one thing for sure after that ride, I am probably better off riding in a pick up truck than in an ambulance. The ambulance had nothing but a stretcher and a few seats, not even the bare necessities of a first aid kit.
I departed from my new found friends at the hospital. Sunburned, exhausted and desperately in need of a shower I boarded by bus back to BH. Were in not for the expensive bus rides I would do this sort of thing every weekend. Hope all is well in the world of responsibilities and jobs.
Also to those you wondering what my travel plans are for next year I am planning to skip Carnival as it can cost over a thousand dollar, way over my budget. I am in the process of trying to plan a route through southern Brazil and into Argentina to arrive in Patagonia in February and then to Buenos Aires after that. Tchau.
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Amber
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I am always amazed by the adventures that you go on! Glad you made it safely and were not the one walked down on a stretcher. I hope you're doing well! (sounds like it) I'm still working on trying to save up enough to come visit... Keep up the blogs, it's awesome getting to read what you're doing!