At the morning meeting of instructors, John announced our first expedition. My heart flipped. When he announced this to the students, the room started buzzing with excitement. A few were quiet, though everyone had been told the agenda at the beginning. In any case, being active at the higher altitude of the school had given […]
August 21, OBMS, Loitokitok Kilimanjaro waited while classes and physical conditioning resumed. Each person prepared for the final expedition with excitement, some with a touch of fear. I’d only hiked a few lesser peaks in central Oregon on trips that took a whole day up and back. Mount Kilimanjaro rose to 19,000 feet, its legends […]
Chapters: Escaping the Heat | El Salto | Into the Valley | Dogs in the Night | Hiking the Valley, Hunger Lurks | Discovery | La Ciudad The short commercial strip of La Ciudad lined the highway. Our mouths watered as soon as we spotted a “Restaurante.” I was first through the door and nearly […]
Chapters: Escaping the Heat | El Salto | Into the Valley | Dogs in the Night | Hiking the Valley, Hunger Lurks | Discovery | La Ciudad Waist high grass that surrounded an abandoned barn was heavy with rain water, so we discarded the idea of using it for a night’s refuge. Nearby Robert found […]
Chapters: Escaping the Heat | El Salto | Into the Valley | Dogs in the Night | Hiking the Valley, Hunger Lurks | Discovery | La Ciudad Abandoned Railroad Tracks It felt good to be walking, able to stretch out our legs without feeling as if we would collapse from the coastal humidity. Pines, cedars […]
Chapters: Meeting Damiana | Going Fishing … or Not | Exploring | Camp Life | Trips to Town | Looking Back One day there were ten kids in camp and for several days there were none. Then five more children and one mother arrived with another great load of food. That night the treat was […]
Chapters: Escaping the Heat | El Salto | Into the Valley | Dogs in the Night | Hiking the Valley, Hunger Lurks | Discovery | La Ciudad Homestead The first named community of the day was La Lecheria, a name we remembered from the bus ride. Farmers, busy with chores, nodded as we passed as […]
Chapters: Escaping the Heat | El Salto | Into the Valley | Dogs in the Night | Hiking the Valley, Hunger Lurks | Discovery | La Ciudad Robert’s feet were hardening and we continued in the morning. At the next community, we turned off the road to try for more tortillas. Three men lounged outside […]
Chapters: Meeting Damiana | Going Fishing … or Not | Exploring | Camp Life | Trips to Town | Looking Back San Carlos sign After a wonderful stay with Damiana and her family, Robert decided he was getting neither better nor worse, and that we should pedal on. The thrill of discovery had worn off […]
Chapters: Escaping the Heat | El Salto | Into the Valley | Dogs in the Night | Hiking the Valley, Hunger Lurks | Discovery | La Ciudad When the bus slowed, rain-soaked boys carrying trays of snacks ran along beside the bus, splashing through the mud and yelling their sales pitches. We pulled over in […]
Chapters: Meeting Damiana | Going Fishing … or Not | Exploring | Camp Life | Trips to Town | Looking Back Teta de Vaca When Robert got over his funk at being left on shore on the first day we packed a lunch and bathing gear to explore the area. Damiana said that the name […]
Chapters: Meeting Damiana | Going Fishing … or Not | Exploring | Camp Life | Trips to Town | Looking Back Damiana On Monday we were invited to accompany Damiana and Alejandro on their town trip. Everyone rose earlier than usual. We caught the 7:20 bus to Guaymas and then changed buses for one that […]
Chapters: Meeting Damiana | Going Fishing … or Not | Exploring | Camp Life | Trips to Town | Looking Back We awoke the first morning to soft music from the family’s sleeping quarters. High and low voices and lots of giggles drifted our way as they came to life. Robert bounced out of his […]
San Martin Bay Flocks of cruise boats sailed north seeking refuge from the summer chubasco season in Mexico, but we were sailing south. Naive enough to ignore common wisdom, Robert and I discovered later the price of our impatience. We had spent two months in San Diego harbor strengthening our 25-foot fiberglass day-sailer for a […]