During Night 2 of the Amazon expedition we had a jaguar stroll through our camp. This of course was probably because we camped right in the middle of an area that was frequented by plenty of Tapir. I had just gotten into my tent 10 minutes before this and the big cat strolled right by making an roaring growl that literally reverberated through my chest. The entire camp was up in an instant and we did capture some of the now pissed off cat as it made its way back into the jungle. The green color of the video is because we were using night vision scope on the camera.
This is probably my favorite video of the entire trip - check it out. You have to turn up the sound and listen carefully to hear the jaguar as it was circling back around on us in the jungle when we got the video going.
www.ecoplanetadventure.com
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Back from Jungle
We left from Lorocachi at about 2 PM this afternoon (2-26) and all team members are safely back in Baños. We will get some food - the story is almost unbelievable, but we have video and the 2 live broadcasts that we did that are on ustreamtv.com. You'll get to see the story soon. 8 days in the jungle living with and like the natives.
Update - we are still having trouble uploading video from Baños - will keep trying. We did capture some video of the Jaguar encounter. Also the wild Peccary hunt was pretty amazing and a lot of that was caught on video. Chris has uploaded some of his on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/christopher.ashford2?ref=nf
Update - we are still having trouble uploading video from Baños - will keep trying. We did capture some video of the Jaguar encounter. Also the wild Peccary hunt was pretty amazing and a lot of that was caught on video. Chris has uploaded some of his on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#!/christopher.ashford2?ref=nf
Monday, February 22, 2010
Day 2 in Ecuador with Eco Planet Adventure
Pleas note that I have video for much of this - but will not be able to send to you until I return to Banos.
Ecuador Day 2
The goal for today was a trip from Quito to Banos - with a side trip to the Cotapaxi volcano. Thr trip would take us down the Pan-American Highway for the majority of the drive which is an adventure in and of itself. Along the way we stopped along the side of the road to sample different fruits that are not available in the US. I particularly liked Ecuadorean Guava - and will have a
video of this when we get back.
Cotapaxi was our next stop and it is amazing - soaring 17,000+ feet into the air above the other mountains in the Andes. Along the very bumpy dirt road to Cotapaxi we stopped a few times to acclinatize for the climb. We drove up to about 15,000 and then climbed to the glacier at around 17,000 feet. It was incredible pushing through the gale force winds and slippery rocks and soil pushing upwards to the glacier's edge. I've got some great shots of all this - which I'll upload soon.
After reaching the top and coming back to the bus we had some mountain bikes waiting to give us a head-pounding and incredibly exciting ride down the side of the mountain, That was incredible fun. At the bottom we headed off to Banos and a nice meal (Filet Mignon Meal for $7) and some great rest. Little did we know that it was going to get VERY exciting VERY soon ! Stay tuned and watch www.ecoplanetadventure.com to track the expedition. (Native tribes, Jaguars, and other excitements)
Ecuador Day 2
The goal for today was a trip from Quito to Banos - with a side trip to the Cotapaxi volcano. Thr trip would take us down the Pan-American Highway for the majority of the drive which is an adventure in and of itself. Along the way we stopped along the side of the road to sample different fruits that are not available in the US. I particularly liked Ecuadorean Guava - and will have a
video of this when we get back.
Cotapaxi was our next stop and it is amazing - soaring 17,000+ feet into the air above the other mountains in the Andes. Along the very bumpy dirt road to Cotapaxi we stopped a few times to acclinatize for the climb. We drove up to about 15,000 and then climbed to the glacier at around 17,000 feet. It was incredible pushing through the gale force winds and slippery rocks and soil pushing upwards to the glacier's edge. I've got some great shots of all this - which I'll upload soon.
After reaching the top and coming back to the bus we had some mountain bikes waiting to give us a head-pounding and incredibly exciting ride down the side of the mountain, That was incredible fun. At the bottom we headed off to Banos and a nice meal (Filet Mignon Meal for $7) and some great rest. Little did we know that it was going to get VERY exciting VERY soon ! Stay tuned and watch www.ecoplanetadventure.com to track the expedition. (Native tribes, Jaguars, and other excitements)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Day 1 in Ecuador with Eco Planet Adventure
You can get all the full tracking of the expedition and the posts of all the expedition members at http://www.ecoplanetadventure.com/ .
Today we drove North on the Pan-American Highway from Quito to a small town called Otavalo Ecuador - a town know for its fabulous textiles and street market. I've got a little walk through the market - so you can get a feel for this colorful market. I bought some gifts for my kids, wife, and my soccer team (if they practice hard while I am gone).
After the fun in the market we drove to Cuicocha to hike around the volcanic lake. Mom - if you read this I saw some birds that you haven't - one very large shiny blue hummingbird and some others that I did not recognize. The hike around the lake is a spectacular one - though it is a fairly strenuous one, the elevation is 11,000 feet and there are plenty of ups and downs. The trail, however is very good and well maintained.
After the hike we went to Cotacachi to have lunch. Cotacachi is an absolutely beautiful small town, clean and friendly. The restaurant was an open air that appeared to cater to westerners, as we saw British, Australian, and plenty of other tourists in the restaurant. The highlight of the menu was Cui or as we know it, Guinea Pig. I am particularly fond of Ahi (a sauce, with tomatos, cilantro, and spices). I am now back in Quito - tomorrow we head for Bano and a climb up Cotopaxi. Stay tuned - and for a humorous see next video.
Today we drove North on the Pan-American Highway from Quito to a small town called Otavalo Ecuador - a town know for its fabulous textiles and street market. I've got a little walk through the market - so you can get a feel for this colorful market. I bought some gifts for my kids, wife, and my soccer team (if they practice hard while I am gone).
After the fun in the market we drove to Cuicocha to hike around the volcanic lake. Mom - if you read this I saw some birds that you haven't - one very large shiny blue hummingbird and some others that I did not recognize. The hike around the lake is a spectacular one - though it is a fairly strenuous one, the elevation is 11,000 feet and there are plenty of ups and downs. The trail, however is very good and well maintained.
After the hike we went to Cotacachi to have lunch. Cotacachi is an absolutely beautiful small town, clean and friendly. The restaurant was an open air that appeared to cater to westerners, as we saw British, Australian, and plenty of other tourists in the restaurant. The highlight of the menu was Cui or as we know it, Guinea Pig. I am particularly fond of Ahi (a sauce, with tomatos, cilantro, and spices). I am now back in Quito - tomorrow we head for Bano and a climb up Cotopaxi. Stay tuned - and for a humorous see next video.
Trip to Quito
Chuck, Dana, and I droove to Miami together for our flight to Quito. We were flying on LAN airlines - which was definitely the way to fly. Incredibly spacious airbus (compared the cramped flights that are typical of US airlines). The in-flight meal was very good and I chuckled as the youg and pretty stewardesses walked around the cabin refreshing everyone's glass of wine - only 2 choices - one white (blanco) and one red (tinto). The seats all had screens and there was a wide array of music, movies, and shows to choose from. I watched "The Invention of Lying" and then a documentary on the Amazon Jungle.
The Ecuadorans are generally an attractive and also a friendly people. After arriving at our little hotel - Villa Nancy - and meeting up with the other expedition folks we went for some food (very good and very reasonable) where we all told war stories. The real adventure starts today.
The Ecuadorans are generally an attractive and also a friendly people. After arriving at our little hotel - Villa Nancy - and meeting up with the other expedition folks we went for some food (very good and very reasonable) where we all told war stories. The real adventure starts today.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Ecuador Adventure Start
I'll have detailed blogs when I return - but for now to get real time up to the minute info on expedition amazon see
http://www.ecoplanetadventure.com/
For those looking for pics from the swamp stomp - http://www.teamracephotos.com/2010-Race-Photos/Swamp-Stomp-2010- here are some shots I liked from the race...
http://www.ecoplanetadventure.com/
Going over the maps at the pre-race
Let's send Katie into the hole to get the CP while we stand up here and watch !
Swamp Stomp 2010
Sorry friends - this will be a short blog as I am heading to Ecuador tomorrow. You can follow that adventure at http://www.ecoplanetadventure.com/ . For the Swamp Stomp I raced with Dave, Katie, Marghi - Team Mim's the Word (I raced with them last at the Impossible Panther). We are a very compatible team which made for a very pleasant race.
We started at 7 AM with a prelude paddle from Homsassa Springs Resort to Chassahowtizka River Campground
View Larger Map
Now if it looks like a long confusing paddle from the air - its a bit more challenging from the water. Even though the top teams finished in around 3 hours - we took just under 4 hours and next did a short (relatively) bike ride to the next Transition (at a church) to start the Orienteering Marathon section.
This all took place in the Citrus region of the Withlacoochee State Forest. It was a fantastic section and well thought out and laid out with interesting CP's in quarries and caves, and excellent navigation. We had to really hustle to make a 6:30 PM cutoff (we finished at 6:29) and got all but one of the bonus CP's.
The next bike section started easy with road and trail riding to take us into the deep woods of Chasshowitzka. A strategic decision to south from 480 to 98 through the neighborhoods and cutoff some of the sandy north south trail really paid off well and we passed at least one team.
The toughest part of the race was after we entered Chassahowitzka and went from end of road shown to an east west logging road. This entailed carrying our bikes through waist deep water for 500 meters. In a swamp with treacherous footing. With air temperature about 29 degrees. This one short section would end the race for many teams as the challenge here was to stave off hypothermia and successfully bike out of the swamp to the next TA.
View Larger Map
This is the end of the logging trail that we had to make our way south and then east to the TA. Try doing it on the aerial.
At the TA we spent a lot of time warming up - it was about 1 AM when we headed out on the next trek, hitting CP's (see if you can follow our route on aerial) - Here is the TA.
View Larger Map
Our first CP was in this clearcut.
View Larger Map
Next we bushwhacked south and east through the swamp to the roads and the next CP at the intersection as shown below.
View Larger Map
One bonus CP on that tree - yes it is visible from aerial (there was before that)
View Larger Map
One last control - and back to the TA. We got all mandatory and 2 bonus on this trek and hopped back on our bikes for what should have been an easy and unventful ride to the main TA. Unfortunately the water on all our bike parts froze making shifting and braking impossible - but I had a good gear and I don't use my brakes that much either. I was not the only one with this problem... As the sun started to rise in the east, I started feeling better. I had been battling nausea and hypothermia most of the night section of the race. My team-mates were faring much better physically than me - but I felt good that my navigation had been solid.
The last leg was awesomeness at its best. As we entered the water at Chassahowtizka camp - the cold air and warm water made for a surreal fog. To make it even more surreal - a manatee bumped our boat as we left and a porpoise swam along side the boat(close enough to touch in the shallow water) for a good section of the river. This section of the race defies words - shown below is Caldwell Creek - follow it past the short rapids the unbelievable house to its end for an incredible treat.
View Larger Map
Each part of this paddle had little treats, and interesting spots - like up at the spring at the end of Potter Creek.
View Larger Map
Or this wonderful spring where we chatted with some divers.
View Larger Map
In the end we made it to the last CP - where Dave jumped in and retrieved the underwater CP and we made it with 20 minutes to spare for the 1 PM cutoff. We edged Pangea to 5th place (Sorry Greg) and had an incredible race. Pics later.
We started at 7 AM with a prelude paddle from Homsassa Springs Resort to Chassahowtizka River Campground
View Larger Map
Now if it looks like a long confusing paddle from the air - its a bit more challenging from the water. Even though the top teams finished in around 3 hours - we took just under 4 hours and next did a short (relatively) bike ride to the next Transition (at a church) to start the Orienteering Marathon section.
This all took place in the Citrus region of the Withlacoochee State Forest. It was a fantastic section and well thought out and laid out with interesting CP's in quarries and caves, and excellent navigation. We had to really hustle to make a 6:30 PM cutoff (we finished at 6:29) and got all but one of the bonus CP's.
The next bike section started easy with road and trail riding to take us into the deep woods of Chasshowitzka. A strategic decision to south from 480 to 98 through the neighborhoods and cutoff some of the sandy north south trail really paid off well and we passed at least one team.
The toughest part of the race was after we entered Chassahowitzka and went from end of road shown to an east west logging road. This entailed carrying our bikes through waist deep water for 500 meters. In a swamp with treacherous footing. With air temperature about 29 degrees. This one short section would end the race for many teams as the challenge here was to stave off hypothermia and successfully bike out of the swamp to the next TA.
View Larger Map
This is the end of the logging trail that we had to make our way south and then east to the TA. Try doing it on the aerial.
At the TA we spent a lot of time warming up - it was about 1 AM when we headed out on the next trek, hitting CP's (see if you can follow our route on aerial) - Here is the TA.
View Larger Map
Our first CP was in this clearcut.
View Larger Map
Next we bushwhacked south and east through the swamp to the roads and the next CP at the intersection as shown below.
View Larger Map
One bonus CP on that tree - yes it is visible from aerial (there was before that)
View Larger Map
One last control - and back to the TA. We got all mandatory and 2 bonus on this trek and hopped back on our bikes for what should have been an easy and unventful ride to the main TA. Unfortunately the water on all our bike parts froze making shifting and braking impossible - but I had a good gear and I don't use my brakes that much either. I was not the only one with this problem... As the sun started to rise in the east, I started feeling better. I had been battling nausea and hypothermia most of the night section of the race. My team-mates were faring much better physically than me - but I felt good that my navigation had been solid.
The last leg was awesomeness at its best. As we entered the water at Chassahowtizka camp - the cold air and warm water made for a surreal fog. To make it even more surreal - a manatee bumped our boat as we left and a porpoise swam along side the boat(close enough to touch in the shallow water) for a good section of the river. This section of the race defies words - shown below is Caldwell Creek - follow it past the short rapids the unbelievable house to its end for an incredible treat.
View Larger Map
Each part of this paddle had little treats, and interesting spots - like up at the spring at the end of Potter Creek.
View Larger Map
Or this wonderful spring where we chatted with some divers.
View Larger Map
In the end we made it to the last CP - where Dave jumped in and retrieved the underwater CP and we made it with 20 minutes to spare for the 1 PM cutoff. We edged Pangea to 5th place (Sorry Greg) and had an incredible race. Pics later.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Adventure Racing Hallucinations
We had decided to push through the night - 45 hours with no sleep. It would be a long and arduous bike ride - but we were nearing the end, that great feeling you get when you finish a section of the race and arrive at the transition - like checking off items on the to do list. I was leading the team and stole a glance behind me to see how things looked with the team. What I saw froze the blood in my veins - I'm not sure what it was, but it was dark, with red eyes and pursuing me.
Having just emerged from the single track through deep and foggy woods onto a dirt road - I felt the surge of adrenaline that usually accompanies panic. I channeled that energy into my legs and the crank of the bicycle - pushing it to accelerate. The map in front of me showed a couple of miles with some twists and turns to reach a major road. That was my goal.
I could hear my pursuer behind me - but now my mind was focused on going fast, outracing the threat. I turned a corner and stood up in the saddle, I could tell I was putting some distance between myself and the pursuer - that had morphed in my mind into a group of red-eyed ninja's on bikes. This made perfect sense to me, they had caught my team-mates and were now after me.
I could see the streetlights of my goal. Once I got out into the open with lights and traffic I would be safe. The pre-dawn was starting to light up the sky behind me and I just had to get to a safe place. One more turn and I was on solid pavement with closed stores and a lone traffic light about a half mile in front of me - my goal and safety. I could no longer hear my pursuit and the glow of the green light bathed me as the fatigue of the chase caught up with my legs. I slowed and came to a stop - hopping off my bike to look around, a coupe of lone car headlights moving through the toward me from both directions in the darkness.
What about my team? As quickly as your mind goes into the hallucination - it snaps off. I was on the side of the road at an intersection - alone, and my team was nowhere to be found - or was it. I could see down a side road the tell-tale bob of bike lights that were moving tentatively, looking for something. Me. I shouted and after a few tries they heard and were now a determined group of three bikers heading towards me fast.
Charlie was off his bike first and in my face "What the hell are you doing?!". To them I had just taken off, riding away as they were there stunned. I had just realized what had happened, even though in my mind the hallucination was as real as their anger at having been left without a map. They had tried to keep up - but their navigator, fueled by fear and adrenaline had pulled away. After some stammered apologies and some diplomacy from Team-mate Sean we got back on our bikes. Luckily nothing else strange happened on this leg of the race - our race would remain uneventful until the next leg...
But that is another story.
Having just emerged from the single track through deep and foggy woods onto a dirt road - I felt the surge of adrenaline that usually accompanies panic. I channeled that energy into my legs and the crank of the bicycle - pushing it to accelerate. The map in front of me showed a couple of miles with some twists and turns to reach a major road. That was my goal.
I could hear my pursuer behind me - but now my mind was focused on going fast, outracing the threat. I turned a corner and stood up in the saddle, I could tell I was putting some distance between myself and the pursuer - that had morphed in my mind into a group of red-eyed ninja's on bikes. This made perfect sense to me, they had caught my team-mates and were now after me.
I could see the streetlights of my goal. Once I got out into the open with lights and traffic I would be safe. The pre-dawn was starting to light up the sky behind me and I just had to get to a safe place. One more turn and I was on solid pavement with closed stores and a lone traffic light about a half mile in front of me - my goal and safety. I could no longer hear my pursuit and the glow of the green light bathed me as the fatigue of the chase caught up with my legs. I slowed and came to a stop - hopping off my bike to look around, a coupe of lone car headlights moving through the toward me from both directions in the darkness.
What about my team? As quickly as your mind goes into the hallucination - it snaps off. I was on the side of the road at an intersection - alone, and my team was nowhere to be found - or was it. I could see down a side road the tell-tale bob of bike lights that were moving tentatively, looking for something. Me. I shouted and after a few tries they heard and were now a determined group of three bikers heading towards me fast.
Charlie was off his bike first and in my face "What the hell are you doing?!". To them I had just taken off, riding away as they were there stunned. I had just realized what had happened, even though in my mind the hallucination was as real as their anger at having been left without a map. They had tried to keep up - but their navigator, fueled by fear and adrenaline had pulled away. After some stammered apologies and some diplomacy from Team-mate Sean we got back on our bikes. Luckily nothing else strange happened on this leg of the race - our race would remain uneventful until the next leg...
But that is another story.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
UCF Adventure Race and Amazon
Just an update on the UCF Adventure Race. I vetted the course with a few folks from UCF Outdoor Adventure - http://rec.ucf.edu/oadventure/OA.htm and buzzed through the course in just about 3 hours. It is a very good course with just the right level of navigation. As always the highlight will be the ropes challenge course http://rec.ucf.edu/oadventure/Ochallenge.htm
The race is capped at 40 teams and is full, with a pretty long waiting list now too. I will be there at the start of the race teaching the AR 101 course to help all the newbie teams.
Next week is a racing weekend for me - the Swamp Stomp. I'm going 30 hour with Team Mims the Word. Looking forward to the race, though it may take a while to get a report out - since I am leaving 2 days after the race for Ecuador on Expedition Amazon. They have a really cool web site and we will be broadcasting live from the Amazon Jungle -
The race is capped at 40 teams and is full, with a pretty long waiting list now too. I will be there at the start of the race teaching the AR 101 course to help all the newbie teams.
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