Central Argentina - Part 2

Next we headed west, finally arriving to the Andes Range.  After a few HOT days in and around Mendoza, we headed up into the mountains for a few cool nights of camping and a little bit of rock climbing.

Mendoza
Known for its nearby wine country, Mendoza is located directly east of Santiago, Chile on the opposite side of the mountains. Besides exploring the city via the free bike share program, we also got out of town for some wine tasting. With all the wineries in close proximity, renting a bike is the best way to get around and see the beautiful coutnryside.

Manzano Historico/Arenales
Situated at a higher elevation at the base of the mountains, the town of Manzano Historico was a much appreciated reprieve from the heat. After a couple nights with another Couch host we headed up higher to the nearby climbing area of Arenales. With a rope and draws lent to us by our host we finally got some use out of those harnesses we had been lugging around.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here are a couple video clips from the trip:

Central Argentina - Part 1

After passing back through Buenos Aires on our return from Uruguay, we jumped on a long bus ride north to the Central Argentine city of Cordoba. With the first of a number of Couch Surfing stays, this part of the trip is where we really started interacting with locals on a more personal level.

Cordoba and Jesus Marie
Being a college city the atmosphere in Cordoba had a certain lively energy about it. We mainly spent our time wandering the city center, collecting camping supplies we would need for our adventures ahead and hanging out with our hosts who showed us around and shared their artwork and other projects they were passionate about.

One of the highlights of our time here was the festival of folk music held in the nearby town of Jesus Maria. The festivities mainly consisted of alternating sets of live music with sessions of men riding bucking broncos, and lots of BBQed meat.

Alta Gracia
Also a short bus ride away is the town in which Che Guevara grew up. There is a museum inside one of his childhood homes which mainly focuses on his youth and young adulthood years. After a very short visit and stay with another friendly host we were on our way west.

San Luis
From Alta Gracia we began our attempt to hitch across Argentina. While getting to San Luis was relatively easy, getting out of town was a different story. With the unexpected generosity of two couples, we found ourselves staying two unplanned nights here; one camping behind a pizza restaurant near the bus terminal, the other in the home of new friends that offered up their spare bedroom after hours of unsuccessfully standing in the sun hoping for a ride toward Mendoza. Furthermore we were treated to a trip to the nearby reservoir to cool off and a good ol' Argentine BBQ.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here is a video clip from Jesus Marie:

Buenos Aires and Uruguay

Just before the New Year we made the biggest jump of our trip, flying all the way down to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The reason for such a big shift was to meet up and hanging out with our Portland friend Mariela who was back home for the holidays to spend time with family. Now that we were no longer in the northern hemisphere we were right back into the middle of summer.

Buenos Aires
Although massive in size, we both very much liked and enjoyed Buenos Aires. Besides having our personal local tour guide (Mariela) to tell us about the history and culture of the city, we also wandered a bit on our own taking in the sights and new culinary flavors. With a heavy European influence, Buenos Aires felt different than any other city we have visited on this trip.

Uruguay
Before heading north to Cordoba, we took a boat across the River Plata into Uruguay for a short trip. After exploring the cobbled streets of Colonia we jumped on a couple buses and headed up the coast to one of the many beach towns. Finally getting use out of our tent again, we hung out with Uruguayan college students on summer break, partook in the tradition of mate, and sunbathed on the beach.

After a couple of nights of camping on the beach we hitch hiked our way back to the capitol city of Montevideo. While it is clear that the city had once been an important financial center, it seems the last few decades have taken a toll with many abandoned and run down buildings. Despite (or perhaps because of) this, the city was very enjoyable to visit and explore.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

See-You-Bee-Eh

With Christmas soon approaching and still not having any plans we decided to shorten our stay in Costa Rica and hop a flight to the Caribbean for the holiday. With our country´s relations changing to soon allow US tourists to enter freely, we thought we should experience Cuba before the flood gate opens.

With only two weeks to experience the country, we limited our travels to the northern portion of the island.  Although it seems like a small country, it takes a full day to cross the island by bus. After experiencing the beautiful yet decaying capital of Havana we set off on a small circuit visiting Viñales, Trinidad, Varadero and back to Havana.

Havana
When going around the city it is apparent that the government is hard at work restoring much of the city, starting with the most historically important buildings. However, much of the beauty and draw to the city is its run down nature, the result of decades of no new development and in many cases lack of upkeep. With the addition of the '50s cars spewing diesel exhaust down the street, it truly feels like you have entered a strange time warp that blends an older era infrastructure with a people and society that in many ways remains as contemporary as the rest of Latin America and the developed world.

Viñales
To the west of Havana lies the tobacco growing region of Viñales. Set in a picturesque valley accented with limestone cliffs, the valley floor is a beautiful blend of red toned earth and lush green vegetation and tobacco plants. With only a short amount of time to spend here we rented bikes which allowed us to cross from one end of the valley to the other. One of the highlights was the Cuevas de Santo Tomas, one of the largest cave networks in the Americas as well as the hiding place for the first rural militia during the revolution.

Tinidad
Next we boarded a bus to the colonial city of Trinidad which is located near the coast southeast of Havana. With a laid back atmosphere it was nice to simply walk the cobble streets and enjoy the architecture and sights.

Varadero and Matanzas
For Christmas we stayed in the beach town of Varadero. Although it was made up mostly of hotels and resorts, it did offer amazing white sand beaches. Besides relaxing at the hotel or on the beach, the highlight of our time here was our Christmas morning skydive. After being picked up at our hotel and taken to the small airport nearby we soon found ourselves in the air high above the beach below. Following a quick free fall and gorgeous parachute flight we landed right back on the beach. 

A couple days later we had a quick layover in Matanzas before taking the train back to Havana. Situated less than an hour from the resorts, the city offers views of Cuban life many tourist never see.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here are a couple video clips from the trip:

Costa Rica

After Nicaragua we went to Costa Rica for a quick sampling of the amazing natural beauty this country has to offer.  With only one week to spend we definitely did not give this place justice but we hope to make it back someday for a more thorough experience.  With prices similar to the US, the country is a lot more expensive than the rest of Central America due to the high taxes. However, the trade-off to the higher costs is that there are amenities such as potable tap water, better garbage collection and protection of natural areas.

Rincon de la Vieja
Located in the north of the country lies Parque Nacional Rincon de la Vieja.  We again arrived with hopes of climbing a volcano but were not able to climb due to the highly active nature of the peak over the last few years. Luckily the park and surrounding areas offer great hikes with sightings of wild animals as well as hot springs and the unique geological phenomenon of boiling mud pots.

Manuel Antonio
The remainder of the week was spent on the coast exploring the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio.  This area is full of diverse wildlife including reptiles, monkeys and the elusive sloth.  We were lucky enough to see all of these up close while hiking through the park. After the heat and humidity cooling off with a dip in the ocean is the best way to spend the afternoon. With more secluded beaches inside the park and public beaches in the town right outside the park, there were plenty of options for beach bumming.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here are a couple video clips from the trip:

Nicaragua

After traveling about in Guatemala we took the long, two-leg bus trip across El Salvador and Honduras to Nicaragua.  Our three weeks here were spent visiting the colonial city of Leon and the island of Ometepe, meeting up with friends from the US on vacation outside of the San Juan del Sur and studying Spanish for a week in Granada.

Leon
After being on the move for a few weeks it was nice to finally stay put in once place for a few days. After checking into our hostel we we ran into our new friend Mila from our Spanish studies in Guatemala. Besides taking self guided walking tours of the city, the week was pretty low key with lots of pool time, with the exception of Volcano Boarding. What is Volcano Boarding you ask? Well, pretty simple; climb a volcano with steep sand slopes, sit down on a piece of plywood that has been built out with a few modifications, lift your feet off the ground and see how fast you can go!  (See youtube video below for the first person view)

Ometepe
We made our way to Ometepe Island located in (massive) Lake Nicaragua. The majority of the island is made up of two volcanoes rising high above the lake. With the intension of climbing Concepcion, the higher of the two, we took the bus to the opposite side of the island. In the end we didn't climb due to Rosie getting sick so the rest of our time on the island was spent laying low.

San Juan del Sur
Located on the southern coast and known for it's surfing and party scene, our time here didn't really involve either of those things. We met up with our friend Kelsey and her cousins Shelby and Julian who had come down for the week of Thanksgiving. We stayed in an amazing house a short (4wd) out of town. With lots of pool and reading time, we had a nice relaxing week.

Granada
The last week in Nicaragua was spent in Granada studying Spanish. Located on the west shore of Lake Nicaragua, Granada is the other major colonial city in Nicaragua. With our days filled with study, school activities and hanging out with our host family, the week went by fast and before we knew it we were on a bus to the Costa Rican border. The highlight of the week was definitely the night tour of the active Masaya Volcano.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here are a couple video clips from the trip:

Mayan Ruins

Before making the long bus rides across El Salvador and Honduras to reach Nicaragua, we visited two significant Mayan ruins. The first was Tikal which is located deep in the jungle in the north of Guatemala. Then on the way back to Guatemala City we took a quick detour across the Honduran border to visit Copan Ruins.

Although Tikal is definitely not the easiest destination to reach, it is worth the effort. Once one of the largest Mayan cities, sometime in the 10th century the city fell into decline. Surely it didn't take much time for the jungle to reclaim the stone structures. It was almost 1,000 years later that the western world would learn about it's existence. Now the city and wildlife inhabiting it can be explored with an extensive trail network of limestone roads that were used by archaeologists during excavation and restoration. The highlight of the ruins are the well restored temples rising above the tree canopy.

A day's travel to the south across the border of Honduras lies the ruins of another great ancient city. Although the temples are not as high as Tikal's, Copan has some of the best preserved stone carvings from the Mayan era. With lawns spreading between a highly concentrated layout of buildings it is hard not to try imagining what it would have been like to be in that space over a millennium ago.

To see photos of Tikal click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

To see photos of Copan click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Semuc Champey

After leaving Monterrico we made our way to the far north end of the country to visit the Mayan ruins of Tikal. While it is possible to get there in a day with a very long bus ride from Guatemala City, it is best to break this journey up with a stopover in Semuc Champey which is located, almost literally, in Guatemala's middle of nowhere.

Consisting of a series of fresh water pools, what is not immediately apparent is that they sit above a massive limestone bridge, almost 1,000' in length. Beneath the picturesque cascading pools and landbridge flows the Cahabón River.

Offering a great place to hike around, swim and relax, this stop is well worth the detour.  For more photos, click the play button below to see a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here is a video of the fun to be had, including an underwater cave:

Antigua and Monterrico

Situated outside of Guatemala City is the old capital which is simply called Antigua. Filled with colonial architecture both restored and in ruins, Antigua has a rich urban texture very different from other Guatemalan cities. While it offers many museums, markets and cafes to visit, one of the best things about Antigua is simply walking the streets and taking in the sights, especially early in the day as the morning light changes rapidly.

After a few relaxing days in Antigua we headed for the coast to the town of Monterrico.  Besides beaches, a hot sun and hotels with pools, Monterrico offers great opportunities to view wildlife.  Each evening at sunset, the local turtle conservation organization releases all the baby turtles that have hatched that day.  For $1.50 you can hold and release your own baby turtle. Although only a small percentage of them will survive in the wild, it is a beautiful scene as they all waddle their way into the waves.

Also nearby is a nature preserve that encompasses the extensive network of mangroves. It is best viewed in the predawn hours by paddle boat when the birds awake. Although we unfortunately did not have a clear view of the volcanoes, the activity of wildlife was well worth the early wake up.

For photos of Antigua, click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

For photos of Monterrico click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here are a couple video clips of the wildlife in Monterrico:

Lets go Fly a Kite

Around the end of October it is common to see lots of kids flying kites around Guatemala. This is because on Dia de Todos Santos (All Saints Day), which is celebrated on November 1st, it is believed that one´s ancestors come down from the heavens and through the kites in the air it is possible to communicate with them. While most towns start selling small paper kites, the town of Sumpango goes quite a few steps further, building enormous bamboo frames with intricately decorated paper collages that pay tribute to those that have passed.  The ones on the "smaller" side (measuring up to 30' in diameter) they actually attempt to fly, while the largest of these kites are on display for everyone to enjoy their beauty.

Although most of the kites are never able to make it in the air, often crashing into the crowd observing the spectacle (see video below), every once in a while they are able to get these enormous crafts to fly.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here are a few video clips from the day:

-Kite crashes with terrified screams coming from the crowd:


-A successful flight of an enormous kite:



-Raising of a kite for display:

More Volcanos

So with a basic understanding of Spanish, we left Xela to begin our travels. However, before we departed town we climbed a volcano closeby called Santa Maria. Leaving shortly after midnight we arrived at the summit before sunrise to find cows occupying the top of the peak. How they got there are how they will get down is still a mystery.

Besides the sunrise and views of the other volcanoes in the distance rising above the floor of clouds, another highlight was seeing the highly active neighboring volcano Santiaguito erupt twice.

We then headed to Lago Atitlan which is a couple hours to the east. Surrounded by volcanos (which we saw atop Santa Maria), the lake itself was created by a massive eruption creating a caldera and displacing ash as far as Florida and Ecuador. With towns and villages around the lake, some accessed only by boat, it was a nice place to kick off our Guatmalan sights.

Photos and Video:

Click the play button here for a slideshow of Santa Maria which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Eruption of Santiaguito at 8x speed:

Timelapse of sunrise:

Click the play button here for a slideshow of Lago Atitlan which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Month #1 - Language School in Guatemala

Okay, we are finally posting the first travel updates. While we were studying Spanish for the first four weeks, we were rather busy with class time, school activities and more studying. Although we have a very long way to go to being conversationally fluent, we are feeling good about our ability to get by in our travels.

Now that we have finished our studies for the time being and should have more free time, we hope to post more often. Since there is a month long backlog we have broken this post into four parts, one for each week. Click on each week's link below for photos.

Some Highlights (There is much more than listed here)

•PLQ, the language school, attracts beautiful people! Lots of great conversation and learning was had. There is so much more to read and explore.

•Increased understanding of economics at the personal, local, and country level. As well as the relationship with Northern countries through conferences, conversation, reading, and homestays.

•The Love Project is happening!

•Of course the volcanoes and the hikes- Even though Rosie sprained her ankle (the left one this time) we saw Chiapas and the lush Guatemalan landscape from the highest peak in Central America at 13,850’.

•The Mountain School- we spent a week here for classes

•The textiles are stunning

•Increased empathy for English language learners

•People greet each other in passing by saying "Buenos dias, Buenas tardes/noches", or just "Buenos/as". 

•The sense of community that can form on a packed (no personal bubble) microbus.

Week 1: Xelaju Futból, Salcajá, Cooking Class, Cerro Quemada Volcano 

Week 2: Totonicapan ceramics collective, Futból w students and teachers, Cemetery tour, Efrain Bamaca

Week 3: La Escuela de la Montaña and Chichabal Volcano & Lake.

Week 4: Fuentes Georginas and Tajumulco Volcano.

John Muir Trail and Yosemite photos

Things are going well in Guatemala. We have finished our first week of Spanish lessons here in Xela and are enjoying the afternoon activities organized by the school.

It took a little while but here are our photos from the JMT and our week spent in Tuolumne with the Mazamas. There are lots of them but hey, this is over a month of content in one of our country's most beautiful regions.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen or you don't have the time to view all of them, click here for direct link to the photo album in Flickr.

Okay, sorry for the delay in posts. We know we have some catching up to do and will hopefully get our JMT and Tuolumne photos up soon. For those of you who were wondering, we did indeed complete the JMT. After hitching from Mammoth Lakes to Tuolumne, we walked into the wilderness permit office at 4pm to see what they had available for the next day. While they were sold out for the following day, they did have an opening if we left then and there. Not expecting to leave so soon we did a quick gear and food sort in the parking lot and without skipping a beat were on our way to finish the last 20 or so miles into Yosemite Valley. Before reaching the valley however, we camped near Half Dome so that we could get up at 3:00 to catch the sunrise on Rosie's birthday. This experience, along with sleeping on top of Mt. Whitney, was definitely a highlight of the trail.

On Half Dome for sunrise on Rosie's birthday.

From the valley we then shuttled back to Tuolumne where we met up with friends and Mazamas for a week of trail stewardship and climbing. After the first two days of trail building, eight of us took off for an overnight adventure climbing a four pitch route on Dozier Dome the first day, camping at Lower Cathedral Lake and getting an early start to climb Cathedral Peak the following day. Having to shift from backpacking mode to climbing mode, this 800' climb took a good portion of the day. However, it was a great time and it is easy to see why the route is one of the 50 classic climbs of North America.

Cathedral Peak from the base of the route at sunrise.

Danny hard at work.

So after four weeks of very little external stresses and demands, we returned to Portland with a week and a half to prepare to shift gears yet again. After a visit from Heather and Felipe and saying some goodbyes, our last days were mostly filled with running errands around town, (often to what felt like the same places multiple times) and taking care of the last things we needed to deal with at the house. Finding ourselves again packing for a trip we weren't quite sure how to pack for, we hoped to pack up a few days early to give time to adjust what we plan to take with us. Of course it wasn't until the night before that we finally had it all laid out. We both were still able to fit it all in one large and one small pack each. Perhaps in a separate post we can describe with more detail what we brought with us but we were both able to keep it between 40-45 lbs each.

Just as we did with the chickens back in June, the last thing we did before we left for the airport was take our car to live on a farm outside Portland (saving a bunch in insurance by getting it off the road). Seven hours later we arrived in Guatemala City where we were picked up by our hostel. Now as we cruise through the Guatemalan countryside on our way to Xela (Quetzaltenango), we finally have a chance to relax a bit and do some processing. Well, Shane processing and Rosie catching up on some precious sleep.

JMT: Muir Trail Ranch to Whitney Portal

We have now finished the southern +/-200 miles of the JMT! After carrying nine days of food we made it to the summit of Mt. Whitney on the evening of 8/31.  Although it was a bit chilly we camped out on the highest point in the lower 48 states and saw an amazing sunset and sunrise.  We are now working our way back to Yosemite to finish the last 20 miles of the trail we had to skip at the beginning.  Photos to follow once we have a computer access in a couple weeks...

JMT: Reds Meadow to Muir Trail Ranch

After nine days on the trail we took a "zero" day here at Muir Trail Ranch to give our legs a break and soak in the hot springs. We have traveled over 95 miles; almost half way done! We are heading out this morning for a nine day stretch with hopes of a Whitney summit and existing around the first of September. Some smoke in the area but the forecast calls for it to clear soon. Until next time...

JMT Leg 1: tuolumne to reds meadow

Beautiful!  We are 4 days and 35 miles in.  So far so amazing!  After a stop over at Reds Meadow and a quick trip into Mammoth Lakes for supplies, we will be heading back on the trail in the AM.  Lots of gorgeous views, awesome terrain and superb backcountry camp sites.  This morning we got to soak in a hot spring and enjoy civilizations greatest amenities; ice cream and beer.  Until next time...

The Enchantments

Shane recently returned from 5 days in the Enchantments with Aubrey, Steve and Mike.  Rosie had the unfortunate luck of impaling her foot with a rusty nail while we were packing up to leave town.  After getting an updated Tetanus shot she made the decision to stay in town and make sure her foot healed so that she would be ready to hit the JMT.  Now after two crazy days of errands and last minute preparation for the JMT we will be hitting the road in the morning to head to California. If all goes well we will be starting out on the trail Thursday or Friday and be on the JMT for the following three weeks, followed by a week of climber trail stewardship with the Mazamas in Tuolumne Meadows in the north end of Yosemite NP.

Mountain goat resting in the Enchantments

After hiking in to Lake Stuart and setting up camp for the week, we set off on day trips to Horseshoe Lake, The Core Enchantment Zone via Aasgard Pass and the ridge above Lake Stuart for views down into the Eight Mile Zone and the surrounding area.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here are a couple video clips from the trip:

Bugaboos!

To head south you need to start in the north, right?  On the 4th of July we crossed the Canadian border to drive toward Bugaboo Provincial Park in SE British Columbia to meet up with Kyle, Laura, Micah and Phil.  After the steep hike in with a week's worth of food, we found ourselves settling in at the Conrad Kain Hut.  The hut is located above 7,000' in the basin below Snowpatch, Bugaboo, Crescent and Eastpost Spires which all tower a few thousand feet above.

Bugaboo Spire with Howser Towers and Pigeon Spire beyond.

Over the next five days we climbed, scrambled, hiked, traversed, rappelled, photographed and explored the impressive granite peaks and immense glaciers in this alpine wonderland.  Already dreaming of the return trip someday.

Click the play button below for a slideshow which can be viewed in fullscreen. If the slideshow does not show up on your screen, click here for direct link to the photo album.

Here is a sneak peak of some GoPro footage. It starts with a sunrise timelapse taken on our last morning before hiking out, then goes back to the group climbing the West Ridge of Pigeon Spire and about half of Rosie and my traverse of Eastpost Spire. No promises if or when a more polished and complete version will be done.