Trek

Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sun 11 Oct 2009 19:26
 
Our Trek to finally stand beneath The Angel Falls

 

 
 
The first early morning shot of The Angel Falls, that is, after I had been flipped out of my hammock by Connie.
 
 
 
 
Ever changing light
 
 
 
 
Within minutes the early morning sun caught the mist and made a rainbow.
 
 
  
 
 
While the boys were preparing a cooked breakfast, I had chance to see these chaps sunbathing
 
 
 
 
 
Bear as pathfinder. We had to watch our step on these ankle biting roots and we saw some fascinating shapes and colours.
 
As soon as we had finished our breakfast it was time to board the canoe, this time only to cross to the other side, this still required skill as the current spun us all over the place. We knew we had about an hour and a half hike ahead of us toward Auyun Tepuy ( Evil Mountain ), the home of the Angel Falls. The trail is well marked due to heavy usage. It was easy going for the first half but the second half was really quite steep up to the  Mirador Laime viewpoint at an elevation of two thousand, three hundred feet. The Falls look breathtaking from here and you can get a perfect shot with trees to frame her.
 
 
 
   
 
 
After leaving the viewing point it was a very steep climb down to the pool at the bottom of the falls
 
 
To us Angel Falls is the Eighth Wonder of World. It's Venezuela's most touted tourist attraction, and rightly so. The falls plunge for a near free-fall kilometre, some twenty Niagaras piled atop one another. The falls cascade from a canyon which prises open the heart-shaped Auyan mountain. Auyan, the largest of the unique mesas of the ancient Guayana Shield, rises 8,233 ft at the north-eastern edge of Canaima National Park, the jewel in Venezuela's crown of national parks.
 
 
  
 
 
Needless to say, Pat was in charge of the de-griming process, supervising Leona and me
 
 
   
 
 
Sadly all too soon it was time to head back. The initial steep bit back to the viewpoint was the only tough bit, the rest was all downhill. On the way I took this picture of one of the world's smallest orchids, right next to a clump of tiny carnivorous plants, like tiny weenie Venus fly-traps. We crossed a dry river bed with enormous stones, Bear looks diddy on the other side. We caught up with the speedy ones to find Betty having a little rest.
 
 
  
 
 
The rest stop we found Betty in made for a nice picture. Then it was time to cross the river back to Falls Camp, Pat decided to swim over. Bear and Anne re-packing for the umpteenth time, we ate a wonderful lunch of Spaghetti Bolognese and as the river had dropped a little we walked to the next camp to meet our boat
 
 
 
 
As we waited for the boys to do a quick outboard check we had a chance to watch a regional meeting of butterflies enjoying their lunch break in the sun
 
 
 
 
Back in the boat for our trip back to base camp
 
 
 
 
Stunning
 
 
 
 
ALL IN ALL WORTH EVERY MINUTE OF THE FOUR DAYS IT TOOK TO GET HERE, BY FERRY, BUS, FLIGHT, CANOE AND FOOT.