An interesting perspective of Amsterdam. 

Pamplona - running with the bulls!

Finally - SCOA made it on a run with the bulls!  And run we did - apparently - eh?  The final installment from Europe is in, UK, Wales and Espana where they they rock climbed, ate good food and ran with the bulls.

The Espana team had been planning and talking about this adventure for the better part of 8-9 months.  Through social networking they connected with the right people and had an amazing adventure.  Their adventure is a classic example of digging deeper.  Look.  Enquire.  Investigate.  Find.  While Cabo San Lucas is a wonderful time, do you really need an infinity pool and another night at Caba Wabbo?
It is great to see the photos surfacing of SCOA members really getting out there and adventuring.

May thanks to Stephen Le and the rest of the crew for the photos!  The place is gorgeous.  Many thanks to SCOA UK Tim and Bryony for opening their playground to the crew.  The SCOA tees were a nice touch too!

With that done, what is next?

We just received the final installment from flyby250's Peruvian adventure.  The photos included some photos from Ayacucho, Machu Pichu (of course), Santa Ana to name a few.

There is a good mix of adventure, culture and landscape.  The adventure looks amazing and we look forward to catching up with her in person to get all the details. 

Mt. Shasta gear check.  In a few days, my buddy Andy De Mars will attempt to summit Mt. Shasta in Northern California.  The last attempt ended 400' from the summit.  High winds and poor visibility warranted abandoning attempt.  This year will be different - I can feel.  In the interm, please take a moment to make a donation to his cause Climbing for Kids.

Adventure is a relative term.  Some like to fall out of planes, blow bubbles at 100' or climb rock in Europe.  Others have a different bent, yet no less adventurous.  SCOA Flyby250 is mixing travel with her professional work - helping people.  We at SCOA are diggining the pictures of famous battlegrounds, people and food.  It really does come down to the people you adventure with, break bread with and drink with - eh?

Here is the first installement from Peru.  Thanks to Flyby250 for filling in the titles and brief descriptions.  Stay tuned for more!  Click here for the full spread

The second installment from the UK crew!  This time they are on the Western shoreline - the Welsh Coast.  The photos are fantastic.  The pitches are more advanced and the photos are only of Stephen - which is okay if you are into Stephen :-). Click here for the full spread.

The first installment is in and we are stoked.  SCOA is in the UK!  It is ironic that it was over the 4th of July weekend but hey - nothing but love for our UK hosting team: Bryony W. and Tim.  IIt looks like most of the photos are from Stanage, part of the Peak District climbing area (http://www.peakdistrictinformation.com/outdoors/climbing.php).

Lady SCOA members - take note once again, there are plenty of lady climbers up front leading.  You journey begins by raising your hand and becoming involved.  No excuses!  Brady and Nicole started at the beginning too.

Click here to view the ful spread.

SCOA Team members are: Bryony W., Tim, Brandy, Nicole Yu and Stephen Le. 

We are expecting more photos later this week so stay tuned!

Background: for the past 8 months, Stephen etal, have been planning a climbing excursion into Europe.

3-10 July: hosted by my UK friends Bry and Tim.  Climbing the Peak District and Wales. Camping in Wales.  Also visiting London, Nottingham and Bristols.

11-12 July: Zaragoza, Spain

13 July: Running of the Bulls in the AM and climbing in the PM

13-14 July: San Sabastian, Spain.  Climbing, eating tapas, surfing, etc.

15-19 July: hosted by my friend Luis.  Gijon, Spain.  Climbing, drinking cider, surfing, etc.

20-22 July: Barcelona

Lots of time on rock, sand and surf.  Lots of FUN!

.  Spain will include running with the bulls.  Considering Stephen is coming off an injury the bull footage could be interesting. . . click here for the full writeup.

Pavacachi is more a military base than a town. We landed on the runway about 3000' of dirt carved from thick rain forest canopy. A short walk to the water took us past the military garrison of 5. One officer maybe 18 or 19 organizing, controlling and directing 4 enlisted that were probably a year or two younger than he. Uniform restrictions were lax. The only way I knew he was an officer was by his cover (hat) it had Lieutenant bars on it. The rest were wearing tattered shorts or sweat suit bottoms like the Eastern Block Russian mafia are always wearing.

Quick side bar, the military garrison had apparently 'lost' their foot ball. Prior to arriving in Pavacachi our mission was to find and purchase a replacement. Think about it, if we were going to be rescued or our security was in doubt they would be the first line of rescue. We had a vested interest in their happiness.

I could easily empathize with the smiles of joy on their faces when they saw the ball, in a previous life I lived in Guantanamo Bay Cuba. After a few words from Mickey, a few 'yeah yeahs, thank you' from them - they immediately began playing with it. Seclusion in the rain forest provides a warped perspective. I didn't understand this exchange at first but looking back. . . I am getting ahead of myself.

Three families of the Kichwa community share Pavacachi with the military. Technically the families own it and are stewards of the land. They can pretty much do with it as they see fit. They have built a lodge, "housing" for the families, an air strip and HF antenna too. Mostly though there is rain forest, 1000s of acres of it. Flying in, one quickly realizes, if things get sideways, it is going to be LONG while before anyone gets to you. There is a symbiotic relationship between Eco Planet Adventures and the families of Pavacachi too. EPA provides the people and cash resources. The families show us the detail of their land a perspective that you cannot read in National Geographic or watch on the Discovery channel. This rain forest adventure is a once in a life-time experience.

Back on the ground in Pavacachi, one of the more impressive factors of the rain forest is the heat and the humidity. During the descent from altitude the cockpit went from a pleasant 75 to 100! It was probably only 95F but it felt like 115. The humidity was impressive too. Is it possible for humidity to be 110%? Standing on the runway, I began to have second thoughts. . . "Damn. They weren't kidding about the heat. Better start drinking my electrolytes. . ." Then the kids showed up with the baby monkey.

Check out the video - here

The Plan was simple, spend 10 days in the rain forest, moving by foot and dug out canoe and camping on sand bars of the Curaray River. Logistically we would, connect with our guides, Eco Planet Adventures in Quito. Zip over to Shell (Mera) by auto. Then blast 200 miles into the rain forest in small plane. Simple - eh?

Shell Mera was established in 1937 as a Shell Oil Company base. It originally consisted of little more than several basic shacks and a 5,000-foot (1,500 m) airstrip. It was operated as part of Shell's prospecting efforts in the region.

The base was located near some Indian tribes that were known to be hostile. On a few occasions the Indians attacked Shell, resulting in the deaths of several employees. The oil company eventually considered the base too dangerous to maintain, and abandoned it in 1948. (WikiPedia -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_Mera)

What they don't tell ya is that between Shell and Pavacachi there isn't anything but pristine rain forest and wide silty rivers. Almost as soon as you take off there isn't anywhere to land!

We flew in a 1970 Islander. Design of the Islander started in 1963 and the first prototype BN-2 first flew on 13 June 1965. The Islander is a high-wing cantilever monoplane with a rectangular fuselage and two wing-mounted engines. The fuselage, which has a conventional tail unit and fixed tricycle landing gear, will usually accommodate one pilot and up to nine passengers and enough gear to last us 10 days. . . (Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britten-Norman_Islander)

Fortunately, we had a great pilot who knew his way around the cockpit. His trusty Garmin 296 GPS got us right where we needed to be.

The video is the landing click here or click the picture.

Acclimatization:  the process of an organism adjusting to change in its environment, allowing it to survive changes in temperature, water and food availability


Today we headed North along the Pan American Highway to Mamma, Pappa Volcanos, Crater Lake and Weaver's Village.  We did a lot of driving, which was fine.  With only 3 hours of sleep last night, it was nice to have an easy day.

The highway was twisty, windy and full of excitement.  The double yellow line in the middle of the road is just a "suggestion".  People cross it all the time - accidents happen all the time and from what I can tell the police didn't seem to mind.

Crossing the from one valley to the next was dramatic.  One moment you are in the relatively dry area adjacent to Quito, the next you are magically transported into the lush green rolling Andes near some amazing volcanos.

Otavalo, has one of the oldest markets in Ecuador.  They sell just about everything a person living in the region could want.  Oftentimes - no money is exchanged they barter.  What do they barter?  Glad you asked Guinea Pigs.  They are a delicacy here.  Be sure to check out the video on it.

Go to Google Map.  Between Otavalo, Hacienda Pisabo and Cotacachi is Cuicocha volcanic lake.  At almost 11,000 MSL hiking around it will take your breath away.  It was well worth it as the views were spectacular.  The rocks had yellow splotches on them reminding us that the volcano is still active.  The hike around it was amazing.  We saw these bright purple humming birds zooming around and doing their thing.  While I am not a birder, watching them was fascinating.

Cotacahi is where Juan, our driver grew up as a lad.  He said it has changed tremendously under the guidance of their new mayor and tourism.  The streets are paved, the parks have play things for the kids and business, from what I could tell was thriving - almost.  Comprised mostly of mesesitos: formerly a lower class of people within Ecuadorian culture, I was told there are still pockets of segregation in the area.

Be that as it may, the town welcomed us into their restaurant where we tried their wonderful delicacy - Cuy  watch the video - Eating Cuy

Before we left the area we stopped in a weavers village.  Ever wonder how they make all those wonderful rugs?  They do it by hand.  It is amazing to watch.

Final note for today - although right next to each other Ecuadorians and Peruvuans are not friendly to each other.  As recent as 1995 they fought a war in which Ecuador shrank - a great deal.  The Peruvians annexed a large chunk of land to the North.  Now they go back and forth over some other disputed land that contains Uranium. 

Tomorrow hiking Cotapaxi, mountain biking and brain swelling.  We leave Quito for some high altitude hiking (we are not going to summit) and mountain biking.  We will spend the next night in Banos - the "gateway" town to the jungle.  Cannot wait