Alan and I have bagged our first peak of the tour. The 990m tall Pico do Papagaio sits at the centre of Isla Grande and takes two hours of hard climbing to reach (it's the tiny looking rocky outcrop, way up the back of the picture). With the island’s gentle sea breeze unable to penetrate the jungle canopy the humidity is intense and even though we took 4.5 litres of water between us, it was only just enough for the three-and-a-half-hour round trip.The canopy also prevents you from gaining any terms of reference. Judging how far you’ve climbed or how far you have to go is absolutely impossible, which can make the uphill slog slightly demoralising. We tramped upwards for nearly seven kilometres and it was only at the very end that we were able to break out into the open air.
Difficult though the going was the view at the end was worth every step. Stunning.
On the way back down form the peak, as we started on the last of the water bottles, I remembered a conversation I’d had the week before with Duche, our rock-climbing guide on Sugarloaf.
As we locked off our carabinas and prepared to repel down the face Duche nudged me and pointed at a hardy looking plant that was clinging to a crack in the cliff to his right. Despite the fact that it hadn’t rained in Rio for more than a fortnight the plant was leaking quite a lot of water onto the rockface.
“If you ever get stuck in the jungle with no water,” he said, “you can find this plant and drink the water stored in its stem. It stays in there for months and months and months. The water it is fresh and it is perfectly okay to drink. Well, you would get very sick if you drank it, but I could drink it.”
Cheers for that Duche. Good to know.
That is all,
Dale Atkinson
As we locked off our carabinas and prepared to repel down the face Duche nudged me and pointed at a hardy looking plant that was clinging to a crack in the cliff to his right. Despite the fact that it hadn’t rained in Rio for more than a fortnight the plant was leaking quite a lot of water onto the rockface.
“If you ever get stuck in the jungle with no water,” he said, “you can find this plant and drink the water stored in its stem. It stays in there for months and months and months. The water it is fresh and it is perfectly okay to drink. Well, you would get very sick if you drank it, but I could drink it.”
Cheers for that Duche. Good to know.
That is all,
Dale Atkinson
1 comment:
Daisy, you write better than Jordan and I will look with glee to your forthcoming autobiography (perhaps) and leaked "home" video. I particularly like your photographic skills in capturing peaks you have summited, and telephone poles you have enjoyed. Have fun in Dagoland mate, Will
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