This post was magnificent, and filled with erudite and exemplary descriptions. But, alas, I accidentally deleted it. So, it’s going to be pedestrian and dull, instead.
At breakfast (exceptional, as always), I discovered I was scheduled to go on an all-day trek to see a couple of waterfalls. I knew I had planned for it, the night adventure and a second all-day thing, but didn’t know the days. So. Today it was. I’m good with that.
About 40 minutes after eating, I dressed out in long pants, tee, and rubber boots. I wasn’t sold on the rubber boots, or, for that matter, the long pants, but I listen to the advice of the guides who are taking me. Turns out, both were pretty good ideas.
After driving about fifteen minutes, we pulled off the road onto a wide spot. They are relatively rare, given the encroachment of the vegetation on the pavement. Chaeli, my guide, and I unloaded walking sticks and set off. It was just the two of us, and the trail beckoned.
At breakfast (exceptional, as always), I discovered I was scheduled to go on an all-day trek to see a couple of waterfalls. I knew I had planned for it, the night adventure and a second all-day thing, but didn’t know the days. So. Today it was. I’m good with that.
About 40 minutes after eating, I dressed out in long pants, tee, and rubber boots. I wasn’t sold on the rubber boots, or, for that matter, the long pants, but I listen to the advice of the guides who are taking me. Turns out, both were pretty good ideas.
After driving about fifteen minutes, we pulled off the road onto a wide spot. They are relatively rare, given the encroachment of the vegetation on the pavement. Chaeli, my guide, and I unloaded walking sticks and set off. It was just the two of us, and the trail beckoned.
Did I say trail? I misspoke. There was no trail, we waded, and slipped our way up the stream and rocks on the sides. Where we weren’t in actual running water, or on the rocks in the stream, we slipped and slid our way up and down steep muddy grades. Such fun! As for going in rubber boots — that was a solid si. They had great grip on the slippery rocks, but though designed for keeping your feet dry, when the level of the water you are wading through is up to mid-thigh, they are less efficacious. I did learn how to drain them reasonably well; the movement also doubled as a decent quad stretch.
The waterfalls were really nice, and running a bit higher, since the overnight rains had swollen the streams. The really fun part was going back, since we diverged up a no-trail hill, and Chaeli used a GPS to navigate us to a “trail” they’ve made down a different stream. Along the way, I saw a spider roll up its web, like it was reefing a sail on a boat. I wish I had my camera ready to capture it on video. I’ve never seen anything like it, nor have I heard of it happening. One moment the entire classic web was there, and then I saw it being pulled up to the top strand. Weird stuff.
It wasn’t an orb weaver though. The spider that did the magic was 1/8 the size of the ubiquitous orb weaver.
It wasn’t an orb weaver though. The spider that did the magic was 1/8 the size of the ubiquitous orb weaver.
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