Summiting in the Lost World (1226 hits)
Category: SportsRating: 2 on 32 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by GodChicken <Monty> (View user info) at 2005-07-13 21:41:44 EDT
Deep in the southeastern region of Venezuela, near to Brazil and Guiana, is a region known more commonly as "The Lost World" after British author Arthur Conan Doyle's book based on the land and the accounts of explorers.
Canaima National Park is larger than the entire state of Maryland, or the country of Belgium. Only the native Pemón are allowed to live there still. "Canaima" in their language, roughly translates to "Spirit of Evil"
They are and were fearful of the mountains, called Tepui. Flat topped sandstone massifs thousands of feet high, the natives believed them home to angry and frightful spirits who could steal the souls of men and cause terrible storms.
These mountains are the bones of our world, hardened sediment laid down between one billion and one and a half billion years ago, in the Pre-Cambrian era. Life on earth was barely beyond single-celled organisms. They are what remains behind after millions of years of erosion cut away everything else.
Auyantepui means "Mountain of Hell" or "Devil's Mountain" in the native language. It is the largest of many of these Tepui, at nearly 700km, or about 430 square miles. It is not the highest, but at 2600m (8530ft) it still stands imposingly over the grassy, lightly swampy savannah nearly 5000ft below. From atop some of the lower, more northern reaches, Angel Falls tumbles 979m (3,212 feet) into a rocky canyon below. The trees are bent and shaken in near-hurricane force winds, and the blast will still make you stumble at the lookout point just over a mile away from the base of the falls. I've been gone a couple of weeks, because I went to climb the mountain, and go to see Angel Falls.
It was physically the hardest thing I have ever done. In the savannah, the humid air reaches nearly 48C, (120F) while atop the mountain as the cloud layer rolls in to hide the world from view, it will drop to 10C (50F). The mountain "stair-steps" in several flat-topped shoulders, before a final dramatic ascent at an 70-80 degree angle to the base of the walls. Hiking 7 hours a day, in 3 days we climbed from 900m (2952ft) to 2500m (8202ft) at the top, crossing from savannah into rainforest, and finally into cloudforest, until reaching the wall and beginning a scramble upwards through a eroded and collapsed crevice large enough for a semi-truck to drive down. The entire route took 8 days, round trip. It rained every day, usually twice, and then again for several hours at night. This huge amount of run-off creates the many waterfalls and streams the Tepui are known for. The local guides told me less than 150 people a year attempt this climb.
Once atop, the weather could shift violently in a short period of time. I spent nearly 4 hours huddled beneath an overhanging boulder, waiting for a thunderstorm to end, after witnessing several lightning strikes hammering the ridges to the east of us. The constant wet clothes, boots, exhaustion, and rapidly dropping temperatures brought me to the edge of pneumonia by day 4. It got better as we started to descend back into the warm savannah, though.
After a day's rest at Kavac, a small Pemón camp nestled at the mouth of a canyon with a nearly sheer drop from the 1st shoulder, I flew back across the park to Camp Canaima to begin a trip upriver to Angel Falls. After the conditions on the mountain, it was a breeze. The roar of the falls can be heard from nearly 3 miles away through the trees. With 11 days without electricity, running water, and barely a dry place to sleep behind me, I feel like anything is possible.
High quality photos from the PBS documentary about climbing this can be found in the image galleries here: http://www.lastrefuge.co.uk/data/articles/tepuis/tepuis_Main_Journey.html under "Angel Falls" and "Mount Auyantepui"
User Reviews
Submitted by shadow (user info) at 2008-05-16 15:33:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
In a word: envy
Though to be honest, I'd be more afraid of the bugs than the Anacondas. Call me crazy.
Submitted by crosschris (user info) at 2008-05-16 14:55:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
NICE, very nice.
The only thing near to this in the UK is probably the Lake District, which is nice to look at
but not a lot happens; just scenery. The Earth in all it's beauty.
Again despite the jealousy you have a +2 for your collection.
Submitted by i_can_get_you_a_toe (user info) at 2007-08-10 16:12:40 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
i'm still jealous, that's fucking cool.
Submitted by EatMeCompletely (user info) at 2005-10-27 15:45:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
sheer badassery.
Submitted by psychabillyjean (user info) at 2005-08-24 00:07:13 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Pretty cool
Submitted by Bigmike (user info) at 2005-08-23 23:59:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
God damn man!
That kicks ass.
Submitted by Circe (user info) at 2005-08-13 10:15:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
That is just beautiful.
Submitted by Insanethemind (user info) at 2005-07-27 14:43:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
wow, now that's my kind of scenery! Glad you are well
Submitted by UrbaneMischief (user info) at 2005-07-17 21:05:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
fucking awesome
Submitted by BLITZKREIG_BOB (user info) at 2005-07-15 14:47:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
That's cool as all hell.
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2005-07-14 17:56:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by ruthless (user info) at 2005-07-14 14:54:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I am doing fuckin' fantastic. :)
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2005-07-14 14:13:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by indoninja (user info) at 2005-07-14 13:24:38 (#)
Ranking: 2
How much did this cost you?
===========================
$2300 US all food, flights, taxes, etc included.
plus about $200 in stuff I decided I needed to bring.
Submitted by indoninja (user info) at 2005-07-14 13:24:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
How much did this cost you?
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2005-07-14 12:05:55 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by ruthless (user info) at 2005-07-14 12:03:01 (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow, Monty. You lucky bastard.
==============
How the hell are you?
Submitted by ruthless (user info) at 2005-07-14 12:03:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow, Monty. You lucky bastard.
Submitted by CookieLass (user info) at 2005-07-14 10:59:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I don't understand it, but for some reason, as I looked at those pictures, the song "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin popped into my head.
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2005-07-14 09:20:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Good stuff. Really good.
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2005-07-14 09:11:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2005-07-14 08:57:36 (#)
Ranking: 2
I don't see a single Starbucks in any of these pictures. What kind of place doesn't have a Starbucks?
jeez
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A good place. :) I told you you should have come along
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2005-07-14 08:57:36 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I don't see a single Starbucks in any of these pictures. What kind of place doesn't have a Starbucks?
jeez
Submitted by AlwaysAnEagle (user info) at 2005-07-14 07:21:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I have to credit Jared with the most dead on comment and Crystle with the one that cracked my shit up. Why DIDN'T you bring back the mountain, you pathetic loser? Heh.
You look so happy in those pictures. That's what I like to see! Can't wait to hear alllllll about it.
RIP Mr. Hissy.
Submitted by Method (user info) at 2005-07-14 06:34:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
finger lickin good
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-07-14 00:15:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
breathtaking
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2005-07-13 23:55:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Wuss
If you were a real man, you'd have brought the mountain back
-2DIE!
Submitted by JMG114 (user info) at 2005-07-13 22:31:08 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
If Ubersite members were TV stations, you'd be the Travel Channel. I'm glad you had such a good time. It makes me want to drop everything and visit Venezuela.
Submitted by Phallic_Cymbals (user info) at 2005-07-13 22:22:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Gorgeous.
Submitted by Alaskanite (user info) at 2005-07-13 22:11:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You know those stories about wolf-boys being found in the jungle? Their fathers saw pictures like the ones you are showing us. Now excuse me I have to pack ...
Submitted by WellFedEthiopian (user info) at 2005-07-13 22:09:57 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Those pics are amazing. I just added that to my "to-do" list.
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2005-07-13 22:07:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
bob: Kavac camp and Uruyen camp, the two closest human settlements, totaled maybe 50 people. I imagine if I had been near Columbia or stayed up in Caracas for any length of time, that might have been a worry, but not here. If I had fallen (nearly did) and gotten hurt, it would have been at least 6 to 8 hours for help to arrive by air, even after a satelite phone call. It's empty, wild places.
I returned home to find a sign on my office desk naming me "Anaconda bait" however.
Bastards.
Submitted by bob (user info) at 2005-07-13 22:00:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
anyone try to kidnap you?
Submitted by GodChicken (user info) at 2005-07-13 21:51:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
no way. The tourists go to the beaches and stuff. The more hardy tourists take the boat ride up to Angel Falls (top right corner) and then the truly insane run off into the fucking bushes. haha!
Submitted by jgreening (user info) at 2005-07-13 21:49:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Fucking A, Monty, I kinda thought that when you said you were going to Venezuela, you were going to like, relax and shit...
But god DAMN that looks beautiful...