Expedition to find the Aplao meteorite impact site #2

Day 2 - morning

Setting out happy and rested on a pathfinder mission to map routes to the crater in one of the dryest places on Earth where almost NOTHING grows. A virtual hell on Earth and very unforgiving. We soon discovered that crossing mountains was the fastest and most direct route. Little did we know of the adventure and dangers that lie ahead...

Treacherous mountains, steep slippery slopes, falling rocks, powder-fine dust, dead-end canyons, and exhausting climbs.

At times we crossed ridges no more than four feet wide, holding hands or tied together with ropes and sides dropping off 300 meters or more. One slip or trip and instant death. Like walking on a pebble filled girder beam.

Late afternoon encountering a 120 foot deep precipice blocking our descent and forcing us to spend a very cold night deep in the desert without food or water. (Video recorded)

The discovery of Inca artifacts, petroglyphs, ruins

A few things we learned on the Pathfinder mission were:

Four liters of water per person was insufficient.
Problems of finding shade in the middle of the day.
Better coverage by spliting into teams.
Need for sweat bands.
More sunblock and food.
Setting a comfortable pace.
Planning rest stops.

Returned to base camp exhausted and hungry, but happy! Karen made us a wonderful meal as we talked about our experiences. Shared a bottle of wine and "talked story" well into the night.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Meteorite
• expedition
• hunting
• Aplao
• Peru
• crater
• adventure
• danger