Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

[Deux Corbeaux]

Thanks for sharing your story.

As you are a homeopathic user and mountain cruiser, you should carry those two little items with you, next time you go hiking. It’s often those little critters biting, or the ankles ..... at least for me 😉




The Arnica (ankles) as well as the Apis (bites) will help immediately (no swelling).
They will easily fit into a shirt-pocket. 🙃

[TEOTWAIKI]

Wow!
That's an incredible hiking trail. I really envy your lockdown location.

Maybe a little gift of food to the machete-waver would have gotten you a trail permit.

A while back I was hiking through the fields just outside Ollantaytambo and the farmer appeared and wasn't very happy.
I just smiled and walked over to him and gave him two pieces of fruit I was carrying.
He smiled and gave me permission to continue through his field.

[Lilybee8]

WOW!! This is the best read ever! (Hiking was my passion) started with most recent events, then I saw Mara! (fur mom of6 myself) then I HAD TO know what happened to her and that you guys were ok (Thank God you are) I ended up with happy tears with Mara’s video celebrating her recovery lol
But THEN I read about your experience on the spooky lakes and Wawa Grande OMG! Can’t wait for the next post!!

[Bill Ryan]

Wow, 6 months with no updates on this thread. I'd never realized it was so long. It's been quite a year.

The reason for that is that for a while I was locked down here (but that's changed now, as Ecuador's lockdown is over), and then Mara badly injured herself (see this thread), needing surgery on both hind legs. So although I did venture out on one or two solo hikes, there was nothing really worth reporting here on this interesting thread.

But now there is.

Some of you may remember our highly strange and unsettling experience at The Haunted Lakes a couple of years ago, when I became inexplicably disoriented for a short time, while Mara was shivering and growling with fear, staring fixedly for a good 15 minutes at something which I could NOT see.

I described it in detail here, and this is the real-time video I took. (Quite a long one, but many of you found it quite riveting.)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3ol5ALBqDD8

I'd written:

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
Sierra just asked me if I'd ever plan to be going back there. The answer is NO.

I promised myself I'd never return. It was all the general area where highly experienced local mountaineer Wilson Serrano mysteriously disappeared, whose body was never found after 664 people, including indigenous trackers, had searched for a whole month.

Well. Someone living locally whom I know a little, and who I went on one short hike with a couple of months ago, just wrote to me to tell me that his mother had suddenly died — asking me to please please take him to The Haunted Lakes, as he needed to clear his head and get away from town. (I'd shared my strange experience with him, and he'd been fascinated.)

And he wants to go on Halloween. OMG. He's having a tough time there, and so I really can't refuse him. And the weather should be okay, but Mara, still healing, has to stay at home. (A vulnerability, as of course we'd not have all her doggie senses to warn us of the presence of whatever the heck invisible thing lives there.)

At least I now have a personal locator beacon, registered with NOAA. (David Paulides very strongly recommends them, and if Wilson Serrano had had one at least his body might have been found.) And it may help to have another human there as well, even with no dog.

I'll document whatever happens on camera. Stay tuned.

[Ron Mauer Sr]

Maybe a good idea to consult with some local shamans.
They may or may not have useful information.

[RunningDeer]

9 1/2 hours! Amazing stamina, Bill. Hats off to both of you.

Thanks for sharing. ♡

[Elainie]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
Wow, 6 months with no updates on this thread. I'd never realized it was so long. It's been quite a year.

The reason for that is that for a while I was locked down here (but that's changed now, as Ecuador's lockdown is over), and then Mara badly injured herself (see this thread), needing surgery on both hind legs. So although I did venture out on one or two solo hikes, there was nothing really worth reporting here on this interesting thread.

But now there is.

Some of you may remember our highly strange and unsettling experience at The Haunted Lakes a couple of years ago, when I became inexplicably disoriented for a short time, while Mara was shivering and growling with fear, staring fixedly for a good 15 minutes at something which I could NOT see.

I described it in detail here, and this is the real-time video I took. (Quite a long one, but many of you found it quite riveting.)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3ol5ALBqDD8

I'd written:

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
Sierra just asked me if I'd ever plan to be going back there. The answer is NO.

I promised myself I'd never return. It was all the general area where highly experienced local mountaineer Wilson Serrano mysteriously disappeared, whose body was never found after 664 people, including indigenous trackers, had searched for a whole month.

Well. Someone living locally whom I know a little, and who I went on one short hike with a couple of months ago, just wrote to me to tell me that his mother had suddenly died — asking me to please please take him to The Haunted Lakes, as he needed to clear his head and get away from town. (I'd shared my strange experience with him, and he'd been fascinated.)

And he wants to go on Halloween. OMG. He's having a tough time there, and so I really can't refuse him. And the weather should be okay, but Mara, still healing, has to stay at home. (A vulnerability, as of course we'd not have all her doggie senses to warn us of the presence of whatever the heck invisible thing lives there.)

At least I now have a personal locator beacon, registered with NOAA. (David Paulides very strongly recommends them, and if Wilson Serrano had had one at least his body might have been found.) And it may help to have another human there as well, even with no dog.

I'll document whatever happens on camera. Stay tuned.

Where to buy one of these beacons? Amazing Bill!!!

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Elainie (here)

Where to buy one of these beacons? Amazing Bill!!!

https://amazon.com/Artex-8110-Person.../dp/B07H8N9TD3



It's very neat. Only 3x2 inches, fully shockproof/waterproof, weighs just a few ounces, and has a battery life of 8 years.

If ever activated, it sends a 24 hour emergency signal to a NOAA satellite which pinpoints its location by GPS. Each one has a unique identifier, so NOAA would know it's mine. Then they'd swing into action with details I've registered with them, like who to contact here to initiate a search. It works anywhere in the world.

It cost $300 (ouch!!), but I have to say I'm quite pleased I have it now. Anyone following this thread will probably have seen it's quite a high remote wilderness up there, with no other people anywhere. It lives permanently in my backpack, but when I go to the Haunted Lakes this next trip I'll probably transfer it temporarily to my jacket pocket.

[RunningDeer]

I meant to add kudos on the production and post-production. It’s a time consuming affair. Like when we watched Mara, You and Cracker Jack Shoes walk far away and out of sight, then you three had to double back to grab the camera.

[Strat]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by Elainie (here)

Where to buy one of these beacons? Amazing Bill!!!

https://amazon.com/Artex-8110-Person.../dp/B07H8N9TD3



It's very neat. Only 3x2 inches, fully shockproof/waterproof, weighs just a few ounces, and has a battery life of 8 years.

If ever activated, it sends a 24 hour emergency signal to a NOAA satellite which pinpoints its location by GPS. Each one has a unique identifier, so NOAA would know it's mine. Then they'd swing into action with details I've registered with them, like who to contact here to initiate a search. It works anywhere in the world.

It cost $300 (ouch!!), but I have to say I'm quite pleased I have it now. Anyone following this thread will probably have seen it's quite a high remote wilderness up there, with no other people anywhere. It lives permanently in my backpack, but when I go to the Haunted Lakes this next trip I'll probably transfer it temporarily to my jacket pocket.

Now THAT is cool. 3"X2" is tiny! I have a bad habit of buying expensive gear I don't need like search and rescue flashlights (I have a thing for flashlights, they're neat). Would fit well in the Off The Grid section of the forums.

[Constance]

ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

[Sirus]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
Wow, 6 months with no updates on this thread. I'd never realized it was so long. It's been quite a year.

The reason for that is that for a while I was locked down here (but that's changed now, as Ecuador's lockdown is over), and then Mara badly injured herself (see this thread), needing surgery on both hind legs. So although I did venture out on one or two solo hikes, there was nothing really worth reporting here on this interesting thread.

But now there is.

Some of you may remember our highly strange and unsettling experience at The Haunted Lakes a couple of years ago, when I became inexplicably disoriented for a short time, while Mara was shivering and growling with fear, staring fixedly for a good 15 minutes at something which I could NOT see.

I described it in detail here, and this is the real-time video I took. (Quite a long one, but many of you found it quite riveting.)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=3ol5ALBqDD8

I'd written:

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
Sierra just asked me if I'd ever plan to be going back there. The answer is NO.

I promised myself I'd never return. It was all the general area where highly experienced local mountaineer Wilson Serrano mysteriously disappeared, whose body was never found after 664 people, including indigenous trackers, had searched for a whole month.

Well. Someone living locally whom I know a little, and who I went on one short hike with a couple of months ago, just wrote to me to tell me that his mother had suddenly died — asking me to please please take him to The Haunted Lakes, as he needed to clear his head and get away from town. (I'd shared my strange experience with him, and he'd been fascinated.)

And he wants to go on Halloween. OMG. He's having a tough time there, and so I really can't refuse him. And the weather should be okay, but Mara, still healing, has to stay at home. (A vulnerability, as of course we'd not have all her doggie senses to warn us of the presence of whatever the heck invisible thing lives there.)

At least I now have a personal locator beacon, registered with NOAA. (David Paulides very strongly recommends them, and if Wilson Serrano had had one at least his body might have been found.) And it may help to have another human there as well, even with no dog.

I'll document whatever happens on camera. Stay tuned.

Listen to your gut feeling on the day and ignore any sirens call...

[Ewan]

Posted by RunningDeer (here)


I meant to add kudos on the production and post-production. It’s a time consuming affair. Like when we watched Mara, You and Cracker Jack Shoes walk far away and out of sight, meant you three had to double back to grab the camera.

I was wondering about that when I watched it but I reached an alternate conclusion. He actually had a film crew up there with him, just somehow slipped his mind to bother mentioning it.

(Don't go without Mara Bill! #Wait)

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by RunningDeer (here)
9 1/2 hours! Amazing stamina, Bill. Hats off to both of you.

Thanks for sharing.

Well, thanks to yourself and everyone else for all these good wishes. (And appropriate urging of caution!)

We're going on Monday. It's going to be super-sunny (though that's not always a good thing), and it's also the Mexican Day of the Dead — which sounds very ominous, but it's a traditional celebration of all those we know who have passed. And Michael's mother, who died a week ago, was part-Mexican. So it's very fitting.

(But going to The Haunted Lakes on The Day of the Dead does sound like the setup for a bad teenage movie. )

It won't be a 9 hour trip this time. (And I'll be wearing proper boots, my old beaten-up crackerjack shoes now long retired. ) I've figured out a shorter and easier way to get in there, which should be half the time and effort. But I'm not actually making light of this: I really did vow never to return, and so my Spidey Senses will all be on alert, especially as (a) we have no early-warning dog, and (b) Michael is an inexperienced hiking novice.

I also know all this is very trivial compared with important world events affecting so many people! So I'm really just offering a morsel of diverting entertainment for anyone who might need a little relief.

[RunningDeer]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
I also know all this is very trivial compared with important world events affecting so many people! So I'm really just offering a morsel of diverting entertainment for anyone who might need a little relief.

The ordinary and trivial are the shock absorbers from the lunacy and folly, so we can dip into the endless fields of possibility.

Enjoy the adventure, Bill and Michael.

♡

[Gwin Ru]

...

(He made it back )

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Gwin Ru (here)
He made it back!

He did indeed!

It was all sunny, pleasant and utterly benign. I had my antennae fully extended at the Haunted Lakes, but whatever was there last time definitely wasn't there today at all. It felt totally different.

Michael very much appreciated the day: at the 14,000 ft high point overlook, with a perfect view of the Lakes, he built a little shrine and laid some of his Mom's ashes, lit a candle and some incense, and left some flowers. He was really really happy about it.

A few photos tomorrow! A warm and sincere thanks to everyone for your care and interest.

[Bill Ryan]

To follow up on my placeholder above, here are a few photos. It was a strenuous, very hot day, over 6 hours, but we started early and took it slowly. (Whatever the thing is that lives at the Haunted Lakes may have been taking a long siesta. )

First, here's the view looking back to where we'd come from — some way beyond the lake on the right, which isn't haunted at all. (The prominent peak on the left is Quitahuayco at 15,000 ft, which I've climbed several times with Mara, my dog.)


(large image: http://projectavalon.net/Haunted_Lak...panorama_6.jpg)

That photo was taken at our high point at just over 14,000 ft. It was the Mexican Day of the Dead (sounding a little scary, but actually a celebration of all who have passed), so Michael had taken some of his Mom's ashes, and created a little shrine for her, leaving some flowers. Here he is:


(large image: http://projectavalon.net/Haunted_Lak..._shrine_1a.jpg)


(large image: http://projectavalon.net/Haunted_Lak...anorama_1b.jpg)


(large image: http://projectavalon.net/Haunted_Lak...anorama_1a.jpg)

The Haunted Lakes can be seen down to the right of center. It's a lot further down there than it looks, but Michael really wanted to go all the way there. (I'd been secretly hoping he might be too tired. )

So we headed down the long, steep slope, which was quite easy, and arrived at the lake (the distant second one, not the nearest one) where I'd had my strange, unsettling experience two years ago. But it was all totally benign and pleasant. The feeling couldn't have been more different.


(large image: http://projectavalon.net/Haunted_Lak...panorama_4.jpg)


(large image: http://projectavalon.net/Haunted_Lak...panorama_5.jpg)

Then of course we had to climb way back up again, which for Michael was quite a fight. But kudos to him, he managed it admirably.

I might have some photos of myself — for anyone who cares! — as those were taken by Michael, and I've not seen those yet.

Of course, all this is super-trivial compared with what's happening in the rest of the world today, particularly in the US and Europe... but at least it may offer a little light relief.

When I got home, Mara was super-glad to see me (it was the longest I've left her since she had her two leg operations), but all was well. I'm still aiming for my traditional Christmas Day mountain hike with her.... 7 weeks to get her back in good enough shape, and I think we can do it.

[Ewan]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
Of course, all this is super-trivial compared with what's happening in the rest of the world today, particularly in the US and Europe

What's happening in the rest of the world is theatre, what you shared is real.
(Acknowledging theatre can be quite dangerous when millions take part).

[Harmony]

Glad to hear all went well on your return to the lakes and that beautiful place is now peaceful. I can imagine Mara back there swimming in the lakes enjoying herself. It would be great to see the photos that Michael took too when you get them. ☺.