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

  1. Link to Post #401
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    I might have some photos of myself — for anyone who cares! — as those were taken by Michael, and I've not seen those yet.
    (more trivial light relief if needed)

    Well, one person very kindly PMed me to ask if I might possibly post something. Those following this thread know that I rarely post my own photos, but here are a couple... plus one of my shadow.






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

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)


    It almost looks like you are using a measuring tool in this photograph!

    Thank you for sharing your photos and adventures.....almost feel I’ve been too!

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

    Bill, if you do this again and feel something negative, it may help to start laughing and say to this energy "Go home and tell your boss 'I have failed.' "

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    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Hello, Everyone (and particularly to new members, who may not know about this thread).

    It was originally about Ecuador's Bigfoot, called the Wawa Grande — it does exist! — and my various adventures in extremely remote, rarely-visited areas trying to catch sight of it. But I never did find or see anything at all, though I did have a highly strange experience one time at an infamous spot called The Haunted Lakes.

    So the thread gradually evolved into a kind of hiking blog, though every time I'm out there I do keep my eyes open and a camera on hand at all times. I've not posted anything here for a while, though, because Mara, my one-eyed mountain dog, has been a little lame after surgery on both her hind legs last year, so my [non-strenuous] rehab mountain hikes with her were all posted on the Mara's travails thread.

    But that also meant that I've not been to the highest mountains myself for a while, and I was really missing them. I was also a little concerned that I might be getting a little out of shape to go high and far.

    So yesterday, Mara got to stay at home (she'll get a Mara-scaled mountain hike of her own in a few days' time), and with an early start I ventured off to a peak I'd never been to before, a high (14,500 ft) brooding black thing called Cerro Negro. It overlooks the Haunted Lakes (see the Google Earth tilted-perspective screenshot below), but it's a safe distance from them.


    (large image: https://projectavalon.net/Bill_Cerro...erro_Negro.gif)

    Here's a panorama on the way up, just to the south of Cerro Negro (to the center of the photo, but actually just out of sight) For anyone who cares to take a good look, the tiny images here don't do it justice: the full-size ones show a huge amount more detail.


    (large image: https://projectavalon.net/Bill_Cerro...erro_Negro.jpg)

    At the summit, it was pretty cloudy, though it never once rained. I waited a while for it to clear just a fraction, and here's the best view I had down to the north down towards the Haunted Lakes. (They can just be made out, left of center.)


    (large image: https://projectavalon.net/Bill_Cerro...erro_Negro.jpg)

    And here's yours truly, happy to be there. It was a long, strenuous day, but I was totally pleased and had a great time from start to finish.



    (large image: https://projectavalon.net/Bill_Cerro...erro_Negro.jpg)

    ~~~
    This is all very trivial compared with the many very serious things happening in the world right now. I'm absolutely aware of that. But it's kind of light relief (we do have one or two light relief threads!), rather like my taking a day away from my desk to re-connect with nature — something that may be important for every one of us, whenever we can manage to, in whichever one of many various forms it might take.

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

    You are a lucky man to get a break with a view like that my friend.

    I agree to take a break and stop with the propaganda. I try!

    The Axman
    So what we cant see means little to some souls on this planet.

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

    Thanks for sharing your adventure Bill. What a fabulous place and I see the water is running into the lakes. The full size images are great to look at, the terrain is quite rocky, even the unique wild flowers are seen blooming.

    I'm wondering how you took that photo of yourself on the cloudy summit?

    From Bill:

    I set the video going in my little camera, and then captured a still frame. A self-timer wouldn't have worked... it took several minutes to get there.

    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 11th April 2021 at 16:01.

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




    Well, dear Bill ... you touched the clouds !!

    I think it's a volcanic area too ... or maybe a little further North ...

    The atmosphere really looks like a mosaic of rocks and flowers and choirs of springs, offering space, grandeur, tranquility, harshness, friendship, generosity, joy, rediscovery, contemplation, no wonder the Mountain calls ...
    It looks very cool there, like a kind of world above the world.

    It seems that, almost touching the earth there, at the top, it really seems a possibility to permanently expand the human limits and a way to have the mountain in a sublime escape in the middle of the unlimited borders of consciousness.

    It is enough to see the picture to know why you miss the mountains, the passion for the mountains is a desire in the world of heights, a rough and beautiful world, born from the turmoil of the planet, caressed by clouds and rudimentary carved by the hand of sculptors with immeasurable power: the sun, water and wind.

    It's just magical, and I'm glad you enjoyed Bill!

    I think you are in good shape, and I wish you a lot of strength and youth forever, to be able to always climb this stone to eternity with the power of this earth in the portal of the mountain universe.

    We wish you much, much health and joy dear Bill, for you and Mara!

    Oh, and the most "Annapurna" hug for Wawa Grande
    A&A
    And all this to be just human.

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    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Hi, Folks: for newer members who may not know what on earth this thread is about, it all started off with my expeditions into the remote local mountains here to search for Ecuador's Bigfoot, called Wawa Grande ("Big Baby") by the locals.

    Not a joke: this thing really seems to exist. It's been sighted a number of times, and back in 1988 a hiker was actually physically attacked by one and had to be hospitalized with deep scratches. (The fascinating account is included in this local news article here.)

    So I set out to see what I could find. I'm quite an experienced mountaineer, and with my dog Mara I ventured into some very remote areas, but never found any signs — although I did have one bizarre and unsettling experience when Mara became freaked out and very frightened by something that I could NOT see, despite bright sunshine and perfect visibility all round.

    With no photos of the Wawa Grande to share (alas!), over time this thread has drifted into a kind of mountaineering blog, detailing our adventures in what is a very high and extensive wilderness. But I've never once forgotten about the Wawa Grande, and I do always carry a camera which I can whip out pretty quickly.

    Then the other day, wondering where we might go for another hike, it occurred to me that there was a high and remote lake, which I've seen on Google Earth but which isn't on the way to anywhere and which I;ve never even seen with my own eyes from any angle. Here's where it is, in the big bowl just to the right of center.


    (large image: http://projectavalon.net/Hidden_Lake...a_distance.jpg)

    It even occurred to me that this might be a perfect place for the Wawa Grande to hang out, where no humans could ever look in to see it. So yesterday Mara and I set out to explore.

    Alas — again! — no Wawas were there. (Or if they were, they were definitely hiding. ) But the entire place was idyllic.


    (large image: http://projectavalon.net/Hidden_Lake...idden_Lake.jpg)

    With no Wawas to be found, we set out to climb the prominent peak to the right of center. Here's Mara at the summit, just a tiny bit short of 14,000 ft...


    (large image: http://projectavalon.net/Hidden_Lake...eak_summit.jpg)

    ... and here's [part of] the panorama that greeted us there. (For anyone who's really interested in all this, do open the large image on a big screen.)


    (large image: http://projectavalon.net/Hidden_Lake...k_panorama.jpg)

    Again, for those who may not be aware, Mara's been having a tough time the last couple of years. In 2019 she lost an eye (someone whacked her with a stick when I was away and she was back at the house on her own), and last year she fell out the rear window of my Jeep into heavy traffic (aargh! ) and needed surgery on both of her hind legs.

    It's taken a full year for her to heal 100% from all that. I documented our progress on this members only thread, called Mara's travails, and after a successful high mountain hike a couple of weeks ago, I was confident she could tackle the Hidden Lake and the peak above it.

    And she acquitted herself fabulously. For those who've been following all this over time (and I know some of you have! ), Mara the one-eyed Wonder Dog is BACK.



    (large image: http://projectavalon.net/Hidden_Lake..._the_rocks.jpg)

    And here we are. We had a good time. It's just SO GREAT to know that Mara can once more accompany me on strenuous high mountain trips, and lead the way, as well. She's 8 years old now, but despite all she's been through she's lost none of her energy, enthusiasm or agility. And she still loves every minute of it, just the ideal companion for yours truly out there.




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

    Excellent news, she looks amazing. Well done Mara
    The love you withhold is the pain that you carry
    and er..
    "Chariots of the Globs" (apols to Fat Freddy's Cat)

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

    Looks fantastic - and Mara looks like she's really enjoying the nature! Great job, Bill!

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

    Great to see Mara in such top form and doing what she loves - she should write a book!!

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

    Looks like Bill did catch a Wawa Grande in this photo.
    Post: 408
    I put the picture through a filter and had to crop Mara out of picture as it would not load otherwise.
    Then put a red circle round the being.
    It is near top left of picture.
    Big foot is known to be interdimensional and can go invisible at will, as long as it remains still.
    Humans also have the same abilities.
    It looks like it was almost invisible but not quite there.

    Or could just be a case of pareidolia on my part. [ATTACH]Name:  Hidden_Lake_Peak_panorama (2b).jpg
Views: 381
Size:  52.0 KB[/ATTACH]
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version

Name:	Hidden_Lake_Peak_panorama (2a).jpg
Views:	34
Size:	760.2 KB
ID:	46878  

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    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Quote Posted by Rosco1 (here)
    Looks like Bill did catch a Wawa Grande in this photo.
    Post: 408
    I put the picture through a filter and had to crop Mara out of picture as it would not load otherwise.
    Then put a red circle round the being.
    It is near top left of picture.
    Thanks! I don't think you're right, though, as that's a pretty big mountain and that "little" band of cliffs there would be about 50 ft/ 15m high. I'd guess the terrain height of the whole frame of the cropped photo to be about 1000 ft/ 300m. (Either that or it's a really huge being, and then we're all in trouble. )

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

    Beautiful thread Bill, thank you. I've been reading the stories every now and then and looking at the photos. A small part of me feels like it was right there on the mountains with you.

    I'm writing this comment because of Mara's health troubles, just in case it helps her in the future
    or anyone else who has a dog or a cat. It's about arthritis in pets and an amazing treatment with gold implants.

    I have a beloved cat who had serious arthritis. When she was about 9 years old, she reached a point where she was limping with both her front feet and couldn't walk more than a couple of meters, just for her basic needs. I had to take her for anti-inflammatory injections for a while, but they only brought a few days of relief before she started limping again.

    At that point, the vet's father who is also a vet suggested a new kind of treatment that involves gold. It's an easy procedure in which the vet adds very small implants of gold in the joints of the animal. It cost 250 euros (in Greece) which is not a huge amount considered gold is used. I'm far from a technical expert but I believe gold doesn't rust and for some reason it helps the movement in the joints. The surgery is only needed once and the impact lasts for a life time.

    The results were amazing. As the veterinarian said, it took her a few months for the body to adjust. The progress was slow and steady. In about a year she started playing again normally, even running in small spurts. Right now she is 14 years old and her joints are great considering the age as well as her overall health. Since the surgery five years ago, she has only limped 2-3 times because she exhausted herself by playing too much and taking too long walks in the backyard (which involves going up and down a two floor staircase). But she recovered in a couple of days and never limped again.

    I actually asked the vet if the gold treatment is used for humans, because of the unbelievable results for arthritis. He didn't know.
    Last edited by ZenBaller; 25th June 2021 at 21:59.

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

    Great Picts! Looks like a great hike! Glad to hear Mara is back again!!

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

    ZenBaller, That's great information to have...any day we are able to relieve the suffering of our fur family is a good day. Thanks for sharing. Diane

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    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Another little adventure, the day before yesterday. Super-hot in the direct sun, with an icy wind, quite a good combo for hiking.

    No llamas (or Wawa Grandes!), but at mid-day we encountered a bunch of icicles draped over a big rock, which astonished me because in all these years I'd never seen that here before. The previous night must have been exceptionally clear and cold. I took a whole huge bunch of photos, so forgive me for sharing a few of them here:


    (large image: https://projectavalon.net/Bill_and_M..._icicles_1.jpg)


    (large image:https://projectavalon.net/Bill_and_M..._icicles_3.jpg)


    (large image: https://projectavalon.net/Bill_and_M...s_panorama.jpg)

    We continued to a high peak, very rocky, and (as last time) Mara negotiated all that just fine. It's very hard to show the whole horizon-to-horizon vista, but here are a couple of panoramas that (if anyone cares!) really deserve to be viewed on a large screen.


    (large image: https://projectavalon.net/Bill_and_M...panorama_1.jpg)


    (large image: https://projectavalon.net/Bill_and_M...panorama_2.jpg)

    Mara was exhausted when she got back, but she's all back to normal today and while the weather is this good we'll be off up there again pretty soon.

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  35. Link to Post #418
    United States Avalon Member RunningDeer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Bill, I don’t comment much because your photos and stories say it all. Know that I enjoy it when a new post pops up.

    Mara is a happy camper; an eight year old, Smiley-Buddha-Pup.

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    England Avalon Member jc71's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Hi Bill,

    Like RunningDeer, I don't comment much on this thread either, but always enjoy seeing you and Mara on your adventures.

    I thought you might enjoy this story I just read in the UK:

    https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/08/man-t...walk-14892773/

    Maybe you have even climbed these mountains (you might refer to this particluar one as a big hill rather than a mountain, but they feel like mountains if you don't live in a mountain area )

    All the best.

    JC
    Last edited by jc71; 8th July 2021 at 10:54.

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  39. Link to Post #420
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    This new article (below) seemed appropriate to share. Much of this has been posted before, but I'm happy to update the thread... it's a phenomenon that isn't going to go away.
    A personal note: I'm still exploring the high mountains regularly, but I've not updated this particular thread for a while as I've almost completely given up searching for the Wawa Grande, which seems inexplicable and very elusive — while I'm convinced it's also something that is somehow all too real.
    Quite a few recent photos and accounts have been shared on my Mara's travails thread. That was started separately after Mara (my dog), injured herself quite quite seriously 18 months ago. But she's now 100% fine, with zero signs of any problem and is able to do absolutely everything in the mountains that she always used to.



    https://cuencahighlife.com/monster-o...d-park-rangers

    The ‘Monster of the Cajas’ won’t go away, despite denials by scientists and park rangers

    Despite the best efforts of Cajas National Park and University of Cuenca officials and scientists, the so-called Monstruo de las Cajas, or Monster of the Cajas, won’t go away.

    A three-man television crew from the U.S. was in town in June 2021, interviewing witnesses and filming high-altitude areas of the Cajas National Park where the monster has reportedly been sighted. The crew was accompanied by Quito tour guide Carlos Castro, who claims to have taken video of the creature in 1997.

    “We talked to two retired park employees, one whom has seen the monster, as well as local people who know about it,” said Castro, who assisted the Los Angeles-based crew. “We asked to see the evidence kept at the University of Cuenca but they continue to deny that it exists but we were able to talk to a former employee who took pictures of plaster casts of the footprints and who has prints of some of the pictures they keep locked in their files.”

    A University of Cuenca biology professor who asked not to be identified, describes himself as a monster skeptic. “I am not saying that the witnesses are lying or that they didn’t see something up there, but I think most of the evidence has been fabricated,” he said. “I have seen one the videos and two pictures but these could have been altered. But, maybe not.” He believes the box of evidence that Castro claims the university is keeping from the public doesn’t exist.

    “I explained this to the television people from [the television program] Monster Quest in 2009 but they seemed to think I was lying,” the professor said. “I also told them that the area where people say they saw this thing is often foggy and sometimes snowy and that the the high elevation can affect judgment.”

    A supervisor at Cajas National Park refused to discuss the monster. “This is something we do not talk about. Guagua does not exist,” he said, referring to the name Guagua Grande [Wawa Grande], used by people who live in the Cajas to describe the monster. “There may be something else but I haven’t seen it.”

    The most recent “sighting” was in April 2016, when two British hikers and a Cuenca guide claimed to have spotted the creature during a three-day trek. The three said that they watched the over-sized humanoid for several minutes in a remote area of the park.

    “I have no idea what it was other than to say it was quite large, with light colored fur and had some human characteristics. It was able to stand on two legs but also came down on all fours,” said Sean Worthington, one of the hikers. He added: “I am a scientist by training and not prone to make fanciful claims, so I cannot deny seeing the thing.”

    Worthington and his companion, Roger Chrisma and the guide, reported that they watched the creature for several minutes from a distance of about 100 meters. The sighting was reported by a Quito television station and one of the pictures that Worthington said he took appeared in a London newspaper in October 2016.

    According to Worthington and Chrisma and their guide, who asked not to be named, the creature had thick, light gray or reddish gray fur.

    The monster first made headlines in July, 1988 when a Scottish hiker claims he was attacked by a pair of the creatures. Robert Burns, who sought shelter in a cave from a late afternoon snow storm, says he was mauled by the Guagua and tossed from the cave. Burns was treated for a broken arm, deep lacerations and bite wounds at a Cuenca hospital. His story was reported on television as well as in newspapers in Cuenca and Edinburgh.

    In 2009, two Swedish hikers say they saw the creature and reported that it stood between seven and eight feet in height and weighed 300 to 400 pounds. Their story, along with a picture that they claimed to have taken, appeared in a Stockholm newspaper in July of that year.

    Except for the fur color, most descriptions of the creature are similar to those of the alleged Bigfoot, or Sasquatch, in the U.S. Northwest.

    According to Castro, many Cajas guides are aware of Guagua, either from personal contact or through reports from hikers. “Most people don’t like to talk about it because their friends will think they’re crazy,” he says. “Even if they haven’t seen Guagua, almost everyone who has spent much time in the mountains has seen the footprints.”

    A retired national park service biologist, who worked in the Cajas Park when it was established in 1996, agrees that there is an official policy of denial and that park employees are told not to talk about the alleged monster. “It does not exist. That is what we told anyone who asked about it.” He also says that the science department at the University of Cuenca has some “objects” and photos connected to Guagua, but these are off limits to the public.
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 23rd March 2022 at 13:25.

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