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

  1. Link to Post #101
    Ecuador Avalon Member boolacalaca's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    An update for anyone following this fascinating story, who may be wondering what progress is being made.

    The rainy season here started last month, and clear breaks in the weather aren't that frequent. For a long trip into the Wawa Grande possible habitat (see my post #85 above), two good back-to-back days are needed.

    Michael (see post #97 above: he's now joined the forum, with username boolacalaca) and I are planning to head out there to set up the trail cam maybe in mid-March — weather always permitting. We went on quite a strenuous one-day training hike a few days ago... here he is at 13,500 ft, the highest he's yet been, and close to as high as it gets in these mountains. Our trip into the very heart of the area will be quite demanding, carrying overnight packs into quite rough terrain.
    Thanks to Bill, I pushed my limits on our day-hike, following his guidance to the Avilahuayco ridgeline, no doubt a place I would not have ventured on my own.

    Our upcoming trek to the Wawa Grande spot central to the Cajas Park will be another unique experience and expanding adventure for me. I'm very much looking forward to it and seeing what Bill's trail cam will capture (and yes, I expect this means we will need to go all the way back to the same spot to retrieve the camera some weeks later - doubly fun).

    Here are some shots of Bill at the ridgeline along with one pic I managed to capture of Mara chasing a Gavilán (Hawk) at 13,500 ft.

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

    What gorgeous pictures!! It does the soul good to gaze upon such beauty & seems to refresh one's soul!

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  5. Link to Post #103
    Ecuador Avalon Member boolacalaca's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    Quote Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
    The next thing I'll do, maybe sometime next week, is to make a fast-and-light trip up to the Cairn to retrieve the gifts (and the Avalon Avatars) -- assuming everything's still all undisturbed. Then, on a separate trip, I'll head into the area Warren (wnlight) defined through dowsing (see this interesting post) to set up a new Cairn there, complete with trail cam. That'll require an overnight trip, I think, as it's quite a way from the road.
    Well, that first part is complete. Mara and I went up to The Altar yesterday with new Avalon member DebJoy (Deb) and her husband Michael, both recently arrived Ecuador residents, and found everything still totally untouched after nearly 11 weeks.
    While posting pictures I thought it might be fun to add a couple more shots from our visit to The Altar to retrieve the gifts:

    Arriving at Altar Lake (the Altar is on the right side of the lake in this photo):
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    On The Altar examining the Cairn:
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    Surveying future climbs?
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  7. Link to Post #104
    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)
    An update for anyone following this fascinating story, who may be wondering what progress is being made.

    The rainy season here started last month, and clear breaks in the weather aren't that frequent. For a long trip into the Wawa Grande possible habitat (see my post #85 above), two good back-to-back days are needed.
    A further update: heavy and persistent rain has continued. It's been the wettest rainy season on record, both in Ecuador and in Peru. Not a show-stopper for a mountain expedition, but certainly not very pleasant. And way up high, in clouds and rain, we might not get to see a thing except our hands in front of our faces.

    This might not abate for several weeks yet. Michael (boolacalaca) and I are planning to do the trip in mid-April (2-3 weeks' time), if a 2-day weather window happens to open — which it might.

    Of some mild interest might be a strong (but trivial!) 'vision' I saw, crystal clearly, when using the Vielight intranasal laser, which appears to activate and/or stimulate the pineal gland. For anyone who doesn't know what I'm referring to here, please see this interesting thread:
    I didn't even report this on that thread, but one 'future memory' I saw very clearly was Michael and I on this hike (I believe on the first day, going in, and certainly in the fairly near future), caught in an utterly torrential sudden cloudburst that lasted for about 20 mins.

    We were able to shelter just a little (but not very effectively!) against/by a large, sloping rock, but still got pretty wet. Mara, meanwhile, was running around, and was soaked to her skin, like she'd just been swimming. All was fine, and we were both laughing.

    It had the very clear quality of a memory, except that it's not happened yet. Most interesting. If this event actually occurs, it'll be a pretty neat test of what felt like a vivid precognition.
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 27th March 2017 at 20:49.

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  9. Link to Post #105
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Folks: Michael (boolacalaca) and I are finally planning to head off early tomorrow morning for our two day trip into the heart of the area. The trail cam is safely packed, with batteries to last for two months or more.



    We do seem to have a weather window where at least we won't get drowned in the rain — or, at least, may be a little less likely to.

    This has been the wettest rainy season on record here, so the entire area will be sponge-saturated, with deep mud in places, and all the lakes and creeks very full.

    But Mara the doesn't care, and in fact, neither do I. It'll be great to get out there again. It's been a while.

    I'll take the Avatars, and gifts, once again, and will lay them all out on a prominent flat rock.





    Having Michael there as well will make it all rather easier to document, to share in full when I return. I'll likely be able to write it all up on Thursday or Friday... the weekend at the latest.


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  11. Link to Post #106
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Well, we're back. The trip took an unexpected turn, because just as were setting off early Tuesday morning, Mara (who, like all other dogs, is officially verboten there), was spotted by a ranger, and we were ordered to leave the park. The guy was really quite upset. OMG.

    So, we were stymied and prevented from going to the Wawa Grande lake. The challenge now will be how to get to that area from another more isolated direction. It'll be possible, but certainly even longer and more arduous. It was going to be a long hike as it was.

    We regrouped, and as we were all packed and set up and ready to camp (and so was Mara), we headed west out of the park and went again to the Altar area, which is all super-beautiful and a real delight to be in. Michael (boolacalaca) had never camped before (never slept in a tent, never lit a campfire), so it was all quite a memorable experience for him. And this is real wilderness camping: no Yosemite drive-in campground here.

    It was cold, but dry, and in the evening over the campfire the clouds dissipated and we were greeted by a zillion stars. Mara and I went off for an hour on our own to visit a high valley which we'd not been to, or seen into, before: all pristine and beautiful, but not a sign of any Wawas. A great trip, but (again!) back to the drawing board.

    And, I still have the trail cam.


    http://projectavalon.net/Bill_Mara_and_the_campfire.jpg


    http://projectavalon.net/Michael_Mar...e_campfire.jpg
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 25th May 2017 at 23:45.

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

    That's best photo of you Bill I've seen for years.
    ..................................................my first language is TYPO..............................................

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

    Was there any rain? I see a little grey in the clouds behind you

    From Bill: none at all.

    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 26th May 2017 at 00:21.

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

    Thanks, Bill, for the adventure, the trail guidance, and your ongoing companionship.

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

    Marvellous photos! What a treat. That is a great fire too, a great one to talk around. Love how Mara is taking time out fireside as well to ruminate the day's adventures - and maybe some big life questions too. She looks very thoughtful

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

    Thanks Bill for sharing your adventures with Mara the and Michael the boolacalaca, with some photos, you look great with Mara by the campfire!

    Your cowboy hat looks to me like it's got a face on it, a very serious look..! I actually had a funny dream last night that your hat was talking to me about something with the weather

    Pity the ranger caught you with Mara and was upset about it, I'm sure you'll manage to find your way through to the Wawa Grande lake the next time

    Pardon me for the lack of knowledge, but can you describe what a 'boolacalaca' is? I tried searching on the web but couldn't find much info on it.. I'd be interested to know about it.

    From Bill: Michael explained his interesting username here. (I hadn't known, either. )
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 26th May 2017 at 13:34.
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Great to hear the news Bill. I was thinking about your trail cam and wonder if you had a chance to test it out? Recently where I worked there was theft happening and someone set a trail cam up to protect the equipment. It was a big success and captured the person on the cam and turned out to be a co-worker. When viewing the individual frame shots you could notice the two thieves spotted the trail cam by their eye flash and where they were looking. The wavelength of the IR illuminators produce a small amount of red light and they spotted it. Fortunately they could not reach it. I found two types of diodes for the trail cams, the more more powerful diode covers a larger area but produces the redness. I'm not sure if this would bother a bigfoot to know there's something like a camera or even if it matters but if you you have the red one the flash will be recognized.

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  25. Link to Post #113
    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:

    Half a day short of three weeks after an appendix operation, on Saturday I celebrated what felt like a full return to active health with a kind of stress test, in my own way: a high mountain hike with local friend Michael (boolacalaca), that turned out to be strenuous, exciting, and most successful.

    We were out for 10 hours, and ended up navigating a two mile, 14,000+ ft ridgeline, with all kinds of rocky obstacles. My daypack was light (just 10 lbs), and I had no trouble.

    My main problem was that in the last couple months, after I’d optimized my diet, I've lost about 10-12 lbs in weight, and was feeling the cold! (The strong wind was icy. OMG.)

    Here are some photos… a route map (for those following these explorations) is below. No wild creatures sighted on this trip, though, just Mara the . (And yes, this really does look like Scotland, but I promise you it’s Ecuador. )


    Hi-res photo: http://projectavalon.net/Bill_the_Eskimo_1.jpg


    Hi-res photo: http://projectavalon.net/Bill_the_Eskimo_2.jpg


    Hi-res photo: http://projectavalon.net/Bill_the_Eskimo_3.jpg

    Here's Michael on the spine of the ridge... we were way up on the peaks behind photo #2 above:



    Hi-res photo: http://projectavalon.net/Michael_on_...high_ridge.jpg

    And this was the view. The long rainy season is over now, so we stayed dry all day. Magnificent country. (If I was a Wawa Grande, I’d be up here all the time. )



    Hi-res photo: http://projectavalon.net/Michael_on_the_high_ridge.jpg


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

    Wellies!!! Aren't they a bit slippery and -er- sweltering in that mode of use?
    Denim jeans!!! Surely not warm or flexible enough unless they're the stretchy kind?
    Chino's!!! Boolacalaca boolacalaca......
    Almost Gig-fest attire
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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 avid (here)
    Wellies!!! Aren't they a bit slippery and -er- sweltering in that mode of use?
    Denim jeans!!! Surely not warm or flexible enough unless they're the stretchy kind?
    Chino's!!! Boolacalaca boolacalaca......
    Almost Gig-fest attire
    Wellies (British for rubber boots ) are de rigeur in that kind of environment... not so much up high, among the rocks, but in the valleys, which can be squelchy-wet with ground water or deep mud, and often require athletic stream crossings.

    And Michael can speak for himself, but I think those were 'proper' mountain pants: light but windproof. I wear Helly-Hansen fiber pile salopettes whatever the weather (the pair I have are 25 years old and show zero signs of wear), and my core is never cold. (Nor are my legs or feet!)

    Helly Hansen don't make them any more, alas... they look a little like this, but made of the same material a fiber pile jacket is made from. Totally warm and comfortable in any conditions at all. Just beautiful.

    (and probably a bit like being a dog... )



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

    Good, suitably attired for conditions then! I used to do ads for HH late-70's, great quality.
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  33. Link to Post #117
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Michael (boolacalaca), Mara and I went on another exploratory trip a couple of days ago: this time to a valley far to the west, which neither of us had been to, or seen, before.

    We got a little lost (meaning, the map was so poor we didn't really know for sure where we were) — but eventually we arrived at three beautiful unnamed lakes, up at 13,400 ft. There, we figured out our location from their shape and orientation.

    The green-area boundary is the Park boundary... and while the map makes it looks like there's a road there, on the ground that's absolutely nothing at all.


    Hi-res image: http://projectavalon.net/cajas_natio...ern_valley.gif

    No Wawa Grandes here, either, though the area was really very beautiful. (If I was a Wawa, I'd really not mind living up there... though my only chance of much to eat would be to raid the little local farms outside the park to the west.)

    A few photos... Enjoy.


    Hi-res image: http://projectavalon.net/Mara_among_...inoa_trees.jpg

    Our destination — where we admired the stunning scenery, calculated where we surely were, and turned round:


    Hi-res image: http://projectavalon.net/Bill_and_Ma...final_lake.jpg


    Hi-res image: http://projectavalon.net/Michael_and...final_lake.jpg

    And if I were a Wawa Grande, I'd make my home among the trees right by one of these gorgeous little meadows.


    Hi-res image: http://projectavalon.net/Grassy_mead...the_way_up.jpg


    Hi-res image: http://projectavalon.net/Another_grassy_meadow.jpg
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 12th August 2017 at 21:06.

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  35. Link to Post #118
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Talking about Wawa Grandes (and how hard they are to find!), this interesting news piece was published last month:
    Cámaras trampa (trap cameras) – The 40 cameras that ETAPA installed in the Parque Nacional Cajas and 12 adjoining forests have captured photos of 19 types of medium and large mammals. 8 of them were unusual in that they weren’t previously known to inhabit those areas and included the spectacled bear, puma, pudo (like a deer), tigrillo, cabeza de mate (kind of a badger?), guatusa de la costa, coatí de la costa and Andean tapir which is in danger of extinction (and looks as if it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to look like an elephant or a pig).
    No Wawas, though. But I have to say, I'd give a lot for a close sighting of a tapir, a tigrillo, or a spectacled bear — or even a puma, at a fairly safe distance.



    We've seen puma scat, for sure, and I've met someone who's seen a tigrillo (which is like a cute, small bobcat). And Mara and I have seen (and chased ) wild llamas, way up high at 14,000 ft. The tapir and spectacled bear are super-rare, though, and I was as surprised as the Park Rangers must have been to find that they've been captured by their trail cams.

    But no Wawa Grandes. (Unless their cover-up is a Park conspiracy...)
    Last edited by Bill Ryan; 12th August 2017 at 21:08.

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  37. Link to Post #119
    United States Avalon Member Foxie Loxie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    Such grand vistas are refreshing to the soul! Thanks!

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  39. Link to Post #120
    UK Avalon Founder Bill Ryan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Bill's searches for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot)

    This short video (5 mins) shows the central area beautifully... 1001 little lakes, truly, and quite a few big ones. The entire place is a genuinely remote wilderness.


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