Mara returns to the Mountains

[Bill Ryan]

Here's something a little different: 3 short videos of the mountain road that we navigated to reach our hike yesterday. The first two show the view on the way to the trailhead, while the third is on the way back. The one-way journey takes about 20 minutes from the main road.

Enjoy. But not for the faint-hearted!!

https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/mount...8_Jan_2026.mp4
https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/mount...8_Jan_2026.mp4
https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/mount...8_Jan_2026.mp4







One we got there, it was quiet and beautiful. We lost the sun after an hour, but here's a nice photo of the first water we got to, high on the mountainside overlooking the clouds, which Mara was happy to find after a hot 1000 ft climb.

(high-resolution photo shrunk to fit the page... just open in a new tab to see all the detail.)



This high valley is extremely interesting, as there's an ancient stone circle there, 100% man-made, exactly like the ones in South-West England and the North of France:



... and finally, another shot of the stone circle, complete with horses, which seem to like it there.

[Bill Ryan]

Some more trivia, to lighten the geopolitical mood.

Another ascent of Cerro Amarillo yesterday. The first photo shows Mara half way up, happily enjoying the only water on the mountain, and the second is us at the top, now in thick cloud. (Our timing was perfect. It started raining heavily just minutes later, and we descended to the trailhead as fast as we could to warm up and dry off back home.)

The images are quite high quality, reduced to fit the page width. Just open in a new window to see the detail. (If you like! )

[Bill Ryan]

Not quite a "Beautiful Nature Picture" (see this gorgeous thread of prize-winning images!), but it's really quite a nice photo by my modest standards. (Very high resolution, resized to fit the page. Open in a new window to see it at full size.)

This is sunrise over Cerro Amarillo, taken at 7:30 am. Right now the heavy rain only kicks in there mid-morning, and the earlier we can get there the more fresh, bright and beautiful it is. Cerro Amarillo (which we climb quite regularly now, see the post just above) is the high peak on the right.

Mara is in the center of the panorama. I swear she also somehow admires the view.

[Casey Claar]

I always love it when the lights show up to play in the photos like this. It is a stunning vision-and-view -and near to like you two are being visited.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Casey Claar (here)
I always love it when the lights show up to play in the photos like this. It is a stunning vision-and-view -and near to like you two are being visited.

Early this morning, some more light and magic.

Dawn silhouette of the mountain skyline:



Mara under the sunrise:



(and a couple hours later, lower down) ... a large group of llamas and alpacas:

[Bill Ryan]

Mara and I went up the Llama Valley waterfall again the other day, the heavy rainy-season volume having decreased just enough for it to be safe to cross. My friend Gilberto was the cameraman for the first short video.

https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Bill_...7_Feb_2026.mp4



On the way back, it was just Mara and myself, and this is a longer video showing Mara's determined perseverance and experimentation (considering she can't see a thing!) to find the best way down and across the torrent.

This isn't pet abuse! I know exactly what she can and can't do, and I know when she's having fun with a challenge or when she's stressed. She was all fine here, and in various different ways we have these kinds of adventures all the time.


https://avalonlibrary.net/Bill/Bill_...7_Feb_2026.mp4

[Vicus]

Beautiful pet soul!

Maybe my question is too private for you two,but: Why she dint got "children?"

[4evrneo]

Wow Bill, that just warms my heart seeing her able to navigate so well! Such a beautiful experience for you both. Our companions are so amazing! I lost my dog Killian in Aug of 2024 suddenly and I miss him terribly and think of our time together quite often. Thank you for sharing such an adventure!

Annette