Gerrish Info

Good news and bad news 16/4/09

2009-04-16T23:52:00.003+01:00

The bad news is that we are sitting at San Francisco airport with a five hour wait having been diverted here from Los Angeles where we were expecting to fly home.

The good news is we are in the first class lounge and have first class tickets home plus … $600 each for another flight. We are soooooooo excited because instead of flying home apart we are coming home in luxury.J There was a call while we were waiting for the LA flight asking for people to change flights as the one we were on was overbooked. As we had been told that we would be in economy and NOT sitting together we were at the desk volunteering before the announcement was completed and we only get back to Manchester 5 hours later than we would have anyway. What an adventure! Our seats are 1A and 1J!

Sharon in her first class seat drinking champagne

Last day in California 15/4/09

2009-04-16T03:52:00.001+01:00

Last night was a windy one in Joshua Tree National Park and although our last morning was sunny the wind was cold and strong. We were packed and away by 7am and the next campers for Camp 39 were ready to move in as we drove away! Breakfast at Starbucks in Yucca Valley then off to Los Angeles via the Wal-Mart Superstore to purchase American presents for people back at home.

We stayed at Marina Del Rey near Venice Beach. We walked along the beach in really strong winds and celebrated a fantastic holiday with Margueritas. Home tomorrow L

Pinnacles and faces

2009-04-15T01:35:00.002+01:00

Our last day climbing on this trip saw us heading out to Lost Horse Area. A 'must do' according to the guidebook is the solo ascent of the Aiguille of Joshua Tree.

Sharon was first and go to within 6 foot of the top. The drop on the other side is at least 50 foot!

Then Dick had a go

On pitch 3 of a 4 pitch route on Lost Horse Face

The 5.8 crack pitch.

This is what happens if you leave your car in the desert for too long

2009-04-13T22:45:00.003+01:00

Walking out into Wonderland of Rocks we found a hire car that had been left there for a while!

Sharon at the top of Laughter Dome after completing a route. The jumble of rocks in the distance is Wonderland of Rocks.

Abseiling off Intersection Rock at the end of the last route as the sun sets

The iconic Joshua Tree at sunset. What a beautiful place J Tree is!

Hall of Horrors and Baskerville Cracks

2009-04-12T01:25:00.003+01:00

A good days climbing was had today starting with Lickety Split 5.7 and Diamond Dogs 5.10a at Hall of Horrors. The latter was a bit run out with a boulder problem start as seen in the video below.

After a leisurely lunch we set of to Hound Dome via Afpa Dome where we climbed the first day. After scrambling to the top we asked a guy belaying there if he had seen a camming device? He answered he had found 2! I had left them there three days ago and luckily they were still there!!

Sharon taking it easy at camp 39

Hound Dome - Baskerville Left Crack 5.10a - the guidebook describes it as 'THE BEST route on the crag' (their bold letters). Well with a recommendation like that it had to be done - hard climbing.

Dick on the upper crack of Baskerville.

Pancakes and slabs

2009-04-10T23:22:00.004+01:00

In Hidden Valley campsite 39 the day starts, every day starts, with the American breakfast of pancakes, maple syrup and coffee. This sets you up just right for another day of slab and crack climbing.

At the top of Nomad Dome in an area called Wonderland of Rocks. We had just completed a route that required 60m ropes ... ours are 50m!

A typical JT slab route

Cloud building to the north of JT that led to a spectacular thunderstorm in the distance

Altitude training

2009-04-09T23:01:00.002+01:00

Sharon is doing a triathlon on July 12th 2009 at Chester called the Deva Divas (ladies only). She is taking it very seriously and is training in all 3 disciplines, swimming (in a pool at present but in a lake when it gets warmer) cycling and running. She will be looking for sponsors soon as she is doing it to raise money for breakthrough breast cancer research. So, were better to continue the training than by running at 4430' in the desert?

Of course, we have also been climbing

and enjoying the fantastic weather and views.

We are here again (Joshua Tree visit #6) 8/4/09

2009-04-08T22:38:00.002+01:00

After a gap of 17 months we have returned to the magical place called J0shua Tree. It is just the same as the last time we were here (November 2007) save for a cold wind, but still blue skies and sun.

After camping at Ryan campground for the first night as Hidden Valley was full. Campsites in the national park are taken on a first come basis and we found a spot in Hidden Valley at 9am on the next day. We set up camp and the hammock that Ben gave us for Christmas in Australia.

By the way the date is 8th April ... Happy 22nd Birthday Matt!

Winter on Wansfell

2008-11-30T17:53:00.002Z

Well, a year ago we were in New Zealand, today we were in the wintry Lake District walking up Wansfell. Views spectacular but where would we rather be??? Now let us think?

Any way, the blog is back and alive and will be kept updated with the continuing adventures of the Gerrish family.

Wansfell in The Lake District

Buenos Aires

2008-03-24T22:18:00.005Z

After an exciting flight in which the pilot aborted the landing just before the wheels touched down due to strong winds and flew to another airport just a a major storm was starting we arrived in BA.

We started our tour at the Rose Palace where Evita gave her famous speeches to her people and then went to her museum where we learned more about her life.

We visited the Government buildings but being Easter weekend it was shut.

We had lunch in the crowded Le Boca district

Went to a Tango Show

And ... watched the 24th March demonstration of support for the 30000 people who disappeared during the 1970/80s military government and who are not forgotten.

Tomorrow (25th March) our great adventure ends and we fly back to Manchester.

We start our journey Northwards

2008-03-18T01:59:00.007Z

We left Puerto Williams and also Chile today, our southern most point in our journey. Getting to this amazing place had been straight forward but political problems between Chile and Argentina mean that getting across the Beagle Channel and into Argentina were more problematic. Ushuaia is the southern most city in Argentina not 60km away from Puerto Williams and 30 mins across the sea but Chilean boats are not allowed into the port. Argentinian boats are, however, allowed into Chile's port at Puerto Navarino on Isla Navarino where PW is. You have to catch an Argentinian Zodiac boat (at great expense) that comes across every day .

We were taken by minibus the 60km to Puerto Navarino along a dirt road. The nearer we got the windier it became. The 'port' was a single Navy building in the middle of nowhere on the opposite side of the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia, where we went through the customs procedure.

Puerto Navarino where the dirt road ends, the port of embarkation from Chile!

The Zodiac arrived but the passengers looked a little 'shaken'. The wind in the channel had got up to dangerous speeds. The Zodiac would not go back in the wind. We waited for an hour and a half, then suddenly 'vamos' we go. We were rushed into the boat and set off across the rather 'bouncy' channel.

The Zodiac arriving from Ushuaia.

The Zodiac battling through the swell

See a video of the Zodiac crossing

We arrived rather exhilarated in Ushuaia to be met by the immigration process and a new country. We then embarked into a new country and a city with lots of modern cars, tarmaced roads, shops and restaurants, not to mention boats with names like Antarctica 3 and Antarctic Explorer (Ushuaia is a major port for Antarctic exploration). What a difference to the Fin Del Mundo in PW!

Sharon arrives in Argentina.

Ferry to the end of the Earth

2008-03-14T18:21:00.008Z

Punta Arenas to Peurto Williams a distance by sea of 303 nautical miles by ferry passing through island passages and on two occasions crossing openings to the Southern Ocean.

We saw loads of wildlife - dolphions and seals surfing in the ship's wake, albatrosses, skuas and penguins. Beautiful sunrise and stormy seas. We are now in Puerto Williams, the most southerly town in the world about 100km from Cape Horn. Opposite us from our hostel in Puerto Williams we have a view of the Beagle Channel and Argentina.

See a video of the ferry crossing between islands where the sea was open to the southern ocean.

Los Pinguinos

2008-03-12T15:58:00.004Z

We went to see a Magellan penguin colony near Punta Arenas. At the height of the season there are 10000 penguins there but a lot have left for warmer climates as the end of the summer approaches. It is mid September equivalent here!

Deeper South

2008-03-11T15:36:00.003Z

Sharon outside our hostal in Puerto Natales

We are in Punta Arenas after having travelled by bus down from Puerto Natales. While there we walked up a mountain called Dorotea

The view over Puerto Natales from Dorotea

We went on a boat trip to see two huge glaciers called Serrano and Balmeceda.

Serrano Glacier

Balmaceda Glacier

Now we are in Punta Arenas we are going to see a penguin colony, then we are off for three days on a ferry to Puerto Williams, we can't go much further south before Cape Horn!

The W trail around Paine National Park

2008-03-07T20:13:00.005Z

We have just returned from a 6 day trek around the Torres Del Paine where we saw one amazing view after another starting with the Towers of Paine.

The W trail

Us at the start of the W trail. Torres Del Paine in the background.

The infamous spires first climbed by Bonnington, Brown and Willans in the 1960s.

The French Valley

The last two days saw us walking to the edge of the South Patagonian icecap at the Grey Glacier where the temperature was definitely cooler as the wind blew down off the ice.

We camped at various campsites, which were mainly in the woods but the downside was the mozzies that swarmed everywhere, giving you nasty red itchy lumps where they bit you. Our last camp was beside Lago Grey with beautiful views but also exposed to the wind that started during the night heralding the end of the sunny weather we had enjoyed to date.

Our campsite at Lago Grey

Finishing at Lake Pehoe where we caught a ferry back to the bus, which took us to Puerto Natales, where we are staying in a lovely hotel called Indigo Patagonia.

792 nautical miles

2008-02-28T21:54:00.003Z

Over the past four days we have travelled 1467km by ferry (called Evangelista run by Navimag) rrom Puerto Montt in the central lake district to Puerto Natales in Patagonia at 52 degrees south, further south than any other land mass before Antartica.

Sharon at check-in in Puerto Montt

Evangelista anchored at Puerto Eden (an isolated fishing community 2 days from Puerto Montt and 36 hours from Puerto Natales)

When we started from Puerto Montt it was bright sunshine

the next day it was foggy and wet, then it was cloudy and cool.

The passage took us through an inland passage down the west coast of Chile. At one point on day tywo we had to go into the Pacific Ocean for a twelve hour passage. The staff on the ship built the ocean passage up a being rough (up to 5m waves) but as it was the sea was calm (1.5m waves) and apart from some rocking it was not too rough.

The scenery was awesome and we passed close to a glacier called Pius Xl

through islands where there was only 20m clearance on either side of the ship,

past a ghost ship stuck on rocks and we saw whales (admittedly far away)!

We arrive in Puerto Natales. Next stop Torres del Paine

A quick trip to the end of the mainland Pan American Highway

2008-02-24T19:35:00.004Z

We took a 24 hour tour to Chiloe, an island that is reached from the end of the mainland Pan American Highway by ferry, 2400 miles from Arica (where we started our trip in Chile). The ferry trip crossed a channel with really strong currents and the boat was surrounded by sea lions, leaping out of the water catching fish in the currents. We went to see a penguin colony that had Magellan and Humboldt penguins, sea otters and sea lions.

The ferry where the Pan American Highway stops on mainland South America

Sharon looking at a beautiful bay on west Chiloe.

Reached by a 40km dirt road drive.

On the boat going to look for penguins and sea lions. We also saw sea otters.

If you look hard you can see penguins. Honest!

We camped next to the beach

Next morning we walked along by the sea and saw people picking what looked like rocks from the sea shore

Sharon asked the family camped next to us what they were? They were Piure or Sea Squirts which they ate raw with lemon. We tried half of one each... an aquired taste!

We returned to Puerta Varas the next day. Tomorrow we leave for a 4 day ferry journey to Patagonia and Tierra Del Fuego.

Volcan Osorno and waterfalls

2008-02-23T13:36:00.004Z

We have moved from Pucon to Puerta Varas, which is dominated by another volcano, Osorno. So another day was spent exploring a volcano (although this one is not active) and the river that flowed past it. It was quite an eventful day. While waiting for Sharon to come out of a shop a policeman told me off for parking on yellow lines, we got stopped and had to show our passports to another policemen at a check point and then I got the truck stuck in deep sand on the way up the volcano. It required the combined efforts of six people a shovel and a plank to extricate it!

We went up on a ski lift to the snow line below the volcano where there was a view of a small crater. There was an amazing zip wire that descended 1500m in 4 stages. See a video of it here

Life on the Ruka

2008-02-23T13:10:00.007Z

Ruka Rayen

Camping on a farm involves living with the animals. On Ruka Rayen there was a pig called Porkie that thought she was a dog and roamed free, chickens, horses, cats and dogs.

Sharon leading her horse back to the field after riding

Porkie the pig

The horses lived in a wood and I helped catch them for riding

Modes of transport

2008-02-22T12:07:00.005Z

While camping for a week on the farm at Ruka Rayen we decided to try different modes of transport, so we went trekking to a lake, where Dick dropped the second digital camera of the trip in (the first got drowned in the monsoon rain in Australia) They don't work very well when wet :-(

As they haven't had rain for 6 weeks it was very dusty so to wash it off we kayaked down the Rio Trancura with our friend Wolfy.

Wolfy discovers the problem of canoeing a low profile boat without a spraydeck!

Then we cycled to the Thermas Trancura to sit in the warm thermal waters. Our bums were quite saddle sore by the end of the week!

Sharon arriving back at Ruka Rayen

Volcan Villaricca

2008-02-19T16:10:00.004Z

Volcano Villaricca

We are staying in Pucon under the 2804m high, active volcano Villaricca. It had to be climbed, so joined by our new friend Wolfgang we set off early one morning. A short cable car ride later we set off up the dusty and rocky track to the snow line. Hundreds of tourists are led up the volcano every day on organised tours all dressed in the uniform equipment of their tour company. We overtook all of them and after climbing through some steep snow slopes arrived at the top to have it virtually to ourselves. The cloud was building on this particular day so the view down the crater was restricted but when the cloud briefly cleared the views in all directions were amazing. The fumes from the volcano were sulphurous and when the wind blew it in our direction it stung your throat and eyes.

Our descent was faster than the ascent as it involved bum sliding down the snow slopes then running down rubble slopes!

Our car on a dirt track that defeated its climbing abilities

From desert to lakes

2008-02-13T13:06:00.005Z

Us in Santiago with Richard and Vivien (right) and Nancy (left, the wife of the Head of Grange Prep School)

Five hours after we drank our last whisky we got up and took a taxi to the wrong bus station in Santiago. After a confusing twenty minutes when we couldn't find the right bus bay we were directed up the road to the right bus station where we boarded the Tur Bus for the 680km journey to Temuco. Luckily the seats reclined so the eight hour journey was spent snoozing and recovering from alcoholic excess. Every stop saw the bus invaded by sellers peddling their wears of food and drink.

The journey still following the Pan American Highway, saw us pass from desert landscape, through the Central Valley with vineyards into a more temperate zone with forests and vast corn fields. The journey down Chile so far has been a living geography lesson

At Temuco we hired a car and drove to Villarrica, a town under an active volcano.

We visit a Chilean School

2008-02-11T22:35:00.000Z

We are staying in Santiago with Vivianne and Richard who are teachers at The Grange School. Richard visited Dallam in 2005.

Although their school is not due to return from their summer holidays until 1st March (they broke up on 21st December!) we were shown around the buildings. The Grange is a British school and they teach in English until age 12, then a combination of English/Spanish. The students do English GCSE and A level exams. It is a fee paying school and has 1700 students.

Boiling water and high deserts

2008-02-08T22:51:00.000Z

‘Get there by 6.30am as the sun rises to see them at their best’ is the advice given to tourists who want to see the Tatio Geysers, the highest in the world. The problem is that every tour company in San Pedro de Atacama (and there are lots) offer the tour setting off at 4.30am (because it is a 100km drive out into the desert on dirt roads). The guide book notes that by 8.30am the geysers are virtually empty as the tour buses pour back to town. We set off at 7.30am!

After an exciting drive going up from 2600m to 4360m (no acclimatisation problems now, we are fighting fit) and following roads that varied from quite smooth to rocky, requiring Jimmies 4x4 again, passing many minibuses full of sleepy tourists going the other way, we arrived at Tatio Geysers.

The last remaining tourists left as we ate breakfast and by 10am we had the whole area to ourselves. The clarity of the air in the Andes is superb and the looming volcanoes formed a fantastic backdrop to the spectacle of water boiling from the ground. The end of the tour was a swim in a thermal pool, all to ourselves (at 7am there must have been hundreds in there!) where the water varied from a pleasant 34 degrees C to scalding hot.

On our way back we noticed a volcano with smoke coming from it. Our challenge became getting near to it to take a photo. We eventually found a faint track heading off into the desert so we followed it, passing around another volcano until we eventually arrived at an abandoned Sulfur mine. From here we got a clear view of the smoking summit of the volcano.

We drove over 200Km in the desert today, what a fantastic place, we love it.

Valle de la Luna

2008-02-08T19:23:00.000Z

Sunset in the Atacama Desert is best seen from the Valle de la Luna or so we are told. We set off to see the sights … just as everyone else did. The falling sun light the rocks (that looked like a moonscape) beautifully.

We wanted to get away from the crowds to see the sun set so used Jimmies 4x4 capabilities to drive off the tourist road out into the desert to an abandoned salt mine. Here we cooked our tea and had an individual experience of the sun setting, far away in the distance we could make out the rest of the crowds watching the sun set from the top of the 150m ‘Great Sand Dune’.