Trekking the Colombian Andes: Los Nevados, Day 2

The trek continued here, where we would enter Los Nevados National Park. It was the most exciting day of the trek.

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The Trek from La Pastora to Doña Nelida’s Cabin

We started the day at La Pastora bright and early. The sun cast a golden blanket of honey over the jungle greenery that washed over the eyes; our eyes accepted the cleansing with enthusiasm.

Though we were still in the jungle with plenty of water around, the slushy terrain from the previous day gave way to slightly drier conditions. Wet rocks gave way to sundried ones the higher we got. It was a steep, steady ascent the whole way, but as we progressed our sense of height increased; our enthusiasm did as well.

Moving Beyond the Jungle Canopy

We emerged from the depths of the jungle. Upon meeting the jungle canopy, we had some familiar views as well as ones not yet seen on this trek: the sky above, and the mountains ahead we would climb.

We stopped at this first plateau to enjoy the view and the earthly pleasures of a nearby brook. A liter of this fresh mountain water seemed to revitalize mind and body, alleviating each individual ache and pain with each progressive sip; it brought the essence of determination and took away the burden of exhaustion. Shortly after, we crossed into Los Nevados National Park.

Continuing in Los Nevados National Park

The climate and terrain of the trek changed after this. Each step brought us closer to unencumbered views of the park. Open land, mountains which we would climb up and beyond, and thick clouds all around were sights to behold.

The steep climb gave way to perhaps the best of all: a clear but distant view of a waterfall nestled between neighboring mountains.

We expected to arrive at El Jordan by now, but we didn’t mind as long as the journey brought us closer to that waterfall. Little did we know, we would be hiking towards it; El Jordan turned out to be just beyond the ridge up ahead with the perfect view in sight.

Reaching El Jordan

Arriving at El Jordan was surreal. If I ever become successful in life, my goal is to have a farm like this. Secluded, raising chicken and cows in scenery fit for Bambi, and relatively close to neighbors who live in the mountains – if you travel by horse, at least. Still, only a day’s hike from others, and a couple days out from town. To this day, when I think of a happy place, I think of El Jordan.

The goal was to camp here, but we were told that Doña Nelida’s cabin was only a few miles away. Although exhausted, we figured we could press on through the next few hours before sundown; we stopped here to refuel and stretch before pressing onward.

Continuing Towards Doña Nelida’s Cabin

I absolutely loved the scenery here. We climbed high and were hiking alongside gushing rivers that fed the jungle waterways of the previous day. Covering more distance, we climbed low in pursuit of our destination. We finally reached the river that the folks at El Jordan told us about, and the mountain beyond it. It was a small but exciting river crossing made from shifty logs.

Our exhaustion made the climb beyond it intimidating. By this point, we were 8 hours into our trek. Feet dragged, shoulders screamed, hips protested, and backs ached. Nevertheless, we pressed onward and met our exhaustion without care the moment we spotted Doña Nelida’s cabin…or so we thought.

Lost Again!

We would later learn that this river – and the mountain beyond it – was not the one we were meant to cross or climb. You will see this motif pop up now and again (and again!) here at AdventuresInRoamance.

The property owner here, Maria, after being mistook for Doña Nelida, told us that we needed to reverse course and cross a different river that would lead us up to a different mountain.

Reading the exhaustion on our faces, she offered assistance. It turns out that Doña Nelida is her mother, and she has been meaning to return Macho, a horse, back to her. Therefore, she can show us a shortcut that cuts between both mountains and involves crossing over the river that runs into the separating valley. We jumped at this opportunity, having no desire to hike down the mountain, cross the valley, and hike up the other. Before long, her husband, Julio, took Macho and led us across the way.

The Shortcut

I was relieved. Reversing course meant even more hiking, without the guarantee that we wouldn’t get lost again. And if we did get lost, reversing course all the way back to La Pastora meant that we would miss out on the unseen beauty of Los Nevados – particularly the Paramos Ecosystem which was on the agenda for Day 3. Even so, this was not a feasible escape plan because making it would be impossible to make it safely down given how late it was and how fatigued we were (it was 4:00 PM).

We set forth off-trail through private property surveilled by livestock guardian dogs who would tear trespassers to shreds. Although we had our trusted local property owner with us, we were exposed in other ways that he could not ameliorate: a storm was brewing and thunder roared not just above, but all around us.

Being exposed without cover was frightening. We kept some distance and remembered to shed our hiking poles and other gear if we heard or felt any of the telltale buzzing that precedes a lightning strike. Luckily, the knowledge was not put into practice; as we descended towards the waterfall-turned-river we felt relatively sheltered.

Crossing Over to the Other Mountain

This is where the detour changed our adventurous trek from terrifying inspiriting. While Macho and caballero crossed from above, we took the shaky bridge. It dawned on us that a slip would be 100% fatal, but that did not detract from our joy of finding such a gem of a path that few outsiders have ever traveled.

After crossing the stream and making it back on-trail, the caballero gave us directions that would lead us to our destination. He included landmarks that we should watch for, to be certain we are on the right path.

Our farewell was full of heartfelt thanks that simply could not chronicle the depths of emotion that we experienced in his short time with us. We gave a tip before parting ways.

Macho the Guide

By the time we set forth on the trail, Macho was already long gone. He knew his way home, and we looked forward to meeting him there.

Step by step, we climbed up the rocky trail, thankful to feel the familiarity of a real trail. We would soon pass the landmarks he mentioned. Slowly but surely, step by step, full of hope, we progressed. Then, something amazing happened.

As soon as we turned the corner, we saw Macho up ahead of us, looking back. The moment he saw us – which was immediate – he continued forward on the trail. This amazing creature, used to being led by someone, was now leading us home! A more rational argument might be that horses wait for queues from their handlers, and Macho was simply looking to us to know whether or not to continue traveling; however, I much prefer the theory that Macho knew that we were lost adventurers and that he promised the caballero that he would lead us home safely 🙂

At one point, a mountain villager on horseback took Macho’s reigns and lead him the rest of the way, offtrail. We were now at the mercy of the reliability of the directions we received.

In Dire Straits

The rain picked up at this point. The winds were chilling. Several stream crossings – some scary and others not so much – soaked our feet.

We were cold and exhausted; it was all we could do to keep our eyes peeled as we anxiously scurried along. The moment we laid eyes on the cabin and saw Macho with 3 others, we cried in an orgy of happiness and pain as the adrenaline crash consumed us.

Arriving at Doña Nelida’s Cabin

Doña Nelida’s husband was the first to greet us, with tall cups of hot aguapanela (brown-sugar water). We drank this in front of the cabin and sheltered from the rain. We proceeded to drink this as we slowly unloaded our gear; first the packs, then our soaking wet boots and socks.

A Heartwarming Family Meal

A hot wood-burning stove warmed us as we sat inside the cozy kitchen. We sipped the hot agua panela while chatting with Doña Nelida, her husband, and Albero (the caballero who brought Macho the rest of the way). We told the story of our adventure thus far – how we are visiting from America, left for the trailhead less than 24 hours after landing, and were on day 2 of our trek. Our audience gave deep, enthusiastic guffaws as we relayed the exhilarating events of the day; they were particularly amused by the story of getting lost and having Macho lead us home. Storytime lapsed during and well past dinnertime.

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The 3-course menu of agua panela, hot soup, and a smorgasborg of rice, eggs, tomatoes, arepas, and queso de mano (homemade cheese) put us in winddown mode. (I view agua panela as a liquid meal due to the amount we drank).

Sleeping Indoors for a Change

We paid to stay in one of the rooms and were ready to hit the sack as soon as we changed into dry clothes. I will point out that this is the first time ever, among countless nights, we didn’t camp outdoors. There are two reasons fort this:

• Tomorrow would be a long day: we would trek up into the Paramos ecosystem as far as time would allow, before leaving Los Nevados and heading back to La Pastora for the final slumber of the trek. This means that the mileage would be high.
• We wouldn’t really feel today’s aches and pains until tomorrow, so it would be unusually difficult to complete.

Trek Stats: Elevation Gain and Distance

Day 2 is split up into 3 sections. The first section is from my Garmin watch, and the last section onwards is from my Android phone (I forgot to pack my Garmin charger).

Here is the track from La Pastora to our first resting spot for lunch, which was on top of boulders during a rocky stretch of the trail:

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Here is the track from lunch to the cabin at El Jordan:

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Here is the track from El Jordan to Doña Nelida’s Cabin:

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