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The next morning, we started our climb out of the crator, following the trails and Inca path Sander and I had scouted out the night before. In the daylight, the trail was much easier, and no ropes were necessary in the end. On the way out, we passed by several gorgeous waterfalls, with draping plant life hanging off the cliff edges, glistening with moisture in the early morning sunshine. It was a special morning – I felt like I was in a story book!
We came out of the canyon over the final lip, and instantly we were in the town of Maragua. It was built up right against the edge of the crater, and in that spot, all of the streams and runoff drained out into the canyon we had just climbed out of.
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There was not a whole lot going on in Maragua when we arrived. It’s a farming village, and since it was winter, it was very quiet. The town was the end of the line for Sander and Cindy, because they had to get to Santa Cruz to fly back home to Holland. I really enjoyed my short time with those two. They are some of the most selfless people I have ever known. Yet another instance where two people have made a large impact on me, just by their examples. I’ll never forget their beaming smiles, as they peered over the back wall of the camio that carried them away.
And then there were three. Kat, Federica, and I set up my tent on the lawns of a hospedaje on the outskirts of town, and set out to explore the crater. I had heard about some dinosaur footprints somewhere close, so using clues and landmarks – “head for The Tree” – we climbed out of the west wall, and with the help of several farmers in the adjacent valley, we eventually found the footprints.
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There are three sets of tracks, permanently etched in a rock face about fifty meters by seventy-five meters in size. I have never experienced dinosaur footprints before, and I loved the moment. Sitting there beside something so ancient, I couldn’t help but feel insignificant. Dinosaurs were around a hell of a lot longer than humans, and something wiped them out, easy enough. Depressing to some, I guess, but I just find it so fascinating.
It was getting dark, so we headed back in the dying light at a brisk walk. None of us had brought flashlights along – not so smart – so we had a bit of fun – not really – trying to find our way around and through the maze of canyons all around Maragua. I got some great twilight shots of “The Tree”, though. It was such a cool place; what a fantastic area to be in!Image may be NSFW.
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