Two other hikers (Canadians Dan and Keith) will accompany Christi and I on the 6-day trek to the top of Roraima (located in Canaima National Park in south-east Venezuela). We meet them at the offices of New Frontiers Adventures in Santa Elena at 10 am. We learn that Dan and Keith organize and participate in academic research expeditions to the Arctic for a living. Hiking Roraima would appear to be an afternoon stroll by comparison. And apparently it is, so the guys are embarking upon a more ambitious exploration of this massive national park (which is the same size as Belgium or the state of Maryland). Much of the park comprises the fascinating rock formations known as tepuis (flat-top mountains or mesas). Roraima is the largest of these tepuis, while the tallest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls, plummets off another tepuis 140 miles away as the crow flies. It seemed quite natural to Dan and Keith to travel between these two iconic features overland (bike, raft, and if all else fails, leg power). New Frontiers Adventures will be dropping off supplies periodically, but Roraima apart (where a guide is obligatory), they intend to travel without guides relying on their own survival skills to reach their destination. They expect to complete their crazy adventure in one month. Good luck with that crazy idea.
Christi and I feel quite pathetic by comparison and especially so when we give all our kit to porters to carry while Dan and Keith each carry 30-pound packs. Our guide is the immediately likeable Ricardo, 29. He is perhaps the happiest man in the world. We begin with a painful minivan ride from Santa Elena to the trailhead at the Pemon (indigenous tribe) village of Paraitepui 100 km away.
The first day is a relatively easy 12-km hike to our campsite beside the Tek River. The route is rolling savanna dotted with trees, particularly beside the many streams we cross. The skies are blue and the horizon is dominated by the massive bulk of Roraima and its near neighbor Kukenan (less imposing, but easier on the eye). Both tepuis are ringed by cloud, their sheer size creating microclimates around the summits. We encounter only a few other hikers (and their industrious porters) but nothing like the madness of the Inca trail. We arrive at our campsite after 4 easy hours of walking. There are a few huts, but no facilities. The porters are busy putting up our tents and making dinner. Dan, Christi, and Ricardo bathe in the freezing waters of the Tek River (the last opportunity to do so for several days). I on the other hand am content to remain dirty, but warm. The toilet situation is anywhere; just be discreet. Dinner is, as usual on these treks, sumptuous and filling, while the talk is of the grand adventure to come. Darkness arrives by 6 pm (this is the tropics) and we are tucked up in bed by 8 pm. So far, and I know I’m tempting fate, here, the hike is a doddle.
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching, heart-wrenching, laugh-wrenching tale.
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