I was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Andes in Ecuador. I was new to Amaluza (Southern Ecuador, Loja Province), and I was anxious to scout the area for potential trout farm sites (rainbow trout had been introduced to the area years ago).

A local farmer told me about a lagoon in the mountains that was well stocked with Rainbow Trout. I wanted to verify that there were already trout in this river system, so I asked him to guide me to the lagoon.

After an 8-hour hike, we arrived at the lagoon and ate a quick lunch. My guide left me, and I planned to spend the night. Unfortunately, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped so I decided to go to a lower elevation to set camp.

I got to a nice spot where the trail crossed the river and I decided to camp on a flat rock. Since it was a great night, I kept my Meteor Light in my backpack and slept directly on the rock.

After eating a great dinner and reading a bit, I fell asleep. A few hours later, the sky opened up and I got soaked. As the river rose, I sought shelter on one of the banks and wrapped my tent around me.

Though my Van Winkle was plenty warm when dry, it wasn't warm at all when it was wet (I should have gone with a Wild Bill). I suffered through the night and packed my stuff at first light.

It was still raining. Though my backpack was a few pounds heavier (a down sleeping bag absorbs a lot of water), I was excited about the short, all down-hill hike home.

Unfortunately, the river had risen so much that I couldn't cross over to the trail I needed. I was stuck on the wrong mountain! The hike home from that spot would only take me 3 hours in the future. That day it took me 15.5 hours.

Since there was no real trail, I followed cow paths as they cut back and forth up the mountain and back down the other side to the wrong town. I then walked many miles, in the rain, to my town, bloody from the many prickers along the way.

The whole episode could have been avoided if I'd:

1. Put up my tent.
2. Crossed the river while the weather was great.

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Nathan at the river

The hills of southern Ecuador