Climbing the Equator, Running the Jungle: Adventures in the Jungles and Mountains of Ecuador

272 Pages·2005·2.82 MB·English

by  Neville Shulman

CLIMBING THE EQUATOR
Copyright © Neville Shulman, 2005
Maps designed by Ron McGeary
Photographs by Neville Shulman, Tammy Ambrose,
Bruna Colombo-Otten, Esther Carmeli and Ecuadorian
colleagues
The right of Neville Shulman to be identified as the author of
this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77
and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Condition of Sale
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not,
by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or
otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other
than that in which it is published and without a similar
condition including this condition being imposed on the
subsequent publisher.
Summersdale Publishers Ltd
46 West Street
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 1RP
UK
www.summersdale.com
Printed and bound in Great Britain
ISBN 1 84024 450 X
Climbing The Equator is dedicated to all the children of
South America who need our support and encouragement.
All the book royalties are being donated to charities involved
in caring for South American children.
C
ONTENTS
Foreword by John Blashford-Snell ..................................6
Foreword by Chris Bonington .........................................8
Maps ..................................................................................9
1. The High Road to Ecuador ........................................11
2. Running the Jungle ....................................................18
3. Tough Times on El Norte ..........................................24
4. The Centre of the World ............................................37
5. The Bumpy Ride of Independence ............................45
6. El Sur Takes Me to the Limit .....................................57
7. A Tale of Four Cities and a Mountain .......................66
8.Adventurers, Explorers, Mountaineers ......................87
9.The Huaoranis on the Run ......................................106
10. More Tribes and Traditions ....................................115
11. Cotopaxi Breaks ......................................................125
12. More Mountains to Climb .....................................136
13. There’s a Jungle Out There ...................................149
14.The Mountain in the Jungle ..................................160
15. Flora at the Equator ................................................168
16. Creatures Great and Small .....................................175
17. Galapagos Stories ....................................................191
18. The World’s Tallest Mountain................................212
19. Hidden in the Forest ..............................................224
Appendix 1. Lucky Thirteen ............................................229
Appendix 2. El Niño ........................................................232
Appendix 3. Protecting the Future ....................................237
Appendix 4. Ecuador’s Mountains ....................................246
Bibliography ...................................................................254
F J
OREWORD BY OHN
B -S
LASHFORD NELL
Colonel John Blashford-Snell, explorer and writer, known as the ‘Indiana
Jones of Britain’, is the Chairman of the Scientific Exploration Society
and has led many expeditions including those of the Blue Nile, Zaire
rivers, Kota Mama and British Trans-Americas.
A
lthough I have led expeditions in much of South
America and explored some of its remotest regions,
it is to my great regret that I have never been to
Ecuador. However, I hope to remedy this very soon, and
then will certainly have Neville Shulman’s book to hand.
Having known the author for many years, I admire his
enquiring mind and the intelligent way in which he has
described this meeting place of the high Sierra, the Amazon
rainforest and the fertile Pacific coastal plains, above which
towers the snow-covered peak of Mount Chimborazo.
Neville provides a vivid description of the extraordinary
wildlife and particularly the fascinating birds. He gives
thrilling accounts of his climbs to the high altitude summits
of the Andes, facing many dangers and braving challenging,
uncertain conditions.
Neville’s books are always a great read and this is certainly
no exception. He also vividly describes the background and
history of Ecuador and we experience the problems of the
many indigenous tribes and feel for them, as he obviously
does.
Ecuador is a country full of spectacular contrasts and
diversity and there are interesting facts and information in
every chapter. The author’s thought-provoking approach
provides us with many insights and opportunities to
evaluate the way we think about the rainforest and its
6
FOREWORD
inhabitants, whether human, animal or the huge variety
of reptiles and insects to be found there. The Galapagos
Archipelago is an incredible and special place, full of
magical creatures and habitats, and throughout Neville’s
expedition we encounter enchantment as we accompany
him on his colourful journeys. This is an entertaining book
with plenty of surprises.
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F C
OREWORD BY HRIS
B
ONINGTON
Sir Chris Bonington is internationally acknowledged as one of the world’s
finest mountaineers and is a prolific writer and photojournalist. He has led
expeditions throughout the world and was with Colonel Blashford-Snell
on the Blue Nile expedition.
T
his is another intriguing and fascinating book, this
time on Ecuador, by Neville Shulman, who as
always excels in telling the stories of his adventures
and at the same time providing in-depth information and
background on the region visited. His approach is from
many perspectives and is imaginative and appealing. I have
climbed Sangay, the most active of Ecuador’s volcanic
mountains, and know full well the dangers and difficulties
that can be encountered in this small but very attractive
South American country. Neville’s own mountain struggles
clearly illustrate the powerful forces to be encountered
and he nobly experiences both failure and success, but
feels privileged, as we all do, to be able to climb these high
altitude mountains.
This evocative book explores the whole panorama of
jungles and rainforests, as well as their indigenous tribes
and colourful animals, and their extensive and exotic bird
life. Ecuador, like Peru, was the land of the mysterious Incas
and of course includes the Galapagos Islands which contain
so many extraordinary creatures, such as the giant tortoise
and marine and land iguanas, that so greatly influenced the
naturalist and writer Charles Darwin. Neville Shulman’s
book provides compelling insights into the backgrounds of
all the animals, birds and marine life of the Galapagos, and
it is enthralling stuff.
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