¡Oh, Condoritos!

Buenos Dias, Allyce and I were discussing how strange how we are able to sleep better in the woods. The white noise of the rushing river flowing by our tent. The sweet cool breeze blowing in through the mesh lining, wafting in rhythms, filling our head with memorable dreams. Now we are in Bariloche, with a constant background of noises, the stale air inside the room made for a disturbing night. Morgan and I left eight days ago with Orlando and assistant Pablo.We took a trail halfway up to a well known Refugio called Jakob. Our condor location was off trail, once off trail we made our way up a river, scrambling over boulders and cursing while stromping over the sharp spikes of Michay and the whipping sticks of Colihue (bamboo). Once we got to the condor nest area we pitched our tent next to the river. For five and a half days we scrambled up steep, slippery rocks to our observation area. The condors nest is called a nido in spanish, although it`s not really a nest, just an indent in soil with a rock overhang for shelter. We had to get high enough to view the chick or pichòn. From about 8 am to 7 pm we looked through our spotting scopes at the lives of the condors. The pichòn is a cute, large, fluffy, and awkward bird covered in a pile of down feathers. Most of the time Pichòn slept, huddled in a corner but sometimes the parents came to feed. Unfortunately I don`t have enough time to write about all that we observed. It was amazing, special, unique, and I treasured every moment. Even mid day when the sun was scorching our brains and we went crazy looking for shade. Or when Morgans Nalgene bottle went tumbling down the steep slope and shattered into pieces. Morgan brought along two flutes so while he sang sweet melodies, I awkwardly tried to make a few notes. Heading out again in a couple of days. Going to enjoy the time off I have.