Hiking around Villa Maria was an adventure. We ended up climbing 1,600ft in elevation on the one super sunny (and hot) day of the month and I am not sure exactly how much ground we covered but rest assured that our guide found the most obscure and steep pathways for us to climb. Additionally, while we were only supposed to spend three hours scoping out the land, we were gone for six hours and nearly hiked the entire perimeter of this "biological island." It was great exercise though!
Jose Luis says that this ecosystem seems to be on the verge of no recovery and when you compare it to the lush, healthy, and protected lomas of Lachay, you realize how much stress and destruction it has undergone. These particular lomas could be considered an "island" biologically because other than a few of the bird species, much of the wildlife cannot travel to other lomas to mix-up their gene pool. On top of the ecological challenges, there is the basic fact that people are living in the lomas. Some of the most impoverished communities have started to build their small homes up on the top of the slopes instead of in the valley because of urban sprawl and because the land is cheaper. Most of these people have no basic services such as water or electricity and do not even own a land title. As you can imagine, any successful conservation project here would require a very comprehensive approach involving the communities, municipalities, outside organizations, and biological management.
Well, that being said, I think we should go on a hike! Please remember to wear good shoes and to bring enough water - you never know where this guide might take you....
 |
| This is one of the valley communities in Villa Maria. We will take our taxi to the end of this street and then find our "path" into the lomas. |
 |
| Look - it is a coati! While he "belongs" to one of the men in the town, he does not belong here in the lomas. He would be much happier in the jungle. Wish we could smuggle him out with us... |
 |
| Up we go in the hills. We will probably have to stop multiple times for the man in the red shirt. He has identified himself as a "tourist" and takes photos at every turn. |
 |
| Our guide just said that this is one of the guardians of the lomas - can you see his face?? |
 |
| Wow, check out the hillside! All the purple is wildflowers. |
 |
| Let's take a breather (because we just climbed a virtually vertical slope) and enjoy the view. The guide says that this is an especially wet season and that often the hills are not this green. Lucky us! |
 |
| We just reached the top of the ridge and found this! Is that a road!? Are those houses on the hillside? Yep. The guide says that these people have built their homes here without permission but it was probably the only place they could afford. |
 |
| Wait, are those small square buildings dotting the hillside really houses? Yes. Let's keep walking along this pathway - there seems to be a great lookout point ahead... |
 |
| OH NO!!! Can it be? More houses. Why, it is practically a city! Imagine that. I wonder what this means for the future of the lomas? |
 |
| Ah there I am - thanks for taking my photo. Remind me not to wear so many layers next time. With so little cloud cover up here I am burning up! |
 |
| Pretty right? Beware of these little yellow flowers. They are Ortiga Negra and if you brush up against them, you will get thousands of tiny prickers in your clothes and your skin. And, it will burn for a few minutes. I may be speaking from experience here... |
 |
| Don't move! Its a Lagartija de Lomas - he really likes the rocky zones here. |
 |
| What's that? You want to walk on that sandy road way over there? Okay, if you insist... |
 |
| Hmm I think it is even hotter up here... The guide just said this is an illegal road. It is also pretty destructive to the lomas. Wonder how they got away with that? |
 |
| This is probably one of the wettest areas of the lomas when there is substantial fog. It is also a prime habitat for small mammals. |
 |
| Wow, you really like to take the long road don't you? We seemed to have slowly transitioned from green vegetation back into the desert. |
 |
| Look there are even cactus here! Jose Luis says that the majority of the vegetation usually occurs on the slopes facing southwest due to the direction the trade winds blow the fog here from the ocean. The GPS says we are at 3,100ft! |
 |
| Okay, this is probably not the best time to take my picture considering we are trying to make our descent down these unstable slopes. But, sure, I will smile for the camera. I mean, I am having fun! Aren't you!? |
 |
| Alright, down we go. Just find a couple of footholds for your boots and you will be just fine. You did bring boots like I told you, right? |
 |
| This is our guide and that is Villa Maria behind him just in case you forgot where we were headed. I know you are probably hungry because we didn't really eat lunch and it is almost 5pm but, don't worry - only another hour or two to go! |
 |
| I mean who thinks about being hungry when this is their view. |
 |
| Trust me, the best way to get down is to slide like you were skiing. |
 |
| Nice job! We made it back to the road. Now we will just have to walk until we run into a taxi. |
 | ||
| Nice find! A taxi chollo. He will take us into town were we can find another taxi back to Matellini.
|
One final look at the lomas as we leave Villa Maria.
What did you think of our hike?
Your narration on the pictures is classic. You should do it more often. And I can relate to having to ski down a hill in your boots.
ReplyDelete