Rapelling Waterfalls with Gary Young

By Dr. David Stewart, PhD

During my stay at the Nova Vita Clinic in Guayaquil, Ecuador, during February of this year, Gary Young came in one day to ask if some of us would like to take a trip to the mountains and jungles of the upper Amazon. There were seven of us who went, including Eldon Knittle of Texas, a longtime Young Living distributor and friend of Mary and Gary. In addition to two of the clinic patients, Tamara Packer, Vallorie Judd, and Belen of the clinic staff also came. Belen, a native of Ecuador, was our translator. It was quite an adventure.

First, we flew from Guayaquil to Quito, Ecuador's national capital, where Gary rented a van which he drove into the spectacular Andes mountains. They were covered with greenery with crops being grown up the sides of near-vertical slopes. We stopped on the way to visit a grove of Eucalyptus trees. Two species of eucalyptus (globulus and citriodora) were imported to Ecuador from Australia a couple of hundred years ago for erosion control. Both species took to the soils and climate of the mountains of Ecuador very well so that today there are hundreds of thousands of eucalyptus trees seen throughout the region. Furthermore, the two species naturally interpollenated, creating a hybrid which eventually began to reproduce on its own as a new species, Eucalyptus ecuadoria, found only in Ecuador. Gary will be producing oils from these species in the not-too-distant future.

EL VOLCAN TUNGURAHUA
As we drove into the mountains from Quito, we drew near the erupting volcano, Tungurahaua, which has been steaming for more than ten years now. We never saw the actual volcano because of the persistent equatorial clouds, but did see the black and gray ashes boiling up into the sky. We were headed for Banos, Ecuador, where the Young Living Seminar of February 23 - March 1, 2008, was originally to be held. Unfortunately, due to unfounded rumors of an eminent danger posed by the volcano to the rural and scenic Banos area, numerous Young Living distributors who had enrolled for the convention canceled while dozens of others objected strongly out of fear, forcing the meeting to be transferred, to Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador, just two weeks before the seminar dates. This last minute transfer of meeting location was very costly to Young Living who had already signed contracts with the facilities at Banos.

The scientific truth is that the chances of a violent eruption from that volcano during the time of the Young Living Seminar were virtually nonexistent. Furthermore, even had there been a strong eruption during the Young Living Seminar, for that volcano to be a threat to the Bath area at this time is a geologic impossibility. The volcano, which is some 30-40 miles in diameter, is currently erupting on the south side, 20 miles away and opposite from Banos, which is on the north side of the volcano. The north side of that volcano has been extinct for thousands of years and poses no possibility of any violent behavior even within the next thousand years. For the molten magma, currently close to the surface on the south side, to migrate many miles within the subsurface to the north side and erupt on the Banos side would take many centuries of slow igneous migration, which would easily be monitored by scientists as it moved underground. Magma moving deep below land surface from one location to another is a seismically noisy process, producing countless small earthquakes easily measured and tracked from the surface.

DISTORTION IN THE NEWS
The news media, not understanding this, reported the volcano as being a threat to Banos, a statement unsubstantiated by the geologic facts. There was also a political aspect to the news media's misrepresentation. The government of Ecuador realized it could receive large amounts of international relief moneys if the volcano could be described as a threat to the people of the area. Hence, by feeding misinformation to the press, the government helped create a panic scenario that ultimately resulted in their receiving approximately 5 million dollars in international funds. Once the funds were received by government officials, they changed their prognostications to say that the volcano now appears to be less of a threat than formerly supposed. In any case, Young Living had to move its Ecuador seminar from the beauty of the mountains and an adventure in the jungle to a city seminar in Guayquil.

However, the seven of us who spent two days with Gary in the Banos area got to have a taste of the jungle adventure Gary had in mind for the whole group of 340 Young Living distributors who came for the seminar the last week of February. We got to spend a day at the beautiful Samari Resort where Gary had the meeting in mind. It was a dream resort snuggled in a deep valley between towering green mountains. We also visited another resort hotel, Luna Runtun, somewhat higher in elevation, where some of us would have stayed for the Young Living meeting. That mountain resort was perched on the edge of a sheer cliff that overlooked Bath 1500 feet below. To say the view was spectacular would be a gross understatement.

LUNA RUNTUN
Luna Runtun is like a paradise in the sky, full of tropical flowering vines and bushes and picturesque trees. It is actually situated on the northern flank of the Volcan Tungurahua where on clear nights the glow of the volcano can be seen to the south more than 15 miles away. But as for any danger to the residents of Luna Runtun, there are none. The owners live there with no fear and no concern. Even the ashes continuously spewed from the volcano are downwind and never blow in the direction of Banos or the resort. In fact, Guayaquil, more than 200 miles to the south receives more ashes than Bath. We ate three gourmet meals and spent the night at Luna Runtun, sleeping in several of the quaint cottages that blend into the verdant landscape. Each cottage has a fireplace with a supply of wood and a pack of matches.

The owners of Luna Runtun are a friendly and pleasant couple. The lady is a native of Ecuador whose family have owned this property in the mountains for three generations. Luna is their family name. Runtun is the historic name of the region. The man is from Switzerland, an experienced manager and designer of hotels and resorts. If you are looking for an exotic retreat, vacation, or second honeymoon, Luna Runtun would be a perfect choice.

HIKE TO DIABLO FALLS
During the trip, we hiked into the jungles of a canyon carved into the mountains by a tributary of the upper Amazon River. A trail had been cut down the side of the canyon through the thick jungle growth, which would otherwise have been impenetrable. Near the level of the rushing river, we walked up to the side of Diablo Falls, a cascade more than 200 feet high carrying more than 60,000 pounds of water per second continuously crashing into the canyon. Most of us got wet from the mist arising from the waters thundering upon the boulders below.

The hike back to the top of the canyon was long and arduous, but thanks to the exercise and strength building routine in which I had been engaged in the clinic, I could do it and enjoy it. At the top, we purchased native handcrafts from a lady in a lean-to. I bought a pair of earrings for my wife made of colored beans and a kaleidoscope fashioned from native materials. (Note: The earrings of beans were not the only gift I brought home for my wife.)

RAPPELLING DOWN WATERFALLS
The climax to our adventure with Gary was to rappel down a series of waterfalls. Five of us in the group agreed to do it, including Eldon Knittle (age 68) and myself (age 70). It was an unforgettable experience for me and I would do it again. If you have never rappelled, the process consists of stepping backwards over the edge of a vertical surface such as a cliff or the side of a tall building, and lowering yourself with a pair of ropes which you control. In this case, we were rappelling down waterfalls gushing over a stony precipice.

Tamara Packer, head nurse at the clinic, went first since she had done it before, demonstrating "how easy" it really was. Eldon Knittle fearlessly volunteered to go next and was as agile as a man half his age. The first falls was only about 30 feet high (just to get our feet wet). The second falls was a bit higher and had more water. The third and last falls was an overhang into space about 125 feet above a jumble of huge boulders below. (The last experience would be like rappelling off an overhanging roof of a 12-story building where someone at the top held a water hose raining upon you all the way down.)

Meanwhile, Gary watched all of us and took pictures. It was a feeling of triumph and exhilaration that can not be described. It can only be experienced. Appealing was only one of the jungle adventures Gary had in mind for everyone when he planned the Ecuador Seminar. There also would have been white water rafting, zip lining, horseback riding, and a trek into the jungles to visit a real native village with a real native curandero and experience a real native healing ceremony.

Gary hopes to plan another such seminar for Young Living distributors in the Banos area. Whenever that happens, el Volcan Tungurahua will still be erupting and will probably continue to do so for another ten years or more, but Bath and the area around it will remain safe and untouched. Next time Young Living schedules a jungle adventure in that area, don't listen to the news. Just go. I will be there and plan to rappel once again and, perhaps, do both the white water rafting and the zip lining as well.

Reprinted from The Raindrop Messenger, a free online newsletter, with permission from Dr. David Stewart. To subscribe or download back issues, visit www.RaindropTraining.com.