Ethiopia (November-December
2013)
Korem to Tenta (4): From Camp 6 to Camp
9
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Return to main Ethiopia November-December 2013 webpage
To
see the map of the trek with the plot of the waypoints in another tab, click here.
To see the waypoints in Google Earth, click here.
On
the next morning, we resumed our long walk on the high plateau.
Because
of the relatively cold nights many huts are built with two layers. The lower
layer is for animals (sheep and goats). They bring some heat to the people on
the higher level.
On
that day we crossed a long stretch of plateau that was unusually devoid of
people.
Then
houses and fields progressively re-appeared. Initially, many fields looked like
stone fields.
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We
set our 7th camp again near a small group of stone huts. As was the
case at all camps, Gebru spent much time talking to
local people and befriending them. He was constantly trying to get information
about our future route. His other goal was to hire a local man with a donkey to
help us carry loads. Since this man had to return to his home on the same day,
we often had to switch in the middle of the day. My sense is that local people
liked very much to chat with Gebru.
On
the next day, the terrain looked more fertile and the fields more prosperous.
We
then reached this strange town. It looks like a town in an American Western movie,
very much like Lago in Clint Eastwood′s High Plains Drifter. In fact, I
learned that like many towns in 19th century American West, this
town grew up 3 years before almost instantly, like a mushroom.
We
set our 8th camp further on the plateau.
Finally,
after 4 days on this long plateau we finally reached its end and faced an
impressive 1200m-deep canyon. We walked down into this canyon to reach a flat
intermediate level (visible on both sides of the canyon) about half way between
the plateau and the river. We set our 9th camp there.
According
to the local people, King Tewodros II (1818-1868),
while fleeing toward Magdala, embushed
British forces (actually, an Indian army) led by Lord Napier from these cliffs
overseeing the canyon.
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Camp
9.
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View
from Camp 9 in the afternoon, ...
...
in the evening, ...
...
and in the early morning.
Other
sections of the trek:
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