sailor | freak superhuman athlete | yellow fever | Africa

A steep trail winds up a mountain from the village to the top of Mirador de Selkirk (Selkirk's Lookout). According to legend, each morning the sailor made this trek, hoping to spot some sails on the horizon. Supposedly, Selkirk was in such good physical shape, he could outrun the goats. But after spending half an hour struggling up the slope, I'm convinced he was either a freak superhuman athlete, or this was done while running downhill.

About halfway up (and just as I'm wondering if anyone has ever collapsed on this trail or twisted his ankle - after all, I'm completely alone up here, and it'd be all day before someone would find me), I come upon a stream of rainwater that is diverted into a makeshift drinking spout so that hikers can stop for refreshment. I sip the cool liquid, the very same water that nourished Selkirk.

Dark clouds suddenly materialize in the sky and dump a hard rain. This happens at least five times a day, and usually lasts for about 15 minutes, followed by the warm sun.

I reach the lookout spot, and the view from the peak is amazing. Once again, there's a commemorative sign about Selkirk. Locals later whisper to me that this couldn't have been Selkirk's actual lookout because of the direction it faces. Mountains block the view to the west, which means from the Mirador, he wouldn't have been able to spy ships coming from the mainland to rescue him.

Whichever location he used as a vantage point, one day in 1709, Selkirk spotted the privateer ship The Duke in the bay and ran down to the coast to build a fire. When he was brought aboard, his rescuers could barely­ understand his babbling. Selkirk returned to England, stories were written about his adventures, and he became a wealthy man. The sea ultimately drew him back, however, and on a 1721 expedition, he succumbed to yellow fever off the coast of Africa.