 On 14 August he obtained horses and set off with a companion "on a geological excursion" to the base of the Andes.They reached the Hacienda de San Isidro, sited at the foot of "Cerro La Campana", and on the morning of 16 August after being given a guide and fresh horses they began their ascent.In his notes on the vegetation seen on the way up, including a sort of bamboo, he described the process by which sap resembling honey was obtained from the palms.