You may have noticed that on my normal abandonment of this blog has really reached an inappropriate level. Well, I have an excuse, I swear. My parents came to Cusco! Yes, Nancy Grant and Mike Boyson made the long Portland- NYC- Lima- Cusco journey to spend some quality time together and embark on a MONSTER HIKE. This monster hike was 4 days and 4 nights up and around Mt. Ausangate, the tallest mountain in the Cordillera Vilcanota mountain range at 20,900 feet. We were admittedly a little unsure of what to expect- we were told it gets cold and that we'd be hiking steep terrain at high altitudes.
Well, I don't think any of us imagined what we got. It was unbelievable in every way imaginable. It's difficult to describe. First of all, we were in the middle of nowhere. We started from the town of Tinke, about 300 miles southeast of Cusco. While we were on the trail, we saw almost no one. Every now and then we'd come across a small Andean child or old lady and we'd wonder, "Where on earth did that person come from?!?" Secondly, the natural beauty we were surrounded by was constant and breathtaking (and I hate that word). We were walking on and around amazing mountains, glaciers, lakes, alpacas, llamas, and vicugnas, and then at night the stars and moon were so bright and seemed so close they almost seemed fake.
Challenges: it was steep, and at 17,000 feet the air is very thin. I did okay considering the frequency with which I work out here (low) but the poor unacclimated padres experienced some serious huffing and puffing. Also, at night it got down to about 10°F. That is COLD when you're sleeping in a tent. We woke up with frost on our tents and condensation on our sleeping bags.
Highlights: Our guide Miguel who not only logistically had everything perfect, but also is a fluent Quechua speaker and could communicate with anyone we came across, and is very in touch with Pachamama, the Mother Earth and mountain goddess for Andean people. He made the whole experience very spiritual for us and educated us on the history and significance of Pachamama.
It was also wonderful to spend so much time with my parents in such an incredible setting- sharing that experience with them is something I'll never forget.
The trip was a physical challenge and ultimately an accomplishment, an opportunity to sincerely connect with la naturaleza and simultaneously disconnect with the world and all its entities, and a serious mind clearer. It was undoubtedly one of the coolest journeys I've been on, and I'll definitely remember it forever. Lucky for me, since Ausangate is so massive, despite the fact that it's 300 miles from Cusco, even on a semi-clear day you can see it from almost anywhere in the city. It will be a constant reminder of the magical time I spent there!
Well, I don't think any of us imagined what we got. It was unbelievable in every way imaginable. It's difficult to describe. First of all, we were in the middle of nowhere. We started from the town of Tinke, about 300 miles southeast of Cusco. While we were on the trail, we saw almost no one. Every now and then we'd come across a small Andean child or old lady and we'd wonder, "Where on earth did that person come from?!?" Secondly, the natural beauty we were surrounded by was constant and breathtaking (and I hate that word). We were walking on and around amazing mountains, glaciers, lakes, alpacas, llamas, and vicugnas, and then at night the stars and moon were so bright and seemed so close they almost seemed fake.
Challenges: it was steep, and at 17,000 feet the air is very thin. I did okay considering the frequency with which I work out here (low) but the poor unacclimated padres experienced some serious huffing and puffing. Also, at night it got down to about 10°F. That is COLD when you're sleeping in a tent. We woke up with frost on our tents and condensation on our sleeping bags.
Highlights: Our guide Miguel who not only logistically had everything perfect, but also is a fluent Quechua speaker and could communicate with anyone we came across, and is very in touch with Pachamama, the Mother Earth and mountain goddess for Andean people. He made the whole experience very spiritual for us and educated us on the history and significance of Pachamama.
It was also wonderful to spend so much time with my parents in such an incredible setting- sharing that experience with them is something I'll never forget.
The trip was a physical challenge and ultimately an accomplishment, an opportunity to sincerely connect with la naturaleza and simultaneously disconnect with the world and all its entities, and a serious mind clearer. It was undoubtedly one of the coolest journeys I've been on, and I'll definitely remember it forever. Lucky for me, since Ausangate is so massive, despite the fact that it's 300 miles from Cusco, even on a semi-clear day you can see it from almost anywhere in the city. It will be a constant reminder of the magical time I spent there!
The monster from the road
Getting ready to conquer the beast.
Camp on night two. Coffee is goooood!
Dedicated to Trevor
So many alpacas.
Camp on night 3. Very cold. I slept with two pairs of long underwear, three pairs of socks, a tank top, a t-shirt, a long sleeve shirt, a heavy fleece, a jacket, my heavy ski jacket, a scarf, a hat, hoods from my jackets, gloves, and a hot water bottle. I barely survived the nights.
This is the river right next to our camp site. You will notice the river is frozen.
The combination of colors was incredible, between the sky, snow, lakes, red, etc.
I am happy.
The mountains did not stop. It was all we could see.
17,552 feet- If you had asked me my name at this point I would have answered Elise, Goddess of Mountains. That's the peak of Ausangate behind me on the left (to get to the tippy-top you have to have crampons, ropes, etc.)
So many blisters. Making Curt Schilling proud.
The different location of lakes in relation to the glaciers made them different colors. Cool!
Kind of like the Caribbean, minus the alpacas and mountains?
This is what two relaxed hikers look like
Our last lunch spot- so close to the end! With our chef, Juancito (who clearly took his cooking pretty seriously- and it was so yummy!)*If you want more pictures, check out facebook!
