I am realizing that some of these blogs share similar characteristics and are beginning to run together. I apologize for the redundancy. I am planning to change the flavor of my blog soon, but for now you will have to survive another painstaking and predictable post of scenic vistas, enchanting mountains, and yet again more natural wonder of South America.
So, Jansa and myself found ourselves in Huaraz, home to the Cordillera Blanca and Negra ranges of the Andes in northern Peru. This is the same range of mountains that the incredible survival story from the book and motion picture ¨Touching the Void¨ took place. I will emphasize more than I have before that these are BIG BIG mountains with scary jagged peaks and gnarly glaciers. Welcome to the Andes!
After a little research, Jansa and I picked out a classic 4-day loop (Santa Cruz trail) that was manageable and gave a good taste of the Cordillera Blancas. Thanks to Jansa´s steadfast will to get the ball moving, we were able to prepare everything for the trip in one day. We hit the trail running, and we were off into the wilderness the next morning. Needless to say, it was awesome. I am going to leave the details to the photos. I don´t have the energy for the day-to-day happenings, and I doubt you do either.
I will mention that at some point along our hike, I realized that it was so easy to forget we were in a foreign country. There are no indications of it when you are in a wilderness. We did not have to speak Spanish and we were not immersed into an age old culture so drastically different from our own. For the most part, our reality was rock, water, and sky. That is what I love about wild places. It is not complicated, and there is no difficulty in discerning what is real. However, like a foreign culture, mountains can expose you; make you vulnerable. Often times, they can make you feel unwelcome. Anybody that has spent time in the backcountry can tell you this.
In a way, being out there on the Santa Cruz trail felt foreign, but familiar. The simplicity of rock, grass, and water collided with the repelling nature of forbidding peaks and the stirring of dark clouds. The combination made for an odd mantra, and it sent my mind on a trip. Over 19 hours of hiking, we had a lot of time to walk and ponder. For the most part, I enjoyed my reflections on this adventure. I let the cerebellum run far. I visited memories of Christmas and family, past adventures at Gonzaga and in Montana, and our recent experiences here in South America. All of which deserve reflection. And, I cannot think of a much better place. The environment along this gorgeous route was perfect for tranquil thought.
Along the trail, Jansa and I both agreed that it was easy to let your mind get lost up there. Maybe it was the thin air. I have concluded that it takes a sort of emptiness to liberate your mind. The Cordillera Blancas were absent of all the complications of the modern world, and therefore, I was able to let free thoughts imprisoned by a more complicated world.
We walked out on my 24th birthday, back to civilization (where some delicious beers were found).
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