Holy cow! Just wait till I can post pictures. I took over 180 today. Yesterday I don´t remember what I posted, but I am sure I mentioned running into Tatiana and Peggy at the Jazz Festival. I probably didn´t mention all the Argentinean haircuts that make me want to laugh and take pictures. The best was a fauxhawk-mullet. I did get a picture of that one, and gratefully I can say it isn´t hereditary. His son was quite cute. I also saw a String Cheese Incident t-shirt which made me happy. Jonny was they guy´s name, a kid from BC who is a big fan and lived in Colorado for 9 months. And I hope I mentioned the delicious cinnamon ice cream.
Anyway, today I got up later than I wanted, but I still made it out of the house at a reasonable time to meet Peggy and Tatiana from the farm. We planned to hike Cerro Piltriquiltron. It is a mouthful to say once or three times fast. It is only 2200 meters or so, but coming from about 500 to 800 meters, it is a pretty good climb. I took a taxi to meet the girls, and then after talking about hitchhiking, I said we needed a truck. And the next car was a truck and picked us up. This was great because it is about a three hour climb to the refugio, but it is mostly dirt road. So we got the lift up, and after hiking for about 40 minutes, we came to the bosque tallado, a forest of totems. Mostly just carved tree trunks, but all quite fascinating. I took many pictures of these. Then another twenty minutes to the refugio, a small little cabin where someone lives year round to provide shelter for hikers, as well as delicious homebrew and pizza. We signed in to hike a la cumbre - to the top, though the clouds were so dense Peggy thought we would only climb to the mirador, a twenty-five minute climb. We did that, and afterwards it was hard to choose not to keep hiking. The vistas were amazing!! It was my first time in boots in over a week, and my toe was mas o menos. I was convinced it was bleeding in my boot, but I didn´t need to take it off. We hiked through a lot of wind and a lot of snow. As we got closer to the top, there was a lot of loose rock and steep grades. I had a little fear of being blown off, but we all persevered together. It took about two and a half hours to summit, and I was freezing. There was bits of snow and ice coming out of the clouds at us periodically. More photos...a video...a few bites of banana and apple, and then we were out of there! The trek down made me nervous because it was so steep, but I found a rhythm and made each step last two feet or so. It made the descent easier on my knees, sliding out each step in the loose rocks. And on the snow it was a fake skiing, similar to cross country. It was a lot of fun, and the descent was no more than an hour and a half. I was grateful for the flat spot, though it was super windy in the valley, but it was easier on my right knee. Lots of photos! Stunning to see into Chile! Stunning mountains in every single direction! If I was more stable on the top, I would have taken a three-sixty of photos, but safety first!
Back in the warm cabin, we ate snacks we brought and bought a beer. It was a delight to rest for a bit in the warmth, though it got cold after a while. We made friends with other people and headed off with a guy from Colombia. Peggy and I snagged a ride from a truck, which actually took me all the way in to town after she got out. I was grateful to be rescued from the hike downhill. I went to Jauja for ice cream and a submarino, hot milk with a chocolate bar inside. Stir it up for a version of hot chocolate! They had been wuite built up for me, and it didn´t meet expectations, but it was still really good. I grabbed a few groceries and walked back to the hostel. I read along the non-main road, and I felt so at home. It was nice. I am staying till my flight. No sense trying to rush away from a place that feels so comfortable. Angela was here when I got back, so we made dinner, drank homebrew, and talked. Her birthday is in a week, so it was a pre-birthday treat for her. We talked with a couple guys that work here, and everything was so comfortable. I really enjoy this space, so welcoming and cozy and comfortable. I think it is better now that some of the rowdy people have left. Tomorrow I MUST do laundry because I stink!! I am off to take a shower and get ready for bed. Tomorrow I will sleep in, do laundry, meet the girls in twon when I go in to send off Angela, and the rest will be abother adventure! Suerte! tori
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