Saturday Morning Adventuras

Normally I will try to balance photographs with writing but when you are in the mountains, the view can be too awing for words.

I set out Saturday morning with the intent of climbing the highest peak I could find. Unfortunately, I failed, but you've gotta start somewhere.

You can see how discouraging the trek was. At this point I was still running but shortly hereafter I submitted to exhaustion and began to walk. The plus side of having a camera is that you can always justify taking a break by calling it a photo opportunity.

As I began to enter the westernmost portion of the Andes Mountains, I noticed a significant number of trails. Judging by the tracks the area is frequented by ATVs, dirt bikes, and even some daring 4x4 motorists.

The strange part about it is that over the course of a 8 hour adventure, I didn't see a single other person. In fact, with the exception of some desert daises, the only other living creature I came across was this little fellow. I found him as I was picking up some trash that I decided to pack out in an attempt to leave the area cleaner than how I found it.

Here you can see the last leg of the climb. In absence of any vegetation I was submitted to several small rock slides during the ascent. I managed to keep my footing until it came to the descent, during which I tried to use my long legs for a rapid return home and took a minor spill.

And finally - the summit. It is mind boggling to look in 360 degrees, see no sign of vegetation, no sign of life, and still want to bask in the tranquility of what is before you. I decided to stop here for an hour, eat my lunch, and enjoy this beautiful vantage point.

As I forgot sun screen, I quickly realized that my pale complexion was failing me and had to depart before the sun could do any more damage. The only downside to this was missing a wonderful sunset. However, timing was on my side and I got to see just how wonderful the sunset is on the western seaboard.