At 6:50 A.M., our van showed up at the gate to pick us up for the second (and spoiler alert, last) major hike of our trip. Our driver stopped by a little roadside stand to pick up his lunch, and then we stopped at a hostel to pick up another couple that was going on the hike.

This hike was 8 miles round trip, to a lake called Laguna 513. It was about an hour’s drive away. We arrived at a huge pasture where our driver dropped us off and told us to be back at 3:00 or there would be a fine. It was 9:15 so we had a little under 6 hours for this grueling, high-altitude hike.

We set off across the pasture with no apparent path visible to us. The cows and donkeys were so fun to watch as we made our way toward the mountains.

After we made it through the vast pasture to the path, the uphill climb started. We had a smooth path part of the time, but we also climbed up rocks and waterfalls. None of the parts were extremely steep, but with being at such a high altitude I was struggling. Lanita didn’t seem to be affected by it at all, which made it twice as annoying when I had to stop every few minutes and let my heart and lungs catch up. Thankfully the scenery was stunning throughout the whole hike, and she was very patient with me stopping to “enjoy the view” frequently.

The going was so slow, but about an hour in, we were up in the clouds. I was thanking God for the cool, cloudy weather because I was so tired of being hot and was quite sunburnt as well. Slowly, we started to be able to see some of the mountains through the clouds, which was beautiful.

Because of the snow and glaciers high on the mountains, there were so many different waterfalls and streams rushing down. About a mile before reaching Laguna 513 we got to Laguna Rajupaquinan, a smaller lake. At this point, I was going so slowly to try to keep my heart from pounding too much and it was after 12:00. I knew I couldn’t make it to the top and back down by 3:00 at this rate. Lanita still felt good and we had phone service at this point, so I told her to go ahead and I would wait for her on the way back. I tried to at least make it to 14,000’ and I was less than a mile from the top, but headache was setting in and I knew better than to just push myself through it.

I huddled under some rocks when it rained a bit and ate some lunch. After that I explored beside the stream and around the small lake I had made it to.

Since I was still feeling sluggish, I started back down at a snail’s pace, but it wasn’t long before Lanita caught up to me. She had made it to the top and had even run part of the way back down. I was so impressed and we were so glad to be together again for the hike back down.

We had to hurry back down, as we were trying hard to make it back by 3:00. We knew the other hikers were all still behind us, but we still had a lot of ground to cover.

Coming back through the pasture on the final half mile, we somehow got into a marshy section, that we couldn’t seem to get out of. Finally we just had to make a dash for higher ground, which caused us to sink up to our calves in mud. My headache hurt worse with each step and I was nearly in tears trying to get out of there. Meanwhile, Lanita was doubled over with laughter at the sight of me flailing through that awful mud.

We made it back to the van just a little after 3:00 to our great pride. However, the other couple that had come with us did not return until 4:30 so we had to wait awhile. While we sat there waiting, I took ibuprofen and electrolytes and soon felt better.

One of my friends gave me an Uno game with miniature cards. I have taken to keeping it in my wallet so it’s with me wherever I go and it has made for so many fun times. It was the perfect thing to do while we sat there and waited with no phone service.

Finally they returned, and they must have met the same fate we did. The man’s legs were covered in mud up to his knee and they both looked so tired and defeated. The sight of them dragging their weary, muddy bodies back to the van made us laugh so hard that it was all worth the wait.

We were so happy to be back that night, and Huandoy, the mountain that had been covered in clouds most of the time we were there, was showing through the clouds with the most beautiful golden glow from the sun. This was the view from the balcony of our room.

We had been planning to do the Laguna 69 hike tomorrow, but we quickly decided we were cancelling those plans.

Lanita’s shoes and my hiking boots were too caked in mud (inside and out) to save, so we had to throw those away and will both have to fly home in our sandals.

I suppose these are the things we will brag about when we are old ladies and can’t even go up a staircase without puffing.

Joel made us a delightful pizza for dinner. It had cheese and bacon and strawberries with balsamic glaze. The strawberries were from an organic strawberry farm just up the road. He told us how he made it, so I’m planning to try to make it at home.

One thing I love about this climate is how many amazing foods you can make with fruits, vegetables, and herbs that are in season and locally grown. It really does make a difference on the taste of the food. The fresh fruit we have been eating far surpasses anything you can buy in the grocery stores at home.

Sleep will be sweet!

x Ella