Alive and Well

Kristin and I are back in Huaraz after seven days of backpacking the Huayhuash Loop, which many say is one of the best treks in the world. Well, we certainly took enough pictures that give some credit to that claim. I cannot say I've hiked enough to be able to rank treks on a global scale. However, we camped above 4400 meters (14,400 feet) every night and hiked over numerous 5000 meter (16,500 feet) passes. We saw several locals, only two other backpacking groups (with guides) and zero independent hikers in our week on the trail. As I can edit and upload photos, I'll start sharing our tale.

As for me and Kristin, we are enjoying our last day in Huaraz. We have been staying with our gracious friend, Gary, and his family. Tonight we take an overnight bus to Lima. We will spend half a day there, buying food, checking out the Miraflores District, and trying not to get shot. Then we have a lovely 22-hour bus ride to Cusco. Luckily, I have plenty of photos to edit, emails to catch-up on, and books to read.

My mom and her friend are meeting us in Cusco, which is the nearest city to Machu Pichu. After a week of exploring Incan ruins, Kristin and I will continue south to Arequipe, where we'll trek through the Colca Canyon. Then it's off to Lake Titicaca, across the Bolivian border, a week in La Paz with Brady, south through the Andes to the great salt flats (Salar de Uyuni), into Chile via San Pedro de Atacama, and finally arriving at Santiago towards the end of June.

Our itinerary for the next five weeks is actually planned because we have a flight from Santiago to San Francisco on June 23. That's right, we are flying home! We are very excited to see local friends and family. However, we will not stay long as we want to head west, over the Pacific, to wherever the wind takes us. Email me if you'll be around. Hope to see you soon!

Until the Huayhuash travel posts are ready, here is a little eye candy to tide you over:

More Jumping Photos

More stunning sceneries with glacial lakes and dramatic peaks.

More bad weather.

And more macro shots.

Also, on the right side of this blog are the Stats Page, which is current as of today, and the TarpTent Love Page, which shows our camp spots over the last eight months and is updated as of the Santa Cruz Loop.