Posted by We pulled up to San Antonio, our refuge in the high country near Aconcagua, the western hemisphere’s highest summit and stood in awe of the magnificent Andes Mountains. We were ready to do some hiking.
We started our first morning with our new guide, the montana perro (mountain dog), the best guide on the mountain. We hiked up the river bed and down the snail trail. It was gorgeous. The sky was sapphire and the wind was blowing, it was a fantastic day for a hike. The vast mountains took our breath away. We saw so much wildlife, from stallions and cows to colorful birds and foxes.
We went back to a delectable dinner in the refuge after our big adventure with a really big appetite.
We woke up the next morning to a whole lot of fog. Even though it was
dreary we still had a fantastic journey up to more rocky terrain and
some snow covered peaks. We climbed all the way up to 11,145 feet above
sea level, the highest my brother has ever been.
Later that night we
settled in at the refuge for some hot tea and a warm fire.
We loved our days in the mountains. Our final trek was the most gorgeous
of all. We climbed down the gurgling river and then up a rocky route
once traveled by the Incas. When we reached a small peak we saw some
incredible wild llamas.
They stayed and watched us for a while and then
the two of them galloped away over the next mountain ridge. It was
precious! We also got to climb to the top of a rocky cliff summit that
day. It was a bit scary going up but when we got to the top I had a
huge sense of accomplishment.
After saying goodbye to San Antonio and the beautiful mountains we left
for our log cabin on the Rio Mendoza in Potrerillos near the Chilean
border. We had a great time sharing our Friday Dance Party together (a
weekly tradition with our family), watching movies, competing in
ping-pong championships and swinging in the hammocks, but the highlight
of the week was our awesome, insane adventure. It might be
incomprehensible to some of you reading, but we went zip lining. The six
lines ran through beautiful mountains and over a gorgeous teal blue
lake. The longest line ever was over 1.9 kilometers!
All four of us could not stop smiling. The experience was one of the most incredible I have ever had in my life!
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