Day 2: Misti Volcano The ‘day’ began with us being awakened by the guides hours before sunrise. The morning was cold and windy, wind chill well below freezing. This night had been a bizarre experience for us both. I was awakened at intervals gasping for breath, while Sylvia was simply cold, tired and hurting. The darkness outside the tent was […]
Under The Volcano
Day 1: Misti Volcano While Colca Canyon is by no means an easy trek, it did not break any new ground for either of us. Arid canyons, steep trails and multi-day hikes at elevation were all things we had done in the past, thresholds we had crossed before. But the next hike promised to push us far past the limits […]
Hitting the (3500 foot) Wall
Day 3 Colca Canyon There is no way out of Colca Canyon that does not involve walking. There is no vehicle road to the bottom, no helicopter service and no elevator. To escape you must climb the wall…either under your own power, or the on the back of a hired mule obliged to do it for you. We chose to […]
The Deep Abode of the Rio Colca
Day 2 Colca Canyon I was awakened the next morning at 4:45 am by someone yelling outside the hostel. Figuring it was some local yelling at a stubborn burro or lost chicken, I dismissed it and went back to sleep. A couple hours later, it was time to rise for real and get breakfast. The room had been decent; though […]
Colca Canyon: The Long Walk Down
Colca Canyon, Part Two: The Long Walk Down Arriving back at Chivay after the condor trip we prepared ourselves for three straight days of hiking in the canyon. The little pavilion at the start was mobbed with hikers; even though our tour consisted of just myself, Sylvia and the guide Eli, many tours start from here…serving as a reminder that […]
The Cross of the Condors
Colca Canyon, Peru: Part One, The Cross of the Condors At 1 am we rose groggily and prepared to depart our hotel. Close proximity to a cobblestone main street, through which traffic never stopped rolling, had denied us any real possibility of sleep. Not exactly how you want to start five days of rigorous hiking, but such is the way […]
From the Bottom to the Top: Colca Canyon and Misti
From the bottom to the top, Colca Canyon and Misti Volcano **This is a reboot of an old post from the defunct V 1.0 blog about our epic adventure in Colca Canyon and Misti Volcano, Peru, in 2017. It was in some ways the hardest thing we had ever done up to this point. For those that read the original […]
Why Colca Canyon?
Why hike Colca Canyon? Because… It’s the second deepest canyon in the world It is visually stunning Unique Andean Culture Stay in Hostels along the way, no need to tent Chance to see Andean Condors It’s there. So… WHY NOT! Coming soon on BecauseItzThere.com…Colca Canyon and Misti Volcano, Peru
A Sharp Hike to Sharp Top Mountain
Sharp Top Mountain Hike, Virginia **We have added Sharp Top Mountain in the Peaks of Otter Recreation Area to our list of the Best Hikes in Virginia. If you can get this on a day when there’s no crowd, this is a good one. ? Located at Milepost 86 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Peaks of Otter Recreation Area […]
Hike to the cliffs of Looking Glass Rock, Brevard NC
Through the Looking Glass: Looking Glass Rock * Looking Glass Rock is one of Becauseitzthere’s Best Hikes in North Carolina. It is also a featured Best Hike Near Asheville (it is less than an hour away.) See our hikes page!* Having posted about John Rock, I though it only fitting to go back to the archives and get together a […]