The Santa Cruz Trek: Day One **An older version of this post originally appeared in 2015 on the old legacy blog. We hope you enjoy this updated version! Before we began our hike we had to get some logistical complications out of the way. In Peru, almost all logistics involve complications. These can involve traffic, cars not showing up at […]
A Slowly Dying Lake of Ice
Pastoruri Glacier…or, what’s left of it **An older version of this post originally appeared in 2015 on the old legacy blog. We hope you enjoy this updated version! Most trips to Huaraz include a side trip to Pastoruri Glacier, one of the few glaciers remaining in tropical South America. Except that nowadays, it’s more correct to say, what’s left of […]
Where the Roads Fade to Paths
The Santa Cruz Trek: Huaraz, Peru…Arrival *This is the third in our series of “reboot posts” of our Peru trips that were featured on our old legacy Blog, but have never appeared on BecauseItzThere.com. The first was our Trek to Machu Picchu via the Salkantay Route in 2012. The second was our successful hike of Colca Canyon and somewhat less […]
Into the White: The Santa Cruz Trek
The Santa Cruz Trek, Peru Can you name the single most impressive thing you have ever done? We can. In July of 2014 Sylvia and I embarked on what was the greatest hiking adventure of our lives…The Santa Cruz Trek in the Andes Mountain of Peru. We had already completed a tough hike just a couple years earlier when we […]
Can Anyone Hike Colca Canyon and Misti?
Wrap Up: Colca Canyon and Misti Peru Adventure The question you may find yourself asking as you read these posts is, can I also do this stuff? My usual answer is – if we did it, why, sure you can, too! Sylvia and I are active and experienced hikers, but we are certainly not outdoor athletes. Anything we can do, […]
The Wrath of the Volcano
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 […]