July 27th, 2014
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into order and acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow." Melody Beattie
Ricky Gamp, my childhood friend, and I decided to do some trekking in the Andes Mountains around Peru. To arrive to Machu Picchu and their sacred ruins, we hiked several days over the Salkantay Pass (4630 meters or 15,190 feet) and through the Sacred Valley. In the Colca Canyon, which they say is twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in Arizona, we hiked and camped for four days. Enjoy the pictures!
Salkantay and Machu Picchu
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| Ricky arrived to Peru with two cousins, a mutual friend and his girlfriend. Here they pose as we are begin the multiple day trek to Machu Picchu |
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| Soryapampa offered donkeys to carry our heavy backpacks up the steep climb to the Salkantay pass at 4630 meters. |
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| Arriving at the pass as the sun sets. So beautiful |
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| Waking up the next morning about a 1000 feet below the pass. Stunning |
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| We stopped in a small pueblo along the way for a bite to eat. I saw this girl enjoying an orange and thought it would be a great photo. |
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| Ricky and I hitchhike a small portion from Santa Teresa to Hidroelectrica. The view is from the back of a flatbed truck. |
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| Ricky skips rocks as the train goes by in a valley nearby Machu Picchu ruins. |
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| Machu Picchu ruins |
Colca Canyon
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| Condors fly over the canyon. These birds have a wingspan of about 10 feet! |
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| The trek into the Canyon begins here. You can see the Colca river that runs at the bottom |
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| Here geysers steam from the river. There are hot, very hot springs here |
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| Ricky enjoys the hot tub in the valley |
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