Backpacking the Andes!

On Tuesday morning, I set out with my team here on a 3 day backpacking trip in the Andes mountains! We started at El Cumbre and hiked a portion of El Choro. Let me just tell you, this is one of the most difficult things that I have ever done, but it was also very good for us as a team. We hiked for three days straight for probably about 6-8 hours a day. The terrain was very strenuous and the weather always seemed to be against us. It was overcast and foggy the entire time and it probably rained about 60 percent of the time. Not to mention that we woke up to three inches of snow on the third day. When it was bright enough to see, we realized that our tent wasconcaved in about 30-40 percent. Needless to say... our team got very close that night. We were all squished together and did our best to stay warm. On the final day, we planned to hike down to a very small village and find transportation back to La Paz. The hike proved to be much longer than expected. By the time we found the town, it was nearly dark. We had sent David and Jon ahead to find the village and search for someone to give us a ride back to La Paz. When the rest of us arrived, they were no where to be found and we couldn't find anyone that had a phone we could use. We ended up talking to a few of the locals and discovered that the other gringos had been through the town a couple hours earlier. On our way down to the next town in search of our friends.... a minibus passed us on the road very slowly. It stopped, and to our amazment, David and Jon jumped out! For a hefty price, relatively, they had found a local with a minibus to drive us back to La Paz. Exhausted and wet, we finally arrived back in La Paz around 10pm on the third day! Wow.... what a crazy adventure! Even though we faced a lot of challenges and crazyness, the trip proved to be incredibly valuable. We bonded as a team and learned how to work together like crazy. We learned to rely on God fully and to be faithful in prayer. We also discovered that we can endure much more than we think. We are strong, and we can do much as a team, especially when God is at the center of it all. Thanks for letting me share our crazy adventure. Mom.... don't worry, we are totally fine and home safe and sound. Enjoy the pics. I love you all! Chao.