Hike from San Francisco to Chojña Khota
Hike from Alto Lojena to Laguna San Francisco
Today we began the trekking portion of our trip with thick fog in the morning brought by a small passing weather system, but we enjoyed wonderful sunny views in the afternoon. We are camped above Laguna San Francisco at around 14,800 ft tonight in a narrow remote valley surrounded by glaciated peaks.
Rachel
Hiking to the Top of the Sleeping Dragon
Today we spent the morning hiking to the top of the sleeping dragon rock formation. The trail is steep, but the views from the top are spectacular from the expanse of the lake to the farm fields and villages all the way across to the summits of several 6000 meter peaks. Before we left the village, we took a group photo with the family that hosted us in their home. This afternoon we traveled to our first camp in the mountains and we will begin the true trekking portion of our trip tomorrow.
Rachel
Visit to the Village of the Sleeping Dragon
We enjoyed another day full of activity alongside Lake Titicaca, starting with a boat ride on the lake in the morning. We then traveled to the other side of the lake and hiked down to the village of Santiago de Okola. Santiago de Okola is located in a very picturesque part of the lake below a rock formation in the shape of a sleeping dragon. Our local hosts, the Hilari family, accompanied us on visits to the local medicinal plant expert and to the home of Doña Regina, a talented woman in her 90s who showed us traditional weaving techniques and let us try on the traditional woven clothing of community authorities. We finished off the evening with dinner by a eucalyptus wood fire.
Saludos,
Rachel
The Bolivia Trek Begins!
Our team met in La Paz yesterday morning for a gear check and orientation, followed by a tour of the city that included lots of expansive views of both the city and the mountains.
Today we traded the chaos of La Paz for the tranquillity of Lake Titicaca. We spent most of the afternoon hiking through eucalyptus groves along the shores of the lake and then finished off the afternoon with a lesson in traditional yarn spinning and altiplano textiles. Tonight we are staying at a beautiful community run hostel right beside the lake. The sunset watching from the beach is quite special here. And to finish off the night, our hosts played pan pipes and sang local songs and led us in dance.
Buenas noches!
Rachel
Yes, great course, excellent guides, valuable information presented in an easy to understand method. I felt prepared for the summit and moreover prepared in case we needed to use our rescue skills in a real life situation. Also, the way that the information was taught from the fundamentals up was clear and easy to follow.
