By 10:00 my teammate already smelled as if he´d been on the trail for a few days - and we hadn´t walked anywhere! ARGHH. He speaks close to zero english, so building a connection is also not much of a probability. How am I going to pee at night in a tent with someone I …
Month: January 2015
Permit acquired, on our way
Keeping it short this morning. Nervous stomach. Perhaps as foreshadowing of days to come, my appetite seems to have disappeared. Forced down a bit of breakfast, then went to pick up the final permit. Met my team mate on the way - zero reason for Achim or anyone else to worry. Except for maybe sharing …
Ready and waiting
Sweating my way through the afternoon, as I walked through town to pay my climbing permit and pick up the last pieces of gear, I marveled that while today’s 36 degrees has me moving at a snail’s pace, a few days from now I’ll be back into the freezing temperatures. Again at this pace, but …
First impressions
Friendly, welcoming, warm, beautiful, accommodating, helpful, pleasant, succulent. Does it sound just a bit like I’m newly in love? I’ve arrived in Mendoza, Argentina. And those are the first words that come to mind as I start to describe my impressions. Especially given the incredible lunch from which I’ve just returned – escaping the heat …
Time in airports and the luggage quandary
It really shouldn't take 31 hours to travel from Stuttgart, Germany to Mendoza, Argentina. And two large pieces of luggage should not be required for a single person. Furthermore, seasoned travelers should not make novice mistakes. So the fact that I sit here with way too much luggage, no storage or early check-in options - …
Why is goodbye so hard?
There are some things about the human psyche that continue to confound. Take my current example: about to head off on a long-anticipated adventure after years of contemplation, months of planning and days of packing (more about that below). And I can't stop breaking into tears. My last day with my husband gave me an …
Whpssh!… and I think “not again!” (plus a few aconcagua data points)
Do you know what it sounds like to suddenly sink into a meter of snow? or better yet, what it feels like? It goes something along the lines of: whpsshhh! Shiiiitttt! Am I injured? ...and then after the momentary panic subsides, you begin to feel cold snow creeping over the top of your hiking boot …
Continue reading Whpssh!… and I think “not again!” (plus a few aconcagua data points)
