Arriving early in the morning after an uncomfortable 8 hour bus ride to Huaraz, Peru, the first thing I did was find myself a bed to sleep. Â I woke up for a couple of hours here and there to eat and talk to my hostel roommates, but I basically slept the entire day. The one productive thing I managed to do was organize a day trek to a well-known lake in the area.
The next morning I woke up at 5 and headed out for a very long, very high altitude hike. Having not done any prior acclimatization, the trek was intensely challenging, especially for my lungs. Altitude is a very crippling phenomenon. But the physical aspect was not my biggest challenge. That hike broke me in many ways. Alone, struggling to breathe in high altitude, wanting so badly to get to the amazing turquoise lake that awaited brought out so much emotion. I wanted my motivational adventure partner Allie there to take my mind off what seemed an almost impossible feat. I wanted to not be alone. I began asking myself why the hell I ever thought that backpacking through half of a continent by myself was a good plan. I was spiraling into more and more negativity when I decided to try to speak to my father, who died last summer. I asked him for strength, as I have done many times before rock climbing and biking. That got me some mileage until I started thinking about all the hikes we had done together. The sadness was back, and I decided to take a break, accepting that I would probably turn around and come back after some easier acclimatization.
I sat there on the ground next to a red sign with the words “Laguna 69” and an arrow pointing up a steep, long hill topped off by a distant view of a massive snow-capped mountain. I was fighting myself trying to decide what to do when a group of Israelis (my hostel in Huaraz was at least 80% Israelis) gave me a handful of dried coca leaves and explained that I needed to chew them up and let all the juices soak in my mouth. I gave it a shot and started my way up the climb.
45 minutes later, with a numb tongue and no appetite (side effects of the coca leaves), I saw a speck of turquoise 50 feet ahead of me. My eyes began to well up with tears, and I fought them off for the next five minutes. Laguna 69 is one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my entire life. After looking at the pictures below, maybe you will start to understand why it literally brought tears to my eyes.
- Laguna 69, Huascaran National Park, Peru
- Flowers at Laguna 69 Huascaran National Park, Peru
When I was trying to start this website and trying to decide if I really wanted to buy my own domain name and go for it, the hardest question I had to ask myself was, how will I make this different from every other travel blog? Sure, I can write about my experiences being gluten-free in South America, and I plan to do that, but something that I am interested in exploring is travel as a means to get over grief. I’m very far from any sort of answer on this, but I definitely have a piece of the puzzle right here. To travel is to go out of your comfort zone and be free, no strings attached (ah ha! That’s where the name comes from). Well for me, this altitude challenge was so powerful that it broke me down and brought out a lot of grief that I had pent-up inside. But like the muscle fibers in my legs by the end of the day, sometimes you need to be torn to get stronger. Letting that grief to the surface was exactly what I needed, and next time around I’ll be a little bit stronger and more prepared, ready to fight it back and become closer to conquering it. I’m not saying that I will ever get over my dad’s death, but I do think that experiences like this can be very empowering. It was also an important reminder that I am not really traveling alone, I have a travel partner in my heart and spirit that will be there for the most trying of adventures.
9 responses to “Laguna 69- A Tough but Breathtaking Day Hike”
This is BEAUTIFUL...we are all cheering you on and yep your Dad I am sure is your biggest cheerleader. We love you!!
This really touched my heart. Beautiful writing & photos.
wow! Thanks for sharing Nate! Im sure your Dad would be very proud of you!
Beautiful post, Nate!
Your Dad is with you every step of the way, every day.
XO Sandy
You're doing and seeing things I wish I could. Thanks for the spectacular photos. Your father raised a wise young man.
Love you, Nate. I'm glad you made it to the top...well worth it & I am certain that you were not as alone as you felt; your dad is always with you! ♡
Dearest Nate,
We cannot thank you enough for not only sharing your beautiful pictures but your beautiful spirit. We know your dad is with you every step of the way....We are so very proud of you!!!!
With love,
Larry & Yvonne
Nate...you are a traveling journalist for sure..could read your blog stories all day...thanks for sharing
You're doing amazing things bud. Your dad would be proud. I know those feelings all too well now. Wish I could change the past and be down there with you.