Sept. 22
I had never been on an intense hike before.
I was mildly anxious about our proposed 17 km hike, but I told myself not to worry about it. Hiking is all about mental game - positive thoughts. At least that's what I read in an article the night before about first time hikers.
I didn't feel prepared - I didn't have wool socks, I didn't have experience, I didn't know if I had the physical endurance.
But I did it.
I got up early to go to the grocery store, buy more bread, and pack Nutella sandwiches. I may not have had the endurance, but I would have food.
Susi came with Marina, Jenny and I on our hike in El Parque de Aguas de Ramón.
At the beginning of the hike, about 2 minutes in, Jenny had a question and yelled to the man a couple meters in front of us, "Hey, boy in the red!". His name was Pio, and he was a godsend. He hiked the entire hike with us - from start to the end, all 6+ hours of it. He normally hikes it in 4 miles, but he slowed down to guide us through it. His help made all the difference, I felt a lot better about the hike (at least on the way up). We hiked up and down mountains, over rivers, past plenty of cacti.
We hiked to the Salto de Apoquindo - a waterfall embedded deep in the mountains. We turned back after a short lunch because we were cutting it close on time. It took us 3.5 hours to get there.
Hiking back, I didn't have the same great attitude, nor the confidence. I had no idea how we had even made it that far in the first place. I was terrified on slipping and sliding on loose gravel, down the side of the mountain and into plenty of spikey cacti. I have a terrible fear of falling, and going down the trails was much more scary for me, though it was physically easier than going up.
Eventually we made it out. I am alive, and I have an incredible experience under my belt.
