36 hours back from the vacation of a lifetime. 9 hours back at work. I still have a vacation brain and somehow managed to lock my keys in my car on my way out the door — so I’m back at my desk, waiting for help and thinking back on the amazing trip.
After unpacking, cleaning and stocking the house with groceries, I spent most of yesterday pruning through the photos I took on my iPhone of the trip. Editing the duplicates and trying to save the very best ones, I still ended up with roughly 300 or so and I posted the Facebook album here. I made it public, so feel free to take a peek.
This is a vacation we’ve planned for almost a year. And we coordinated with amazing friends we met on our trek in Peru just two years ago. That was my only other backpacking experience and I definitely thought this one would be easier considering no elevation and Incan stone steps.
I couldn’t have been further from the truth.
That said, it was a very different kind of hard and one that came from duration of effort, patience and humility. The days and miles were long. But the epic beauty around every corner made each step (as painful as they sometimes were) so very worth the effort.
I have so much to say about this trip. I’ve drafted so many blog posts in my head. Maybe one or more will eventually see the light of day if time and discipline allow.
But for now, I just want to at least put this out there: WOW.
I just want to acknowledge and show gratitude and revel.
This was a trip of a lifetime that I was so fortunate to experience. It was a full disconnection with my regular world and an immersion in senses and feeling. Turquoise blue water. Jagged stone peaks. Glacial water as cobalt blue as usually only one’s imagination can conjure. Spring wild flowers contrasting against clouds and sky. Drinking water straight from the falls.
It is the these moments that truly have meaning.
Thank you, Chile, for that reminder.
hlockwoo 