Into the mountains

June 9

Guess what I did today? I got up before dawn, jumped in a jeep, and drove into the mountains.

Emily, Nandini, John, Toni, and I hired a guide and left the city for a day-long trek to the mountain village of Cachi. The drive took probably close to five hours, but it was the best part. As we climbed a jagging dirt road higher into the Andes, the views were incredible. We spent the whole time looking out the window, marveling at the wonder of God and plate tectonics. The views were astonishing, especially for a student of geology.

Here's a photo summary of the day, with commentary below each photo:

The mountains begin to grow in size as we drive on.

There is little tree cover on the mountains here; the exposed rock forms jagged and dramatic shadows. We noticed that the churches in the mountains are almost all painted a bright white. We don't know the exact reason, but we definitely noticed that this color scheme helps them stand out.

We reach our peak for the day: 10,985 feet.

Once we reach the peak, the road levels out and we descend slightly. We find ourselves in a vast, rolling desert hundreds of miles high. The landscape is dotted with scrub brush and cacti. This is a desert on top of the mountains.

We drive on through the desert and come into Cactus National Park. There is a forest of huge cacti that stretches across the landscape in every direction.

We round a bend, leave the national park, and see snow-covered Andean peaks. We're nearing the village of Cachi, our destination.

Look at that astonishing plunging fold formation!

A close-up of the plunging folds.

At last, in Cachi! Two hours to stretch our legs, eat some goat, and hop back in the car for the ride back.

The church in Cachi. The roof is made of dried cactus.