It's the CLIIIIIMMMBB!

In the wise words of Miley Cyrus:

"There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb"

And "climb" is precisely what we did yesterday, when we ventured to Parque Nacional La Campana about an hour away from Vina. However, these Chileans call it "Cerro La Campana." Cerro, as you may remember, means hill. THIS. WAS. NOT. A. HILL. For all you New Englanders out there, it was about 45 meters shorter than Mount Washington, but the route to get there was about 3 km longer. That said, my body is kind of sore today.

I had to wake up at 6, so we could leave Vina by 7. Let's just say I really haven't seen hours like that here..... We arrived at the park station at about 9 in the morning, to give ourselves about 5 hours for the climb up and 3 for the climb down (which really just turned into a fall down... my legs hate me). The first little bit wasn't too much fun, since it was incredibly foggy and we couldn't see anything - neither where we were going, nor where we'd been. That provides little motivation, since you become convinced that you won't be able to see anything from the top.

BUT! We hit a point about 2/3 of the way up when we suddenly emerged through the fog and were on top of the clouds, which was a trip and a half. Being above the clouds makes you feel like you're a billion times higher than you actually are. The sunshine provided some additional motivation, and we kept going. To la cumbra we were headed!

The last km or so was all rock, and may or may not have kicked my butt. At one point, I had fallen a bit, but was resting in between these two rocks that cradled my body perfectly. There were definitely a few moments where I thought "I fit so nicely right here. Is it a sign? Should I not keep going?" But I gave into peer pressure, and we all made it to the top.

I'd say it was more than 100% worth it. Even with the clouds, the view was astounding. We could see the Andes in the distance, and apparently you can see the ocean when it's slightly less foggy.

We got back to Vina at about 9:30 last night. I showered, collapsed into bed, and slept for a straight 12 hours. True insanity. Still kind of sore today, but an accomplished-sore, not a KILL ME NOW-sore. Some bruises (okay, lots of bruises... I don't claim to be coordinated), some scrapes, a blood blister on my hell (SURPRISE). Would I climb this mountain again? No way. Would I be willing to do another? In a heartbeat.