Mandy The Explorer

Day 2: SHIRA CAVE CAMP Altitude: 3,750 m Distance: 5 km Birds chirping, pots clanging together, and people laughing. I wake up t o the sound of our porters preparing for day two of our trek. As I stay cocooned in  my warm sleeping bag, I try to figure out the time. Is it too early to wake up? Should I try to sleep some more? I glance over at Sieu to see if I could sneak a peek at his watch but his arms are tucked deep within his sleeping bag. I pause for a second to look at him in the dim light of the early morning. His earplugs are still in place and he is wearing an eye mask, which he had poorly drawn two googly eyes on.            Sieu and I began dating n early seven years ago.  We always joked that he was the brains and I was the brawn in our relationship, as he spent most of his life avoiding any kind of physical exertion. I reflect upon the first trip that we took as a new couple: we drove four-hours to stay...

DAY 1: MACHAME CAMP Elevation: 2,835 m Distance: 11 km Tonight, I sit in our two-man tent, hands numb from the frigid temperatures of the mountain. I never anticipated it being so cold at night. My sleeping bag works hard to steal the heat from the hot water bottle that I stuffed at the bottom, as the bright light from my headlamp shines on the empty pages of my journal. I stare at them the same way that a painter stares at a blank canvas before making his first brush stroke, imaging how I will paint the picture of my first day with words.   I am awake early, trying to soak in the last comforts of civilization before departing on our weeklong journey. I note how the bed feels so warm and the sheets feel particularly soft today. I fell asleep last night thinking about my gear and strategizing how I could eliminate any items to stay within the 15 kg allowance. Those same thoughts remain with me now as I stare pensively up at the c...