I Sh*t In Nature

Before our trek to Laguna 69.

I recently took a trip to Huaraz for my Easter break. It was an amazing time and I got to see some sights that were truly unbelievable. I did not know beauty like that existed. This is one of those trips I will remember for a lifetime. And my pictures will just never do it justice. If you ever find yourself in Peru, you must visit these places. I hiked up to see the Glacior of the Pastoruri trek. Then I got to adventure up to Laguna Parón. This was by far, my favorite spot with the most amazing view. I had never seen waters that color all while being surrounded by beautiful snow capped mountains. We finished our trip with an early morning trek to Laguna 69. This trek...wasn't so beautiful for me. It was definitely an experience of a lifetime and something I wouldn't have given up doing for anything. But I didn't even make it to the Laguna! I was way too tired, but my friends ventured to the top and from their pictures, it looked absolutely magical! I would recommend any of these treks to anyone. To get to my point, my attempted trek to Laguna 69 was interesting to say the least.

Pastoruri Glacier

So the day before, I was extremely nervous and having an anxiety attack over the fact that my group was taking a guided tour that was a different way than the normal trek. The path wouldn't be as clear as the typical one and it was much longer. The reason I agreed to do this is because 1. there was breakfast and lunch included, and 2. the views were absolutely breathtaking. We got to watch the sunrise over the snow capped mountains. But, I went ahead with the endevor. I had some really supportive friends the whole way which definitely made the experience much better.

Laguna Parón

Once we got to the start of our trek, I realized, "I'm going to be scaling the side of a mountain 15,000ft in the air." After trekking for about 3 hours, we reached the normal path one would take to get to Laguna 69. This is where I ventured back down the mountain because I knew it would be too much for me. This time it would be easier getting down because I was on a clear path. My guide told me to just wait at the "base" where everyone starts the trek for when they return back down. To be honest, I had no clue where the base was but it seemed simple enough. As I'm walking down, I realize I have to use the bathroom. And not just a simple squat in the bushes...

A small laguna during our trek to Laguna 69.

I kept asking others walking by me how much farther until the "base" and it was always too long. I needed to go to the bathroom, and I needed to go now. I found a bush that seemed semi-private and decided to take my chances. Throughout the trek, there are a bunch of roaming cows. All of a sudden I feel one trying to eat my backpack so I quick stood up and decided to try to make it to the base to use the bathroom. After about 15 minutes, I knew I couldn't make it any farther. I found another bush with no cows in sight and took my chances once again. Luckily I had some baby wipes in my backpack JUST in case. As I am finishing up, I notice a lovely couple enjoying each other's company about 10 feet away from me. It kind of made me think, "So this is where my life is at right now, a couple making out in a National Park while I'm 10 feet away taking a shit behind a bush." Yay for the single life!

A beautiful stream on my way down to the base at Laguna 69.

Anyways, so I ditch the scene of the crime and continue my trek down to the base. Once I got to the end of the trek, it wasn't exactly obvious where the base was. I was expecting some kind of gazibo with a few maps, you know something that looked like a starting point. But there wasn't. I noticed a few busses were taking people down to an area where there were many other busses parked. I figured my bus was probably down there as well so I went. Well, I got there and it wasn't there. I started to panic a bit and decided to try to talk to the police officers and ask them where "base" was. Well, nobody spoke english and my spanish isn't exactly the greatest. The police officer told me he would take me to the starting point where you pay to enter the park. When we got there, I knew it wasn't the base. I started to cry...like the anxiety consumed child that I am. After a while, one of the park rangers drove me back up to the busses, but stopped at an office on the way. We picked up one of the Peace Corps volunteers. His name was Kyle, and Kyle spoke english. Kyle was also extremely attractive. So if you are reading this Kyle... After a sigh of relief, Kyle decided we would go back to the very end of the trail and sit and wait. So to sum up the story, my group eventually made it to me and everything was fine. I just like to jump to conclusions.

The sunrise over the mountains.

My whole life I have searched and searched for adventure. I am always trying to take spontaneous trips; well I got myself one spontaneous day. So I guess what I learned from this experience is not to stress too much, I am perpetually single and always carry baby wipes. But all in all, even though it was one insane day, I wouldn't trade the experience for the World. You learn so much about yourself and how to deal with different situations. So thank you Huaraz for teaching me how much stronger I actually am than I thought I was and that I can successfully take a crap in a bush without getting caught!

~Feed the Soul