Last weekend we decided to get the van out of the parking lot where it’s been for the past few weeks and go try to find lake Rajucolta, which was recommended to me by my mountain biking guide. We found the road on Pocket Earth (the app we use for navigation) and headed in.
We drove up a very pretty valley, past farms, a couple of villages, and lots of pigs on ropes. At one point as I was trying to maneuver around a campesino (peasant farmer) and his flock of sheep, the right side of the van slipped into a ditch.
This is where four wheel drive is really handy. With two wheel drive we’d have been stuck waiting for help to get us out. I locked the hubs and with Jen directing me we managed to back out of the ditch. Unfortunately these are the times when you’re too worried about getting out of the situation to think about taking pictures. But you always wish you had later!
The map showed that the road turned into a footpath at a town, but it actually continued on, and we kept driving until we finally hit a washed-out bridge and could go no further. After hunting around for a way across the river (on foot) for a half-hour we decided it was time for lunch, and then it started to rain. So the end of our hike turned out to be about 200 yards from the van. Oh well, we had a good time anyway.

Quinn had a good time playing in the streams and on the rocks after lunch. He said we’d hiked far enough.
Two days later Jen sent me out to hike to Laguna 69. I booked a bus tour and awoke early for a five AM departure. There’s something we don’t do much of! We started hiking at about 830, and it was obvious that this was going to be a hike to remember.

The lake, at 15,200 feet, was an amazing glacial blue. It reminded me of Lake Louise in Canada but without the hordes of people.
Back in Huaraz, we only had a few short days before it would be time to pack up and move along. We awoke Thursday, our last full day, to clear skies.