And they rested.....

Yesiree.....there is reason for rest on that seventh day! Our two weeks of travel and trekking with Barb, Cammeo, Scott and Kristy has us rested and mellow. Did some of you think you would ever catch us in rocking chairs?

We are on Isla del Sol, where we hiked and stayed one night in a charming little spot.

Scott trying to ditch me in some of the ruins on Isla del Sol. The island, according to Incan legend, is where the first Incas arrived from the sun and rose from the lake. It is therefore an island full of spiritual significance to this day.

Copacabana, Bolivia....the focus of our Border Mission in Bolivia. We have four church communities in the area in which we are training "Promotores de Buena Salud", community healthcare workers whose focus is on education and prevention. We discovered some new places to hike and explore this time. The hill you see on the left is where we will be perched in the next photo.

Scott, Bev, Scott and Kristy from the top of the Copacabana Cerro post-sunset.

Part of the Cordillera Real as seen from Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca out of Copacabana. We had conversely just seen great views of the lake while trekking up Illampu, which is on the far left.

And we looked back to Lake Titicaca from here!
This was our base camp while trekking up Illampu , about 4000 feet above Sorata, which is hidden far below the clouds. We then climbed another 2000-2500 to reach our destination, Laguna Glacier on Illampu. Quite a fancy new dining tent....Scott is trying to figure out how we can get one for Alaska and just drive the car in to camp!

Scott and Kristy at Laguna Glacier as we basked in the sun and listened to the crevasses expand and avalanches cut loose in the distance. When we saw the number of MUCH younger trekkers that were unable to reach the glacier, we appreciated the pace of our guides and our health.

Ricardo, our very experienced guide, who lives on a small farm part way up Illampu. He is a gentle spirit with a great sense of humor. He has trekked and climbed throughout Bolivia and South America....including the highest peaks. He is the father of three and has many dreams for their education and future. He is desperately trying to make those dreams come true by working 6 days a week in a new tin mine....hard, dangerous work.

Andy's college roommate, Ben, has been fun to reconnect with in La Paz. He works as a guide, so he not only helped us put together the trek, but came along as our cook. What a patient guy with us seniors,

"Los Silverados"!

Thanks, Ben!

Some of our hiking buddies along the way. The small hillside communities consist of subsistance farmers and hopeful miners. Each home has their sheep, chickens, alpacas, pigs, crops, and kids!

Even though you can't see our faces, just know we were very proud and happy to have made it to the Laguna Glacier. Gorgeous views, good weather, yummy lunch, and safe return back to base camp! We recommend trekking in the Cordillera Real of Bolivia and hope to do more before we return to the states.