el altar part two

well..this is the only picture i could get to load...i will have to post others later...but part 2 to el altar...crazy...so...

we finally got to the refuge...and got OFF our mules...but it was soo cold...and it had been raining..which didnt make things better, plus...we didnt bring that much food with us...so we were also hungry...which was hard knowing we would be doing this difficult hike w/o food until 9pm (it was around 1pm)..
all of us but one went off on the hike (the other preferred the fire and warmth...which i dont blame her..but i had come all this way..there was no way i was turning back) the trek to the top of el altar was supposed to only take an hour and a half...and i dont think we were going slow, but it took us about 3 hours.

before we started hiking uphill, we had to walk across this bog land, which was extremely difficult to walk on...bc the land was also filled with 2 feet wide cow pies. so we were trying to walk without our feet and bodies sinking into the bog land as well as dodging cow pies, all while trying to keep our feet somewhat dry..well after about 1 minute of walking, i quickly accepted the fact that my feet were going to be soaked in mud...so i might just as well get used to it!

we finally started the acsent...which was difficult..but not too bad...we were a little worried coming up the mountain because clouds were thick..and we were wondering if we were even goign to be able to see the beautiful sight! we saw a few hikers pass us and they said that they didnt see anything...so we were a little concerned..but i knew that God had brought us this far...that he was going to bless us.

we finally turn the corner..and there it was....wow...yes, God had provided us with a huge blessing and let us see the snow capped mountains and beautiful lagoon. the water was a color that i have never seen before,,it was magnificent. seeing el altar made the trek all worth it...we just had to sit there awhile, even though we were running behind. i will post pictures later..it was amazing, i cant say it enough.

on our decent down, we knew God had blessed us with the view because it soon became extrememly thick with fog...when we turned around, we couldnt even see that there was a mountain there! wow! we finally made it across, when Dan, stepped into a bog puddle, and landed in it waist deep! he said that he kept sinking, and Kevin pulled him out! he really said that he would have just kept sinking if Kevin wouldnt have pulled him out!

so we re muled and got back on for the dreaded journey back...which was very stressful bc we were running late, and the guides kept whipping the mules to run faster,,which is VERY scary when the path is very narrow and mules are trying to pass each other, on muddy slopes! to top it off...every other mule was kicking mine...which meant i was getting kicked...it just wasnt good..and i was crying and saying I'd rather walk. i was afraid we werent going to make it back before dark...

all of a sudden, we were going down a steeper, muddier hill (its raining harder now) and a cow and horse that were tied together from the back slid past my mule and were sliding very fast and making the mules in front of me run! i was afraid the rest of the group in front of me were going to get hurt! that was IT for me... i wasnt going any longer on these mules...so me and 2 other girls got off...and so now we had to get back...

well, walking down the muddy hill wasnt easy...so i saw the only option was to slide down on our butts...and just go for it...so, i initiated..and the others joined..as we were laughing..as i was commenting that i had never been in worse circumstances before! by this time it was getting darker..and we had to cross a field to get back, that the guide vaguely pointed us in the direction of...again, we started sliding because it was very difficult to walk...we finally reached the hostal...muddy...(SEE ABOVE PICTURE!!!) i cant believe how dirty i was...it was just humourous....my underwear and socks were completely black.

so we got on a truck to take us to a town to catch a bus to SHell..the guy said the bus would be there at 9. we got in the town at 845..and it was cold, so we walked across the street to a place to get some cafe and tea...come to find out from the owner that the next bus wasnt coming until MIDNIGHT!! so...we decided to just stay there and have a relaxing dinner, and just talk. the bus ended up coming at 12:45..and we got to Shell around 245am...

it was the adventure of a lifetime..and God proved his faithfulness the whole time...it was a lesson in trust...and i dont know how i would, we would have made it without his guidance and control. praise god for his creation and letting us enjoy creation, like el altar.

on a clear day in shell, you can see el altar..and it means so much more now, because now i know what it looks like on the other side. its amazing. pictures later