After the Illimani near disaster, I started heavily rethinking my idea to attempt a summit of Sajama, the highest peak in Bolivia. Well, truth be told, I had started rethinking it the week before on Huayna Potosí when all the guides were talking about how miserable the conditions were. Not because of snow, but because … Continue reading Cordillera Occidental – The Volcano
Tag: glaciers
Cordillera Real – The Failed Expedition
Having come just shy of 20,000 ft the previous weekend, I planned to surpass that magic number the following weekend with Illimani, the mystical guardian of La Paz, at 21,122 feet. Base camp is a mere 50 miles outside La Paz, but due to the road conditions, it takes about 3.5 hours to get there. … Continue reading Cordillera Real – The Failed Expedition
Cordillera Real – The Second Chance
At 19,974 feet, Huayna Potosí (19,974 feet) was a chance to avenge my Cotopaxi (19,347 feet) failure in Ecuador in December 2021. I put a lot of pressure on myself last year to summit that volcano, but I shouldn't have. It was 3,000 feet higher than I'd ever gone before, plus I'd never done serious … Continue reading Cordillera Real – The Second Chance
Cordillera Real – The Warm Up Peaks
If you've been following this blog this summer, you know that all the summits I bagged, all the hiking I did, and all gym time and running was aimed at one goal - Bolivian summits. And so, a mere one day after I switched from sea level in Washington DC to a city that sits … Continue reading Cordillera Real – The Warm Up Peaks
Why I Really Went to Argentina
Now that I'm in my 40s, paying for bougie vacations is apparently a thing I do. Now that I pay for bougie vacations, I realize that they are totally worth the money. The two months that I spent in Buenos Aires were all a precursor to a running vacation across Patagonia that I booked a … Continue reading Why I Really Went to Argentina
The Vacation Non-Race
Last week, I returned from a much needed vacation to Glacier National Park. This was supposed to be our annual girls' trip to run a half marathon with Vacation Races, but, unsurprisingly, the race was canceled. We sat tight for awhile, watching to see what would happen with the state and park. On June 1, … Continue reading The Vacation Non-Race
Kachemak Bay State Park, Alaska (July, 2015)
While You Are There: Hike. And try not to get eaten by a bear. And if you make it back to Homer, enjoy the restaurants on the spit. Why It's On My List: Everything I saw in Alaska was stunning, but this park has the added bonuses of having to take a water taxi (or plane) to … Continue reading Kachemak Bay State Park, Alaska (July, 2015)
Bessastaðir, the Icelandic Presidential Residence (March, 2013)
While You Are There: Well, you didn't come to Iceland just to see the presidential palace, did you? Here's all the awesome stuff we crammed into a five day trip. Blue Lagoon, Northern Lights & seafood dinner tour, the penis museum, Seljalandsfoss, Skógafoss, Reynisdrangar, Gullfoss, Geysir geothermal field, Sólheimajökull glacier, Reynisfjara, Viking horses, elves, great food, and too … Continue reading Bessastaðir, the Icelandic Presidential Residence (March, 2013)
Jennifer A Swallow 