Laguna Glaciar

Last Saturday morning eight of us left Sorata (elevation: 8,000 ft) loaded up our donkeys (literally), and began the hike up to laguna Glaciar.
The five hour trek up to base camp (14,000 ft) only took us two hours. It was raining the whole time, and EVERYTHING ended up wet. I was tired, but I stayed awake the whole night, probably because of altitude-induced insomnia. Poor Evi was sick and spent the whole night puking out our tent door.

After almost no sleep, I woke up at 5:00 the next morning to prepare for the ´big day´ up to the laguna. We left camp at 7:30. It was cold, dark, and (of course) rainy. Two girls stayed behind at base camp- Evi, because of illness, and Michaela, because of altitude sickness- so our group was even smaller than it already was.
The hike to Laguna Glaciar was intense. Possibly more intense than any hike Ive ever done. There were lots of sketchy parts and tons of slippery granite rock faces to traverse (in the RAIN). At one point we had to rock climb up a huge granite slab. Literally rock climb. We fashioned a make-shift belay using a rope and made our way up the solid slab using veins as foot holds. Needless to say, I had to get over my fear of steep, wet rocks. For the last 45 minutes we were hiking through snow. I actually got chunks of ice in my boots!
We finally arrived at the laguna at 11:30, which was way earlier than any other group before us. Our guide told us that lots of groups dont even make it to the top because of risks, altitude complications, not walking fast enough, etc. Because of the rains, our instructors didnt think we´d make it there either, let alone so early! Honestly, I was really proud of our group. Everyone was really efficient, motiviated, and postive despite the horrible weather.

At the lake, there is supposed to be a beautiful view: an alpine lake surrounded by some of the holiest mountains in the Andes. Unfortunately, the clouds were so dense that we could barely see 20 feet in front of us. The lake in front of us (covered in clouds) looked exactly like the lake at base camp (also covered in clouds). Basically we hiked for four hours and climbed 2,500 feet to get the same view we had where we started.
After a brief lunch, we started to head down, and the weather got even worse! The rain turned to sleet, and eventually it started snowing! SNOW!
Despite the bad weather and slippery downhill rocks, the hike down was better than I expected. We arrived back at base camp after a few hours and sat around, drinking hot drinks until dinner.

Although it was wet, cold, difficult, and scary, the hike was worth it even without a great view. It was super intense and I like pushing myself.

By the time we packed up the next morning for the hike back down to Sorata, everything I had brought was wet. Even my sleeping bag was soaked, which made for a cold, uncomfortable sleep the night before. Usually I love camping, but I was excited for this trip to end just so I could get DRY.
In the afternoon, there was sun in Sorata! Im not sure if Ive ever been so happy to see the sun. I sat on the highest balcony in my house and enjoyed the warm rays as my clothes hung on the line.