Anyway, it’s December now (crazy), I have a job (occasionally crazy), and in less than a month, my carefree days will be over and I will be back in school. (I’m secretly excited for this.) I’m already registered for classes (16 credits…maybe a little overzealous, but we’ll see what happens) and one of my professors has already sent out a get-ready email!

I am really excited for all of them, and I can’t wait to be back in the textbook-buying, exam-cramming, paper-writing, late-night-coffee-drinking swing of things.

Recently, the adventures have been few and far between (the job makes that a little bit harder), but I have been cooking up a storm. Tonight’s adventure is pumpkin lasagna…it’s in the oven right now and I’m about to die waiting for it to be done. I hope it’s good!

In other adventure-related news, I’m leaving for New York City on Tuesday and will be visiting Madison (former roommate…HOLLA!) and Jon (wonderful human being…HOLLA!). Jessica (BFF) and I will be hanging out there for a week packing our plates full of all things NYC.

And for yet another story to keep you going… Yesterday, Pat and I went hiking with his friend Taylor up Mt. Olympus. (Cue explorer-type music.) We woke up way too early, left around 5 AM, and hit the trailhead at about 6. After an hour or two of hiking, bush-whacking, and trail-refinding, we reached the base of the cliffs we needed to scale. For the next 7.5 hours (give or take a half) we roped up, climbed, untangled snags, and found our way to the top. It was easy climbing and pretty fun, but the cliff face was in the shade the ENTIRE time. I can’t remember a time when I have been so cold. So much shivering. We summited just before 4 and hung out in the much-anticipated sunshine, enjoying Snickers and oranges. After the traditional mountain-top photo, we decided to head back down via the “walk-off” route, rather than going through all hoop-la of rappelling 7 or 8 times.

We quickly found the walk-off trail and trekked down in the setting sunshine. However, the walking soon turned to scrambling which turned to butt-scooting which soon got really sketchy. After sending a couple rocks and a water bottle tumbling down the steep rock hillside, we decided to set up a rappel. Better safe than sorry, right? So, with the sunshine quickly fading, we rappelled down several rope lengths from several well-placed, sturdy trees. We reached the bottom of the gully well after sunset, and continued our downward scramble. Many rocks were knocked loose, many slips were slopped, and we all went down a time or two, but we made it back to the flat dirt trail without any noteworthy injuries. We finally reached our cars around 8 PM, starving, tired, but feeling quite accomplished (and SO glad that we made it out alive).

After a quick trip to Café Rio for a smothered burrito and a LOT of water, we parted ways and promptly crashed. Best sleep I’ve had in a long time.

Yeah...we climbed that.

However, with the lack of blog writing (but no lack of any other internet-related activities–don’t let me fool you), an apartment has been found (yay!!!), many jobs have been browsed (many denied, but REI and Aquarobics in progress), and my room is FINALLY free of that blue-gingham-and-floral mess. Now for the paint!

I have also been delaying this message because I really don’t know WHAT to write about. How can I possibly fit 21 days into one (maybe two) blog posts?? The task at hand is a daunting one.

I kept a journal and took HUNDREDS of pictures, so the trouble is not in remembering what happened. The trouble is just in narrowing it down. So, dear reader, I want YOU to tell ME what you want me to write about. Click that little comment button and let ‘er rip.

Oh, and I changed the picture up top. Maybe that will tide you over for a little bit longer…

Everything we take must be packed in waterproof bags or boxes (unless it’s okay to get drenched). Tents, sleeping bags, clothing, cameras, books, food (and co-requisite menus!), even toilet paper (very important!) So much stuff. So many waterproof containers.

My mom and I spent the day obliterating our shopping lists. (We are both very good list-makers. I am a product of my environment.) Additionally, I’ve spent the last little bit trying to decide which (and how many) books to take with me. I currently have a list of 19 wanna-reads. I’ve narrowed it down to 5(ish) that I’ve requested from the local library.

Additionally, last night, my dear old dad walked me through flipped-raft protocol. (Not something you want to think about but it could happen!)

We’re ten days out. Things are about to get wild.

But don’t worry, I love it. I love that you love it. So I’ve resurrected the blog to tell you all about my NEXT adventure. In two weeks, I will be embarking on what many are calling the trip of a lifetime. I will be rafting the Grand Canyon with my parents and 13 other river rats. It’s a three-week trip and I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be nuts. But good nuts.

10 reasons it’s gonna be nuts:

10) The whole trip is 200+ miles. We start at Lee’s Ferry and end at Lake Mead.

9) 21 days. 16 people. 5 boats. Ages: 21 (that’s me) to 60-something. I think it’s gonna be a good group!

8 ) The water temp is a fairly constant 47 degrees Fahrenheit. (It’s coming straight from Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.) Swimming (intentional or otherwise) is not going to be enjoyable.

7) What goes in, must come out. We leave nothing behind. Not even poops. (This is pretty standard river stuff.)

6) On that same note, we’ve gotta take everything with us that we will need (or even MIGHT need) during those three weeks. EVERYTHING. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, poop cans, clothing for all types of weather, emergency equipment, and so much more. But thankfully, we’ve hired a company (they call themselves Professional Raft Outfitters, or PRO for short…clever) to do most of the dirty work.

5) One guy, Stan, has been put in charge of happy hour. After talking to many people in the group, he has decided to buy enough drinks so that each person can have one margarita, one gin-and-tonic, one shot of Bailey’s, and one glass of wine. PER DAY.

4) I have two cameras, six batteries, and 18 gigs of memory. I hope to still be taking pictures without any problems on day 21.

3) Somehow, my mom got put in charge of food. (BIG job.) One day, PRO sent us a loose-leaf binder detailing each and every meal, what it consists of, and how to put it all together. There are easily 100 pages. The day it arrived, my dad and I spelled “BIBLE” across the front in big black vinyl sticky letters. Standard procedure.

2) 21 days. 16 people. 5 boats. It’s bound to get a little tense somewhere along the lines…

1) Before I get off the river, I want to row through at least one rapid. (But really, hopefully more!) I’m also considering swimming one. But it will have to be something not too crazy. And VERY close to camp.)

So that’s the latest in the life of K-Money. Stay tuned.

Today, for my last day in Chile, I went SKIING!! So cool. But in all honesty, the snow wasn’t that great. Or maybe I’ve just been spoiled my whole life on that delightful Utah pow.

Anyway, this one’s gonna be short and sweet. Gotta send tonight out right. See you all soon.

Love, K-Money

Yeah, I went there...

And as promised, I kept a journal…only it ended up being in video form. So enjoy…

(Note: Some language may be unacceptable/offensive for young or sensitive viewers.)

Sheila and Kelsey took the more sane route and left last night on a plane (2 to 3 hours). However, they paid over $300 for their tickets, while we paid less than $50 for our delightful bus ride. Maybe we have not lost our minds? Maybe we are just tight-wads…who knows.

Anyway, I am going to try to keep some sort of journal to document these 20-some-odd hours spent sitting on a bus. If they prove to be at all interesting, you should be able to guess what my next blog post will be….I can´t wait.

Here is a map of our wonderful ride…just to give you an idea of our current state of mind.

Right now I am hanging out (and warming up) in San Pedro, a cute little town in the Atacama Desert (rumored to be the driest desert in the world!) I will post pictures and stories soon…right now I´m typing from a little internet shop, so I am paying by the minute. But more to come soon…

It all started last Friday when we crossed the border in the afternoon and took a bus to Arequipa. We all made it across the border with relatively little hassle, and we found Arequipa to be a pretty sweet little town. We spent the Saturday checking out the plaza, eating really cheap food (lunch was only $1!!!), and just relaxing. That night we took an overnight bus to Cusco (it was a 10 hour trip) and ended up sitting (not sleeping) in a semi-reclined position for the coldest 10 hours of our entire trip. I don’t know what the outside temperature was, but we were FREEZING for the duration of the journey. It has since been dubbed “Ice Bus” and is something we’re all working hard to forget.

We arrived in Cusco early Sunday morning, Pat and Sheila fetched Kelsey from the Cusco airport, and we all tried desperately to thaw our frozen extremities. We spent the afternoon touring nearby Inca ruins (fighting off exhaustion, but finally warm!) with a guide that may or may not have been telling bold-faced lies. Oh Jorge…

On Monday we took a cab from Cusco to Ollantaytambo where we boarded the train to Aguas Calientes (aka Machu Picchu Pueblo). Upon arrival, we had 3 objectives: find a hostel (preferably cheap), buy tickets to Machu Picchu, and eat some ice cream (it was a hot train ride).

Finding a hostel (preferably cheap) turned out to be quite the challenge because 1) Aguas Calientes is the biggest tourist trap in South America, 2) the first price you are told at a hostel may not be the price they give you when you return, and 3) we were new to this bargaining thing (turns out you can haggle for ANYTHING in Peru).

But eventually we found a room with a price we liked, purchased our tickets to Machu Picchu (with EXACT monies, they do not give change), and bought some ice cream cones from a shop with a logo that, from afar, looked strangely like the Starbucks logo.

On Tuesday morning, we woke up at 3:30 AM in order to hike to the entrance of Machu Picchu. It was a dark, humid, high-altitude hike consisting of an hour of rock stairs winding their way up the mountain. (There is a bus that will get you there in 20 minutes, but it costs $7 and doesn’t start running til 5:30. Plus we needed the exercise.)

And why on God’s green earth were we up so early?? Well, the first 400 people that make it to the base of Huayna Picchu (the tallest peak in the park) are given a special ticket to hike to the top of the peak at either 7 or 10 AM. (And believe me, you want that ticket!)

So we woke up at 3:30, left the hostel by 4, were on the trail by 4:30, and made it to the entrance by 5:30. (All of this happened in the dark…people are supposed to be sleeping at this hour. We are crazy.) At that point, we waited in line for a bit, ate some snacks, and drank some water as the sky began to lighten. Soon the gates opened, our tickets were stamped, and the race was on to make it to the base of Huayna Picchu.

This part was so weird. Hundreds of sleepy tourists rushing through incredible Inca ruins just to get a little ticket. I wanted to stop and take pictures of everything as the sun was rising, but I had no way of knowing whether I was tourist #236 (a ticket would be mine!) or tourist #406 (we met a kid in the hostel in Cusco who was #406…six people away from utter amazingness) so I speed-walked through, following the snaking crowds.

We finally made it through the Lost City to the crowd of foreigners waiting for their golden tickets. We joined them in line, waiting anxiously for our numbers, and hating every person who came late and jumped in line with their friends.

Soon the line started to move, the 10 AM group were given their tickets and weeded from the line, leaving only the 7 AM group…and we were in! It was only about 6:30 at this point, so we stood around some more (ate some snacks, drank some water).

Eventually, the gates were opened, we signed our names in the registry, and began another hike up more stone stairs. An hour later, we reached the top of Huayna Picchu, a rocky summit with one of the most incredible panoramas I have ever seen. We hung out for about an hour (attempting to take it all in), ate some snacks, drank some water, and then began our descent to the ruins.

The cliché Machu Picchu pic....Huayna Picchu in the back

We spent a few hours wandering through more stone steps, big rooms, small rooms, and the occasional llama. The place was filled with tourists now, milling about like little brightly colored insects, and the sun was out in full force. Eventually we made our way to the other side, hungry, hot, sticky, and tired so we began our descent to Aguas Calientes to find lunch.

A few hours later, with bellies full of food and heads full of Inca wonder, we caught the train back to Ollantaytambo where we took a cab back to Cusco. We arrived late, found a hostel only after LOTS of aimless wandering, and fell into bed exhausted.

The next day (this is Wednesday now) we took a bus to Puno, where we spent a couple of days catching our breath. (But only metaphorically–Puno finds itself right on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at 12,500 feet. And yes Mom…it’s really called Lake Titicaca.) Thursday we took a boat to some floating islands on the lake. The islands have been built out of reeds by the Uros people who live on them. They are mobile if not anchored and constantly decomposing, so more layers are added every day.

Yesterday (Friday) was a relaxing day of eating, market-wandering, and old boat touring. We checked out the Yavari, a warship built in London and then shipped in pieces around Cape Horn to Arica then transported by mule over the Andes to Lake Titicaca. Nuts.

This saga ends with another overnight bus from Puno to Tacna (carefully researched to avoid Ice Bus 2). However, this overnighter proved to be another form of bus hell…Stuffyhotmuggyovercrowded Bus. But, all-in-all probably a better ride than Ice Bus.

So that wraps up my last week. I’ve only got about a week and half left…I can’t believe it!