Today was a tough day at the office. 6 hours walking, 5 of which were uphill. I physically felt better today that I have done all trip (great, day 10, now I acclimatise! better late than never). From my perspective it was a good day. However we all found the endless ascent difficult, especially after our luxurious night in a bed last night and a few drinks to celebrate being in a town. I did however have a hissy fit at the ¨fake pass¨ie. the saddle of a mountain which begins the pass but is not and let me be clear is NOT the pass. I was so sick of walking uphill by that stage that I had to express my fustration to the landscape (and Lissy). These Andes are mountains that just keep on giving - just when you think you are nearing the top.... but wait there´s more.
We all hit a pretty negative space in the ¨saddle that wasn´t a pass¨and I think Jade was frustrated too. She has managed to keep her spirits high and support all of us at various times each day through the walk but today was not her favourite kind of climb and she was challenged. And I think today was she hit her wall in trying to keep us propped up and positive.
The evening was a little strained. I added to it with my bad Spanish - I cancelled entree (large bowls of soup which is a favourite with all but me) with Abraham, our cook by mistake. I was not popular, everyone was so hungry at the end of a long day. I was too afraid to speak for fear I would get voted out of the tent!
The heavy winds passed overnight and at breakfast we all cleared the air with our summary of the previous day. This team´s ability to be honest with each other, give each other space when required and not take things toooo seriously has been a highlight for me. An aspect that I really wasn´t sure we would have, being 5 chicks in small tents crossing mountains.