Andes Joy

Yesterday we had a great opportunity to spend a day up in the Andes Mountains. We arose early and traveled west from Mendoza into the mountains towards the border of Chile. Not only are the Andes the longest mountain chain in the world, stretching from western Venezuela to southern Argentina/Chile, but they are also home to the highest peak in the Americas, the mighty Cerro Aconcagua.

On our journey through the mountains, we stopped by a famous site where General San Martin crossed with his troops in their fight for independence from Spain. We also stopped by one of Argentina´s three major ski resorts, a sulphur hot springs area, and our culminating destination - a scenic viewpoint of the nearly 23,000 foot Cerro Aconcagua, which literally translates as the "the sentinel of the storms mountain".

Because there was a major snowstorm in this area last week (dumping 3 feet of new snow in the mountains), it was uncertain as to how far into the moutains we´d be able to travel. However, the stars must have been properly aligned because we were able to make it to our ultimate destination, plus the weather was just about picture perfect (apparently, Cerro Aconcagua is often concealed by the clouds).

I think I can properly encapsulate our experience yesterday by modifying a famous John Denver song a bit and describing our day as an "Andean Mountain High".