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A Quick Trip to Maroon Bells

September 23, 2015 by Jenna

“Do you want to go to Maroon Bells next weekend?”

“What’s that?”

“Google it.” (<— click that link)

“Ummm… YES.”

Last Saturday my friend (Katie) and I went on a quick trip to Maroon Bells and it was one of the most amazing things ever.

Katie and I left Denver at about 8:30 on Saturday morning. The drive from Denver to Aspen was beyond beautiful. We were those cool kids that stopped at almost every scenic overlook to take pictures. I think I spent 87% of the drive with my mouth open drooling at all the scenery and thinking “Omg. I live here.”

Once we arrived in Aspen we learned that the campground we had planned to stay at were already full, but we decided to just deal with that information later. We grabbed a quick meal, met some friends, then headed to Aspen Highlands to catch the bus.

From mid-June to October 5, you can only drive up to Maroon Bells 5:00pm-8:00am (info here). This information threw us a little off guard and forced us to change our plans a little bit and shorten our hike.

Clearly we didn’t have everything super planned out, but we went with the flow and everything worked out fine.

The bus from Aspen Highlands to Maroon Bells wasn’t just a transit bus, but rather a bus tour. The driver yelled at people for talking and told us facts like:

It is mating season for moose, so they are more aggressive than normal. Don’t get too close to them, because they could attack you.
People die all the time in the mountains, so be careful. Luckily the guy who fell off the mountain last month only broke his leg.
Some weekends are busier than others here.
Earlier today I saw a marmot sitting on that rock.

All very important things.

Then we arrived to Maroon Bells and it took my breath away.

Seriously.

Do you see why this is the most photographed mountain in North America?!

Katie, Mike, Bryan, and I started the hike from Maroon Bells to Crater Lake, which was about 2 hours round trip. The scenery was, surprise, gorgeous.

Those Aspens are on fire.

Mike and Bryan kept hiking, so Katie and I went back to Maroon Bells, took more pictures, and enjoyed a Busch Light by the lake.

We hung out in Aspen a bit before picking up the guys. At this point we still didn’t know where we would be sleeping for the night, because most of the nearby campsites were full. I thought we would end up sleeping in the car on the side of the road, but luckily Katie’s friends found a spot “6 miles from Difficult Campground on 82, a left at the fork, and 20 minutes down the gravel mountain road to campsite #16”.

It was easier to find that you would have thought.

We arrived to the campsite by about 10:30, enjoyed the campfire, some drinks, and a ridiculous view of the stars (that my little iPhone could not photograph). Then we all attempted to sleep in a tent in the mountains in about 20 degrees. It was not very successful.

Honestly, I’m surprised that I still have all of my toes. However, it was all totally worth it. It only took us about 20 minutes to pack up and hit the road back to Denver the next morning.

This was my first real trip to the mountains since moving to Denver. I am so in love and cannot wait to get back. Skiing season starts soon and I got my Epic Summit Value Pass in the mail, so now I just need to learn how to ski…

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Exploring Cusco, Peru

August 25, 2015 by Jenna

A few weeks ago I posted all about the hiking the Inca Trail (Part 1 and Part 2), but my trip to Peru was more than just hiking. Natalie, Danielle, Elizabeth and I also spent some time exploring Cusco and Lima.

We spent about four days in Cusco: two days before the hike and two days after. We were able to walk around and explore a lot of the city. Below are the highlights!

Where we stayed:

Terra Andina: We stayed here for the first days in Cusco before we left for the Inca Trail hike. It was a nice, simple hotel within walking distance from the Plaza de Armas. They had coca tea in the lobby and free breakfast in the morning – a buffet of coffee, tea, made to order omelets, hard boiled eggs, ham, cheese, fruit, toast, rolls, jam, and unsweetened puffed cereal. I love breakfast food, so this made me super happy. What didn’t make me happy was the unreliable wifi. Sometimes we could connect, sometimes we couldn’t. The beds were super comfortable and I slept like a baby.

Casa Andina Classic: This is where we stayed after we returned from the hike. It was only a few blocks away from the Plaza de Armas and was a little bit nicer and a little more expensive than the Terra Andina. They also had tea in the lobby and an amazing breakfast buffet, but their wifi was much more dependable.

Where we ate:

Antojito’s: The people at Quechuas Expeditions recommended this restaurant to us. We had basically just arrived in Cusco and wanted to try something local. It was a small whole-in-the-wall place that served very typical Peruvian food. We each got a 3-course meal with a drink for about $5.00. Can’t beat that!

Granja Heidi: This restaurant is owned by Germans and serves Peruvian foods. It was a pleasant, airy environment that made it seem like we were eating outside. I ordered the lunch special, which consisted of tea, leek soup, steamed trout with rice, salad, and a chocolate crepe. I wasn’t complaining.

Qucharita’s: This place had the best ice cream. It was 6 soles for two scoops in a bowl. I got quinoa ice cream with mango and nutella <- amazinggg. The ice cream master behind the counter poured liquid onto a cold stone, it turned solid, then he folded everything in. It was so cool. Plus, this place had some funky décor.

La Bodega 138: I’m actually surprised we only went here once, because we talked about how amazing it was throughout the trip. Our friends at Faces of Cusco told us it was safe to order salads here since they double boil their water when they wash their vegetables. (side note: drinking tap water is a big no-no in Peru, so we tried to stay away from raw foods) They brought out the most delicious bread, then we split a chicken, pepperoni, pineapple pizza and ordered big salads full of fresh veggies. Mine had greens, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, golden berries, green beans, and artichoke hearts and was topped with elderberry dressing. I want to go back right now.

Café Morena: Our friends at Faces of Cusco raved about this place! It is a cute little café with some fun décor. We all order pisco sours – our first ones of the trip! Natalie and I both ordered choufa with chicken. Choufa is basically a Peruvian version of Chinese fried rice, but the Café Morena version used quinoa. Danielle and Elizabeth ordered a grilled chicken salad and beef anticucho (which is kind of like shish-kebabs). We were so full after leaving this place!

Baco: This was a little Italian restaurant and another Faces of Cusco recommendation. We didn’t eat here, but did stop in one night to hang out and have a couple glasses of wine. It was a really nice atmosphere. I think they might have live music some nights?

What we did:

Faces of Cusco: Natalie discovered this place on a Trip Advisor search when looking up things to do in Cusco. It looked like they offered a bunch of different classes that sounded like so much fun. We wanted to check it out in person before signing up for anything, so we walked in and were welcomed like old friends! Vinay and Brian were extremely helpful. They gave us a list of things to do and places to eat and basically helped us plan out our stay in Peru. We also signed up for two of their classes, both were $35/person.

Inca Indulgence: In this class we made little chocolate truffles that consisted of dry fillings (Oreos, Chips Ahoy, almonds, walnuts, quinoa, M&Ms, coconut and a variety of other delicious things) and wet fillings (chocolate fudge, peanut butter, jelly, and caramel). While they set we then switched over and painted little ceramic figurines. We were served wine throughout the class, listened to good tunes, and chatted with other travellers. I ate all the chocolates and have my little ceramic bull (also known as Torito de Pucara, which is a symbol of good luck in Peru) on my bookshelf.

Latin Libations: This class was all about the cocktails! Our instructor, Kevin, started out by teaching us about the history of cocktails. Then we learned about Pisco and tasted 5 different varieties, each made with a different grape. Afterwards it was time to make our own cocktails! We made mojitos, pisco sours, le Kevin (we named it), and a tiered drink. Luckily Vinay had ordered us some appetizers from the restaurant next door. Snacks were necessary. We had such a fun and silly time at this class!

Peruvian Cooking Class: I was so excited to take this cooking class! We registered for the Classic Cooking Class, which was about $37/person and chose menu #1: cream of quinoa soup, stuffed chilies, yucca, rice pudding, and pisco sours.

We started out by reading through the recipes and making notes of what ingredients we needed to buy. Then we headed over to San Pedro Market to buy them. This market was unlike any that I had ever seen! It was full of everything: flowers, herbs, flour, meat, intestines (!!), candy, fruit, vegetables, nuts – everything!

We got what we needed and headed back to start cooking. Estelle and her team were awesome in the kitchen. Their English wasn’t great (it was way better than our Spanish), but that didn’t hinder the cooking process at all. Estelle assigned us all tasks and kept everything moving along – it was a flurry of activity in the kitchen!

There were no shiny KitchenAids or Vitamixes here, it was all back to basics! We ground peanuts in peanut paste, quinoa into quinoa flour, and spices into powder. It was fun to do (and a great hand/arm workout), but I’ll admit that I’m thankful for my food processor.

Once everything was cooked, we mixed up some pisco sours and sat down to enjoy our meal. It was such a fun and delicious experience. I kept the recipes and will definitely be making everything again!

Plaza de Armas: Plaza de Armas is the main square in the heart of Cusco. There are gardens, benches, a fountain, and a handful of beautiful buildings: Cusco Cathedral, El Triounfo and La Compania.

We hung around here quite a bit, killing time between activities. The people watching here was pretty fantastic. There were young couples cuddling on benches, tourists taking silly pictures, and locals trying to sell llama keychains and paintings or convincing you to go eat at their restaurant, etc. We had a pretty good time just observing all the activities. Plus, it is a gorgeous site to see both day and night.

Museo Machu Picchu: This museum was all about Machu Picchu. We visited here the day before we left for the Inca Trail and I am so glad we did! It gave us a good grounding on the history and culture of the Incas and the discovery of Machu Picchu. It was worth the 20 Soles.

Walking and exploring: Outside of the activities listed above, we basically just walked around the city, exploring different streets, shops, and markets. This is what I love to do when I travel. It’s so refreshing to just walk around without an agenda, taking in the different culture and sites, and then stopping for breaks at little cafes to re-charge. There were days when we walked 5+ miles, which is great because I didn’t even attempt running in the altitude with the busy streets and narrow sidewalks.

Cusco is such a beautiful city with so much history. I really enjoyed being there and exploring!

After Cusco we flew to Lima for a few days, but I’ll post about that experience at a later date.

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Hiking The Inca Trail: Part 2

July 28, 2015 by Jenna

Last week I promised I would be back with the remainder of my time on the Inca Trail. Here I am true to my word with Part 2.

DAY 3: THE LONG DAY

The plan:

Wake up at 5:00am, get ready, and eat breakfast.
Take a lunch break at Phuyupata Marca (11,930 ft. elevation).
End the day at Wiñay Wayna (8,692 ft. elevation).

This day was the long day with a total distance of 16k. There were still stairs, but it was much less intense than the day before. Thanks goodness.

We started out the morning with a nice uphill climb, because what better way to start the third day of a hike?! It felt pretty difficult and I’m fairly certain I was dehydrated; however, we were able to see a lot of different Inca ruins and some gorgeous views along the way! #worthit

The first site was Runkuraqay, which was in the shape of a mushroom. Then we climbed up to Pumasillu (Puma’s Claw) and saw an absolutely breathtaking view of the San Francisco glacier. We were lucky that we arrived when we did, because about 5 minutes later the fog settled in and basically covered it all up. You know what they say, early bird gets the worm.

From this point it was a short downhill to the lunch spot. When we arrived to Phuyupata Marca lunch wasn’t quite ready yet, so Edgar asked if anyone wanted to go on a little bonus hike. Elizabeth, Adam, Liam, and I joined in and went up to another peak where we had an incredible 360 degree view. Pictures do not do it justice.

Imagine that, but 432866x more awesome in real life. Our lunch spot was were those little blue tents are.

After lunch it was about two-hour downhill walk. We entertained ourselves by singing random songs. I think across all four days of the hike we burst out into approximately 311 songs. Not full songs, just one-liners. It would go something like this:

Person A: I’m just taking it step by step.
Person B: Step by step, day by day, (day by dayyy)

Person A: Turn around and take a picture.
Person B: Turn around, bright eyes, every now and then I fall apart….

It was fun and I’m sure we annoyed zero people.

The last site for the day was Intipata. We took some pretty epic pictures and saw some llamas.

And yes, I am really good at jumping.

From here our final campsite was only about 10 minutes away. Since we were in lower altitude, about 8,700 feet, Edgar said we probably didn’t need to take our altitude medication anymore. I wasn’t feeling very good that day, so I was happy to ditch it.

We ate more amazing food throughout the day:

Breakfast: unsweetened granola, strawberry yogurt, toast, eggs, coffee, and tea
Snack: cereal crackers and an apple
Lunch: vegetable noodle soup, Lima beans, chicken salad, causarellena, steak, rice, and yellow potatoes.
Snack: popcorn, pastry chips with sweet and sour sauce, cake (again!!), coffee, and tea
Dinner: asparagus soup, rice, chicken stuffed with hotdogs, stir fry veggies, mashed potatoes, and pizza
Dessert: jell-o!

After dinner had a little ceremony to thank the chaskis. We thought this meant that we needed to perform something special, so we broke out and sang Wannabee in its entirety. Apparently that was unnecessary. Oh well. We thanked our chaskis, tipped them, and said our formal goodbyes. They were incredible throughout the hike. Supermen, all of them. I still wish they woke me up in the morning with a steamy cup of coca tea.

Then it was bedtime. We had a super early wake up call the next morning for our final hiking day. It was a significantly warmer night than the previous one. I didn’t even need to sleep in my sleeping bag! Weird.

DAY 4: THE SHORT DAY + MACHU PICCHU

The plan:

Wake up at 3:00am (so early!!), get ready, eat breakfast, and wait until the entrance opens at 5:30am.
Hike to Machu Picchu.
Take the bus to Aguas Calientes and meet for lunch.
Take the train to Ollantaytambo, then the bus back to Cusco.

The last day of the hike! A 3:00 am wake up call!! Machu Picchu day! WHOA!

We had our final breakfast (corn pancakes and toast) and said one last “Adios!” to the chaskis.

The control gate to continue hiking didn’t open until 5:30am, but we woke up super early so that we could get to the front of the line. That way we weren’t stuck behind a bunch of (slow) people. Plus, we were able snag spots on the benches rather than standing in the cold for over an hour. Win!

From this spot it was about an hour walk to Intipunku, AKA the Sun Gate. As we rounded the corner to the Sun Gate we were so excited to see the view of Machu Picchu, the view that we hiked four days to see! So much anticipation!! But womp womp, it was completely covered in fog.

Edgar told us to wait and said that the fog would lift. So we waited. And we hoped. And we waited. It looked promising for a few moments, but then it got thicker again.

But finally it lifted and Machu Picchu was revealed. Beautiful.

From here we walked down to Machu Picchu. Edgar gave us a tour, walking us through the various sites and telling us about the history and the different structures. It was all so amazing! It is unfathomable to me that those structures have been standing there for about 500 years. Edgar was saying that there are probably so many more ruins located throughout the mountains that we just aren’t aware of, because they are buried in the forest.

I’m so glad that he walked us through it, because (1) he knew what he was talking about and (2) we were all so tired (we did wake up at 3am). I don’t think I would have had the energy to do it on my own.

At this point Edgar left us and suggested that we walk up to another point for a great view. We were so tired that we almost just skipped it. Thanks goodness we didn’t, because it was THE VIEW.

You just can’t go all the way to Machu Picchu without seeing that.

Afterwards we took the bus down to Aguas Calientes. It was quite the winding road (unlike this long and winding road)! I’m so glad we didn’t have to walk down it. We met Edgar for lunch at Apu Salkantay. Apparently this is the meeting spot of all the tour groups. It was fun to see everyone celebrating and reliving the memories on the Inca Trail!

We were hot, sweaty, smelly, exhausted, and ready for a shower and a bed. Did I mention that there were no showers along the trail and that our “bathroom” was basically a folding chair with a hole cut out and a bag attached placed inside a tent? I didn’t? Probably because I was trying to forget it. Apu Salkantay had real toilets and it felt like such a luxury. It didn’t solve the whole not-showering-for-4-days thing though.

Luckily, we paid an extra $22 to take the 3:30pm train back to Ollantaytambo rather than our originally schedule 6:30pm one. Best decision ever.

This train though, it was unlike any I had ever encountered. First of all, it drove through beautiful views along the Willcamayu River. Second, a creepy man dressed in a rainbow suit, a terrible orange wig, and a demon mask danced around to some music (and forced Natalie to join). Third, the train stewards did a little fashion show with some alpaca apparel. If I didn’t know any better I would have totally thought it was all a dream… or too much coca tea. However, it was very real.

A car from Quechuas picked us up from the train station and drove us to our hotel in Cusco. We had a little bit of drama with our luggage. As in, it wasn’t at our hotel. But Edgar swooped in and saved the day and got our luggage from the hotel we stayed at before the hike. Our hero!

Then it was shower time. Then it was bed time (in an actual bed!). Ahhhh, so glorious.

But I kind of missed the tent?

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The four-day hike on the Inca Trail was a truly unforgettable experience. It was unlike anything that I’ve ever done before and I had such an amazing time.

If you are thinking of doing this hike, I would highly recommend booking it through Quechuas Expeditions. They were very organized and had great service. We didn’t need to worry about anything during the hike, because they took care of everything. The chaskis were all amazing and worked super hard in order to make things easy on us. Then there was Edgar, who is basically the best guide ever on the planet. He was extremely knowledgeable about the Incas and super fun.

Besides the people from Quechuas Expedition, there were also my fellow hikers. Brian, Karen, Adam, and Liam are an awesome family. I enjoyed getting to know them and hope that we didn’t annoy them too much. Natalie, Danielle, and Elizabeth were obviously awesome the whole time.

This hike on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was just a part of our total Peru trip. I’ll be back with our experiences in Cusco and Lima!

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Hiking the Inca Trail: Part 1

July 21, 2015 by Jenna

I went on the most amazing trip to Peru and I want to tell you all about it!!

But I won’t tell you alllll about it in one sitting. It would just be too much (for me to write and you to read). Instead I’ll break it down to a few digestible pieces.

Here we goooooo…………………

BACKGROUND:

I traveled to Peru with my friends Natalie, Danielle, and Elizabeth. This is us the first day of the hike looking so clean and energized.

We booked a 4 day/3 night Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu through Quechuas Expeditions, which was recommended to us by a co-worker of mine and Danielle’s.

It was the best experience ever and I really think you need to go.

PACKING LIST:

I researched Inca Trail packing lists like I’ve never researched before. No joke. I read and Googled and asked everyone I know who did the hike about what they packed. I didn’t want to bring too many things and I didn’t want to bring the wrong things. It’s a tricky balance of hot/cold, clean/dirty, too much/too little out there on the Inca Trail!

Because of all my struggles I wanted to share my packing list in case you do decide to go (you should).

Clothes: 1 pair hiking pants, 1 pair of running leggings, 3 tank tops, 1 t-shirt, 2 long-sleeves, 1 fleece jacket, 1 rain coat, 1 sports bra, 4 pairs underwear, 4 pairs of good socks
Shoes: Running shoes, flip flops
Accessories: backpack, buff/bandana, hat, sunglasses, poncho, head lamp, gloves, winter headband
Toiletries: face wipes, body wipes, moisturizer, toothpaste, toothbrush, sunscreen, lip balm with SPF, bug spray, first aid, hand sanitizer, toilet paper
Other things: camera, iPhone, quick drying towel, Lara bars/snacks, altitude medication, passport, money, playing cards, plastic bags, 2 1-liter water bottles, a book (that I didn’t read)
Rented from Quechuas: trekking poles, sleeping bag, sleeping mat

My strategy was to wear the hiking pants for the first three days with one of the long-sleeves and a clean t-shirt/tank. Then wear the leggings and the other long-sleeve as pajamas each night and as my outfit for the last day. Clean socks and underwear were a daily occurence, but wore the same sports bra the entire time. Looking back, I probably would have packed an extra clean one, but since I was dirty and gross basically the entire time it wasn’t a major issue.

I debated back and forth about what type of shoes to bring: running shoes vs. trail shoes vs. hiking shoes. In the end I landed on running shoes, because I have strong ankles (some may call them cankles), didn’t want to buy a new pair of shoes, and hiked in the dry season. If any of those points were untrue, hiking boots/shoes probably would have been the better option.

The four of us decided to pay an extra $75 each so that we could hire two porters, or “chaskis”, to carry our duffles. I know that makes us sound spoiled, but I really don’t think I would have enjoyed the hike nearly as much if I would have been carrying everyone on my own. We were each allowed to fill up a duffle with 6 kg. The sleeping bag and sleeping mat weighed about 2 kg, so that left us with 4 kg for our things. They weighed all of the bags before we left to make sure we didn’t surpass the limit. It was just enough.

Everything else went into my day bag. This included water, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, toilet paper, hat, buff, sunglasses, and a long-sleeve shirt. It was manageable.

There was a lot of strategy involved with packing, but overall I’m happy with the amount and the items that I packed.

PRIOR TO DEPARTURE:

We arrived in Cusco two days before leaving for the hike so that we could adjust (at least a little bit) to the altitude. We spent these two days exploring Cusco.

I’ll talk more about that later.

On our first day we stopped by the Quechuas Expeditions office to pay the remaining balance of our bill, which could be paid in either Soles or Dollars, and to schedule a pre-departure briefing with our guide.

Edgar, our guide, met us at our hotel the next evening (the night before the hike). He seemed fun and silly and told us our itinerary for each day of the hike so we knew what to expect.

To sum it up: day 1 = easy; day 2 = really hard; day 3 = long; day 4 = short.

He also told us that a family of four would also be joining us on the hike. We groaned and crossed our fingers that they wouldn’t be annoying. Our wish came true – they were awesome. It was Brian and Karen and their two sons, Adam and Liam.

Also a team of 11 chaskis would be there too. These guys would be the ones who carried everything, cooked food, set up and took down tents, woke us up, etc.

After Edgar left it was time to go to bed. We had a big couple of days ahead of us!

DAY 1. THE EASY DAY:

The plan:

Get picked up from the hotel at 6:00am and drive to the starting point (with a breakfast stop along the way).
Start hiking at Piscacucho (9,000 ft. elevation).
Take a lunch break at Tarayoq (9,070 ft. elevation).
End the day at Wayllabamba. (9,840 ft. elevation).

This day was the “easy day”. I’m not going to say that it wasn’t easy, but I wouldn’t call it a walk in the park either. We were still adjusting to being in such high altitude and walking all day, but we were also super fresh. Here we are in front of the Veronica Glacier.

We took the hike at a comfortable pace, stopping frequently to take pictures and re-apply sunscreen. Edgar would also stop us every so often to tell us stories about the Incas and teach us about things we encountered along the trail, like trumpet flowers (don’t eat them!!).

We were also able to see three Inca ruins this day: Qhanabamba, Patallaqta, and Patawasi. They are all super easy to say. (jokes)

In total we walked about 12k/7.5 miles and took some fun pictures.

To keep our energy up the chaskis made tons of ridiculously delicious food each day. The chef, Aurelio, worked magic in that little kitchen tent. Seriously. I was blown away every time they gave us food.

Our day 1 eats:

Breakfast: eggs, pancakes, cereal, quinoa porridge, fruit, and coffee
Snack: chocolate-filled cookie sandwiches and a banana
Lunch: asparagus soup, rice, salad, chicken legs, yucca fries, ceviche, and celery tea
Snack: popcorn, crackers, coffee, and tea
Dinner: vegetable soup, rice, beet and bean salad, cauliflower pizza, fried trout, and GUINEA PIG (yeah, I tried it)
Dessert: mulled banana and tea

During dinner Edgar was telling us stories from some of his previous hikes. One particularly hilarious one involved four Irish men, a monkey, a lot of alcohol, and jail. I won’t get into the details, but it sounded like the potential plot to Hangover 4.

Then it was off to our tents! I shared one with Natalie. It wasn’t huge, but we still had plenty of space for our sleeping bags and duffles. It quickly became our quaint little home for the next four days.

DAY 2. THE REALLY HARD DAY:

The plan:

Wake up at 5:00am, get ready, and eat breakfast.
Hike up to Warmiwañusca, AKA Dead Woman’s Pass (13,776 ft. elevation).
Hike down to Pacaymayu (11,700 ft. elevation) and take the rest of the afternoon easy.

The chaskis woke us up at the early hour of 5:00am with a knock on the tent and a “Buenos Dias! Coca tea!” If we had to get up that early, at least it was by cheery men that gave us delicious, hot tea.

At breakfast we found out that it was Domingo’s (our waiter) birthday the night before. Aurelio baked a cake (in a tent. How?!) and served it with breakfast. Cake for breakfast before hiking uphill for a few hours? Why not. Every time we saw Domingo after this we sang him “Happy Birthday”. He could have loved or hated this, I’m still not quite sure.

Edgar made sure we all had enough water and encouraged us to go our own pace and take all the breaks we needed. We left Wayllabamba at about 6:00 and had “La Bamba” in our head for the next 10 days.

Para bailar la bamba…

After a few sets of uphill climbs and breaks we decided that it was easier to do the whole “slow and steady” thing, because starting up again after stopping is really hard!

Walking up stairs for three hours is one thing. Walking up stairs made of uneven rocks in high altitude for three hours is an entirely different story. It was basically all about endurance. Luckily, my body was somewhat prepared since I had just run Grandma’s Marathon less than a week before. I focused on climbing and getting up to Warmiwañusca. My endorphins were in full blast when I made it. Natalie, Danielle, and Elizabeth didn’t share my level of enthusiasm at the time.

They did eventually, because seriously, that view.

After we celebrated and recovered, it was time to start hiking again. It was about two hours down to Pacaymayu, which is where we would set up camp for the day, so it was the final push. Walking down was difficult in a completely different way – more strategic. I think my legs were shaking about 15 minutes in. We cruised along fairly quickly (as in, no rest stops), because we all just wanted to be done. I think this two-hour span was the quietest we were on the entire trip.

After arriving to the camp site we decided a little yoga session was necessary. Natalie led us through a Vinyasa. I think Edgar and the chaskis were both highly confused and amused. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing…. And eating.

This is what we feasted on:

Breakfast: fresh fruit, apple cinnamon maca porridge, eggs, toast, cake (!!), coffee, and tea
Snack: chocolate-mint cookie sandwiches and an orange
Lunch: cheese wontons, vegetable noodle soup, quinoa, cucumber tomato salad, guacamole with plantain chips, pasta salad, and lomo saltado
Snack: popcorn, corn nuts, pastry chips with caramel drizzle, coffee, and tea
Dinner: vegetable noodle soup, spaghetti, baked alfredo, and steamed vegetables
Dessert: mulled mango and tea

After dinner we had a little gathering with the chaskis to introduce ourselves. They only spoke either Spanish or Quechuas (or a little of both), so there was definitely a language barrier. Edgar had to translate for both parties and could have easily made everything up. We will never know. It was fun to finally know everyone’s name and learn a little bit about them. They were all so nice and helpful!

It was scorching hot when we initially arrived, but was freezing when the sun went down. I can’t remember the last time I slept in so many clothes – two pairs of wool socks, leggings, hiking pants, a t-shirt, a long sleeve, a fleece, a rain jacket, a winter headband, and gloves. That’s the thing about hiking though, you’re just stylish 24/7. Socks and sandles, anyone?

Our total distance for the day was only about 9k, but we climbed up about 3,950 feet and then went back down another 2,000 feet. I get exhausted just thinking about it, but at the same time I want to do it all over again! I think it’s the marathoner in me.

BREAK:

Since this post is already longer than it needs to be, I’m going to take a break here. I’ll be back with the rest soon!

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California Things

March 12, 2015 by Jenna

My mom, sister, and I decided to take a mother/daughter trip out to California to visit family and go wine tasting. It was glorious.

After talking about muffins, running the Hot Dash, and having my people over for lunch on Saturday, my mom, Jaci, and I headed to the airport and flew west to California! Jaci and I hung out with my cousin and her fiancé (Michelle and Shawn) Saturday night in Oakland and then explored San Francisco all day on Sunday. My mom stayed with my aunt and uncle (Linda and Terry) on Saturday and Sunday. Then on Monday my mom, Jaci, Linda, and Terry went wine tasting all afternoon in Sonoma.

Instead of sharing my normal Thursday Things I am sharing a fun set of California Things.

THE WEATHER.

We couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather! After weeks (months!) of harsh Minnesota winter it was great to finally feel the warmth of sunshine on my skin and be able to wear a dress without tights. Of course in true San Francisco form it was foggy in the morning, but after it burned off the sun was out and temps reached up to the mid-70s.

The temperature has actually been pretty spring-like in Minneapolis as well, so this made coming back to real life significantly easier!

THE FOOD.

Oh, the food! Everything was so delicious. Here are the highlights:

Brunch at Boot and Shoe Service in Oakland. I had the gulf coast white shrimp and it was phenomenal – very unlike any other brunch dish I’ve ever had. Jaci and Michelle got the corned beef hash and Shawn got the fried egg sandwich, which all looked very delicious as well.
Beers at Zeitgeist in San Francisco. This place had a beer garden and we wanted to take advantage of the sunshine. Here I remembered how much I like Magic Hat #9.
Burritos at Taqueria Cancun on Mission Street in San Francisco. These burritos were AMAZING. The el pastor is marinated with pineapple and then grilled to perfection. I got the “super burrito” without the tortilla. It was enough food for days, but I ate it in one sitting. My sister left a portion of her burrito (which was the size of a small baby) at the table and then we saw a homeless person come in a take it while we were in the bathroom line – a charitable donation.
Drinks at the View Lounge in the Marriott downtown San Francisco. Here it is all about the view, so it is very appropriately named. The bar looks out onto San Francisco and it is so gorgeous, especially as the sun in setting. We (me, Jaci, Michelle, and Shawn) met up with the rest of the crew (Mom, Linda, and Terry) for one last cocktail. One of my college girlfriends and her husband also met up with us here, which was a special treat.
Picnic at Imagery Estate Winery in Sonoma. After our first wine tasting we stopped to pick up picnic food before heading to Imagery Estate. We got salami, cheese, crackers, and chocolate at the Kenwood Market, then stopped at VJB Vineyard and Cellars for salads and sandwiches. I was drooling over everything in VJB, it all just looked so good. After much debate we ended up with a salmon panini, pancetta eggplant melt, sausage and pepper sandwich, antipasto, and potato salad. Yummmm.
Dinner at Hops and Hominy in downtown San Francisco. On Monday night we met up with Michelle and Shawn for one last dinner. This restaurant was cozy and very cool with a menu of many delicious looking things. We got some cornbread to share at the table. My sister and I split the black-eyed pea fritters and bacon-wrapped asparagus. I also had the kale & quinoa salad and stole a few of my mom’s chicken wings. Just delicious. Everything.

I never went hungry the entire time in California. It was a very happy time.

THE WINERIES.

We spent Monday afternoon wine tasting in Sonoma, but kicked-off our trip with a bottle of Malbec at the airport (because, vacation!)

Linda and Terry know the area well and are members at a few locations, so mom, Jaci, and I just followed their lead. This was perfect, because we are terrible at making decisions. Like, really bad at it.

First stop: Chateau St. Jean.

We did a reserve tasting of 5 different wines: Fume Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Malbec. The wines were all amazing and it made me happy to end with a Malbec (my favorite). The chateau grounds were gorgeous and we were able to enjoy our tasting outside with the beautiful sun and views. Our hostess was so much fun. She chatted with us, told us the history of the vineyard, and showed us around the house. It was tempting to just stay there all day, but then we realized we had a few more to go to.

Second stop: Imagery Estate Winery.

Instead of doing a full tasting, we just bought a bottle to drink while we had our picnic. However, we did do some sampling first. Their Code Blue is a Syrah that is also made with blueberries. It was so interesting! It isn’t a sweet wine, like you may think with the blueberries, but rather a classic Syrah with bursts of blueberries. We also tried the Mourvedre, but ended up choosing the Primitivo.

Then we claimed a picnic table, poured the wine, spread out the food, and enjoyed sunshine. Picnics at wineries are one of my absolute favorite things. It brought back memories to many-a picnic at Arrington Vineyards from when I lived in Tennessee.

After devouring the food and wine Terry and Linda played bocce ball and horseshoes while Mom, Jaci, and I relaxed in some Adirondack chairs. Can I just do that everyday?!

Final stop: Gloria Ferrer.

We rounded out the afternoon with a glass of bubbly and yet another gorgeous view. By this point in time we were all pretty beat. I forgot how draining the sun can be… or was it the wine? Either way, we were exhausted, but oh so happy. Terry had the Blanc de Blancs and Mom, Jaci, and I had the Royal Cuvee.

It was such a fun afternoon. I have been out to wine country with some girlfriends before (where we stopped at 7 or 8 – how?!), but it was the first time for my mom and sister, so it was fun to share it with them. Plus, Terry and Linda are always such a blast. Silly times.

THE VIEWS.

San Francisco and Sonoma are full of such beautiful views! Some of my favorites were…

Bernal Heights Hill in San Francisco.

Seriously, all of those buildings! There are just so many. Plus, there are adorable dogs running around.

China Beach in San Francisco.

The drive to the beach was a sight in itself – so many gorgeous houses! It’s mind bottling (you know, when things are so crazy it gets your thoughts all trapped, like in a bottle? – name that movie!). But for real, what do these people do for a living?! I was seconds away from knocking on doors and conducting a survey…

Anyway, the view of the Golden Gate and never-ending ocean was beautiful. We had some fun taking pictures. On the way up the steps to our car, people were coming down carrying a mermaid costume. It was so tempting to turn around and spy on them…

Lands End in San Francisco.

We took in this view from the top and didn’t walk down to the bottom, because it was windy and we were getting tired.

Then there was pretty much everywhere you looked in Sonoma, but I already shared most of my view pictures above.

THE FAMILY TIME.

The biggest draw to this trip was the mother/daughter time with Mom and Jaci. They are both so much fun and after some stressful weeks, they were both ready for a relaxing get-away. They are both so incredible, I can’t even describe how much I love and enjoy hanging out with them.

Jaci and I also got to spend some good quality cousin time with Michelle and Shawn. I can’t remember the last time we got to hang out that much at one time. They were wonderful tour guides and even got Jaci to make a decision on something she wanted to do/see (the Full House houses). We did a lot of reminiscing, talking about our Duesterhoeft traits (the good, the bad, and the ugly), eating, laughing, and wishing we could hang out this much all the time.

There were also a lot of fun times with Terry and Linda. I used to see them quite a bit when they lived in Minnesota and Wisconsin, but after they moved to California there has been more time between each visit. I always enjoy spending time with them. Great conversation and great champagne are typically involved. Terry taught Jaci and I how to use the AirDrop feature on the iPhone and our lives are forever changed. We also played a lot of “What would Brad (my dad) say in this situation?” We nailed it every time.

Overall the trip was amazing and I am so glad that it happened. The only thing I was bummed about was that I didn’t get to fit in a City Running Tour like I did during my trip to Denver. The timing just didn’t work out. I was able to squeeze some treadmill interval running and strength training at the hotel in the mornings, so that was good at least.

It definitely won’t be the last mother/daughter trip, nor will it be the last California trip, nor will it be the last trip – Chicago this weekend for St. Patrick’s Day!!

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The Philadelphia Marathon

November 30, 2014 by Jenna

One week ago today I ran the Philadelphia Marathon. I have been going on and on and on and on and on about it since April and last Sunday was the big day. It seems like forever ago, but I can still definitely feel the marathon in my legs.

PRE-RACE

I flew into Philadelphia on the Friday before the race with three others. The rest of the Minneapolis gang (there were 10 of us total!) arrived either late Friday night or Saturday afternoon. My friend Julia and her parents hosted everyone. Their hospitality was overwhelming. Jack and Mare (Julia’s parents) are such fantastic people. They warmly welcomed all of us into their beautiful home like they’d known us for years.

On Saturday we headed into Philadelphia to check out the expo. The bib and shirt pick up was surprisingly efficient, which I definitely appreciated. Afterwards the group split up to wander around the expo for a bit. Overall it was a pretty standard expo. I ended up buying a SPIbelt, which was pretty exciting, and getting a massage, which was also pretty awesome.

After the expo we ended up at the Hard Rock Café for lunch. I was able to meet up with the City Running Tours Philadelphia manager. It was great to meet another manager face-to-face! I enjoyed hearing about how she runs things in Philly and am excited to start working on some things for Minneapolis.

We ate dinner at Julia’s house where her mom prepared us a pre-marathon feast. It was amazing. Salad, bread, pasta, sweet potatoes – the works! Dinner conversation revolved around the marathon and big ass fans.

After dinner we all scrambled around getting our marathon stuff ready: pinning on bibs, laying out race outfits, testing out music, gathering pre-race throw-away clothes, packing post-race sweats, etc. It was fun having everyone there because I could ask their opinion on important things like if I should wear the SPIbelt over or under my shirt and whether or not I should wear a hat. These are decisions I cannot make on my own.

We turned in early, because our alarms were set for 3:30am. Yeah, 3:30am. Jack and Mare even got up to make us coffee, set out breakfast, and make sure we had everything set to go. Seriously, the best people ever. We got to the start by 5:30am, took the necessary picture on the Rocky steps, and found a place to camp out/remain calm/stay warm until the race started at 7:00.

THE RACE

As you may have read in some of my previous posts I was going into the Philadelphia Marathon with a hip flexor issue that basically halted my training since mid-October. I was still able to do strength training, yoga, and the elliptical, but it’s really not the same. I went to the start line with the mind-set to just finish and take in the experience.

The first 10 miles of the race were great. I was feeling good, feeling strong, and feeling happy. It was fun to run around through Philly and hear the cheers from the crowd and, since I hadn’t been running the entire month before the race, it was fun to just run in general. Then at mile 10 it all went downhill. Literally. There was a huge downhill that really messed with my knee. I stopped for the first time at mile 11 to get water, take a GU, and stretch for a second. Then I basically just hobbled through the remaining 15 miles.

The last 13 miles were a little bit of a strugglefest both physically and mentally. Physically, because my body was not used to running. The impact was hurting my feet/ankles and my hip flexors were super tight. Mentally, because this section of the course was an out-and-back by the river. I kept thinking that the turnaround point was “just around the corner”, but it wasn’t (until it eventually was). Also because I was wearing my Garmin and I shouldn’t have been. As my pain increased, my pace decreased, so it was difficult for me to stay focused and motivated.

At mile 17 a runner came up behind me to tell me that he noticed me limping since mile 13. Thanks dude, I noticed that too. Apparently he was cramping up and feeling the strain too, but “we’ll keep going and finish, right?!” Right you are, fellow runner, we will finish indeed.

But then at mile 19 I started to cry. I very rarely cry (I’m German), but I desperately wanted to stop.

At mile 21 I had a beer, because YOLO.

The remaining 5 miles were all about putting one foot in front of the other and moving forward.

The one huge help was the support from the crowd. I had my name on my shirt, which was something I’ve never done before, but will do for every marathon going forward. There were so many people yelling words of encouragement to me, specifically to me. It was so wonderful to hear things like “You’re doing awesome, Jenna!” or “Keep it up, Jenna. You’re amazing!” or just a simple “GOOOOO JENNA!!!” Man, it was so helpful.

Finally, finally, mile 26 came. I crossed the finish line while high-fiving the Mayor with a time of 4:38.

POST-RACE

Philadelphia was my third marathon. Twin Cities Marathon was my first in October 2012 with a time of 4:29. Grandma’s Marathon was my second in June 2013 with a time of 3:49. With my injury I knew I wasn’t going to get a PR, but I was at least hoping to finish under 4:30. After crossing the finish line I was disappointed with how I felt and disappointed with my time. I just wanted to sit down and sob for 3 minutes and then go meet up with the rest of my group. Instead I just walked (oh so slowly walked) to meet up with everyone, because there was no way I would ever be able to get up if I sat down.

When I finally made it to the meeting spot (after what seemed like years) I was greeted with so many hugs and words of encouragement from my friends. “You just ran a marathon. You just completed 26.2 miles on an injury. You are amazing and have no reason to be upset!” So true. Who cares what my time was? I still did it! I still crossed the finish line and that is all that really matters. There was no need or reason to be disappointed, so I stopped crying and started smiling.

We spent the rest of the afternoon eating, resting, and telling stories about the marathon. Everyone had a pretty severe case of “Marathon Brain” and delirium. It was pretty spectacular. A lot of hilarious things were said.

THE DAY AFTER

After a low-key and leisurely morning we headed into Philadelphia for some cheese steaks. It is basically a crime to go to Philly and not eat one. Plus, we all just ran a marathon, sooooo… #earnedit.

We then explored a little bit and walked (although it was probably more of a waddle) around to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It was a gorgeous 70 degree (!!!) day. A friend and I flew back to Minneapolis later that afternoon.

CONCLUSION

Although I had a hard time training for and running the Philadelphia Marathon I wouldn’t trade the experience in a gazillion years. I was able to train, run, and spend the weekend with such an amazing group of people. Their camaraderie, encouragement, and all around awesome personalities is what got me to the finish line.

Running a marathon gives me the biggest high. All the training, hard work, and dedication definitely pays off when you cross that finish line. It’s so worth it.

Plus, it was awesome to go explore a new city!

A HUGE shout out to Lindsey and Julia for convincing me to register and being the best running buddies, to Monica for lots of early morning runs and great conversations, to Louis, Whitney, Carla, Christie, Kristi, and Martha for being awesome and dominating another marathon, to Jack and Mare for being the best hosts on the planet and for making us so much food and coffee, and to my family, friends, and co-workers for all their support and encouragement.

I ran for the first time today since the marathon. It wasn’t pretty. I only did a mile and my ankles hurt so bad. I really hope to be back at it again soon and start training for my next marathon whenever/wherever that may be…

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Where we stayed:

Where we ate:

What we did:

DAY 3: THE LONG DAY

DAY 4: THE SHORT DAY + MACHU PICCHU

FINAL THOUGHTS:

BACKGROUND:

PACKING LIST:

PRIOR TO DEPARTURE:

DAY 1. THE EASY DAY:

DAY 2. THE REALLY HARD DAY:

BREAK:

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