Last Tuesday, my Chilean friends and I packed up our gear and food and headed out to Hatun Machay.  Hatun Machay, meaning "Big Cave" in the Quechua language, is a magnificent forest of rocks located in the Cordillera Negra at 4,200 meters above sea level.  After taking a bus and then a taxi, we arrived midday to the refuge run by the Andean Kingdom, an adventure tour company based in Huaraz.  Our first order of business was to climb, and with 300+ sport routes and counting there was no lack of options.

Climbing happened to be just about all we did there everyday, besides eating good food and meeting nice people, so we were content to say the least.  The rock quality itself was fantastic: large, 30 meter volcanic plaques, caves, and slabs.  All of the sport climbing is set around the perimeter, but with in the rock forest there is a seemingly endless amount of boulders and rocks in every shape and form imaginable.  We climbed until our forearms were pumped, our shoulders dead tired, and our fingers were bleeding (the rock is pretty sharp).

As the sun set, we would walk back to the refuge in majestic hues of red, orange, and yellow that were produced.  We would enter the welcomingly warm refuge, cook dinner, and converse with the other visitors.  I met all sorts of people from all around the world:  The USA, Europe, South America, Asia, and others.  Most were climbers and some were there just to enjoy the area.  All of them seemed to be great people with good energy, adding to the good vibes of the place.  After eating, relaxing, and playing a bit of music, we would retire to our tents and cozy up (it was a bit cold up there).

On our day of rest, we went to explore Hatun Machay.  At the top, there are two big caves that are archaeological sights; homes of ancient humans that lived there thousands of years before.  Inside the caves, there were many petroglyphs and pictographs.  In one of the caves, there were rock carvings that seemed to be some sort of calendar detailing the lunar cycle and constellations.  In another there were carvings of faces, an impression of a hand, and paintings.  Afterwards, we took time to walk through the forest of rocks and observe all the amazing formations.  Hatun Machay is a truly spiritual place with a powerful energy, and required a moment of meditation from myself to take it all in.

After several solid days of climbing, the Chileans unfortunately had to return to San Pedro de Atacama to resume their work.  I myself wanted to stay in Hatun a bit longer, so I said my goodbyes and told them that we would meet again soon in San Pedro.  That night, the boss of Andean Kingdom, Andreas,  led a group of us to the middle of the rocks to spend the night out there.  We came to a view point up high where you can see all the way down into the Pacific Ocean, and we watched one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen.  Then, as the light began to fade, the stars started to appear one by one until the entire night sky was filled with millions upon millions of lights.  Once again, I must say it was one of the most beautiful and most complete of night skies I have ever witnessed.  The darkness also brought a new feeling from there rocks, as if their dark forms were guardians in the night.

That night, I and 3 new acquaintances of mine, Nesto, Mati, and Alejandro, found a nice shelter in the rocks, unrolled our sleeping bags and spent the night under the stars.  It was honestly difficult to fall asleep, not due to the cold but because of the brilliance of the night sky.  I stared up at it for hours, as the stars slowly progressed, until the Milky Way was swallowed by the sea.  The night was also alight with shooting stars, one of which seemed to streak across nearly the entire sky.  Sleep finally did come, but not long afterwards the sun began to rise anew.  The sunrise was nearly as beautiful as the sunset.  With day break, life awoke within the rock forest and took flight.  I witnessed all types of beautiful take to the air and heard their sweet calls.  Finally, when the sun reached our sleeping spot, it came time to return to the refuge.  I took the rest of the day to rest and reflect.

Sunday evening, Andreas was kind enough to give me a lift back to Huaraz where he was going, as I had run out of supplies to eat.  When I returned that night, I was surprised and rejoiced to find that my Chileans friends had not left, and in fact had prepared a wonderful feast of multi-colored tortillas and about 12 different toppings.  We were all glad to see each other once again, and I had a chance to say goodbye again before they left at 11 P.M. that night.

It is nice to be back and relaxing in civilization, but I still feel Hatun Machay calling my name, and I believe that I will return there tomorrow to do some more climbing and living in that magical place.  Until then, I'm going to get a nice bite to eat.

Chao!