La Paz, our 50th day on the road, and not one I shall remember fondly. My complete and utter failure on Parinacota remains a tremendous disappointment. I suppose that is the nature of mountaineering. It’s an unpredictable business, although I can’t help dwelling on what I did wrong and whether Sergio contributed to my failure or whether he acted in my best interests and brought me safely back to Christi. God I hate failure.
I’m also incredibly tired and my body aches interminably. I sleep late and sneak over to Andean Base Camp to return my equipment. I mumble my thanks and leave quickly, eager to avoid any protracted conversations. On the way back to the hotel, I pass some kids playing soccer in the street. They’re laughing, and shouting, and having fun, which is more than can be said for me. Christi tries to cheer me up by showing me all the stuff she has bought these last few days. Clearly her retail therapy was much more successful than my attempts at climbing. One thing I am good at, apparently, is vegging in front of the TV and in a marathon session I watch the hilarious Superbad, the quirky Along Came Polly, and the truly disturbing Hard Candy. Tonight, for the first time during our Year of Wonder, I feel rather homesick.
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching tale of love and test tubes.
Speak Your Mind