El Juno--Elevation 14,225 feet

The mountain that keeps watch over our little town is called El Juno. It juts out over the rolling hills at well over 4,000 meters, and it haunts us as a challenge to reach the summit. Tuesday, only days before Catherine and Tyler head back to the States to discover what life holds for them there, these four Jesuit Volunteers decided to head for the top. Even though we live at over 11,000 feet, I found that our lungs were fighting a losing battle with the oxygen levels. It was five and a half hours to the top, mostly over a dirt road, but partially bushwacking through the fields of bunchgrass and bogs nearer the summit. The boys Brad and Tyler climbed the scree slopes (crazy boys) all the way to the very top, but Cat and I stopped at the lower peak you can see just to the left of the highest peak. It was beautiful, peaceful, tranquil. Contrary to what I had thought, and much to my delight, there actually are some llamas up here, but only towards the highest parts. And, the most exciting part, we saw a condor!

What an amazing finale to our community with Cat and Tyler.