January 11, 2012

Emerging

At last! We are healthy enough to hit the road. Time for a 6ish hour bumpy bus ride. We are off to the Colca Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world...allegedly. The deepest canyon in the world is the Cotahuasi Canyon (a neighboring geological phenomenon)....still allegedly. There is a fair amount of controversy over what defines the depth of a canyon. Is it the top of the highest mountain in the range from which the canyon tumbles, or is it the level plateau from which the lowest point of a canyon can easily be measured. The Himalayas certainly may have deeper canyons than the Andes--it is a close call as both ranges host rather formidable peaks--yet the Himalayas are largely unpenetrated, unlike the Andean range. It is likely that nobody has measured the depth of all its hostile and impermeable canyons.

Fortunately, no statistical competition will dissuade me from whether the canyon is worthwhile or not. Rather, its superlative as one of the best trekking locations in the world magnetizes our interests. Time to see what it is worth!

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