Bolivia, 5 am, 10 degrees below cero and eyes and minds set on the summit of the Licancabur volcano, 5930 above sea level. Our group consists of 6 members of Alto Atacama, among them, the creators of the Alto atacama project; Andres Maclean and Cesar Burotto. The plan was simple, get to the top of Licancabur to honor the promise made 5 years before, that when the project was finished and running the climb to the summit will mark the birth of a dream that started with a hike in the Catarpe valley…

The Licancabur is the most impressive summit of the area due to its perfect conical shape, altitude, and by the fact that remains the sacred mountain of the Licanantay people. The climb took us through different stages, pitch dark first, then the colors of the day started to slowly fill the atmosphere, revealing lagoons of an amazing green and the endless Atacama Desert. As high as the spirits were, the action of altitude on we humans was unavoidable. At 5500 meters of altitude the relative lack of oxygen takes its toll, the group moves a little slower and the first headaches start, but the perspective of reaching the top and seeing the crater lake that lays there was the fuel that kept us going. Our Alto Atacama guide, Joel Colque, is a born and raised local, you can tell that altitude has never been a problem for him, and he literally hops from rock to rock helping with pack carrying, checking on the group and laughing. He turns 20 today and we all could tell that the fact of being in this mountain made him exultant.

After 7 hours we reach the summit, It’s the highest that I have ever been and it is by far one of the most beautiful sights of my life, conical volcanoes allow 360 degrees of vision, Atacama is revealed in its extension and texture. We feel good, the group hugs and we sing happy birthday to Joel, before paying our respects to the Pacha Mama.

This climb is just one of many more to come, we are aware that projects and ideas, dreams and inspirations are usually revealed on top of mountains, to be performed at lower altitudes. As members of Alto Atacama we believe in space and amplitude, in exploring the world and pushing to reach greater limits. Good teams are also tested in expeditions like this, and we found the team to be solid, generous. I can only thank to Andres, Arturo, Joel, Cesar, Andres 2, for being good mates in the Licancabur, and also for being commited on the realization of this plan.