Volcanic Valentines Day

I spent Valentines Day hiking at Parque de los Nevados, engulfed in clouds at 4850m. My hiking companion, a Gaelic football champion, set a brisk pace for the two-hour climb to the glacier at the top of the mountain. Our guide talked like a chipmunk and clearly despised the fact that her job required physical exercise. She followed us from shouting distance, incensed that we didn't want to turn back after thirty minutes with the rest of the group. A nice afternoon soak in the hot springs helped us forget all about the bad weather and the lazy guide.
A postcard photo taken by Juan Giraldo shows what the views can look like this time of year.
At this elevation, you don't think about love, you feel it. Your heart beats harder and your head feels lighter and your knees swoon at just about anything. Who needs a boyfriend when you have mountains? It reminded me of this truck I saw while trekking in the Himalayas in northern India. Pure Ladakhi poetry.