Back in Cusco

I arrived in Cusco yesterday — here once again to work, learn and play with another fine group of students from Principia College. The flight into this area is always beautiful but yesterday it was stunning. After takeoff “La Garua,” the thick coastal fog that shrouds Lima for much of the winter, quickly gave way to a sky completely washed of dust, haze, and pollution. The slopes of the Andes, green from heavy El Nino rainfall, shimmered in the extreme clarity. Higher up on the peaks fine geomorphic details were sharply outlined — the old paths of retreating glaciers, knife-edged moraines, talus cones, and innumerable webs of stream networks. Views like this remind me why I am in love with mountain places, and why I hope to keep coming home to them.

Most of you probably know that Cusco was the capital of the Incan Empire and the epicenter of their cultural and architectural accomplishments. Today it is a rich blend of the ancient, the colonial and the modern. And because of its proximity to Machu Picchu it is purported to be the most visited city in South America, which adds a very international twist as well. Each time I come here I am surprised that such a large city can thrive at such a high elevation (nearly 12,000ft above sea level). But thrive it does, despite all the uncertainties of tectonics, climate, and politics.

Stay tuned for more updates!

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