After exploring the deepest depths of South America, and a short stint living in Bellingham, WA, the Krejci family has settled down in Silverton, Oregon.  We have "christened" our new home and are creating a To Do list of home improvements.  The house is more spacious than we ever though possible for our modest careers, but will make a great place to raise a family.

This is my friend Chris skinning towards the Summit of Mt. Baker. We climbed just about 5000 vertical ft. to withing 2000 ft. of the glaciated summit. We then skied down through a mixture of gorgeous powder, sticky slush, and rock hard ice covered with pine needles. What a beautiful day!

Keith's first major outing in our new home town of Bellingham, Washington. This is near the summit of Mt. Baker, Bellingham's prominent peak.

This one is for you, Mary!!

Mendoza, Argentina is the Napa of South America. I hate to tell ya´Chile, but Argentinian wine is way better. We rented bikes and rode from one winery to the next. They actually pour you almost half a glass for each taste. With the bike riding and perfect blue skies it was nice to get back and relax with a big Steak and a nice bottle of "Vino Tinto." The Malbec is especially good and Mendoza is famous for it. It has been very difficult controlling Jamie since we have been in wine country.

Glacier Frias was the location of our second night of the Paso De Las Numbes hike in the Lakes District of Argentina. We camped across the river from this dynamic glacier. From our camp we could see 19 waterfalls. There were at least 10 more that were just our of view from our campsite. At one point in the late evening there were also between 20 and 25 Andean Condors circling overhead above the glacier.

Maté is the official drink of Argentina. It is enjoyed by placing loose tea leaves in a gourd or other small container. Hot water is then poured over the leaves and sipped through a slotted metal straw. What a great place to share some hot tea.

Sunrise on Mt. Tronodor in Argentina. ´Tronodor´means Thunder in Spanish because there are numerous glaciers surrounding the mountain. As these glaciers calve the thunderous sound of the pieces of ice crashing down the mountain echoes throughout the valley. We were camped about 100 yards from the edge of one of these glaciers. There was a group from the Argentinian military that was up there training on the glacier in order to be stationed in Antarctica.

The Lakes District at it´s finest. Craggy peaks, year round snow, cold lakes of every size and, yes, more clouds.

Parque National Nahuel Huapi in the Lake District of Patagonian Argentina is the most ´Like Home´place we have found in South America. The scenery reminds us of Colorado, not to mention a ski area on the backside of the mountain and large rustic wooden lodges with nice smelling fires burning. We started on a five day trek that turned into a three and a half day due to weather. We did have a nice time hanging out in the tent for a day playing cards. Jamie always wins.

This really puts things in perspective. We had no idea that the ice looked that high, or that we looked that small. This was truelly an amazing experience to be this close to a glacier on the water with it rumbling and cracking. We had a chance to paddle around a bunch of little ice-bergs, touching them and watching them glow blue in the sunlight. Other than a short time on the last day, the weather on our Kayaking trip was horrible. Rain, high winds, and cold, cold, cold. You thought your hands get cold when you ski? You havn´t experienced paddling in glacier runoff in the rain with 30 mph winds. The crazy thing is that we both loved the experience and want to continue kayaking when we get back to the States.

The world famous Torres Del Paine at sunrise. What a perfect last day to end a wonderful ten day backpacking trip in the Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonia, Chile. Not a cloud in the sky made for a perfect sunrise at the towers.

Cerro Paine Grande, the highest peak in Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile. How could you not fall in love with a mountain like that. We spent most of the previous evening watching the sun-set reflect off the "ice mushrooms" on the summit and listening to the thunderous sound of the glaciers calving in powder waterfalls.

Water, water everywhere. This is a spring next to one of our campsites in Torres Del Paine National Park. We were lucky in that most of the water we saw was already on the ground and not falling from the sky which is what normally happens in Patagonia.

This is what really old ice looks like. A little different from the piles you see around Telluride Town Park in the springtime. We actually had a chance to see a large peice of this glacier "calve" into the lake while we were eating cream cheese and salami sandwiches for lunch. The sound is a lot like a thunder clap mixted with an air force fighter jet. The wall of ice is probably about 100 ft. high out of the water.

Yes, it is very windy; and yes my hair really does have that much body. This was the first pass on the Torres Del Paine Circuit hike that really afforded a nice view. The one nice thing about the wind is that is keeps the pesky mosquitoes away.

La Paz, Bolivia - The highest capital city in the world at over 12,000 ft. It is a jumbled mess of circular streets, round-a-bouts, and plazas. It seems like every streets sidewalk is lined with black market venders booths which encroach on the sidewalk to make them just as crowded with pedestrians as the streets are with trafic. From where I am sitting at this computer I could by hairspray, a belt, packing tape, or a Pentium 4 processor within about 10 ft.
From here, we start our long travel down to Patagonia. We are pretty much going to head straight south from Arica, Chile until we hit Puerto Natalas and Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonia.

Sunset over Lake Titicaca from Isla Del Sol. We were having dinner at a restaurant that didn´t have electricity which featured fire baked pizza. Yes, it was as cold as it looks at 12,500 ft.

Jamie, the Sacrificial "Virgin" at the place where the whole Inca empire legendarily started. We spent two days on the Isla Del Sol in Lake Titicaca which is where the sun was supposedly born. It makes sense because this island was the sunniest Incian place we have been. All the other ruins, Machu Picchu included, are typically covered in fog and clouds. This arid island is covered in Inca terraces so they could cultivate even the steepest land. Reached only by a two hour boat ride from the main land, Isla Del Sol was a nice change of pace for us because there were no cars. Because of this, you would think it would have been pretty quiet, but instead of cars, the island was infested with the loudest and most comical donkeys we have ever heard.

Llamas look funny when they go to the bathroom!

Machu Picchu was just as amazing and awe-inspiring as everyone says. We were a little frustrated by how much it cost and how difficult it was to get there (Machu Picchu is the only place in Peru that doesn´t have a bus, the only way to get there is by train), but after seven hours of hiking up and down Incan stepping stones, we think Machu Picchu is just about the coolest place we have been yet. We started hiking at 5:00 am through the morning mist arriving at the entrance gate just after opening and had the place relatively to ourselves. We climbing to the top of WaynaPicchu (the mountain that forms the backdrop for the ruins) then hiked down to the Great Cavern. We were the only ones there and felt like Indiana Jones as we climbed through the overgrown and mossy houses build into the cave. In hindsight, it was worth all the effort, but a word of advice - Go early in the morning because by noon there were about 1000 people clogging the pathways.

Sunrise over the lazy Amazon river. The last ten days were spent with Ma and Pa Krejci in the Amazon Rain Forest witnessing a dicotamy of amazonian paddling their low to the water dugout canoes fishing for Pirahna right next to speedboats full of turists with binoculars and cameras slung around their necks. We drifted silently through the swamps at night and hiked through the jungle during the day trying to spot wildlife and my Mom actually finished the canapy walkway at 118ft. off the ground. We had a great time taking a break from our vacation and spending time with family. If it weren´t for the mosquitos, Jamie and I could see ourselves staying there for a while.

Lima gets a bad rap for being a hot, polluted, dangerous city. We found it to be one of our favorites of the big South American cities. We just happened to show up during the city´s anniversary celebration and were surrounded by colorful parades, live music, fireworks and a strong military presence making sure that everyone was having a nice time. This was the view from our Hostel which was a crazy old masion with statues and paintings in every nook and cranny. There were even human skulls in the foyer.

Arequipa, Peru is one of those "Gringo" hubs. This is a great place to spend time and stage many different expeditions and future travels. You can hike into the deepest canyon in the world, climb 18,000 ft. volcanos, river raft, mountain bike or see frozen mummies of sacrificial children. We are staying here until we head to Lima to meet the Krejci's for a visit to the Amazon.

Cañon de Colca is the Peruvian version of the Grand Canyon but twice as deep. It would be the same as if you slide the Rocky Mountains to the edge of the Grand Canyon and measured from the top of the peak to the river at the bottom of the canyon. Unfortunately you can't hike if the deepest part because the terrain is too rugged. We did a two hike down the canyon on a "knee-busting" trail, then climbed out the next day. We gained 3,000 ft in a little less than a mile and a half. Yes, as you may have just figured out, that is really steep uphill. We finally feel like we are in Peru as this trail went through a couple of local villages. People still live the traditional lifestyle deep in the canyon with the only access being a three hour donkey ride. They just had electricity installed two months ago.

Huanchaco, Peru has been a nice change of pace after the crazyness of Mancora. A laid back family beach town just a few minutes outside of Trujillo, this town is famous for it's unique fishing boats. They paddle out through the breakers using a piece of bamboo as a paddle, drop nets, and surf back into the beach. We had a chance to do a little surfing as well. Jamie is now a master of the craft. Due to heavy rains in the mountains, we have changed our plan a bit and are going to continue heading down the coast into Peruvian wine country, and possibly check out their version of the Grand Canyon (which we hear is quite a bit deeper). Check back for more updates.

It seems we were part of one of the biggest parties in Northern Peru. People came in from as far as Lima to ring in the New Year in the hectic beach town of Mancora. A little Salsa dancing and a few too many beers made this a New Years to remember. This was by far the "Hottest" New Years either of us has ever had. Feliz Año Nuevo!