The easy part is over! We now face the hardest climb yet, from sea level to summit of a 14,000ft mountain. Inch by inch, we skate into the mouth of the Andes and become drenched as we ascend into the rain-clouds. At high-altitude we battle tougher terrain with half the amount of oxygen. Sleeping for 15 hours in their tents, so as to outlive the rain and rest from the oxygen-deficient altitudes, proves to be costly and depletes our water and food supply, but we must push onward, striving to make it to the next town.
