Los Nevados

At Colegio Gran Bretana every year (grade) is assigned a place in Colombia that they can go to for a camp, but the camp is optional. Year 8 is Los Nevados.

A view of one of the many mountains on a rest stop from the jeeps.

Los Nevados is a beautiful part of Colombia, but is very cold! - and there is not a lot of snow. Not everyone chose to go on the trip so some of my friends didn’t come. But there also has to be enough people, which didn’t happen for Damon and Maddie, so they didn’t get to go on their camps.

Everyone packed in the jeeps

The drive there was very long, but being with my friends helped pass the time. After we got off the bus we stayed at a hotel for one night, and luckily my friend and I got to share a room. The next day we got up early and hopped into 3 jeeps. The whole back was open, so the person on the outside had to hang on for their life! It also was much colder, but very fun. We were in the jeeps for about 3 hours, very cold, and not allowed to put on all our warm clothes all at once, but it was probably my favorite part of the whole trip. 

On the jeep ride to the park where we were staying. As you can see the roads are very windy, but the view is beautiful!

When we arrived at the camp ground everyone was cold and felt pretty sick. We also went very high up so throughout the week people had to go on oxygen. We got into groups and set up tents. Every night a different group had to take a turn making dinner (which was always disgusting so I almost starved). The next day we got right to work and went on our 'practice hike”...it took 5 hours to hike up (but only 1 to get down, which was good).  My friends and I were tired, but we managed to stay in almost the front of the group the whole time, and hiking with my friends made it more fun. It turned out to be fun and we felt very proud of ourselves when we finished, and I have to say, the view at the top almost made it worth it! 

At the top of the first hike

The second day hike was around 9 hours up and 3 down. I thought I would never make it! The goal for everyone - that made everything worth it though; the hike, the cold - was the snow at the top. It wasn’t the first time I have ever seen snow (though it was for some people), and it wasn’t the best snow ever, but the snow was from an old glacier that used to be there, which I thought was pretty cool!

Our tents (you can see the hotel right behind them)

After we got back from the long hike that night, the lady who took care of the hotel felt bad for us sleeping outside in tents so she let us all sleep on the floor in the common room of the hotel.  This made packing up the next morning much easier and sleeping a lot more comfortable. The hotel was actually the highest hotel in South America which made it very expensive and a BIG honor!

The next morning we packed up and hit the road, first in the jeeps (where I ended up on the floor to make room for everyone else) and then another very long bus ride.

In the end it was all worth it, and I enjoyed my experience in Los Nevados a lot!

Victory is ours!!! (at the top of the second hike)

I don't look that thrilled though because someone had just thrown a 

snowball down my back