Racing a bunch of international antisocial mutes

September 14th, 2010: Today I stumbled up Chacaltaya which tops 5,450 meters (17, 880 feet) in the mountains outside La Paz in Bolivia with a bunch of antisocial mutes from all around the world. This exceeds my prior 5,093 meter (16,170 feet) hike by…a lot feet. Just because I have been at a high altitude e for quite some time, didn’t mean it was any easier. I internally raced everyone to the top without them knowing about it, beating them all – I was the champion of the international antisocial mute world for a brief 20 or so minutes.

I would have taken more breaks and enjoyed more of the view while going up to the summit but it is so much easier to just look down and keep stepping up, trying to walk that straight oxygen sobriety line, trying to not pass out from the dizziness due to the lack of oxygen at this height. Today would have been a day to have hauled up my sack of coca in my cheek…but, it was forgotten back at the hostel.

For those reading this in the US…the highest mountain in the lower 48 states is Mt. Whitney coming in at 4,417 meters (14,494 feet) and the highest mountain in the US is Mount McKinely at 6,193 meters (20,320 feet).

I finished up the day taking a series of photos of the mud creations what they call “Craters of the Moon.” This sort of mud…is the type of mud I feel that it is worth seeing - the type that is not manipulated by the hands or feet of man, woman or child.