talk about a • mountaintop e.xPeRleNU. The ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu is one of the most visually breathtaking places on Earth, and, as we on the HULA (Harding University in Latin America) program learned last spring, it is best viewed from high above. Our trip to Machu Picchu was broken up into two days. On the first, we toured the ruins of the city. It is difficult to put into words exactly how beautiful the ancient city is. I will never forget the sheer majesty of the stone walls and vivid green grass. We were given the option to hike these mountains the next day, but there was a slight catch. Only 400 people were allowed to hike Huayna Picchu each day, and the first shuttle left for the climb at 4 a.m. However, we all knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so we went to bed early that night in preparation for an extremely early wake up call. With backpacks loaded down, we arrived once again at the site of Machu Picchu and prepared to hike Huayna Picchu. Huayna Picchu has a reputation for being a rather treacherous climb, and attempting this feat so early in the morning seemed just short of insanity. About 30 minutes into the hike, it became obvious that Huayna Picchu's reputation was well deserved. The winding stairs and jagged rocks stretched out before us, and in several instances, a false step could have meant a very long fall. When we finally arrived at the top, we instantly knew the difficult climb was well worth it. "The hiking experience of Machu Picchu was unlike anything I've seen or done," juniorJay Hemphill said. "There are a lot of things that provoke thoughts of the power and majesty of God, and under the category of 'scenery,' this is one of the most obvious demonstrations that I've had the privilege of seeing." Being at the top of Huayna Picchu and looking through the clouds to the ancient city below is an image I will always carry with me.There is no better way to describe the feeling than with the words of junior Sarabeth Ivey. "After over 2,000 steps, we had finally made it," Ivey said. "The view from above the city of Machu Picchu was surreal. I was one of the few privileged visitors who was able to experience this beauty. and that very feeling is how I would describe my entire HULA experience." Payton Hurst +0 HULA --#~ ~-~ ·-.. ~ .. _.,....._ . ~- .__ -..... --......._ __ ·I -_,·· --'»--: . -..-.- --.....;,_-,' ·-t''!x, . '· . - - '- :.---. - - -~ ~- ~ ~.:; .· ..... \_ _: • ' . 4 - ~, • ~ ,_ ,- - '\ ---- ' . ' I :'\L . -~ . -.. ~ . WI. . - . - -. -'r- ,...:~· ·-~· ·, --~.-- .• ·. -,.. ' - ,;. • ~- ./' • • - • ""- . ~ • .... . ~ ...... . • -J;,. · .~-' J-4tt11'. ~ .. --.. t,~ ~~-:-- ~·T· lilo' ·•· . :. ~ il'l:_ ~~,~~:·., ,.~~'k:·- ...... 'If' •.• _.:- .. : . ~ ·- .... ·-~ .i?"! ~:-~ . ( . ' . . ;; - . Ff- ~~· j 1. 1, ..::::~; --· ·. ~~- - - [' -~-- _ : -~· - . ~" __ ~_ ... !· o:::- ··.! .e - --=- }' & ,,.. . - ( fir . . ~ t - ~ ~ . ~ ._ j~ ·l~~ ~ ' ·. ·- i . ! . •,! ~ " • •. ,, ! ) ~-- • ... • • ... • c _,, . T' I . • .. , ~ . I .;,..._ , . . _.,.,, .. . =-· ~ I • •· ~ ~ ,,., ' ~~. iJ"' • All -- "~- ~ ----'- ~ HULA Spring 2011 Row 1: S. Hatcher, A. Horton, K. Simpson, A. Faulk, E. Adams, S. Ivey, E. Daugherty, S. Weeks. Row 2: S. Shock, K. Klein, S. Wheeler, C. Brown, T. Clark, M. Gunter, C. Hendrix, P. Hurst,]. Hemphill, D. Giles, T. Knobloch, W Waldron.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==