ryankostphotography

Windblown

My hermano and his family are in the U.S. from the first time visiting from Peru where we both guide together. After 12 years of them creating a home for me in...
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My hermano and his family are in the U.S. from the first time visiting from Peru where we both guide together. After 12 years of them creating a home for me in the Andes, it was wonderful to host them and be able to show them a slice of our life here in Colorado.
On one excursion, I took them down to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The windchill was dipping well into the negatives and constantly swirling at 50mph. The sand gave us all a lovely massage as we climbed to the highest dune for sunset. Due to the elements, we had the entire park to ourselves (which made it all the more special) My friends live at over 11,000 feet in Cusco, so the altitude was no issue but the bitter cold put them to the test.
Once we reached the top of the dunes my buddy Yieber stood with his 15 year old son and had a moment. He later recounted how powerful it was to stand in nature's cathedral, feeling humbled along and beautiful sense of wonder for our human experience in this short dusty path of life. We contemplated how many millions of years this landscape took to craft such a masterpiece.
In the Peruvian Andes, their religion is largely based around nature or Pachamama (Mother Earth). The mountains are living deities called Apus. They are relied upon for survival. Inti, or the sun is the creator. Without it, life doesn't exist.
As we made it to the car, the sun had long dipped below the horizon, we were all giddy. I laughed but my lips wouldn't quite fully stretch wide enough as they were fairly frozen. Teeth chattering, I uttered..."This is life"...these are the moments we live for. Sharing, presence, a modicum of discomfort and deeply appreciating our natural world. Egos swirl away gone with the wind....and that's where the magic resides that leads to a more fulfilling existence.
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