Somewhere Over the Rainbow
How do I even make this thing go?!! I had never ridden an ATV before and now found myself straddling a four-wheeler trying to figure out what were the brakes and what was the throttle. In the midst of all the rumbling engines, I gave a convincing thumbs-up to the group like any pseudo badass in a superhero helmet would give in that moment. I mumbled “you can do this” into the padding of my helmet, and after a brief orientation and training lap, I now had an imaginary four-wheeling driver’s license.
Somehow, by saying yes to adventures that went beyond my comfort zone, I found myself in a remote region of the Andes Mountains of Peru doing something completely new and out of character. I’ve never been one to appreciate nature in a loud, motorized way. Yet today was the day myself and a group of women would embark on an ATV adventure to the geological wonder called Vinicunca, otherwise known as Rainbow Mountain. Formed by turquoise, maroon and mustard-colored sediment deposits over time, the colorful stripes of minerals were only discovered in 2015 after global warming melted away the last of the mountain’s snow-covered secret.
Our group had already established a tight bond having recently completed the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu in the preceding days. This was bonus time together for some of us; an extension of our shared Peruvian experience. Forget the tranquility and peaceful love of nature. Today we were motorhead renegades. Off we went in a curving line of growling engines. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I was in the very back. Last but not least. The one who would see it all if anyone needed assistance. I secretly don’t know the difference between a piston and a spark plug, but hey girl, I got you.
The air was thin and the dust was thick as we made our way higher and higher. Thankfully our bodies were somewhat acclimated to the extreme altitude of the region with our destination of Rainbow Mountain exceeding 16,500 feet (5036 meters). The view was breathtaking, both literally and figuratively. We crossed streams and passed by fields of curious llamas. Locals gave us a head nod and a wave along the way. As my confidence grew in being the group’s caboose, I varied my speed from a picture taking slow to aggressively fast, purposely spinning up as much dirt as possible to catch up to the others. We’re talking a hold on tight hell yeah kind of fast.
Once we got to the end of our narrow dirt road, we parked our ATV’s with Rainbow Mountain now just a few short kilometers away. We weren’t approaching it the way other day-trippers normally would. We were the adventurous type with something to prove. While some chose to hike the final push, myself and a few others in our group took a more precarious route via riding on the back of scooters. The fee was for one way, as if our return trip was questionable. I climbed on the back of the sketchiest bike with a makeshift motor, and put my trust in a teenage boy to bring me to the top. Off we went in another skidding plume of dust.
While taking all the essential pictures at the top, I came to the realization that the local pack animals were likely cleaner than I was. The llamas were dressed all fancy and I was absolutely filthy. In the photos, my face looks like a bad make-up tutorial, but in reality it was layers of contouring dirt. My clothes had changed colors from black to a reddish brown as the trail dust accumulated throughout the day. If there was an award for the most dirty, I might have won being in the back of the ATV line both on our ascent and descent. I had the dust of 11 other riders spilling back in my face, yet I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I was able to witness everyone else riding their ATV and enjoying their day as much as I was. At the end of the day, we weren’t your typical girly-girl gang. Our glitter was grime.
When I look back on this adventure, it’s more than going four-wheeling with friends and getting dirty. It’s saying yes to experiences that fall outside of my familiar comfort zone. It’s letting the normal rhythm of my life take on a new tempo because I’ve welcomed it, even if it means a quicker pulse and having no clue what I’ve gotten myself into. Do all the things if you are able! You never know where there’s a rainbow hiding beyond a mountain of dust.
Author: Lisa Chambers is one of our Minnesota Ambassadors and designer of many of our trip graphics and booklets.
