Above the lagoon it is difficult to hold the pen and write. You would be able to see in my journal the illegible writing if you were with me. I have climbed to a ridge at 3800m above the sacred center of creation for the Muisca Peoples – Laguna de Iguaque. Now that I am here, the clouds are closing in and dispersing their water into the lake in great billows below me. I am alone and a headache is beginning to punch in my skull as an effect of the altitude. Aside from this minor discomfort, the presence of mind I feel here is enlightening.
After a three hour climb from an elevation of 2300m, one reaches the paramo. Above the lush cloud forest, this zone is home to flora that are hardy to the altitude. A bizarre array of plants and many beautiful flowers dominate, but their height seldom exceeds a meter or so. Up here, it is completely silent, save for the unique calls of the Colombian birds which accompany the solo hiker. I pause every so often to stare at the staggeringly beautiful paisaje, the panorama before me is breathtaking, and I feel a spiritual soundness as I ascend methodically in this fashion.
A bird calls and I try to pinpoint its location in the vegetation. Suddenly a blue and red bird flies across the paramo. One I have not seen before. I will have to pick up a copy of Birds of Colombia to identify it back in town. This place has a special energy and has been revered for millenia by the indigenous people as the cradle of humanity. The meaning of Iguaque is – you are never alone. I feel the spirit of the place as I walk in the footsteps of the Muisca. To travel alone in this way to the heights, a man can feel a peace within and recharge his body. That is certain.
Descending from the rim above the lagoon, rain fell hard and briefly. Once back down within the cloud forest I paused with fatigue, broken by the eight hour trek I had just made. As I hung my head, I heard a buzzing ahead of me. Looking up, a hummingbird hovered at 400 wing beats per second, beside a flower. Eyes shining, I got up and continued downwards.







