Peruvian Pals

The best thing about traveling is the friends we meet along the way.  We have truly been blessed by the friendships formed during our trips.  This past weekend we travelled to Bend, Oregon to have a reunion with our Peruvian Pals!  The lynch pin to this group is Iwalani.  We met Iwa on the Mt. Kilimanjaro climb and thought she was the best!  When we decided to hike the Grand Canyon, Iwa was the first person we called and she signed up!  She brought two of her friends, Gayle and Stacey with her to the Grand Canyon.  While on the trip we met Melanie from Utah and she fit in perfectly to the growing group.  When Iwa decided that she wanted to hike the Inca Trail for her 50th birthday she sent out the call to her friends.  The trip was full with 14 participants in less than two weeks!  What an amazing group of 14 women!

We arrived in Peru knowing 4 of the 12 other members in the group.  It was soon clear what an incredible group of women had been assembled.  These women are all remarkable. . . independent, bright, caring, FUNNY, warm, driven, beautiful, compassionate, and adventurous!  The days spent on the trail were great fun surrounded by these women.

The reunion weekend was wonderful because we got to reunite with our friends (sadly no Melanie or Melissa).  We got to see them in their habitat and strengthen our connections with each other.  I loved sitting around the dinner table sharing conversations, hiking along the river, sharing iphone apps (damn Plants vs. Zombies), and getting to know each other a little better.

I hope that this reunion will become an annual event because I have fallen in love with Bend!  There is so much to do from skiing to hiking, eating and shopping this town has it all!  I also hope that we will have many more adventures together and that our group will continue to grow.

Thank you Peruvian Pals for a great weekend and for your gift of friendship!