Trés Kandú!

Paraguay´s iconic landmark looms over the landscape and is one of my favorite places in the country.  Visible from our camp, Trés Kandú is Paraguay's highest peak.  The name means 'three humps' which comes from the mountain's profile when viewed from the south.  Our camp is named after the mountain range to which it belongs, the cordillera Yvytyrusu.  It runs north to south culminating with Trés Kandú where the mountain range abruptly gives way to flat planes running hundreds of feet below to Argentina and the southern horizon beyond.  I had enjoyed this dramatic view numerous times before but never had our entire family made it to the summit together.  Now that our kids were older we felt it was time to do a family backpacking trip and camp on top of Paraguay's highest peak! 

After a picnic lunch at the trailhead we set off through a bamboo forest.  As we bounded along the path with our packs the oldest ones helped carry food and the heavier gear like tents, cookware, stove, water filter, and other necessary equipment.  The littlest ones who only had to carry their clothes and sleeping bags had no trouble keeping up.  Our pace slowed as the trail began to climb upward.  We were grateful for the shade the thick semi-tropical forest canopy provided from the hot Paraguay sun.  The older kids helped the younger ones as the terrain became more treacherous.  At the steepest sections ropes and wooden ladders helped hikers navigate the terrain.

We took breaks as needed but made steady progress until finally, we reached the top of Trés Kandú!  Views stretching to the horizon welcomed us to the southern most edge of the Yvytyrusu mountain range.  For a long time the kids enjoyed pointing out details hidden in the landscape.  Far below we spotted our tiny truck parked under the tree where we had left it.   Smoke wisped up through the trees from a campfire somewhere in basecamp.  We looked down upon pink flowering Tajy trees which burst out from the green forest canopy that had shaded us hours earlier.  As the sun set behind us the massive three humped shadow of Trés Kandú enveloped the landscape.

The wind was unrelenting on top of Paraguay's highest point and we struggled to set up our tents.  More than once tarps and articles of clothing were almost carried over the cliff by the wind!

As night fell lights appeared far below, revealing towns and burning fields that we couldn't see before.  We lit a campfire down between some rocks and began to cook dinner.  The kids looked up at the stars as I read stories of harrowing adventures in the wild west and of when Jesus healed a man born blind.  As the fire died down we turned into our tents to sleep.

All night long our tents shook and flapped as the wind howled over our tiny campsite and into the vast expanse below.  After a fitful nights sleep we got the kids out of their sleeping bags and hiked to the ledge to watch the sunrise.  

The sun began to warm us as we enjoyed breakfast with hot tea and coffee.  Everyone worked together as we tore down camp and prepared for the long descent.  Our family took in the view one last time as we strapped on our packs.  We escaped from the wind as we entered into the woods and started down the trail.  The caretaker at the bottom of the hill had told us to check out a new lookout near the summit.  We turned from the main path to discover a spectacular outcropping of rock!  

As we continued down along the trail the kids laughed and played, exploring the forest as we went.  I thought to myself, how amazing is it that we can see the Paraguayan landscape in this way together as a family!  I knew we had made memories that would last our kids a lifetime on this family backpacking trip which I expect will be the first of many more to come.