Volcan Misti is a beast, towering 19,100 feet above sea level. It has been relatively inactive lately, but in earlier times Incans used to sacrifice llamas (then humans when llamas proved ineffective) to dissuade the mountain from erupting (don't know what they did after it still kept erupting). It was a two day journey to the top, and my first high altitude peak. It was a great experience and a ton of hard work.
Snap shots and waves
Day one you start at 11,000 feet near the base of the volcano. It was a 4 hour slog up to Camp 2 at 15,500 feet. We camped there for the night, with a good view of the flatlands below. At about 6:00 we turned in so we could begin our early 2 am ascent to the summit. It was cold and dark, but the lights from Arequipa shown brightly up from below in the valley floor and was quite a cool view.
Camp
We made our way slowly up to the top of the volcano, 5 1/2 hours total from our camp. Toward the top your legs start feeling heavier, the air feels (and is) thinner, and it is a fight just to make a step. Your heart pounds like you are sprinting even though you are making little steps a third of normal size.
Various rest stops
When you hit the summit though you get this amazing rush, stoked to have come the whole way. The view was spectacular. You could see nearby peaks and volcanoes, salt flats, lakes, and even a mountain range whose north western side was a starting point for the Amazon water shed.
The Summit
For all the climbing we did, it took two ours to get down. We ran, no 
sprinted, down steep faces of loose sand and volcanic ash, the fine rock soft under your feet. Interspersed in the fine sand were larger rocks and boulders requiring avoidance, and dodging them at full sprint while also trying to control your speed down the steep mountain pitch blended fun and near recklessness into the adrenaline packed experiencd. And even though it was downhill, it was still sprinting, and sprinting at 18,000 feet, so it was extremely tiring. We had to stop numerous times on the way down, dropping to our butts and sliding a distance in the loose sand before coming to a stop, sucking in deep breaths of air, trying desperately to put much needed oxygen into our lungs. This explains the heavy breathing in video we did of the descent (I'm filming, Sam is hurtling):
sprinted, down steep faces of loose sand and volcanic ash, the fine rock soft under your feet. Interspersed in the fine sand were larger rocks and boulders requiring avoidance, and dodging them at full sprint while also trying to control your speed down the steep mountain pitch blended fun and near recklessness into the adrenaline packed experiencd. And even though it was downhill, it was still sprinting, and sprinting at 18,000 feet, so it was extremely tiring. We had to stop numerous times on the way down, dropping to our butts and sliding a distance in the loose sand before coming to a stop, sucking in deep breaths of air, trying desperately to put much needed oxygen into our lungs. This explains the heavy breathing in video we did of the descent (I'm filming, Sam is hurtling):I cannot for the life of me figure out how to turn it, so turn your computer screens or crane your necks! =)
It was a cool feeling to reach the bottom and look up, knowing you had made it all the way up. The four days before (Colca Canyon 
and now the volcano) had taken its toll on Sam and I though (pretty much exhausted), and we decided that we wouldn't do Volcan Chachani in the next two days. Instead we slept, rested and enjoyed some time off...and ate one of the most massive burgers I have ever eaten, washing it down with a cold beer and topping it off with some chocolate cake.
and now the volcano) had taken its toll on Sam and I though (pretty much exhausted), and we decided that we wouldn't do Volcan Chachani in the next two days. Instead we slept, rested and enjoyed some time off...and ate one of the most massive burgers I have ever eaten, washing it down with a cold beer and topping it off with some chocolate cake. 
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