PHOTOS DAYS 1-3 (45)
PHOTOS DAYS 4-5 (54)
PHOTOS DAYS 6-8 (44)
Day 4Ascent: 3,700 ft
Descent: 3,000 ft
Distance: 11 miWhat nice lips you have…Sunrise was beautiful, and so I went to take some photos as the water
warmed up for breakfast. At one end of the lake a good reflection of the fiery mountains reflected in the water, and as I tried to capture the moment with my camera, a hungry donkey was busy getting into my oatmeal. Sprinting back to camp (at 13,000 feet no less) I shooed the donkey away, beating the stupid arriero in getting there, though he had about a 700 foot head start and had started walking over to my camp before I even did. I thanked him for his urgency. Luckily the donkey hadn’t eaten much out of my bowl, so I just scraped off the top layer, boiled the rest of the oatmeal for a few minutes, and then ate it. I know what you are thinking…I have now, basically, made out with a donkey.
I covered a lot of terrain this day and it brought absolutely phenomenal views, and was my favorite section of the trip. I took a little done high route, enjoying the spectacular scenery in isolation. I spoke in earlier blogs about the views that surround you; views you can’t possibly capture with photos or videos but can only live then and there in that place and in that moment. This was one of those places.
L - Jirishinca Peaks; R - Yerupaja and Jirishinca Peaks above Lagunas Quesillococha and SiulaSwimmersEventually I ended up at Laguna Carcinero (Butcher’s Lake,
named after Butcher’s Peak. Probably a good story there, but don’t know it), which apart from the view (sunset to right) was a terrible camp. No one else was there I noticed, attesting to the only flat ground being available far from the muddy, murky, scungy water with little red, just barely-visible swimmers in it that you had to cook with. I hoped that 10 minutes of boiling killed those little buggers, and was thankful they were camouflaged in the red pasta sauce as I ate. Yummy.
Day 5Ascent: 2,800 ft
Descent: 1,800 ft
Distance: 7.5
I decided I would get off the main route and head up and over a pass via a cross-country route, cutting off a day and one of those payments from the trek. It
turned out there was a pretty well defined track up most of the way, though you had to find your own way here and there. The views were awesome as you passed by the beautiful, towering Trapecio. Over the pass unamed green glacier lakes sat snuggly in a rocky canyon under some cool peaks of the Puscanturpa range. Camp was at a high 14,800 ft for the night, and it was absolutely frigid! Every night was cold, but this night felt like I was in the Arctic, not the Andes. I awoke every hour or two throughout the night due to the chill, and it ended up wearing down my mentality.
L - Trapecio (south-east face); R - Trapecio (south face)
L - Descent into next canyon after Trapecio Punta Pass, Puscanturpa above nameless lakes; R - Day 5 Camp
Sunset on Puscanturpa and Cuyoc, seen from camp
Day 6Ascent: 4,500 ft
Descent: 5,000 ft
Distance: 11 miWith a very bad night’s sleep I forced myself up and out into the icy morning. I was planning on possibly doing two 16,400 ft (5000m) passes for the day, but in the end I just didn’t have it in me physically or mentally, and a lot had to do with the previous night’s (lack of) sleep.
MierdaAfter the first 16,400 ft pass and more great views, I surveyed what was
to be my next pass and it looked like a tough one to get up. One would have to weave around cliffs and a large moraine and then traverse back over what looked like a steep scree slope. Difficult, but doable. (Left - View down pass then up valley to the next) I started down and ended up picking the wrong way. I didn’t mention it, but this is not a normal pass to do. Although a track leads up, it is very faint in parts on the descent. Following a traversing cut on a scree slope, I suddenly found myself on
very, very steep, loose rocky slopes that eventually plunged over sheer cliffs (see right). In Spanish, this is called finding yourself in “mierda.” The “trail” had disappeared, and it was clearly not the route down. I backtracked up the steep hill to where I was last on the trail, then opted left, and made the correct, yet still steep, descent into the valley. My legs tired, knees aching, and along with the night before, I decided I wasn’t heading up valley to do the next pass. That is actually one of my biggest regrets now, as I think the views would have been unreal and well worth the hardships endured. Oh well. Next time. =)
View from nameless pass into Quebrad CalincaSweet DreamsA long walk got me to camp 4 hours later. That night I was camped next to two groups with arrieros and guides. One group of arrieros was on a walk and stopped a while to talk with me. One of the subjects they decided to share with me was the story of
a murdered couple killed nearly 5 years ago at a higher camp (there was a cross erected in memory of them farther up valley that I passed the next day). They didn’t know why (nor could I find much info online now that I am back), only minor details about the crime, but they did happen to point out that the couple was all alone at the camp with their one tent…sort of like me (camp to right). After some other topics of discussion, they wished me a pleasant night. Yeah, it would be pleasant after that little story, wouldn’t it? Now I am going to sit up all night, sleeping bagged draped over my head, my fearsome swiss army knife blade open and at the ready, starteled by every real and imaginary sound I hear. Pleasant indeed. I did manage some sleep, but to say that I wasn’t a little anxious after that story would be a lie. I woke up the next morning. I was happy about that.
Day 7Ascent: 2,950 ft
Descent: 3,950 ft
Distance: 8.7Happy AnniversaryTwo passes, some good views of Day 1 and 2 peaks from different vantage points, and camp again down at a much calmer Laguna Jahuacocha. As it turned out, this was the anniversary of my flight out of the States. 1 year out of the country. That is nuts. Best decision I’ve ever made. =)
L - Hike up to Yauche Punta Pass; R - Enjoying the view from the pass
L - Laguna Juhuacocha; R - Waterfall near the lake
L - Day 7 Camp, Lag. Jahuacocha
R - Last sunset in HuayhuashDay 8Ascent: 0 ft
Descent: 2,460 ft
Distance: 7.5 miGoing Big - The Van Packing ChallengeAn early rise to walk out and catch the van and bus back to Huaraz started the day. Most of the adventure lay in the Llamac to Chiquian van ride. Now, I have been travelling South America for a year, and have been in my fair share of surprising, hair-raising, comical, and just plain ridiculous travel experiences. From people jumping out bus windows while the bus is stuck, wedged between construction trucks and a rock wall, to riding with live llamas occupying the seat across from you, to body-jarring bumpy roads, to the everyday experiences of shouting bus recruiters and cramped rides. Nevertheless, despite thinking I have seen it all, I am continually surprised at how often I am again surprised by something different. Some new twist on the already loco, South American manner of getting from point A to point B.
One of the amazing things about Peruvians, and also some of their neighbouring brethren, is just how packed they can fill their busses. It is not normal to be sitting one to two more people on a row of seats than would be normal capacity, with someone standing in the free aisle space, etc. But what we achieved on the Llamac-Chiquian trip would have put one of those clown acts of people continuously piling out of a car to shame. I was in the back row with 4 other people, gradually reducing our hip widths, some gear in my lap and a standing passenger in front trying not to join the equipment, contorted by the narrow aisle, low roof, and various passengers and gear all around. By the time we left, it was like an oven in the van on that hot day, and with 20-22 people, 5 of them smelly trekkers, in the size of a van somewhere between our typical minivan and 15 passenger vans (favoring the minivan size though), it was not a pleasant odor. I was jealous of the five passengers piled onto the roof with all the equipment. I should have asked for that option, but it was a bit late now that I was uncomfortably stuffed into my little area of space, 15 people deep in the back of the van. When we finally got to Chiquian, I was dripping in sweat, in even more desperate need of a shower than I had been coming out after 8 days in the backcountry.
The ride back into Huaraz was a treat because when I came in the time before clouds blocked most of Cordillera Blanca. This day was clear as a bell though, and the glaciated peaks rose into the sky like the towers of a massive white castle set in a flat valley. Amazing sight.
That night I ate half a chicken atop a plate of french fries and salad for $3. Perfect ending.
myself to Ecuador, just making it across the border before my time ran out. I might have even been over by a day, but luckily for me, the border agent figured either I was just within my limit or not over enough to deal with the headache of calling me on it. From Huaraz, it was an overnight bus to Trujillo, where I spent the day wandering a relatively dull city, catching another night bus to Piura, where I bought a ticket for an international bus that morning to Loja, where I managed to find another overnight bus to Riobamba. Arriving at 7:00 in the morning, I promptly found a hotel room and crashed on my bed until about 1:00 that afternoon.
Corridor of Volcanoes, it does have a lot around it. I came to climb Volcan Chimborazo, whose 20,700 foot peak is heralded as the farthest point from the center of the Earth (more on that later). I met up with some homies (Ryan and Kate) I met in Huaraz, all of us hoping to climb Chimbo while still a bit 
acclimated from our time spent in the Cordillera Blanca. In the meantime, we went to a nearby town to ride the Nariz del Diablo (Devil's Nose) train, but ended up opting out on the overcrowded, touristy ride. Instead, we wandered the town, visited Saint Peter, then headed back to Riobamba.
