Thursday, July 29, 2010
4 day Mount Pisco Climb :)
At 5760m (18 900 feet), Mount Pisco was definitely the most challenging summit of this trip! It took 4 days to reach the top. Day 1 we camped at 4750 metres. Day 2, we had to carry all of our gear to Moraine camp at 5000m. Day 3 we woke up at 1:30 in the morning, had breakfast, and started hiking in the moonlight at 2:30 a.m. The altitude didn´t bother me much at all, although when we got back to Base Camp, my lungs were extremely sore from drinking ice cold water and breathing in very cold air. It was incredible, standing at the top of the mountain, above the clouds, the wind blowing strong, gazing at a sea of snow capped mountain peaks...it was also freezing cold! and we only stayed at the summit for 15 minutes before heading back to the warmth of our tents and down sleeping bags!!!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
14 day Huayhuash circuit!!!
Day 1: Today we drove 4 hours from Huaraz to the little village of Llamac. We set up our camp on a soccer field and spent the afternoon playing with the local school kids. The donkeys we used to transport all the items needed for 15 days of trekking were rented from a family here in Llamac. We also needed to bring ´live´food in the form of chickens and sheep. The resilience of the chickens to the cold and wind was quite humorous as we watched them huddle by the warmth of the kitchen tent, although one morning, we sat down to eat breakfast, only to find that one chicken had succumbed to the cold in the night and lay hard as a brick under the dining table. Those poor birds went through so much as they were stuffed into bags and transported on donkeys every day to the next camp.
A brief intro to a typical day on the Huayhuash trek:
At 6:30 in the morning, our guide, Miguele, would come to our tent with morning coca tea (which apparently is supposed to help with acclimatization because it contains coca leaves, illegal in Canada, as it is considered a drug, but in the tea bags is so weak it is not harmful at all) and a dish of hot water with a cloth to wash yourself. We then have 1 hour to pack up all the contents of our tent, and then meet for breakfast at 7:30. The food on the trek was amazing, and every day our group was blown away with the cooking skills of Cesar, an incredible man who whipped up gourmet meals with very limited supplies. A typical breakfast would be oatmeal, coffee, toast, and scrambled eggs or pancakes. Then by 8 we were ready for a good day of hiking with amazing views. 2 assistants would pack our lunch and carry it with them, so that at around noon, we could settle ourselves at a very scenic location, and enjoy a good heardy lunch. Most days we arrived at the next camp between 2-4 in the afternoon. At 4:30 was afternoon tea with biscuits, crackers, jam, honey, and popcorn or fries. Then we´d relax, enjoy the views, and dinner would be served at 7:30. Each dinner was a 3 course meal, soup for starters, a main course, and dessert. There was always enough for seconds, which I took full advantage of as my appetite was ravenous! You have to consume an insane amount of calories just to maintain your weight on a trek like this, but our cook took excellent care of us. Shortly after dinner, we´d crawl back into our tents with hot water bottles to keep us warm on those chilly nights. The service was incredible, we had a crew of 7 taking care of us during the trek, including donkey drivers, cooks, and guides. One guide was 67 years old, and could outperform any of us on the mountains no problem. If you want to stay fit after retirement, I strongly suggest a move to Peru! :)
Day 2: Today we followed a road, passing through the villages of Pocpa and Pallca. After Pallca the path opened into a wide grassy valley with rolling hills and we camped at Quartelhuain at 4200m.
Day 3: In the morning we crossed our first pass called Punta Cacanan which is at 4700m and then descended to our camp at the beautiful lake Laguna Mitucocha. From the camp, we had amazing views of the Rondoy, Jirishanca, and Ninashanca peaks.
Day 4: Today we crossed a pass called Paso de Carhuac at 4650m and then descended to our camp at Laguna Carhuacocha. From camp, we had excellent views of the Siula icefields and the 2 peaks of Yerupaja.
Day 5: Today was a rest day, but most of us opted to do a nice day hike.
Day 6 : I would definitely say that today had the best scenery of the entire trek. The mountain views were breathtaking!!! Sometimes I would just stop hiking and stare at the beauty of God´s creation!!!
Day 7: Today we climbed the Portachuelo de Huayhuash pass at 4750m. We had great views of the Cordillera Raura and the snow topped peak Leon Huacanan. Then we walked around the edge of a large lake called Laguna Viconga where we had lunch at the top. We descended into a valley where there were natural hotsprings....it felt amazing to soak in the hot water....but the water was so hot that by the time we got out, we had no energy and the 40 minute walk back to the campsite took forever! Well work it considering we hadn´t showered or bathed for 7 days!
Day 8: Climbing Pumarinri :) This is the first official summit of the Huayhuash circuit, and also the highest at just under 18 000 feet. We woke up at 3:00, had breakfast at 3:30, and were hiking by 4 in the morning! We had a dump of snow the night before so it was a chilly morning hiking up to the glacier. This glacier is not climbed often, we were the first and perhaps only group this year, and it was extremely steep. We had to reroute several times, but the views at the top, when we finally summited, were absolutely amazing, the best of the trip. A mere 12 hours later we were back at camp enjoying a warm lunch!
At the summit of Pumrarinri at 5465m / 18 000 feet!
Day 9: Today was a very steep hike on mud and scree. We were all exhausted by the time we made it to camp.
It was absolutely freezing at the pass which was at 4800 metres.
Day 10: The setting of today´s hike was the location of Joe Simpson´s incredible survival story while hiking the Siula Grand Glacier.
Enjoying our scenic breakfast! The food was seriously incredible. That morning we had orange pancakes!
Near the lake in this picture is the base camp of Siula Grande. There is an incredible book called Touching the Void writting by Joe Simpson, who gives a first hand account of his experience hiking the west face of this mountain standing over 20,000 feet! Joe and his buddy Simon Yates were the first people ever to hike the west face of Siula Grande. On the decent, however, disaster strikes, when Simon was rapeling Joe down a steep section, and Joe lost control and smashed his knee against the side of the mountain. Later, Simon was forced to cut the rope, causing Joe to fall into a crevasse, but amazingly he landed on a small ledge. Simon, thinking that there was no way Joe could have survived that fall, continued down to base camp. Joe was alive, however, and somehow managed to struggle up and out of the crevasse and crawled back to base camp over a period of 3 days! The book is amazing, I definitely recommend it! The base camp that Joe crawled to is at the lake pictured below.
Day 11: Today we walked through the village of Huayllapa to our campsite in the flat pasture of Huatiac at 4350 metres. Not many pictures today, it was a bit cloudy and at this point of the trip, no one bothered to take off their backpacks to whip out the camera unless the scenery was spectacular....we were getting a bit spoiled with visual stimuli!
Day 12: Today was an easier hike. We crossed the Punta Tapush Pass at 4750 metres before reaching out campsite at Cashpapampa at 4500 metres, which is actually one of our highest camps. You realize the air is thinner, when you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the washroom, and the effort of getting out of your tent and walking to the "banjo" leaves you totally breathless!
This lady was waiting at the top of the pass and asked all trekkers who passed by if they had any medication they could spare her. I only had fisherman friends with me...not sure if that would have the impact she desired :S
Day 13: Climb Diablo Mudo. We woke up this morning at 3:00 AM, and left camp at 4 in the morning. It was a clear starry morning, and we had to use our head lamps until sunrise. At about 7:30 we reached the glacier, put on all our equipment, and headed for the summit. The views at the top were incredible!!! What a rush!
The gear needed for glacier hiking is a harness, crampons, and an ice axe. I´m already addicted and am planning some glacier hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park this winter!
This picture is not deceaving! It was actually this steep! It felt like we were walking straight up the mountain. When you are roped up, the idea is that if someone slips and falls, another climber is supposed to stab the glacier with their ice axe to arrest the fall. Like anyone is going to be able to react that quickly. In my amateur opinion, if one person falls, they drag everyone else who is attached to them by ropes. It was a bit nerve racking, but an incredible experience nonetheless!!!
Mark, John, and I at the summit of Diablo Mudo at 17 150 feet :)
Our campsite that night!
Day 14: Our last trekking day :( Today was an optional hiking day and John, Mark, and I decided to hike to the pass at 4850m.
I could totally live in this house. Waking up to this mountain scenery would be amazing. Perhaps a bit cold at nights though!
A brief intro to a typical day on the Huayhuash trek:
At 6:30 in the morning, our guide, Miguele, would come to our tent with morning coca tea (which apparently is supposed to help with acclimatization because it contains coca leaves, illegal in Canada, as it is considered a drug, but in the tea bags is so weak it is not harmful at all) and a dish of hot water with a cloth to wash yourself. We then have 1 hour to pack up all the contents of our tent, and then meet for breakfast at 7:30. The food on the trek was amazing, and every day our group was blown away with the cooking skills of Cesar, an incredible man who whipped up gourmet meals with very limited supplies. A typical breakfast would be oatmeal, coffee, toast, and scrambled eggs or pancakes. Then by 8 we were ready for a good day of hiking with amazing views. 2 assistants would pack our lunch and carry it with them, so that at around noon, we could settle ourselves at a very scenic location, and enjoy a good heardy lunch. Most days we arrived at the next camp between 2-4 in the afternoon. At 4:30 was afternoon tea with biscuits, crackers, jam, honey, and popcorn or fries. Then we´d relax, enjoy the views, and dinner would be served at 7:30. Each dinner was a 3 course meal, soup for starters, a main course, and dessert. There was always enough for seconds, which I took full advantage of as my appetite was ravenous! You have to consume an insane amount of calories just to maintain your weight on a trek like this, but our cook took excellent care of us. Shortly after dinner, we´d crawl back into our tents with hot water bottles to keep us warm on those chilly nights. The service was incredible, we had a crew of 7 taking care of us during the trek, including donkey drivers, cooks, and guides. One guide was 67 years old, and could outperform any of us on the mountains no problem. If you want to stay fit after retirement, I strongly suggest a move to Peru! :)
Day 2: Today we followed a road, passing through the villages of Pocpa and Pallca. After Pallca the path opened into a wide grassy valley with rolling hills and we camped at Quartelhuain at 4200m.
Day 3: In the morning we crossed our first pass called Punta Cacanan which is at 4700m and then descended to our camp at the beautiful lake Laguna Mitucocha. From the camp, we had amazing views of the Rondoy, Jirishanca, and Ninashanca peaks.
Day 4: Today we crossed a pass called Paso de Carhuac at 4650m and then descended to our camp at Laguna Carhuacocha. From camp, we had excellent views of the Siula icefields and the 2 peaks of Yerupaja.
Day 5: Today was a rest day, but most of us opted to do a nice day hike.
Day 6 : I would definitely say that today had the best scenery of the entire trek. The mountain views were breathtaking!!! Sometimes I would just stop hiking and stare at the beauty of God´s creation!!!
Day 7: Today we climbed the Portachuelo de Huayhuash pass at 4750m. We had great views of the Cordillera Raura and the snow topped peak Leon Huacanan. Then we walked around the edge of a large lake called Laguna Viconga where we had lunch at the top. We descended into a valley where there were natural hotsprings....it felt amazing to soak in the hot water....but the water was so hot that by the time we got out, we had no energy and the 40 minute walk back to the campsite took forever! Well work it considering we hadn´t showered or bathed for 7 days!
Day 8: Climbing Pumarinri :) This is the first official summit of the Huayhuash circuit, and also the highest at just under 18 000 feet. We woke up at 3:00, had breakfast at 3:30, and were hiking by 4 in the morning! We had a dump of snow the night before so it was a chilly morning hiking up to the glacier. This glacier is not climbed often, we were the first and perhaps only group this year, and it was extremely steep. We had to reroute several times, but the views at the top, when we finally summited, were absolutely amazing, the best of the trip. A mere 12 hours later we were back at camp enjoying a warm lunch!
At the summit of Pumrarinri at 5465m / 18 000 feet!
Day 9: Today was a very steep hike on mud and scree. We were all exhausted by the time we made it to camp.
It was absolutely freezing at the pass which was at 4800 metres.
Day 10: The setting of today´s hike was the location of Joe Simpson´s incredible survival story while hiking the Siula Grand Glacier.
Enjoying our scenic breakfast! The food was seriously incredible. That morning we had orange pancakes!
Near the lake in this picture is the base camp of Siula Grande. There is an incredible book called Touching the Void writting by Joe Simpson, who gives a first hand account of his experience hiking the west face of this mountain standing over 20,000 feet! Joe and his buddy Simon Yates were the first people ever to hike the west face of Siula Grande. On the decent, however, disaster strikes, when Simon was rapeling Joe down a steep section, and Joe lost control and smashed his knee against the side of the mountain. Later, Simon was forced to cut the rope, causing Joe to fall into a crevasse, but amazingly he landed on a small ledge. Simon, thinking that there was no way Joe could have survived that fall, continued down to base camp. Joe was alive, however, and somehow managed to struggle up and out of the crevasse and crawled back to base camp over a period of 3 days! The book is amazing, I definitely recommend it! The base camp that Joe crawled to is at the lake pictured below.
Day 11: Today we walked through the village of Huayllapa to our campsite in the flat pasture of Huatiac at 4350 metres. Not many pictures today, it was a bit cloudy and at this point of the trip, no one bothered to take off their backpacks to whip out the camera unless the scenery was spectacular....we were getting a bit spoiled with visual stimuli!
Day 12: Today was an easier hike. We crossed the Punta Tapush Pass at 4750 metres before reaching out campsite at Cashpapampa at 4500 metres, which is actually one of our highest camps. You realize the air is thinner, when you wake up in the middle of the night to go to the washroom, and the effort of getting out of your tent and walking to the "banjo" leaves you totally breathless!
This lady was waiting at the top of the pass and asked all trekkers who passed by if they had any medication they could spare her. I only had fisherman friends with me...not sure if that would have the impact she desired :S
Day 13: Climb Diablo Mudo. We woke up this morning at 3:00 AM, and left camp at 4 in the morning. It was a clear starry morning, and we had to use our head lamps until sunrise. At about 7:30 we reached the glacier, put on all our equipment, and headed for the summit. The views at the top were incredible!!! What a rush!
The gear needed for glacier hiking is a harness, crampons, and an ice axe. I´m already addicted and am planning some glacier hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park this winter!
This picture is not deceaving! It was actually this steep! It felt like we were walking straight up the mountain. When you are roped up, the idea is that if someone slips and falls, another climber is supposed to stab the glacier with their ice axe to arrest the fall. Like anyone is going to be able to react that quickly. In my amateur opinion, if one person falls, they drag everyone else who is attached to them by ropes. It was a bit nerve racking, but an incredible experience nonetheless!!!
Mark, John, and I at the summit of Diablo Mudo at 17 150 feet :)
Our campsite that night!
Day 14: Our last trekking day :( Today was an optional hiking day and John, Mark, and I decided to hike to the pass at 4850m.
I could totally live in this house. Waking up to this mountain scenery would be amazing. Perhaps a bit cold at nights though!
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