Last year after our adventures in Pakistan I decided I
needed a break from the stress and turmoil of that part of the world and
started thinking a less stressful place might be Peru. In particular, I was
keen to explore the Alpamayo Cedros of the Cordillera Blanca and the Cordillera
Huayhuash. After research on the Internet I picked a small boutique company
called ‘Peruvian Andes Adventures’ run by the Morales Family in Huaraz and Anne
Thomson in New Zealand. This proved to be a good choice. Then I cast around for
someone to accompany me and as none of my friends were available I decided to
advertise on the Thorn Tree website of Lonely Planet and also on the Peruvian
Andes website ‘Join a Trekking or Climbing Group’ page. Two Americans were
interested in coming but neither worked out in the end for various reasons.
Then a Dutch lady called Auke Raaff, a project manager of the Dutch Fire
Service contacted me and she proved to be a great travelling companion for the
trip.
I flew from Auckland on 1 August to Santiago de Chile on Lan
Chile and transited onto a flight to Lima arriving in the evening same day. The
flight was fine and there were no issues in any of the airports on the route.
At Lima airport I changed $500.00 USD to S/.20 and S/10 notes. I was met by a
taxi at Lima airport and taken to a small hotel in Miraflores called Casa de
Baraybar. The traffic was terrible but I expected that. It was very pleasant
and I retired early, as I was tired from the long flight. The next morning I
had a meagre breakfast and then left by taxi to the Cruz del Sur bus station in
Lima. I had to exchange my voucher for a ticket and then I could check in my
baggage. Interestingly, I was allowed to bring 2 bags of no more than 23 kg
from Auckland so I had 38 kg of baggage with me about half of it dehi food. I
noted quite a few other gringos in the bus terminal. By now I was feeling more
relaxed and beginning to enjoy the trip.
I had a comfortable VIP seat on the bus and at 9:30 AM we
set off for the 8-hour journey to Huaraz. First we drove north from Lima along
the barren Pacific coast under a leaden sky. Lima was grey and uninviting with
some slums on the outskirts. After some hours we abruptly turned inland up a
valley rapidly gaining height. On we climbed to 3800 metres. Higher up it was
more fertile with brown grass and trees in scattered thickets. Then we crossed
the mountains and dropped into the Callyon de Huaylas, which is an upland
valley between 2 big mountain ranges, the Cordillera Nigra and the Cordillera
Blanca. When I arrived in Huaraz, Rolando Morales who was to be our guide for
the treks met me at the bus station. We took a taxi to the Morales guesthouse
at Jose Olaya up the hill. There I was greeted by Hisao and Yovana who quickly
put me at ease. Hisao has been a guide for many years and has a wealth of
experience and is so modest about it all. Yovana runs the guesthouse and is
always cheery and helpful.
As I was signing in Hisao introduced me to
Rachel ( from Hamilton) and her new husband Phillipe ( from France). They were on a climbing honeymoon and had been up some peaks in the Cordillera Blanca and were planning to climb Alpamayo. I invited them to dinner with me and we arranged a rendezvous later that evening. Hisao asked me if a young English woman called Yvette could join our Huayhuash trek. I said I’d need to meet her and so would Auke. I sorted out my gear in my room and then at 7PM I joined Rachel and Philippe and we went down town to the Café Andino for a nice meal. Huaraz was busy at night and I thought very exotic after New Zealand. That night I slept badly maybe too much excitement was the cause!
Despite the lack of restful sleep I was up early next
morning. On the top story is a dining room and outside patio and here I had
desayuno with Rachel and Philippe. They were just about to leave for Alpamayo
and this was the last time I saw them. I hoped they would be OK as the mountain
is far from easy having claimed 2 lives this season already. In my tiny room I
sorted out my food and made a list of food I needed to buy. Later in the
morning I walked into town and got the lie of the land and spent an hour
sorting out a mini Sims card for my iPhone at the Movistar office near Plaza de
Armas. I even had to have my fingerprints taken to get a $7.00 card! Then I bought
some food and walked back to the guesthouse. By mid day it was unpleasantly
hot.
After lunch I did a tiny up of my room and then decided to
make another foray into town. This time I took a more direct route and found
the San Sebastian hotel that Hisao had told me about. Just past it I turned to
the left and then right down some steps past the Iglesia onto Alameda Grau.
Lower down the street was the Nova Plaza supermarket one of the best in Huaraz.
Here I purchased bread, cheese, cooking oil and other supplies. Lower down the
street I found a camping store where I purchased 2 cans of camping gas. In the
evening I started sorting out my muesli into zip lock bags and divided up all
supplies I’d taken from NZ into two lots for each trek. I sorted out a few things
to take up to Lazy Dog Inn for the next morning. That evening I went to the San
Sebastian Hotel por cena.
I had a terrible night and not sure I got any sleep at all.
So I was up early to pack gear for Lazy Dog. Had a nice breakfast up top with
Yovana as cheerful as ever. After breakfast I caught up with Hisao who ordered
a taxi for me. It was hot already so I stood in the shade outside waiting for
it. I remembered I need some matches/cigarette lighter so on impulse I dived
into a tiny shop across the road from the guesthouse and explained what I
wanted in Spanish. After a bit of confusion, my Spanish not being wonderful un
hombre reached into his pocket and gave me a present of his cigarette lighter
and would not take any money for it. I was amazed!! Then the taxi arrived and off we went up a
ruined road to the Lazy Dog Inn in a compound up the hill above Huaraz at 3650
meters. The gateman let me in and as I strolled up the drive Diane came to meet
me. It’s a beautiful place with a main lodge and smaller cabins around the
periphery with plenty of open space and trees and gorgeous views of the
surrounding mountains and valleys. Diane introduced me to Wayne and then had to
take off to do something. Wayne gave me a conducted tour of his gardens and hothouses
where they grew different types of vegetables. They are into community-based
projects based on 4 key areas
- Environmental sustainability
- Social sustainability
- Cultural sustainability
- Economic sustainability
A major project is a community centre nearby where they have
an early childhood learning centre and a café run by local women.
They have 4 dogs that are cute and love basking in the sun
hence the name ‘Lazy Dog’. Their names are Max, Runtu, Apu and Mayu. They also
have horses.
I went down to the community centre for lunch and Diane and
Wayne showed me around. It was quite inspiring what they had achieved. Besides
the small café there is a preschool for the local children. I ordered a tasty
lunch from the waitress, a local Peruvian woman. Diane helped translate for me.
In the afternoon I went for a walk to the road and up the moraine wall to the
4000-meter mark. Up ahead were the steep slopes leading up to the high
Cordilleras. As I was feeling quite tired I turned around and headed back. In
the evening we sat down for a sumptuous 3-course meal prepared by Diana and her
Peruvian women helpers. It was an intimate affair around a big table with a
handful of other guests. I told Diane I would light out early next day so she
showed me where to get myself some breakfast in the morning.
I slept better that night though I did wake up with a
headache but after a Maxigesic and Temazepam I did sleep a few more hours. I
got up at 6.00AM, had some breakfast and left at 7.00AM. It was a nice clear
morning as I strolled up the road that passed the track up the moraine wall and
headed off to the right. It had some big zigzags on it where I took a shortcut.
Then it dropped and crossed the Rio Cojup where I met some locals in a hut by
the bridge. They wanted me to go up their valley but I said today I wanted to
go to Laguna Churup. They gave me directions and I carried on. The road climbed
up to a shoulder and beyond it a sort of pass. Here I left the road and sidled
up the hillside moving right till I hit a well-defined track that carried on up
to a main track on a spur. There were a few people walking up this and I rested
for a while as I was feeling the altitude. I then continued up a steep track to
4360 meters and what with dehydration, altitude and intense sun I’d had enough.
I stopped on a spur with a view of a waterfall that I understood had wire ropes
on it and just beyond was the lake.
The return journey was tough as I was feeling so exhausted.
It took me 5 hours to reach my high point and 3.5 hours for the return trip. I
took a different route back however. Once I reached the spur overlooking Rio
Cojup I descended directly down to the river that I crossed and then followed
trails down through the scrubby forest till I could see a track climbing up the
other side to the road up top. Once on the road it was all down hill to Lazy
Dog. Arriving back no one was about so I made myself a big drink and hot
chocolate that revived me. Then a shower and lie down and I felt much better.
On my iPhone I picked up some emails from the medical centre with some issues
that needed some attention. The Minister of Health was hassling us so I sent
back a message for the minister for his consideration. That evening we had
another sumptuous meal with the other guests. Two of the guests were from
Zurich and Pierre was a keen birdwatcher. Another 2 were Americans who clearly
had no idea of hiking and fancied they were keen hikers. It seemed to me there
were totally disconnected from nature and could only survive in a concrete
jungle.
Pierre and Ayala were due to go on a hike somewhere and
their taxi was picking them up at 7.00AM As they were passing near LLaca valley
I asked them for a lift as it would save me 200 metres of ascent. So I got
dropped off at 7.30AM and now I was close to my valley. It was a steep climb up
zigzags to the entrance to the valley (Quebrada de LLaca). Then it was pretty
gentle climb into a spectacular valley dominated at its head by the glaciated
peaks of Nevados Ranrapalca, Oeshapalca and Janyaraju. I took a short cut up
the hillside where the road switch backed and then we eventually came to a
bridge. On the far side instead of following the road I walked up the lovely
flats till a track took me up to the road again. After this it was an easy
gradient up to a Refugio. A few minutes I was at Laguna LLaca at 4474 meters
and a gorgeous view at that. Here I stopped for lunch overlooking the lake. Two
Australian ladies I’d met earlier at Morales guesthouse arrived by car for a
hike with a guide. Thankfully it was not too hot so I could enjoy lunch out in
the sun. It was a nice walk back and I arrived back at 1:30PM, a round trip in
6 hours, which I thought, was quite good. I felt quite strong and it was a huge
improvement on yesterday effort. That night it was very quiet at Lazy Dog and
it was only Wayne, Diane and I for dinner. And I slept poorly again that night.
I was up early at 5.00AM organising a few things. For a
change I had breakfast of eggs, potatoes and tomatoes in anticipation of
another big walk. Auke arrived by taxi at 9.00AM and she was enthusiastic for a
walk straight away. So we got organised and took a taxi to the start of the
Cojup valley saving us a few hours of road bashing. It was another lovely
pleasant day. There is a gate on the track at the entrance to the quebrada but
as no one was around we climbed over it and ambled up valley to a lookout where
there was an excellent view of icy N. Pucaranra and N. Palcaraju. We met a
party of Peruvians with donkeys and the older man told us he was going to the
Ishinca valley tomorrow but looking at the terrain this seemed unlikely
especially with donkeys. Auke was a nice intelligent lady keen on the trip and
works as a project manager in the Dutch fire service. We had lunch at the 4130
meter mark with good views of the head of the valley with Ranrapalca poking
over the ridge to the north of us. The walk back was fast and we made it back
just before an afternoon shower of rain. I was very optimistic we will have a
great trip together.
Better nights sleep though I woke up at 3.00 AM. I did not
have any altitude headaches but I think the combination of travel and altitude
makes for poor sleep not the mention the excitement of the whole
adventure. So up early again and spent
time replying to emails on my iPhone. After breakfast with Auke we took a taxi
down to Huaraz. When I got there Hisao met us and we arranged to meet later in
the morning. As we had a few hours we walked down town to find an ATM so Auke
could get out some money. We went into one next to the Plaza de Armas. I had
read an article in a newspaper about counterfeit money so as she got out the
bills I checked the watermark by holding the bills up to the light. A security
guard came over and I think he was not amused so we left. It seems the ATMs
sometimes give out counterfeit bills and the banks do not accept
responsibility. Back at the Morales guesthouse we paid Hisao the full amount
for the treks in cash. Then we grabbed Auke’s gear from the lockup and took it
around to the office where we packed it into boxes for the mules. Auke took a
taxi and went back up into the mountains to the LLaca Valley. I sorted out all
my gear for the first trek. Hisao introduced me to Yvette, an English lady who
was considering joining us for the Huayhuash trek. I said I would need to
discuss it with Auke. As it turned out she never came back to us even after
leaving her a nice letter inviting her to join us for the Huayhuash Trek.
After lunch I walked down to the Mercado Central and bought
a hat and some big plastic bags for the donkey boxes and some apple pastries in
the Panaterria near the Nova Plaza supermarket. Towards evening I could see
clouds and rain up on the Cordilleras so was hoping Auke would not get too wet
or cold.
I had a better nights sleep and towards dawn as I was
mulling over various ideas I thought about starting an NGO back in New Zealand
with the aim of funding service projects in Peru and Pakistan. I would name it
“The New Zealand, Andean, Himalayan Alliance”. I thought too I would seek
partners for the project from Rotary and some of my friends. After I packed up
I went up to the top floor to the small kitchen and patio and checked my emails.
I sent one to Diane at Lazy Dog and told her I wanted to stay on 5th
September. Then I told Hisao I wanted to do a climb on 6-9 September after the
Huayhuash trip. After breakfast I headed out to see the van being packed with
our gear for the Alpamayo trek. Then
Auke arrived and we set off for Hualcayan passing through Yungay and Caraz.
Hualcayan is at the start of the Alpamayo Cedros on a plateau at 3140 meters.
It’s a long drive up to the plateau on a rough track to say the least. We
passed through several villages that appeared to be very poor. Once we got
there we parked by a run down schoolhouse that was closed and set up our tents.
We went for a walk up the hill to get a view of tomorrow’s trail. There was low scrub and small paddocks cleared where some cattle grazed. On top of the hill was a large concrete reservoir. On the far side was a steep mountainside that was at least 1000 meters high. Up this our track zigzagged. Back at camp I sterilized water from the water race near us with my steripen. Some local children came over and were a pest in particular one little girl tried to steal some things off us. I sorted out all my gear and food and to my consternation found my packet of chocolate drink missing. I noted we had only 3 boxes even though I packed 4 at Hisao’s office. I wondered what else was missing but later remembered I’d put my tent in one of the boxes. I suggested to Auke we cook alternate days for ourselves and she was very happy to do so. I was a bit miffed with Rolando on this first day but after that we found he was pretty helpful. The scenery was great. We were a bit worried about the huge lift next day to Wishcash just over 1000 meters above us. I was very pleased to have someone like Auke along who was so enthusiastic and easy to get along with. That evening a Dutch couple came down the mountain and camped near us, as did a solo Frenchman called Karim. I turned in at 7:15PM
I was up at 5:45AM to get breakfast ready and packed up. All
went smoothly and we got away at 7:45AM. Auke, Rolando and I set off first
heading up the hill and Macedonia, our arriero packed up the cook tent and got
all the gear on the donkeys and horses and followed. We climbed up a great
series of switchbacks to the right of the creek and waterfall coming off the
hillside. I noticed some flowers in bloom but generally this is not the best
season to see wild flowers. Then we crossed the stream sidling left across the
hillside eventually reaching a small patch of forest and beyond it climbing up
to Wishcash that is an alp with a great view of the Callejón de Huaylas. We were at an altitude of 4325 meters, a gain
of 1200 meters. Rolando had been very good and walked slowly with us. Karim was
camped at Wishcash. We gave him some food as he looked so destitute but he was
reluctant to take anything. I was pretty disappointed there was no chocolate
drink and wondered if it had been stolen. As it turned out I misplaced it in
the rush to pack back in Huaraz.
I slept very well and woke just before 6.00AM to an overcast
dawn. I wandered over to Karim who was packing to leave and exchanged a few
words. He seemed to be broke and I offered him some money if he was in need but
he declined. Auke had a bad night in terms of sleep but was up early too. We
packed up, had breakfast and got under way at 7:45AM. It was a steady climb up
zigzags and then a long sidle to the left over the crest of a ridge. Here was a
track cut into the side of a hill that climbed up beside a cliff to an amazing
water race coming from Laguna Cullicocha. It twisted around the steep
mountainside and then over to a saddle below this huge lake that was backed by
the Santa Cruz massif. There were huge glaciers on the mountains. We had a
break here as Macedonia and the baggage train passed us. There was a small
hydro scheme here and a small house for the caretaker.
Beyond the lake our track climbed steadily up to the Osoruri Pass at 4860 meters. We were moving slowly and I managed to edge out in front and gave it all my effort to reach there first. The reward was some nice photos of Auke and Roland coming onto the pass. Then it was a steady descent of about 300 metres and a climb of 200 metres to Vientunun Pass at 4770m. From here it was a huge descent to the valley floor of Quebrada de los Cedros at 4020m to our camp at Ruina Pampa. On the opposite side of the valley were derelict Inca terraces and some stonewalls. We got the tents up and had an early dinner in the cook tent and then to bed as the temperature dropped.
There was frost on the tent next morning and I was glad to have had a new though lightweight Macpac sleeping bag and a fleece liner. On the trip I also wore some clothes in the sleeping bag as it was well below zero at night. Up at 6:30AM and away 2 hours later. We walked up the valley to the right towards Alpamayo base camp. The track climbs the moraine wall to L. Jancaruish that is fed by the glacier coming off Alpamayo. It was a lovely clear day and the views where sublime. There was an arc of giant peaks, Nevados Tayapampa, Jankurish and Alpamayo to the east and Nevado Santa Cruz to the west. It was a 300-meter climb to BC in a high tussock valley well above the lake. It was a lovely place, level and sheltered by high tussock and backed by a huge rock. Here we stopped for lunch. Returning to our camp below there were 2 other parties camped nearby. Auke told me about her work and imminent restructuring in the Fire Service in Holland. It sounded like a familiar story to all the restructuring we’ve had in NZ in recent years.
We were away at 7:30AM next day. Crossing the river on a rickety bridge we tracked up a fan in bitter cold to a tussock slope leading up to a high basin under Gara-Gara Pass. The baggage train caught up with us and continued on. Auke was not feeling well and was climbing slowly but doggedly upwards. Another party overtook us. There was a bitter wind so much so I had my parka and merino top on to stay warm. On the last section to the pass the track switch backed up a steep scree slope and the wind just about blew us off. It was head down and keep going. I dumped my pack in the lee of some rocks and dropped down to assist Auke and she was fine and eventually made it to the top. On the far side was a lovely wide valley covered in tussock and we dropped down to a wide flat area and stopped for lunch. After this it was a long walk and short climb to Mesapata Pass at 4460m. Here there was a stunning view of the Nevados Pucajirca across the valley. It was an easy descent to our camp at Huillca that was on a wide plain at the junction of Q. Tayapampa and Q. Yanta Quenua. A heard of alpaca grazed nearby. On the hillside above was a stand of Quenual, a high altitude tree that only survives in isolated patches in these mountains.
Macedonia had the tent already pitched near a creek. After settling in I did some washing and later had dinner with Auke. During the night it rained. Next morning it was overcast as we started up Q. Yanta Quenua. We passed a lot of bones of dead animals en route, “a sendero of bones” as I christened the route. Then it was a steep climb of 600m to Passo Yanacan at 4610m in mist. Another party passed us, the donkeys moving quite fast. It was just a narrow slot on the pass with cloud and a freezing wind. Here we regrouped before plunging down into the next valley under a cloud ceiling to a picturesque lake called L. Sactaycocha. There was more Quenual forest on the far hillside. The valley was lush and interspersed with open flats where horses and cattle grazed. We then dropped steeply through bush to our camp at Janca Pampa. There was a cloud ceiling on the peaks and you could just see the lower glaciers of Pucajirca. Auke made popcorn that was a lot more successful than the pancakes I tried previously.
Morning and the clouds had lifted revealing spectacular views of the Nevados Pucajirca. A pleasant walk down a road past some houses led to a track snaking uphill to a valley heading south to Tupatupa Pass at 4360m, a climb of 760m. From the top were grand views of Nev. Taulliraju and other glaciated peaks. Then there was a long descent to Q. Tuctubamba. The valley floor was a grassy meadow where animals grazed interspersed with many watercourses and quite boggy. After walking down this for a few kilometres we climbed up the right side and contoured around to the right above L. Huecrucocha to a nice campsite marred by pig rootings and a lot of animal droppings. The cook tent was up and another party was camped there.
I went for a stroll up the hillside to have a wash and launder some clothes. There was not much time as the sun sets early and the temperature drops precipitously after 4.00PM. The country ahead looks very rugged. Nice dinner and to bed early.
We got away at 7:00 AM next day climbing towards Alta de
Pucajirca on a high trail into the upper valley, then a stiff climb to the pass
that we reached at 11am. The altitude was 4640m. Here we had a prolonged stop
to photograph the splendid views of the Cordillera from Huascaran to
Taulliraju. The track to Punta Union was clearly visible across the valley. We
met a tough French girl solo trekking and carrying all her gear. We exchange
some small talk and carried on. There was a steep descent to our camp in the
valley directly below. We got there at lunchtime and lazed around the rest of
the day.
Last night it was very cold and in the morning there was ice on the inside of the tent. I did not emerge till 6:15am. My sleeping bag was wet around my face from condensation. It was a lovely clear sky and we got underway by 7:45AM. It was a steady climb to Punta Union at 4760m. I was more breathless than usual getting there for some reason or other. The pass is a narrow slot up a track built into the side of a cliff. It was a bit tricky with donkeys coming down heavily leaden. There were lots of trekkers there as we were now on the very popular Santa Cruz trek. On top there were great views of Nevados Taulliraju, Rinrijirca, Quitaraju, Artesonraju and Chacraraju. Auke boiled up some water on her alcohol stove which was most appreciated. After an hour or so we dropped off the pass and headed down to the valley to camp. Rolando was funny and confided in me that “Auke was a little bit crazy” in a nice sort of way. I said I thought we were all “a little bit crazy”. In the afternoon we had a nice snack of crackers and Parmesian cheese. I suspect we are not eating enough as each day we have a major high altitude crossing. So far we’ve crossed 9 passes over 4000m and 2 over 4800m.
It was another frosty tent next morning but the sun melted that away quickly. By 8.00am we were on our way to climb up to Alpamayo Base Camp South. We sidled up the hillside into the hanging valley and only went a short distance into it. Way above on the mountain we could see Vicunas, progenitors of alpacas. In the distance we could see a tent at BC but it was a lazy day so we just admired the view and then headed down into the Q. Santa Cruz. The valley floor was covered in a huge area of sand and gravel with nothing growing on it, remnants of a vast alluvion that came off Artesonraju some years ago that devastated the valley. We carried on down valley past L. Jatuncocha where we regrouped. It was a hot day and the horse flies were a pest when you stopped. We camped at LLamacorral at 3890m. The sign there said it was 9.5 kms to Cashapampa. I climbed up to a mountain stream above camp and had a wash in the freezing water.
On our last day it was all down hill to Cashapampa. The
country was dry and cactus was plentiful. The last bit was a steep drop off and
then on the other side of a bridge was a Huascaran national park hut where I
paid a park fee of S/.65 (about $23 USD). Auke arrived later and we ambled down
into the town where our van was waiting. After a group photo we drove back to
Huaraz. On the Alpamayo Cedros we went over 9 passes over 4000m and 2 over
4800m. Our total of ascent was about 5300m. Back in Huaraz first on the agenda
were hot showers, and then I left out some laundry, sorted some gear and went
into town with Auke. We dined at Café Andino and ate too much!! We had
burritos, salads, cheese nachos and 2 smoothies. We could hardly walk back up
the steps to the guesthouse we were so full.
We had 1 day back in Huaraz before heading for the
Huayhuash. After breakfast Auke and I went over the itinerary with Hisao. That
done we walked down town and sought the markets where we bought a round of
cheese, fruit, vegetables and all the food needed for the Huayhuash trek. Then
we took all the food around to Peru Andean Adventures offices and packed it
into the donkey boxes. Then back to the Morales Guesthouse to sort the rest of
our gear. I think we will eat a lot better on the next trek!
A poor nights sleep. Up early and had breakfast with Auke,
then packed and set off in the van for the Huayhuash. Initially this was on a
tar sealed highway and the last 2-3 hours on dirt roads into huge valleys
approaching the mountain range. We stopped in the plaza of a large town and
then drove up a steep road to Quartelhuain, the start of the trek. The weather
overcast started to shower as we arrived.
Nicole our arriero was waiting for us
and helped carry up the gear onto a terrace near the road and pitch the tents.
Nearby was a party of 23 Israelis camped and unfortunately we were camped just
a bit too close. Later they were out playing Frisbee around our tents and I
moved mine away and camped by 2 Brits who were mountain biking around the
range. Tara, my daughter had told me about large parties of Israelis on the
Huayhuash and they were often noisy and annoying. I introduced myself to Cass
and Charlie, 2 British bikers. Later Auke and I went for a walk and check out
tomorrow’s route.
I slept well and woke refreshed and ready for action. I was
up at 5:30AM, packed and away by 7:30am well ahead of the Israelis. It was a
500m climb to Cacananpunta at 4690m. The Israelis were hot on our heels and
passed us and some of them were pleasant enough. It appeared they were not
intending to camp at Jancapampa and continuing on. The track climbed very
steeply to the pass and then dropped into a gentle valley where Cass and
Charlie caught up with us. We gave them a hot drink. Cass had biked from Alaska
to Huaraz. He was intending on biking to Cusco and eventually Argentina. He knew
the guys at ‘Ground Effect” a biking clothing company in Christchurch. He has a
blogsite http://www.whileoutriding.com/blog.
Charlie has a lodge the “LLaganuco Lodge” near Yungay. I said I might call in
and see him when I went to Yannapaccha.
They were hoping to complete the circuit in 5 days.
We dropped into a valley and then had a short climb up to
Jancapampa. It started to hail covering the ground white. Nicole had already
arrived and unpacked the horses and donkeys. We were on a flat plain,
surrounded by barren brown mountains, covered in cloud. It was freezing cold.
We swept away the hail and pitched the cook tent. We made a hot drink and ate
some food and that felt better. Auke got out the frying pan and fried some
bread and cheese that was delicious and filling. There was more hail and
thunder. Then it cleared for a while and we saw Ninashanca 5607m. The ‘Tax
Collectors” arrived and we paid S/.40 each for camping for 2 days. That evening
Auke made a salad with fried potatoes plus a flan, best meal so far. The wind
was bitterly cold that night so I zipped the tent tight and disappeared into my
sleeping bag.
We got away at 7:00am next morning walking across the flat to the start of the climb to Yanapunta Pass. A steep track took us to a gentle valley that climbed up to meadows where cattle grazed to a scree covered pass. Roland showed us a rock that apparently had the markings of a dinosaur paw but I was not convinced. On the pass was a good view of Nevados Jirishanca, Yerupaja and Siula Grande 6000 metre peaks to the west and south of us. We stopped for lunch in the sun below the pass and Auke boiled up some hot water for a drink. Then it was a nice stroll down to Carhuacocha, a large lake at 4138m where we met a nice man carrying a lamb. There were a few houses and a yard full of sheep. At lunchtime we reached our campsite by the lake just on the other side of a bridge. There was a cool breeze blowing up the valley towards the outlet so we pitched out tents in the lee of the hill just above the lake out of the wind. I tried to make pancakes unsuccessfully. Later I decided to go for a walk by myself and climbed up the hillside angling towards a col between two peaks but as it was getting late I turned back just below the col. The chocolate pudding that night, courtesy of Auke restored me.
During the night there was a loud avalanche. But I slept well and woke at 6.00AM. The campsite was clean and the communities had built toilets there. For this they charge a camping fee of S/.20 about $8.00USD, which is ok as far as I’m concerned. The whole mountain range is not in a national park and is owned by the communities so it’s a privilege to be able to visit. I suggested to Auke we climb Cerro Yanacocha and Roland said he would like to tag along. So we went up the hill behind our camp to the col and then up the peak to 4750m to a hilltop where there was a great view of the Cordillera though it was quite cloudy. Auke brewed up more hot water for a delicious hot chocolate drink, such luxury!! We picked a different route back dropping straight down to L. Carhuacocha. On the descent I noticed a dyke so it’s likely a volcanic region. We passed some straw roofed huts and lower down some people levering out a large boulder in a cultivated paddock. The people are very poor hereabouts.
Back in camp we fried up some bread rolls with melted cheese and salami that tasted great. I walked down the creek hoping to have a swim but the air temperature was icy so I gave that away. Instead I washed some clothes, my hair and had a shave. There was a small waterfall down the creek and a deep pool below it but it was too unpleasant to jump in. When I got back to camp a group of 4 Israelis and a German climber had arrived and camped near us but they were pleasant enough. I wrote up my diary in the afternoon and when I went into the cook tent at 5.00pm Auke had invited them in out of the cold wind. Two had just left the army, one girl was a lawyer, one a medical student and Tobias was an astrophysicist. They left when Roland and Nicole arrived back around 6.00pm. Auke boiled some black corn but Rolando said no one eats it and they only use the black juice that they mix with sugar and lemon as a drink. Auke made a nice bolognaise pasta and lemon pudding.
Up at 5:30AM for a quick getaway. Before leaving the “tax collectors” arrived and predictably one of the Israelis kicked up a fuss about paying the S/.20 for camping but she did have a point in that she had paid for camping on the other side of the river unaware it was a different community here and she had to pay again. But I’d seen how poor the folk were here so I had not much sympathy for her. We walked past L. Carhuacocha and near the turn of the valley headed up onto a side valley that led to a huge lateral moraine and a string of lakes L. Gangrajanca. L Siula and L. Quesillococha. There was a cloud ceiling and we could not see far up the mountains, only huge grey cliffs and terminal icefalls spilling off them. It was bitterly cold and it snowed as we climbed off the valley floor towards Siula Punta at 4830m. A few other parties were en route and I leaped frogged past them higher up as some stopped under an overhanging rock. I kept my head down and kept plugging on. Auke plodded slowly up behind me. We regrouped on the pass before descending into a bleak valley devoid of trees down to our camp at Huayhuash at 4350m. We saw little sun all day.
During the night it snowed and I was surprised to see it when I got up so snug was I in my sleeping bag. Auke and I got away at 7:15am on a gradual climb to Portachuelo de Huayhuash at 4780m. The country was reminiscent of the Highlands of Scotland. It snowed again. The pass was bleak and just past it Rolando and I stopped for Auke. Then it was a gradual descent to L. Viconga, a hydro lake with a ‘tide line’. We passed some enormous cushion plants. At one creek crossing we found discarded paper wipes and we surmised that 2 French girls who had left ahead of us might have left them there. Whoever the culprit(s) were had no appreciation of the environment and we wondered why they even bothered to do the trek if that was their attitude! On the track another party passed us and a young woman with them was getting a ride on a horse. It seem a lot of trekking companies bring along a spare horse in case one of the gringos cannot make it on foot!
At a gate across the track we met the ‘Tax Collectors’ again which for us was not a problem unlike an Israeli who arrived at the same time as us and who sat sullenly looking around ignoring the gate. Typically he had no jacket or adequate gear and seemed ill prepared. I carried on as it’s not my problem and I have little respect for this sort of person. Dropping down the hill we came to a water race and here we headed off to the right and followed it into a valley to our right towards Nevado Pumarinri. It was windy and freezing as we climbed up onto a terrace at 4600m to camp by ourselves. This was the base camp for Pumarinri. In the afternoon it was alternating sun and snow showers. However in the evening the snow came on with a vengeance it just snowed and snowed. After dinner we decided to forgo the climb of Pumarinri in these conditions.
Awoke to arctic conditions covered in snow. Luckily the weather improved so we could pack up without getting too wet. Auke and I set off at 8.00am climbing up to a trail above us on the hillside. This led easily up to Cuyoc Pass at 4900m. There was snow all the way but interestingly it got less as we ascended. In fact the pass was scree and devoid of snow presumably blow off in the strong winds. There was a fantastic view of Nev. Cuyoc clothed in hanging glaciers. There was a fantastic rock mushroom there. Another party arrived with their horses.
Thankfully the weather had improved and the sun was out. It was an easy descent to our camp at Q. Huanacpatay at 4500m. It was a nice spot beside the river. We threw up our tents and then Auke and I took turns to go for a wash in the creek further down the valley. After lunch Rolando put the rope up over a cliff so we could do some rock-climbing. Another guide there thought the knife that I always carry on my harness was hilarious referring to “the cutting the rope episode“ of “Touching the Void”. I was keen for Auke to do some rock-climbing so I climbed up and then Auke had a go. Unfortunately the rock was pretty loose. Later in the evening it turned freezing cold and it snowed again that night.
It was bone chilling next morning as we made our way across
to the frozen valley floor to the valley leading up to the San Antonio Pass. We
longed for the sun on the mountaintops that was ages away in arriving. About
half way up we finally reached it and were able to thaw out. The pass is at
5025m and it took ages to get there. The last rise was up unstable scree and I
found it easier to climb up the rocks to the side of the path. Once on top
there were stunning vistas of Nevados Serapo, Siula Grande, and Rasac and below
us a series of lakes Juraucocha, Santa Rosa and Sarapococha, all a turquoise
colour. We spent quite a while on the pass taking photos and then descended
steeply to the right. At first scree we reached tussock slopes that ran into
bluffs. Roland went ahead to check out the route and returned informing us the
old route had fallen away and he would scout for a new route. The terrain was of
huge cliffs and gullies and he did not return for ages. He did locate a new
route out to the right and this involved scrambling down gullies and working
our way across ledges to the right that led to grassy slopes that took us down
to near L. Juraucocha. From there a track took us down to the valley floor to
our camp at Cutatambo. It was a sunny day though the air was cold. Nicole had
gone around the range and had camp up and our German friend Tobias also arrived
to camp with us. This was the best day yet in the Huayhuash.
The next day was clear and frosty. It was a ‘rest day’ so we decided to head up Q. Sarapococha towards Siula Grande. There was a steep moraine wall to ascend to a terrace and then it was fairly flat for about 2 kilometres. Roland showed us the site of Joes Simpson’s base camp beside a huge boulder. Then we ascended a trail on the true right of the valley to a moraine wall overlooking L. Sarapococha. Here the upper valley was flat again hemmed in by the huge ice mountains of Nevados Sarapo and Siula Grande. The lake was alpine blue and very inviting though the wind was cold off the glaciers. At the head of the lake, the glacier started covered in moraine. Tobias caught up with us and carried on but I was feeling very breathless so had to take is slowly. We initially walked up the small ablation valley on the true right of the glacier but when it narrowed under almost vertical moraine walls it was subject to rockfall so we climbed up on the glacier. Then it was a slow plod up the rubble of the lower glacier. I think we were both feeling quite tired so we descended into the ablation valley higher up and stopped on a grassy spur for a rest and photos. We could not see the full aspect of Siula Grande as it was tucked around a turn in the valley higher up. Tobias did travel much higher than us and did get a partial view he told us later.
So we turned around and made our way back to the lake. There
were some warm granite slabs there and while Auke boiled up some hot water I
went in for a brief swim. It was not as perishingly cold as Lake Manasarovar in
Tibet that almost caused paralysis when I swam there 2 years ago. I’d been
encouraging Auke to do the same and I was surprised when I saw her getting
ready to go in. I took a video of this amazing sight of Auke running down the
bank and diving in to a glacial lake at 4500m. Well done! The trick was to lie
down on the warm slabs out of the sun to warm up and it was all rather
pleasant. We returned to our camp at Cutatambo at 3:30pm. There Auke made a
splendid meal of tortilla bread, cheese and capsicums. We were both feeling
quite tired and worried about the next 2 days that appeared to be quite tough.
The next stage was a descent of the Q. Calinca to near Huayllapa then up to Huatiaq. We were steadily loosing height and lower down we could see the roofs of Huayllapa. As expected we reached a gate guarded by ‘tax collectors’ who extracted S/.50 from each of us. I asked a surly Peruvian woman if I could take her picture but she refused that I think was a bit rich after our payment. About 75m above Huayllapa we took off up a steep track towards Huatiaq. The valley was quite steep and narrow and it was an 800m climb to our camp. Surprisingly neither if us felt too bad on this climb. Nicola had already arrived and has the cook tent up. Huatiaq is on a flat plain with a fantastic view of Diablo Muda. We had intended to climb this from the other side. Tobias arrived later and we had dinner together.
A frosty night followed by a sunny day. We both felt tired
as we set out for Tapush Punta, the pass leading over to our camp at Q.
Gashpampa. It was a steady climb up to the pass at 4770m. Our camp was at 4550m
and I was worried it might be too low for an ascent of Diablo Muda. But
apparently this is what guides do so we agreed. The mountain looked great. There
was a long arm of a ridge on the left apparently our route being on top of that
and higher up a glacier and ice face that looked easy enough. The day was warm
though we had a hail shower. On the pass Rolando was waiting for us and Tobias
arrived after a while. Below was a lake and gentle slope down to it and over to
the right was our mountain with a moraine higher up. We did some bouldering on
the way that was fun. That evening Auke made a delicious omelette and then we
followed that with pasta vegetariano. Roland said we had to get up at 11pm as
it’s a 1000 metre climb. It was a short night of course and then it was time to
go. We packed up all the gear for Nicola who was to dismantle camp and going to
meet us down at Jahuacocha.
Just past midnight we set off up the valley under our headlights beams. It was a clear sky but very dark as there was no moon. At first we moved up grasslands and then up scree and rock to the left towards a high rocky ridge above. This led to a gully with easy angled rock slabs that led to the rocky ridge at 5000m. The ridge climbed up easy angled rock buttresses on a rough path till we eventually reached the ice. Here we roped up and climbed up ‘ice penitentes’ on a face to an ice ridge above. Later we climbed up another face to the summit at 5350m. On the way my camera died when the batteries went flat but fortunately I had spare batteries. Auke was so excited by the ice formations and took lots of photos. Poor Rolando was very patient waiting for us and having to deal with the rope snagging all the time. We reached the summit at 8:30am.
The views were great all around especially towards the main Cordillera range with Jirishanca, Yerupaja and Siula Grande. We spent ages on the summit enjoying the views and then descended into the Quebrada Huacrish. It was a steep but easy descent mainly on scree to Laguna Huacrish with spectacular views all around. The upper valley was mainly ungrazed and beautiful, one of the nicest valley we visited. Then it was a long walk down valley to L. Jahuacocha. On the way we saw 7 condors circling overhead. We felt quite tired so it was good to arrive at our camp by the lake.
The next day was a so-called ‘rest day’ but our first priority was to wash some clothes and get them dried. I went off and washed my hair and had a shave but I could not find a private enough spot to have a bath in the river. A large party of Israelis arrived and thankfully camped on the other side of the river. A guided party of Germans also arrived. In the afternoon Auke and I went for a walk to the lake at the head Solteracocha. A moraine wall that was quite an effort to surmount surrounded this. The view was superb and well worth the effort. The evening was lovely as we walked back to camp on the other side of the L. Jahuacocha. On the way we met a German birdwatcher that pointed out ‘Andean Geese’, ‘Puma Ibis’, ‘Night herons’ and ‘Choughs'.
We made an early start to Llamac on the low level route. This
was an easy gradient following a level path where there was an underground
pipeline to just above Llamac where there was a steep drop off. We saw more
condors and a falcon. The town looked very nice with terracotta roofs and
little rubbish and mainly deserted. We found our waiting van. It was a hot day
and we were tired, dusty and parched. I bought everyone a coke. Then it was
time to leave for Huaraz. We had a group photo my last view was of Nicole and
his wife leading the horses and donkeys up the road with the pile of food we
left with him. The drive back was scary as our driver was weaving all over the
road and appeared to be quite tired. 2
cars coming towards us crossed the centre line narrowly missing us. Good to get
back to Huaraz and get cleaned up. Then we headed down to Café Andino for
dinner. Tobias joined us for a pleasant meal. He took us for an ice cream down
the street afterwards.
On 5th September Auke was leaving early for her
flight back to Holland via Atlanta so Hisao and I saw her off at 5:30AM. I was
sorry to see her go, as she had been a great companion on the treks. After
breakfast I met with Eli and sorted out the next few days. The plan was to
climb Yannapaccha on the 7/8th with Rolando. At breakfast I met Anne
Thompson who is a partner of Peruvian Andes Adventures. After breakfast I met
up with Edita Oncoy at Café Andino for a talk on various service projects. Then
I checked out the handicraft shops for alpaca jackets and Peruvian hats for
Belinda. Back at Morales I took a taxi back up to Lazy Dog Inn. No one was
around so I had a bit of a doze in the afternoon, as I was quite tired. In the
afternoon Diane arrived so we had a good chat about my proposed NGO/charitable
trust I’d been thinking of starting with the idea of supporting community
projects in Peru and Pakistan. Wayne was away climbing so I missed him. We had
a lovely 3-course dinner that night and it was quiet as not many guests
staying.
Two days later Roland and I set off for the northern
Cordillera Blanca. At Yungay we headed up the hill to Quebrada Llanganuco. At
the parks entrance we showed them my pass from the Alpamayo trek and then we
were driving ever higher past the lovely lakes there to a rough road that
switch backed up the mountain side to 4600 metres. Here our taxi dropped us off
and we shouldered our heavy packs for the walk into base camp for Yannapaccha
at 4800m. Across the valley were Huascaran Norte and Sur, the highest peaks in
Peru. We contoured around the hillside gaining height till we came to a small
lake just below the glacier off Yannapaccha. As we were climbing up to it I
said to Rolando ‘We won’t have to carry the tent and camping gear above
basecamp tomorrow.’ Rolando who sometimes picks up my English incorrectly
replied ‘No, no above basecamp we need Macpac’ probably referring to my Macpac
sac. This could be the mission statement/mantra of Macpac WE
NEED MACPAC!! Across the valley we could see the track snaking up the
mountainside to the glacier of Pisco. There were also great views of Nev.
Chacraraju that looked extremely difficult. It was a bleak campsite among
moraine and the temp plummeted in the evening as the sun set.
We got up at mid-night. It was a bit breezy and very dark as
no moon. Crossing the moraine we came to the glacier. At first we had to scout
around the trough between it and the glacier. We put on our crampons, harnesss
on and roped up. Once on the glacier it was a slow plod behind Rolando. Up we
went slowly gaining height but my pace was at a snail speed. Then Rolando
stopped and asked to carry the extra rope that I was carrying. I felt very bad
about handing it over as he had a big load already. My speed was still
painfully slow. The ice steepened, the wind howled. I had a feeling things were
not going to turn out well and talked to Rolando about turning around. It was
very, very cold despite my 3 thermal tops, down jacket and parka on. By 3.00am
I knew we were not going to make it as our speed and deteriorating weather were
against us. So we turned around and retreated back to the tent. At 8.30am when
I emerged later the tops were wreathed in storm clouds and it was very windy
indeed so I felt we made the right decision. Had we more time we could have
waited and probably made it on another day but our transport was due later that
morning. 
At 11.00am a battered old taxi picked us up and amazingly it made it back to Huaraz. The ride was probably the most hazardous part of the trip as our driver preferred to drive on the left (in a right hand side driving country) and only moved to the right when there was oncoming traffic. Back in Huaraz I settled back in to the Morales Guesthouse and then headed to Café Andino where I accidentally ran into Anne Thomson. Shortly afterwards Andy and Virginia Duff joined us for dinner. We had a most enjoyable evening. The duffs are from the UK and live in Sao Paulo where Andy works for Rabobank, the Dutch bank.
On my last day in Huaraz I had a lazy start and at breakfast
met Christophe, a French climber who had acute mountain sickness. I gave him
some Diamox and Maxigesic and advised him to take it easy. Instead he went
mountain biking and felt better. I settled my account with Hisao and washed
some gear for the haul home next day. Then in town I bought some Peruvian hats
and a T-shirt. Walking back I bumped into Cass, the English mountain biker I
met in Huayhuash. At his camp below Laguna Viconga his tent had been blown into
a river and when he tried to rescue it was washed down a gorge injuring his
back. This had occurred 2 weeks previously and his right paraspinal pain had
got worse last few days. He had blood and urine tests and an ultrasound scan of
his kidneys. I arranged to meet him at my guesthouse later to check him over.
It appeared he has just torn a muscle and I gave him some Diclofenac and some
gently exercises to do. That evening Anne Thomson and Hisao put on a dinner for
us at the guesthouse that was very nice.
Early next morning Hisao saw me off on the taxi to Anta airport for a pleasant flight to Lima and back to Casa Baraybar. When I arrived my room was not ready so I headed off on foot to check out the Indian market in Miraflores. This was over several blocks and full of Peruvian handicrafts. In one shop I bought an Alpaca jacket and scarf to Belinda and a watercolour painting form an artist called Rafael. On the walk back I bought a chicken sandwich in a super market. In the afternoon I hooked onto an organised tour of central Lima including the museum, Plaza San Martin and the Lima Cathedral of St Francis and the Catacombs.
Next morning my taxi took me to the international airport
where I checked in for the flight to Santiago de Chile. The woman on the Lan
Chile desk was very unhelpful as regards my empty and cleaned fuel bottles and
told me to throw them away despite the fact I had brought them to Peru from New
Zealand. I refused to do this and put
them in my checked luggage and had no difficulty on any of my flights home.
Soon South America was fading into the distance as we flew west across the
Pacific Ocean to New Zealand leaving me with memories of a grand adventure with
random encounters with an extraordinary and remarkable people.
Acknowledgments: To Auke Raaff, my Dutch amiga and companera
for joining me for our Peruvain Adventure. To Anne, Hisao, Eli and Rolando of
Peruvian Andes Adventures. Your organisation was impeccable and outstanding. To
Diane and Wayne of Lazy Dog Inn. You showed me genuine kindness and inspired me
with your dedication to service projects for the local community. To Macedonia
and Nicole our arrieros for your help and loyalty on our respective treks. To
the many other people I met on the journey that inspired me and helped us along
the way.
Stanley Mulvany
Invercargill
New Zealand
