Fred Matalon
Jul 24, 2017 · 7 min read

Perú 3: Peruvian Andes/corderilla Huayaush

Turn around!

Welcome to Huaraz, the capital of the Peruvian Andes. I expected Huaraz to be a bit like El Chalten in Argentina but they couldn’t be more different. Huaraz is its own city at 100,000 residents. It was a breath of fresh air (OK half a breath at 3100 meters above sea level.) with prices much cheaper than Lima or Cusco. It is situated in a valley shadowed over by Cordillera Blanca, the world’s highest tropical mountain range (Huascarán is its tallest mountain at 6768 meters). We visited habayit hayehudi (Jewish house) in the evening and they were very welcoming.

Coming from Lima, we decided to do a day hike to get reacclimatised to the high altitude. Laguna 69 was an easy and touristy hike but the views were stunning

And the water was cold

We found the cheapest agency with a group of 16 Israelis (who else?) and headed off to Cordillera Huayaush, a small range with several peaks over 6000m including Peru’s second highest Yerupaja (6617) and Suila Grande (6344), made famous by the book/movie Touching the Void by Joe Simpson about his ascent of the mountain (I’m about halfway through it). Also apparently one of the strongholds of the shining path terrorist group. Fortunately, the group has long disbanded and the area is now quite safe. Huayaush is the native Quechua word for weasel.

The 8–12 day circuit is considered by many to be one of the best alpine treks of the world. Nearly the whole circuit is over 4000 meters, above the tree line. The locals call this region between the tree line and the glaciers “puno”. There are various routes, but all of them are over 120 km and 6000 meters of total ascent. So, this probably shouldn’t be your first hike.

While it is possible to do this hike on your own, I recommend doing with an agency as they make your life much easier and you don’t save much money on your own (we paid about $15 a day, you would probably pay half that much on food alone). The agency cooks, cleans, provides camping gear, has donkeys to carry the equipment, horses for emergencies, and guides.

The first day was just arriving and making camp. We began to mingle and take in the view.

View from the camp on the first day.

After the first day the days began to blend together with a similar daily routine:

6:00 wake up. The temperature is probably below 0°C

6:30 breakfast (the struggle of perfectly balancing high caloric need for the days hike and indigestion at high altitudes)

7:00 start walking (usually beginning with an uphill). Hopefully the sun is over the ridge, otherwise it is still freezing.

10:00 break/snack. Good time for chocolate. I would often make coffee on a camp stove. During one of these breaks I discovered I could do a tim Tam slam with a local candy bar! I just wish people would stop offering me peanuts…

12:30 Lunch. Nap and more coffee possible. If we lunch on a river then feet and or face will be soaked.

15:00–17:00 arrive at the camp. The most valuable hours of the day were between when the hike was finished and when the sun went down over the mountain.

18:30 dinner. Snacks and tea would be served earlier. Most meals were quite tasty, but there was a bit too much white rice. Play card games to kill the time. My new favorite is cambio. There was a spontaneous group massage at one point.

21:00 Bed time. Bundle up, it’s cold outside!

Valley of our first campsite from the first pass.

Our first day of hiking began with a tough climb and a moderate descent. We ended the day next to a picture-perfect lake

This was also the closest thing we had to a mirror in 8 days.

View from the tent early on day 3

The third day began with a series of ascents, with the final ascent of the day pushing me to my limit. I needed to stop and breathe every few steps. We passed some impressive lakes and waterfalls along the way.

The fourth day was a bit more relaxed, with just walking until lunch and making camp next to some hot springs. Even had a much needed beer!

Israelis don’t have anything on my tan!

The fifth day was probably the hardest, with two mountain passes over 5000m. In addition, many people were sick from the hot springs.

View from San Antonio lookout at 5020 m

The sixth day was a bit more relaxed, with lots of waterfalls and creeks. It was probably the day where I was feeling the best with my lungs acclimated and muscles working but not too tired yet. We ended the day with a serious uphill and slept at 4600m, our highest camp. Did I mention it gets cold at night?!

The seventh day was a bit more intense, with a decent ascent and a brutal descent.

The small colored dots on the bottom left corner: our camp!

Went for a dip in the river once I arrived.

After drying off, I discovered that we could buy lamb. After eating rice for 7 days this was a welcome change. What I did not realize was that we were buying a sheep and watched as the guides slaughtered and butchered it. You could tell that they had a lot of experience carving it. While it was hard to watch, I decided that if you can’t stand to watch your food being made, you really shouldn’t be eating it. Well anyways it was tasty.

The eighth day was tough. While it was only a half day, we were quite sore from the 600m downhill the day before. Fortunately, it was only a 700m downhill in the end. Hopefully I won’t be needing my legs anytime soon.

The last pass.

We arrived at a small village, and came to Huaraz in the afternoon. Lots of good food was eaten to celebrate completion.

The Spanish word of the week is burro (donkey) thanks to the donkeys who carried our stuff!

The tip of the week: anyone who has since been inspired by my writing to do some serious trekking of your own is to buy (or at least rent) hiking sticks. They look funny, but on a longer trip they make a big difference. Especially with big ascents/descents, especially with a heavy pack, especially with bad knees. Regardless I have found they make walking a more interesting activity that involves the whole body.

Unfortunately, they can only be used to make one gang sign.

Off now to Iquitos, and the mightiest River in the world, the Amazon!

Fred Matalon

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