Climbing Snow Mountains in Huaraz

  Huaraz, Peru
Sunday, August 20, 2006

We had decided to catch a cheaper local bus during the day to Huaraz, rather than a night bus with an expensive tourist company, so we were up early to get to the bus terminal. After alot of waiting around, not sure what was going on, the bus finally arrived one hour late and we all piled on. It was a pretty interesting bus ride (some beautiful scenery) and we got to meet and hang out with some locals which is always refreshing.

One family that was sitting near us had a baby. They were travelling with the babyīs parents, grandparents and great grandfather, and the baby was clearly the centre of attention, with everyone in the family contesting each other as to who was going to look after it during the bus trip. Great grandfather won out in the end, and he had the little bub snuggled next to him for the whole journey - very cute. We stopped for lunch and a toilet stop on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. While Glenn went to the bathroom, Christie was admiring the family who were so excited by the trip they were on that they were taking family photos at the lunch stop. They noted Christieīs interest and motioned the camera at her. Christie, thinking that they were asking her to take a photo for them happily agreed, and then they proceeded to put the baby in Christieīs arms and take photos, while the great grandfather boasted to the crowd of people standing around that his great grand child was in the arms of a "gringa". Glenn of course missed all this being in the bathroom!

Ten hours after leaving Lima, we finally arrived in Huaraz, quite high in altitude at 3090m (since Lima was at sea level). After saying our goodbyes to the family on the bus we grabbed our packs and tried to find some accommodation (puffing at the change in altitude). We had to shake a few touts at first, and when we finally did we tried our first choice only to find that no one was home, so we spotted another place across the road and decided to give it a go and luckily it was well worth it, exactly what we wanted - close to town with a very friendly and welcoming family running the place. After settling in we did a quick tour of the town and tried to find out some info for the next day.

The next day we got a (very squishy) minibus to the town of Yungay, from where we negotiated a taxi (with three other travellers already waiting to go) up to the Lagunas de Llanganuco. These were beautiful aqua/jade lakes with snow mountains jutting up from behind. The taxi had a hard time getting up to the lakes - not just the terrain, but the engine kept cutting out! Finally we got up there and taxi dropped us at the back of the lakes so we could trek around to the front. Of the people in the taxi, a french girl was going the same way, so she walked with us.

After the trek, we met up with the taxi driver and he took us back down to Yungay. Yungay was an interesting place - a fairly small town, but with a huge statue of Christ standing in front of the mountains in the background. Quite spectacular really, but we didn't have time to hang around, so we got another minibus back to Huaraz. On our walk back to our guesthouse, we bought some mandarins, some of the best we had seen so far in our travels. As we arrived at our guesthouse, we found an old lady begging for money on the door step. Christie motioned that she could give her a mandarin and she happily accepted (she knew that they were good too!) - "oh, gracias senorita!"

That evening we tried to organise some of Glennīs adventure trips. He wanted to climb one of the mountains in the Cordillera Blanca, but had trouble getting onto a trip that would fit into our time frame and also to find others to climb with (the two mountains he was interested in - Pisco (5752m), a popular 3 day climb and Mt. Vallunaraju (5686m), a 2 day climb). After seeing some photos, Glenn was keen for the less common Mt. Vallunaraju, its twin peaks visible towering over the town of Huaraz, but after trying to track down one guy that had shown interest in the same two mountains and dates that Glenn was interested in (left details at the agency), but without success, Glenn decided to go for plan B - a mountain bike ride through the Cordillera Negra for the next day, hoping that a climbing trip for the following day would come up later that night.

Biking the Cordillera Negra

The next morning, Glenn was up early, ready for some adventure! Meeting at the bike place, we met the group for the day; the guide (American guy) and an English couple in their early 50's, who were keen bikers (although used to road biking, not mountain biking). Glenn was a bit apprehensive that we might be having a slower trip if the couple couldn't handle the mountains (he was later to be proved wrong!). We tested out the bikes and then set off, on the drive up to the Cordillera Negra mountains, opposite the snow capped Cordillera Blanca mountain range. We arrived at the start - at almost 4000m, where an old bloke had a tiny hut in the middle of nowhere, where we learnt that he looked after the old mines in the hope that it may reopen one day. Wild. It was very isolated up here.

We started riding along the old dirt mining road, with amazing views of the snow capped mountains surrounding us. The track started fairly easy, so Glenn decided to add some pace to spice it up... and it wasn't long into the trip before he hit the only rock on the road and ate some dirt! With his camera in his daypack, he was worried, but it was only his pride (and a bit of skin) that took a hit.

Continuing on, we came across a few single track options which were a lot of fun. This was a lot more technical than the last ride in Ecuador, and after surviving it we arrived at a small village - riding down the steps! Yeah! The ride was a 23km descent back to Huaraz, and had a lot of tricky sections where the old paths used by the locals had deteriorated into a rough ride along steep drop offs. The ride was a lot of fun, and just before the end, we came across the finale - and huge dirt staircase down a cliff face. The path was quite narrow and very steep, and after the staircase for most of the way, there was a 180 turn along another drop off before making it to the road below. The English couple wisely decided against it and walked down. The guide was going to give it a shot and with full brakes, he slid down (still quite fast) and just made the hairpin bend by the drop off to the road. Well, Glenn just had to give it a go, although he was admittedly very nervous. Starting off, the adrenaline kicked in and the stairs weren't too bad, although he had too much pace. Reaching the hairpin bend, he attempted to throw the bike around the corner, but with too much pace, bailed out into the cliff face (as opposed to dropping off the edge!). Yes, some nasty bruises there and some skin off, but what a rush.

Making it back to Huaraz (and struggling to keep up with the English couple on the flat), Glenn showed off his war wounds to Christie and then we set out to see if Glenn could get onto a climbing trip for the next day. He was lucky - they had a traveller ready to do a two day climb for the next day up Mt. Vallunaraju (5686m), Glenn's preferred choice, which fit in perfectly with our time plan so there was lots of nervousness and excitement as we madly planned and organised stuff for the climb. It was now that Glenn regretted some of those bruises and loss of skin from the ride - he would feel them on the climb!

While Glenn would climb, Christie would stay back to enjoy a couple of days on her own to relax and update the website.

Mt. Vallunaraju

Mountain Climb (15)

It was an early start, and after a fairly sleepless night (it was Glennīs first snow mountain climb at altitude after all) it was time to go. Glenn had decided to take only his large pack (on advise from the agency) as he had to carry ice boots etc. Arriving at the agency, here Glenn learnt that he also had to share the load of camping gear, food and cooking equipment, and with the biggest bag managed to get the pots & pans. Great. With a full bag, and not much cool gear to look the part (unlike the guide), Glenn set off with an extra huge jacket, waterproof pants, snow boots & ice pick, along with food and water.

The drive up to the start had beautiful views, and we stopped a few times for pictures.
At the start, ages from anywhere, the peak was not visible, but a nice steep climb was in stall for us up to base camp for the first night.

It was quite rocky, and with patches of snow appearing as we climbed higher, it was not that easy. Especially after 10 months of walking in the same shoes, there was no grip left!

Only after an hour or so into the hike, we had to climb up a rock wall, with patches of ice and snow on it. The others got up ok, but Glenn couldnīt get good grip. Part way up he slipped and bracing his fall with his left hand, severely strained his thumb, which took all his weight. It felt broken, as it was extremely painful and he couldnīt move it, but after a few minutes, it regained some slight movement, so there was hope that it wasnīt broken! Even though it was very painful, and pretty well made his thumb useless, he was not prepared to give up yet. It would prove very difficult to work with later (for example pulling on gloves - without the strength in his thumb, he had to use his teeth!).

It was a long hike up to base camp, and quite difficult with the large pack swaying around on his back. We made it to Moraine base camp at around 4pm, where we would camp the night, at 4800m altitude. There was no one in sight! It was a good choice to do this mountain compared to the hoards that climb on Pisco.

The site was quite muddy and we debated a while for the best spot to set up camp, but once the tent came up, it didnīt take long before we jumped into the warm tent for a rest. Around 6pm, we started preparing dinner (ok, the guide did), and then to our surprise it started to snow! And snow it did - the ground soon turned white and we had to keep pushing the tent to remove the thick layer of snow that kept on forming.

While we were eating, another group of 4 climbers arrived and set up camp nearby. But we were too interested in dinner to care, and it is amazing what tastes great when you are that exhausted.

As it got dark, we prepared to get some sleep as it was an early rise. However, just to add to Glennīs anxiety, the guide warned that if the snow didnīt ease, we may not be able to attempt the summit, or even to climb higher, which left Glenn fretting! This was the only shot at a snow mountain that he may have while in South America! Needless to say, Glenn didnīt sleep that well. The snow did stop before midnight, so he was hoping that it would be ok.

Glenn was up at 2am, and breakfast was ready by 3am. The guide told Glenn that his bag was too big to take up to top - does he have daypack? Yes, at the HOTEL! The agency said that a big bag would be better! Hmmmmm. We talked over the options, and decided that the Spanish guys bag would suffice, and that we would share the load. However, this also meant that we would share water, carrying Glennīs 2L bottle and the Spanish guys 2 small bottles - Glenn didnīt think it would be enough but we continued on anyway.

As we put on our ice boots, the guide ask Glenn where are his snow gaiters!!! You tell me! Another thing the agency forgot. Great.

We left about 3.30am, 1/2 hour later than planned, and started to hike up with our headlamps on. It was not so easy walking in ice boots, on part rock, part snow. After a short while, the snow became too thick and we had to put on our ice crampons. The amount of snow made it a slow walk up. The snow became thicker and thicker and we were treading in fresh snow, where we would sink to our knees, sometimes our whole leg would disappear.

We stopped to take a few photos occasionally and catch our breath. The difference that the altitude makes to hiking! We started climbing steeply and now had to be roped together. We made our way around the mountain, only to be stopped about 30 min later by the guide, saying no, this way was no good. There were ice caverns - we need to go back. It was a steep hard slog up there - not happy!

With all the steep uphill climbing and the sun now up and very bright, we started to run low on water, and had to resort to eating snow, while trying to hope some would melt in the bottle - but it remained more like an icy shake.

We retraced our steps back down and came across tracks of the other group that had camped the night before (and left after us). We followed their tracks and finally caught up to them, where they were resting before a very steep face to continue. Here we changed paths. The other group decided to go straight up the face (very steep!), while we snaked our way around another area, with a few partially hidden ice caverns around, where the guide would say hurry, canīt rest now! Glenn wanted to take some pictures of the cavern, but the guide was too apprehensive that the caverns would continue to where we were standing and wouldnīt permit it! Keep moving! Arrrgghhh! It was killing us!

After this, the Spanish guy decided that it was as far as he was prepared to go. He didnīt want to walk anymore. We had been walking and climbing for about 6 hours or more, and with the remaining ascent, plus we still had to descend, would mean that we would be walking for 13 hours!). He had climbed Pisco a few days before so was content that he had climbed a mountain, but Glenn, was not so easily convinced to give up and was determined to continue. The Spanish guy finally decided to continue, but after getting past the next major climb he decided again that that was it.

Glenn wanted to continue - it may be a once in a lifetime climb, and guide agreed to continue, but we had to hurry, we were way behind time. With the sun now up, the snow would get soft and also the snow storms come over in the late morning, making the return journey dangerous - especially with the ice caverns covered by so much snow. The Spanish guy was going to return to base camp himself (which didnīt sound like a very sensible idea to Glenn).

We continued on, and it was very tough. The headaches were getting stronger and Glennīs heart was pounding so fast - each step was a killer, and breathing was so hard.

We finally trudged up to where the two peaks were. One peak, the guide said was probably not a good idea as Glenn didnīt have ice pick experience and it could be quite dangerous without it in all the snow. So we decided to attempt the other peak, although the guide was getting worried about how late it was and the snow clouds coming closer. Glenn was also worried about the amount of fresh snow on the peak and that if he slipped then unless the guide could brace him, it could be a potential nasty accident.

We started to climb up the peak and had to cross a narrow ledge to continue (which didnīt feel at all safe). We got part way up when the snow clouds completely covered the peak. The guide was apprehensive and Glenn didnīt feel it was safe to continue as the snow was so thick on the top and very fresh and soft (and with the snow clouds there was no view to enjoy!), so we called it a day, some 50 metres further to walk to the tip of the summit. It was a shame not to quite make the very top, but in reality we were close enough, with probably only 15-20 metres of altitude remaining.

Pretty well out of water, and only eating snow, Glenn was extremely exhausted, and the walk down was no easier. If we could have slid down it would have been great, but there were too many cliffs and ice caverns, and walking down was slow and tiring. Along the steep section (that the other group came up vertically), Glenn lost his footing in the soft snow and slipped and went sliding fast down the mountain, only to be stopped by the rope with the guide bracing. This happened a few times, probably due to exhaustion as well as the softness of the snow, and made the guide work that bit harder!

Finally we made it to a place where the snow had thinned out enough and we could remove the ice crampons, and here Glenn found a little river and filled the water bottle - finally water! The remaining hike down to the base camp was tough as it was slippery now as the snow began to melt. We made it to base camp where the Spanish guy was waiting, and Glenn slumped, exhausted. But just as he did, it now began to snow again, which meant it was raining down lower and would make it a more dangerous descent.

We had to pack up camp and leave quickly , although we were a bit slow due to exhaustion. It was around 1pm, and after having already been up for 11 hours, we still had to hike another 4 hours down to the road where our transport would be waiting. The path down was difficult to see through the snow and was very slippery and muddy. Glenn fell behind the other two as he was a lot less stable with no grip on his shoes, and spent longer trying not to fall as he slid all over the place.

About half way down, on a muddy slope, Glenn slipped and turning to brace the fall, managed to fall flat on his face, his nose hitting the ground and his glasses getting squashed against his face in the mud. Now worried that his nose might be busted (it hurt!) or his glasses, he was relieved that there was no damage ... but now this made the going even slower, as he didnīt want to fall hard again.

Needless to say there were several more slips, but not so bad, and going down was so slippery that it wasnīt fun. We even had to abseil down a rock face as the rain made it too slippery. Finally the path became a bit more manageable and Glennīs legs were able to keep going that last bit until we got to the car, after about 14 hours of hiking.

Absolutely exhausted, Glenn rested as we drove back to Huaraz, struggling to have the energy to enjoy the view. It was a wild climb, even though it was meant to be technically easy! The amount of fresh snow made it much slower and harder - and Glennīs heart hasnīt pumped so hard and fast for so long in his life.

When asked by the guide how he liked the trip, Glenn could only reply "It was one of the hardest things that I have done in my life, but well worth the effort and the views were simply amazing".

Back at the office, Glenn emptied his bag of the gear (and pots and pans!) and then walked back to the guesthouse (slowly - it was an effort to keep walking!), where Christie was relieved to see that he was in one piece. Now, it was a mad rush to get everything re-packed and all our gear organised to make our bus for Lima that would depart at 10:00pm that night. One way to pack a day full!