I suppose I should start at the beginning. In early 2005 I had gotten back from a long trip backpacking across Europe and was looking for another vacation in the coming year. My previous trips were all to Europe and frankly I was getting a bit bored. So it was time to find something new to do.

I'm not quite sure what it was that attracted me to mountaineering, but I decided to go climbing. Being that I had no experience in the area I figured I should at least see what it was all about before I spent a couple grand on plane tickets, guide, and equipment. So, I climbed Mount Washington and got hooked. I loved everything about the experience but realized I would have to get in much better shape.

I began running to build up my endurance and started looking for an area to climb. I thought about Kilimanjaro, but I really wanted some place with a glacier to climb. Eventually I settled on the Cordillera Blanca in Peru.

Planning, planning, and more planning

Looking at the view after Yanapaccha

I realized that I shouldn't do this without any experience so I bought Freedom of the Hills and read it cover to cover. I wanted to attend a class to get some hands on experience before I went so I started looking into classes in my area. I found EMS ran some classes near Mount Washington, but they weren't really what I was looking for.

After an exhaustive search I found Skyline Adventure School. They ended up being a perfect match for what I wanted to do. They ran classes and also guided trips up the mountains in the Cordillera Blanca. We exchanged a bunch of emails and the trip began to come together.

2 of my friends and I would fly into Lima on July 1, 2006 and would take the bus to Huaraz. On our 18 day trip we would do the Santa Cruz trek, have a 3 day class on the Yanapaccha glacier, climb Yanapaccha, and then Chopicalqui.

Everyone was informed of what we were going to do, and the plans were set. I started training to get ready for the trip and waited for the day to approach.

Off to the wilderness

The Pisco moraine camp. People do die up here, and I had my doubts.

The trip began with more of a whimper than a bang. Hunter had ignored my nagging for the previous 9 months and didn't get his passport squared away ahead of time. He used an expedited passport service to get his passport and they lost all of his information. We waited for him to get another copy of his birth certificate that wouldn't show in time. Hunter was going to have to sit this trip out despite the fact that he had already paid for everything.

Jon on the other hand had his passport and was still coming. Since he lives on the other end of the country he would be taking a separate flight and we would meet up in Lima.

After multiple delays my flight finally landed in Lima an hour late. I got my luggage and went to find the driver. Jon didn't show up for another hour and we finally got to the hotel around 11 and crashed.

The next morning we took the 8 hour bus ride from Lima to Huaraz. The ride starts along the coastline and eventually turns inland for a steady climb up to Huaraz at around 10,000ft. So we sat back for 8 hours trying to watch some C-list American movies dubbed to Spanish and tried to figure out how the Peruvians played bingo on the bus. Overall the ride wasn't too bad, it was just long and tiring. I tried to forget that the way back was going to be far worse as I had 22 hours of straight travel to get home.

We arrived in Huaraz that afternoon and were picked up by Jen from Skyline. She took us over to our hotel in town and introduced us to the area. We sat on the rooftop balcony and looked over at the mountains. I wondered if this was the smartest idea after all but tried to forget it.

The next day we met at the Skyline offices and went over our trip. It turned out that there had been a bunch of snow in the previous 2 weeks so there was some avalanche danger on Chopicalqui so we decided to go up Pisco instead.

We spent a couple days in town to acclimatize. We went up Laguna Churup but had to turn around because Jon wasn't doing all that well. It turns out he decided to start training for Peru a mere 2 weeks before we left. So, he was slower than the rest and wasn't having the best of times.

Santa Cruz

One of the views from the Santa Cruz trek.

We left for the Santa Cruz trek and to begin the actual trip. I don't remember all of the details of the trip as it has been 5 months since I took it, but I'll try to give you an overview as best as I remember.

We entered the Huascaran national park at the usual entrance to the trek and started along the usual route. The trek mostly follows a river the entire way along a very well beaten path. This is one of the most popular treks in the area so you will see many people the entire time. We started a but late so didn't see many people until we got to Llamacoral that night. Jon was feeling fairly slow so we took our time and took in the sights. The one thing to watch out for the first couple days are the flies. These little gnat sized flies are constantly around the streams. They bite and leave a nasty mark on your arms. I wore short sleeves the first day and my arms were covered in bites. We slept that night with Taulliraju in the distance. Little did I know, but we would be sleeping under that mountain the next day.

The next morning we got up and started what must be the longest day of my life. We walked miles along some gorgeous terrain until eventually I was sitting under Taulliraju. When we got into camp that night there was a bit of a serious moment as another trekker was heading up to the pass and slipped. He fell and dislocated his shoulder and people were searching for a doctor. Eventually one was found in another group and the man was bundled up and carried out to the beginning of the trek where he would be driven to Huaraz. Nothing quite strikes home about how easily you can hurt yourself as when it happens in your camp.

So the next day it was up to the pass. Jon was a bit slower than usual so I jumped ahead to take some photos and walk at my own pace while Claudio our guide stayed back with Jon to make sure he was doing okay. I eventually made it to the pass and waited an hour and a half for Jon and Claudio to show up.

We all went down the other side and headed back towards civilization. The rest of the trek isn't all that spectacular, and I was getting a bit tired. So, I hurried along and slept at another campsite that night. The next day we went through a few small towns and finally got to Vaqueria.

We met up with our driver and headed towards Cebollapompa so we could finally start climbing the next day.

Trouble on Yanapaccha

Our first view of pisco

There are a few times in my life that I've had a major "oh shit" moment. This was one of them. We were on our way to Cebollapompa and stopped at our first site of Pisco. When picking mountains to climb, I didn't want to get in too far over my head but from the reviews here and in a few books, Pisco seemed like an easy one to tackle.

Climbing is a much easier proposition in one's head than when staring at the mountain and I found this out the hard way. The path up to Pisco looked near vertical from that pass and I began to once again question my sanity. However, I realized I would never forgive myself if I didn't at least try so off we were to Yanapaccha for a class.

We met up with Ted from skyline who was going to do the class and had a much needed rest that night with a BBQ and some wine. There's nothing quite as good as wine and a burger under the stars in the shadow of some of the highest mountains in the world. I was rested and ready for the rest of the trip.

By this point it was around the 12th of July and it was time to head up to a glacier for the first time. We went back up the road we traveled down the night before and our driver started regaling us of tales of the recent deaths that year along that road. We went to the last switchback and all piled out of the car. Over the guardrail we went and we were off to find the little marked trail to Yanapaccha.

Since few people ever climb Yanapaccha, the trail isn't well marked and it is a bit rough to get over. The grass that covers the mountain side pokes through clothing and generally isn't pleasant to walk through. 2-3 hours later we showed up in the most tranquil camp I've been in. We were the only people in the tiny camp with a view to die for.

Camp at Yanapaccha

The next few days were spent learning basic glacier travel, front pointing, placing pro, etc. I was definitely nervous about the coming climb, but eventually decided to give it my best shot.

Getting on to the Yanapaccha glacier.

Jon wasn't feeling that great the night before the climb but said he would be fine. So we had a restless night until about 1:30 when our alarms went off and we were off to climb. We got ready in the cold and made the short 20 minute trek to the glacier.

Up we went and we were off to the top. I was still nervous but within my tolerance level. The sun started to come up around 6 or 7 and we stopped to take in the view for a few minutes.

Sunrise over Yanapaccha.

This was when it started to get bad. Jon started puking on the glacier. He had been a bit slower than usual that morning but said he would be fine. He assured us he was fine and we kept going. The route finally started to get steep with a 40 degree pitch and Jon was doing okay.

We kept going for an hour or so and Jon started to dry heave. I started getting a bit worried about his health and we went a bit slower. Eventually we reached a snow bridge and I felt a tug on the rope. Jon had started to fall asleep in his tracks on the bridge. He woke up after a couple tugs on the rope and we moved to a safer area for a meeting.

Jon wasn't doing well and said he had a pounding headache. His personality had changed from its usual self and we decided to turn around before Jon's problems worsened and he got HAPE or HACE.

Lowering jon off the glacier.

Our final trip back to base camp from Yanapaccha.

We hightailed it down the mountain and got back to camp. Jon was back to himself and felt a bit better.

And then there was one - Pisco

We made it back down to Cebollapompa the next morning and Jon decided to head back to town. So it was down to me and the guide from skyline (Tyler) to go up Pisco.

We spent that night at Cebollapompa and got started early the next morning. I was feeling pretty good and very well rested so off we went. We eventually made it to base camp and stopped for a rest while Tyler talked to a couple of the other guides. The only other groups in camp were a large group of about 20 from Mountain Madness and a couple Germans. It looked like it was going to be a pretty busy climb in the morning so Tyler and I decided to head up to the Moraine camp to save ourselves a bit of trouble the next morning.

The walk to the Moraine camp ended up being the worst part of the entire trip. To get from base camp you have to go over a lateral moraine and on to a dry glacier. On the other side of the first wall of rock is a rather steep trail without any footing to speak off. From that point on you hop from rock to rock and over a couple ridges for about 2 hours until you reach the Moraine camp.

what one has to go across to get to the Pisco Moraine camp.

We setup camp and made dinner after a long day. I sat and watched the last rays of sun hit Chopicalqui. I was somewhat sad I couldn't go up that mountain, but going up Pisco was all for the better. I had a fantastic view and was in good spirits for the climb. I wasn't nearly as nervous as for Yanapaccha and couldn't wait to go.

Tyler and I decided to get up around 1 and leave by 1:30 with the hopes that we would beat out the Mountain Madness team so we wouldn't have a crowded summit. I packed my bag and got all my gear ready for our summit attempt a few short hours away.

After a restless night the alarm finally went off and we got ready to go. I suited up and had a small breakfast. Headlamps turned on and we were off.

It took 45 minutes or so to get to the glacier where we stopped to put on crampons and rope up. Unlike Yanapaccha, the glacier is basically a 4 ft step to get onto so it was a bit easier.

We climbed under the full moon and I realized it was warmer than expected so I stopped to take some clothing off and take a shot of GU. I watched the mass of headlamps in camp start moving towards the glacier and the team of 3 Germans that started at the same time as us passed.

We continued climbing and got to the ice wall, now not more than 10-15 ft tall. I skirted around to the easiest edge of it and climbed up. The class I had taken a few days prior was a great help in my technique and I could front point pretty well by this point.

After the ice wall it was a bit of 45 degree or so slope until it flattened out a bit. we climbed up to the summit ridge before it finally started to get light out. The Germans reached the summit about 5 minutes before us and we summited at dawn. Overall it took us just under 4 hours to get to the summit. I was pretty happy with our time and took photos with the 5 pound slr I had lugged up the mountain.

Pisco summit view.

Tyler taking in the view.

It was the perfect climax to a great trip. There were no clouds in sight and we had an excellent time at the top. I spent about 20 minutes at the top taking photos and we decided to come down.

Climbers coming up pisco.

We passed the Mountain Madness team on the way down and the clouds came in. From what they tell us, they had about 5 minutes at the top before the view was completely obscured by clouds. I was quite glad we started early and got up at sunrise. The view from the top is one of those things I will remember for the rest of my life.

By the time we got down to the moraine camp it had started snowing. Tyler and I decided to pack up and see if we could get back to town that day since it wasn't even 9am by that point. Tyler wanted to get back to his girlfriend and I was itching for my first shower in 2 weeks.

So we went back to base camp, packed all the gear and managed to get a couple burros for our stuff. We high tailed it back down to Cebollapompa and found a driver to town.

That evening I finally had my shower and got to sleep in a bed.

Heading home

My trip was finally over and I had the time of my life. I spent a day in town since we got back early, and on the 16th headed back home. I had quite the trip from hell getting back with an 8 hour bus ride, 4 hours sitting in an airport, 9 hour flight that ended up being delayed so I had to run from one side of Newark to the other to make my connecting flight. In the end I made it home and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

I still haven't gone through all of the photos from the trip, but I have printed out a bunch of them and they hang on my walls to remind me that you can do anything you put your mind to.

Hopefully in the next couple years - vacation time allowing - I'll get to go climbing in Nepal. Throughout my trip I managed to find something out about myself and discover a sport I loved. No one around me quite understands why I want to go again and they all think it's way too dangerous, but I really don't care. What good is life if you're not going to experience it and occasionally push yourself outside of your comfort zone?

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Barbara Colliander

Great article

Voted 10/10

Hi Buz! Took a look at several of your treks/climbs reports. Awesome pictures, especially this article. My Santa Cruz loop trip report pales by comparison. :-) I am with Adventures Within Reach, the group with whom you have booked your Machu Picchu trek in May. That will be VERY MILD, compared to the climbing you have done! Enjoy! Barb

Posted Mar 8, 2007 3:40 pm

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