In 1985, Joe Simpson, British mountaineer, was about to live one of the most incredible adventure of the history of mountain climbing on the slopes of the Siula Grande: after ascending for the first time the west face of this summit, he fell into a crevasse and broke both his legs. His partner, Simon Yates, believing he was dead, got back to the tent alone while Joe was crawling on the glacier for days, and miraculously made it back to camp. His book, “touching the void”, telling this incredible adventure, is now a classic recently adapted into a major feature movie (2003). Today the story is world famous but finally only few could correctly localize the Siula Grande Mountain on a map. Some, kind of remember it is in Peru, and some others, think it is in the Cordillera Blanca near Huaraz. Actually, Siula Grande is one of the highest summits of the Cordillera Huayhuash.
Pretty much unknown in the world and even in Peru, this little mountain range (only 25 km from north to south) is really remote, 50 km south of the Cordillera Blanca, but a bit more than a hundred kilometers from Huaraz. 6 summits above 6000 m (19,700 feet) are literally dominating an incredible landscape made of white crevassed glaciers and deep and large valleys, offering the perfect pastures for the local communities’ sheep and cattle. A 10 days trek above 4000 m (13,100 feet) is wondering around those mountains and it has slowly become classic. Some are even saying it is the most wonderful trek in the world.
On the trail every day is a bit the same: walking toward the end of the valley, climbing a steep trail to reach a high pass above 4600 m (15,100 feet) and slowly sliding down in the next valley. Anyone who is thinking about doing this trek should be well acclimatized first, as altitude, remoteness and steepness of the trails are part of the daily routine and it is mandatory to be able to recover well while sleeping at more than 4000 m (13,100 feet). A lot of agencies in Huaraz are offering this trail now and while some are very serious (like Alpaka), others are literally “selling” it a bit more lightly. Indeed, more and more people, experienced trekkers or not, are willing to hike “the most wonderful trek in the world”. Therefore I’m a bit afraid of the potential crowd that we might encounter there, but after some more intense web surfing a new option is slowly surfacing: an alpine trek, more demanding and more technical exists. The “Circuito alpino” is an itinerary that will remain higher in altitude and closer to the glaciers. We finally decide on mixing the classic trek with this alpine one in order to start the easiest way.
On this first day in Huaraz, a strong fever pushes me deeper into my bed. Despite this misfortune my mind is constantly going back to this Huayhuash project. This trek is a childhood dream, something I probably saw in a magazine and remained in my memory since then. As a kid, it is hard to forget such a name – Huayhuash – even more when it is written near mind-blowing pictures of emerald lakes below shiny glaciers hanging from incredible mountains. I’ve heard about Joe Simpon’s adventure later, when I was in my mid twenties. Reading his book, the Huayhuash Cordillera came back in my mind. Living in Peru today, I couldn’t resist too long and it was more than time to pay a visit to those mountains, to walk on those trails and glaciers and, of course, to physically check the reality of those incredible lakes. But first, I have some fever to fight and then get used to altitude.
After a day, this surprising fever is gone, and it gives us some days to explore the heights of Huaraz to get well acclimatized (camping at the HOF, Laguna Churup (4450 m – 14,600 feet) and Churupita (4650 m – 15,255 feet),…) and it is quickly time to drive to Chiquian.
Chiquian has been considered the gate of the Huayhuash for quite some time: treks were starting there and were leaving for 2 weeks in the mountains. We will just drop our car there, in the great hotel Los Nogales. Indeed, today the trek starts generally at Quartelhuain (4200 m – 13,800 feet), as most of the trekkers are taking advantage of the good dirt road that goes even further toward an altitude mine. But still, reaching Quartelhuain is not that easy: early on the morning, a unique bus is going to Llamac – Pocpa and then, a 3-4 hours hike or some hitchhiking finally brings the independent trekker to the trailhead. Chiquian is a charming Andean little town without any tourist. The streets are calm and quiet during the day, more animated on the evening. On our way to the small bus agency, someone shoot “hey, gringos !!!” with a pretty strong foreign accent. That was Shane, a great Australian cyclist who left Vancouver a year ago by bike to reach Ushuaia (http://www.theultralife.com.au/bike-touring/patagonia). The Huayhuash trek will be a nice change in his routine! It will be the 3 of us in the bus on the next morning.
The decently aged bus is moving slowly on the dirt road. A few switchbacks, some potholes, a couple of stops in remote villages and finally Llamac and Pocpa. After 2 hours on this road, the bus makes a final stop here and it is time to load the backpacks and to start walking, following the good tracks to go deeper in the mountains. There is no more villages ahead, maybe a couple of isolated houses and an altitude mine, temporally closed: hitchhiking might not be an option. Yet, a car stops in front of us after 2 or 3 hours: an Austrian mountaineer is going to Quartelhuain in order to launch an alpine expedition toward the Yerupaja (6617 m – 21,700 feet), second mountain of Peru, to try a first ascent on the south west face. 20 minutes later we are at the first bivy: Quartelhuain, the classic trailhead of the Huayhuash trek. At 4200 m, the scenery is already pretty stunning: the yellow grass heated by the sun is contrasting with the deep blue of the sky and the snow of the hanging glaciers of Jirishanca. During the next 8 days, our itinerary won’t get lower than 4100m. This enjoyable sunny afternoon, spent with Shane and 2 Americans in the middle of donkeys and mules, is pretty short. Indeed, it is night before 6 pm and when the sun disappears, the cold is immediately biting fiercely.
Early on the morning the start is pretty brutal as the trail steepen immediately, without any warm up, to reach Cacanapunta Pass at more than 4600 m (15,100 feet). Shane is much faster than us and we wish him a good week in the Huayhuash. On the other side of the pass, the mountain is suddenly revealing its mystery and its beauty. The scenery is wide, large and impressive. Glaciers are still hidden, but yellow, grass-covered hills, cliffs and steep mountains are all around. A bit further, when we decide to leave the main trail for the alpine option, to escape the crowd and find some silence and solitude, the Jirishanca offers its grey and white southwest face and it is impossible to ignore this intense chill running along the body. This place is absolutely stunning and fantastic. Clouds are playing with the lights, and the shadows they are casting on the ground are moving so fast that they seem alive. Here, we camp near Mitucocha Lake (4270 m) while the groups are further down in the valley. On the evening, a rain shower shortens the day and immediately cools down the air. The sleeping bag is the only refuge to warm up the body as well as the mind and forecasts a long and enjoyable night in order to be ready for the more complex itinerary of the following day. Indeed, groups and agencies will follow a good trail and cross a “small” pass when the alpine option will be pretty wild, remote and mostly off trail.
It is really hard to find the words to describe the few hours spent between Mitucocha Lake and Carhuacocha Lake (4150 m – 13,600 feet). When we leave Mitucocha the sun is not here to warm our sore muscles. Yet, it has already greeted the highest summit around, a while ago, still it takes its time to slowly push the night out of the valleys. The frozen grass is breaking under our steps and our muscles are slowly feeling the heat of the effort. There is no trail here, sometimes a few sparse small cairns or, better, the faint path of the grassing cattle. While gaining altitude on those large grassy slopes, the scenery is gently showing its secrets. At one point the itinerary is heading toward a ridge, right above a decent cliff. 2 condors are choosing this exact time to take off: they are below us at first and, slowly, are getting higher and closer. They are maybe 10 meters away when they reach my altitude, contrasting by their size with the glaciers of the Jirishanca on the background. The closest one is looking at me during one second, proudly showing his dark red comb and a ruff of white feathers around the neck. Intense and short moment, unforgettable.
The grass is getting sparser with altitude, and when rocks are taking over, the trail is suddenly better. Summits and glacier seem closer but looking at the altimeter we realize they are still far. The pass (above 4800 m – 15,750 feet) is large, above a great lake full of ducks. The silence is noticeable, the solitude intense. The camp is not too far now, just a bit further down this valley, near Carhuacocha Lake. Indeed, some camps are more or less mandatory, pretty well maintained by the local communities. Before finally reaching this camp, the trail turns left, offering an incredible view of the lake and the heart of the Huayhuash Mountains. The landscape is again stunning, out of this world. The color of the lake seems unreal and the high mountains are steep and covered by white and crevassed glaciers. At the camp the crowd is pretty big and it is almost disturbing to meet that many people after such a quiet day! Anyway, such an intense hike easily opens the door to some long and deep sleep.
On the morning, it is unusually difficult to wake up. It is absolutely impossible to swallow any kind of solid food and I can’t stop shivering. Despite a long night it feels like I haven’t been able to recover: I have no energy. Every step is tough and requires a real effort, my backpack seems full of lead and I need to take a rest every 20 minutes. It is hard to appreciate the incredible scenery and the beauty of the place and I take a very little amount of photos.
With the help of acetaminophen I feel better and I manage to reach the Punta Siula Pass at 4834 m (15,900 feet). My memories of this day are fuzzy, unreal and foggy. The trail had everything to make this day amazing though: emerald lakes and hanging glaciers were everywhere along the valley. Going down in the next valley toward the place called Huayhuash (camp at 4350 m – 14,300 feet) I slowly feel a bit better and start to hope for a full recovery after a great night. The next days will be more difficult, higher, more technical… and probably even more beautiful! I can’t wait to discover the wilder west side of this mountain range.
However, on the morning, after 36 hours without being able to eat any food, I have to admit that I can’t do it: even without a bag my steps are unsure. I’m staggering too easily and it is not possible to ascend a pass above 5000 m (16,400 feet) this way. But what could I do? Wait here a full day to let the antibiotics play their role? Go back (3 days walk…)? Keep going (it seems possible to maybe reach a village after 1.5 day walk)? Finally, a couple of people from the local community are coming to collect the fee and are suggesting that it would be possible to reach a small village – Tupac – (that doesn’t appear on my map…) in 2 hours. There is no bus there, but it might be possible to find a car to go a bit further down in the valley. I have even been offered a horse ride to go down… but the horse looks even worse than I do.
Tupac is a small and remote village, lost in the mountains. The dirt road stops there. Tourists stay high in the mountains and the crowd generally ignores those kinds of places. People are welcoming and we have to shake a lot of hands. In the school courtyard, kids are busy playing during their break. When one of them notices us, he shoots “Gringos” and a few seconds later, the whole school is timidly in front of us.
Leaving the mountains without finishing the Huayhuash trek, this old dream, is really disappointing. However, this day through small villages and small towns, deep in the Andes, is rich in a totally unexpected way. In a few hours, asking here and there, we are finally back in Chiquian, enjoying the Hotel Los Nogales. This incredible day on the road to come back should probably be narrated and would require a whole article. Maybe later…
Writing those lines, a couple of months after this adventure, I just want to go back and finish this loop. Going back to Tupac, saying hello to the kids in the school, enjoying a night in the Huayhuash camp… Maybe in 2017 ?
*A couple of day before publishing this post, Shane, the Australian cyclist reached his goal: Ushuaia after 23300 km by bike. Great job Shane !!!!
A few links :
Huayhuash – El Circuito Alpino
http://jeremyfrimer.wixsite.com/huayhuash-alpine/untitled-component_9350
Alpa-K :
Hotel Los Nogales – Chiquian :
http://www.hotelnogaleschiquian.com
Shane was riding for a cause:
