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Summit of Vallunaraju – 5,686 metres (18,655 ft)
The pristine sky is dark, even black on the vertical of the top. The south of the Cordillera Blanca is finally in front of us. The vastness of the place is overwhelming. From the Nevado Huantsan, real giant closing the view on the south, to the Nevado Huascaran, imposing its shape on the north, all the legendary summits are eye catching. This year the whiteness of the mountains is absolutely stunning and contrasts admirably with the valley’s colors. The city of Huaraz is nested right at the feet of those mountains. It is a dream that comes true : stepping on the top of a Peruvian summit, enjoying a rest there while relishing a far too brief moment that will remain forever etched in our memory.
Nevado Vallunaraju is well known by the alpinist community: it is pretty close to Huaraz and it is pretty easy to reach its top which means it is a great summit to get a good acclimation before looking at higher goals. It is not uncommon to meet a little crowd up there. As often we are going alone. The summit is rarely our main goal, but the route finding, the decision making, the incertitude of every instant constitute the essence of our journeys.
The Land Cruiser is slowly swallowing the obstacles of the very bad track that leads to refugio Llaca (4474 m – 14678 ft). This refuge was closed in july 2017 : our tent is set near it. A beautiful and very short walk brings to Laguna Llaca where we could enjoy the amazing scenery over the South West face of Ranrapalca, a 6000 m (more than 20 000 ft) overlooking Huaraz. This lake is directly fed by the glaciers which gives its waters the turquoise color, characteristic of the region. Andean Lupines are growing a bit everywhere. In the Cordillera Blanca, mountains are very steep therefore the glaciers hanging and their slopes are especially rugged and spectacular.
In order to sleep decently at this altitude, which means a better recovery, it is mandatory to be well acclimatized. It is possible to camp higher, near 5000m, right before the glacier: a couple of good platforms have been set near a stream. However, it is probably better to enjoy a decent night near the refuge, and go “light and fast” the next day toward the summit.
We choose this last option which means a pretty early wake up. At 3am, lit by our lamps and carrying only a small bag, we are moving on the trail scouted the previous day. It is pretty steep, but every step in those big mountain boots feels secure. The glacier is reach when the night is slowly pushed away by the first morning glimmer. The squealing of the crampons on the hard snow is kind of joyful and will pace our ascent toward the top. Air is slowly lacking and it is getting harder to breath: the whole body seems to disagree with this idea of mountain climbing.
The path winds between large crevasses. Luckily the snow bridges are excellent and it is possible to safely simul climb. Before the last pass, two small but steep bergschrunds are offering a little technical challenge to spice up the day. Today, we are only seven on this mountain. As we left later and from further than the two other groups, we have the mountain for ourselves when they are going down. From the pass the summit is close but still so far… Pushed by a mysterious and somewhat masochistic force, the whole body is slowly following the last ridge. When the only thing above us is the sky it takes time to admit that the summit is right under our feet. It is a weird relief: the joy of summiting, the intense easing on the body, this awaited solitude or just the unforgettable scenery. And yet it is time to go down.
