http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from South America , Peru , Ancash , Cordillera Blanca en-us Fri, 24 May 2013 07:28:55 +0000 Fri, 24 May 2013 07:28:55 +0000 There are enough lagoons glaciers peaks and valleys to keep us in the Cordillera Blanca for far far longer than we have. Choosing which trails to walk is not an easy task but choose we must.Hot off the Santa Cruz trek we first opt for a day walk to Laguna 69 a glacial lake located at the foot of Pisco one of the Cordillera39s most climbed mountains and part of the same larger massif we c http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-735946.html Some weeks ago we found ourselves at the 5897 metre summit of Cotopaxi after a gruelling sevenhour climb over snow and nice. Back at the base camp exhausted we agreed that we probably wouldn39t be repeating the experience....Well...The Cordillera Blanca is stuffed full of peaks over 5500 metres while many are highly technical climbs requiring iceclimbing experience a generous handful http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-735943.html Much as the ancient archaeological wonders of Peru39s northern coast as well as its delicious cuisine have captivated us it39s time to move on. Firstly the coast is getting a tad depressing mile after mile on the Panamericana rubbishtip...I mean highway...from which there is little of natural beauty to see other than as many miles of rather featureless coastline devoid of colour or v http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-734901.html No I need to take the ice axe what if we come across a Yeti says James to Marco our trusty Peruvian guide after Marco has indicated that he doesnt need the ice axe for the 5 minute walk around the back of the glacier to install our ice climbing top rope. Marco shrugs and starts walking probably thinking to himself that this is another strange gringo with strange habitsJames bou http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-732819.html I was going to name this post The day I had to dig deep and put my big girl panties on but James didnt think that was suitable for a post that also includes himWe did the popular Laguna 69 hike on the 4th day in Haurez which meant that we were both pretty much acclimatized or so we thought and were ready for some leg stretching. It is hard to say or write Laguna 69 without insertin http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-731897.html A week ago I hadnt heard of Vallunaraju. Id barely heard of Huaraz to be honest having not really focussed on the itinerary beyond the end of the thencurrent leg of our Dragoman expedition in Lima. The friends leaving us there were of more concern than what might lie in wait for us once we escaped the grey drabness of Perus capital.Now Ive gazed on her peaks and dared to aspire to http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-720830.html La Cordillre Blanche est un massif montagneux des Andes pruviennes qui s39tend sur 180 kilomtres de longueur et comprend 35 sommets d39une altitude suprieure 6 000 mtres. Son qualificatif de blanche vient de sa neige ternelle et de la couleur de la roche qui la compose le quartz et le feldspath. Le Huascarn avec 6768 mtres d39altitude est le point culminan http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-630322.html The last two days have been spent climbing Vallunaraju and surround peaks. It was about a two hour drive even though it is probably about 20 miles and then a several hour climb to where the guide and myself set up base camp. Just reaching this camping area and viewing the surrounding landscape great. After a few hours of restlesss sleep at this altitude it was off to the climb at 1230. Very c http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-624925.html Today was one of the best day hikes ever. Changed to do Laguna 69 as there were some hikers headed there. You have to travel 3 hours by transport first and then are dropped off at about 10000 feet. You have to hike it from there about 67 miles one way but the reward is incredible. This is a clear blue green lake nestled at about 15000 feet . There are a few very few level places on the http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-623631.html Last days of travel. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-616344.html On our way up north we were unsure of our next stop but heard many good things about Huaraz so we decided to stop there. We arrived at six in the morning and were greeted by a tour guidehostel worker. He provided us with a cheap hostel and on our way tried to get us to sign up for a four day trek tour that goes through the huge mountain pass of Cordillera Blanca. We were tired and ready for be http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-610062.html To continue my bombardment of blogging while I have the motivation...After a lovely catch up with my mum I decided to make a quick trip to Huaraz before the rainy season kicked in... or so I thought. One of the guy's from La Paz was already there and the girl I did the Colca Trek with was going so I hopped up there to try and meet them and trek together. It's the first time I've ever gone somewher http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-548682.html Dneska jsme byli vzhuru asi v 6 protoze jsme nemohli spat kvuli desti. Mame tady v Peru obdobi destu az do brezna a to v horach znamena ze prsi dost casto. Moc jsme toho nenaspali ale snidane nam spravilachut fazole z konzervy s chlebam pro Kacku lemsip proti nachlazeni a cajdu. Sbalili jsme se a vyrazil kolem 7 na trek. Cekalo nas zdolat prevyseni skoro 1 kilometru Paria byla asi 3.800 http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-547387.html Na najblizsich par dni sme si naplanovali zdolat Santa Cruz trek ktory trva 3 4 dni ide cez Cordilera Blanca a je povazovany za najkrajsi v tejto oblasti. Den predtym sme si nakupili zbalili vsetko co sme potrebovali a o 6.30 rano sme plni ocakavania sedeli v autobuse. Meskali sme len 10 minut a to kvoli sliepkam ktore trebalo vylozit na strechu. Nase nadsenie vsak netrvalo dlho pretoze na http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-547368.html climbing the 5.000 peak with best view http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-532027.html lsat training before Pisco http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-532021.html preparing for the Pisco ascent http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-531798.html one day trip to the glacier http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-531788.html Day 2 Paria to TuallipampaThis was by far one of the hardest days of trekking we have ever done. We knew from the start that it would be difficult since long days on the trail are not only a physical but a mental challenge. What we didn't expect was to actually lose the trail for an hour go slogging aimlessly through a meadow of dry grass and cow trails and then connect back with the main t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-527789.html on of the most amazing mountains in the world didn't see many but I'm sure of that http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ancash/Cordillera-Blanca/blog-524152.html