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Published: April 24th 2007
Well...what can Isay? What an experience...my worst and best experience in my life so far!! I nearly didnt make it to the summit..sooo many times...but somehow I did it!
The actual climb to the summit from 5200m to 6088m was the longest 6 1/4 hours of my life! There were atleast ten occasions when I wanted to turn back and head to camp because I really felt that I couldntdo it, the climb just seemed to be never ending and in the darkness it was so so hard.
I had to leave Sal behind at the hostel in La Paz as she didnt fancy this one, it was weird to say bye after two months solid together, but off wentto meet up with my new buddy for the next two days - Radek, together with our guide - Hugo, our cook Susanna and porter Felix. After trying on about 13 pairs of climbing boot swe were ready to go on Friday 13th of all days!!!! So off we trundled in our little bus up to base camp (4700m), arriving at about noon. We got fed and set off hiking in bleak snowy conditions at 12:45pm, the terrain was
like waht you would expect on the moon. Itwas a pretty hard climb so I asked Hugo if the actual climb would be this hard...his response was a wise one looking back but was comforting at the time ´we will take it more slowly´ now I see why he said this and nothing else like....hell no its much harder!! It was only after the hike that he showed me a piccy of the climb we had made...wow!!
Anyway, we reached high camp (5200m) at 3:05pm and it was sooo cold and snowy but it was comforting to meet a few other mad people (12 in total) here to do the climb too!! And also comforting to find a hut and not tents to nap in before the big climb!! We even had mattresses and Bob The Builder pillows...felt at home!!!
In the hail, our mini group went out to practice with our crampones and ice picks, it was so much fun and we even got to slide down the mountain on our bum, it was bound to be a laugh on the climb (hmmm)......
The weather started to clear, I bet Hugo two beers that we wouldnt
get a clear view from the top.....luckily I lost!!! We ate and went to bed for 7pm and were awoken at 12:20am to get breakfast and start.....I hadnt slept much as you would imagine...scared sh*tless would be an understatement and also woke up to bad guts...the story of my Bolivian life!!! But not the best to deal with up a mountain in snow!!
So the climb began...at 1:45am....or the nightmare I might call it.....it still feels surreal...I might as well have still been asleep for the main duration before the sunrose!! So onwards and upwards we went, up the never ending millions of hills that they call a mountain...it just never felt like it was getting any closer and I couldnt go any faster!!! The whole thing was in crampones which I guess I never thought would be thecase, I thought it would be a merry hike up a mountain and then a couple of tricky ice picks sections where you had to don the ice boots and crampones...not the whole way up......
About 40 mins into the clim a guy dropped out and I felt tempted to go with him...was feeling pretty sick but I didnt want
it to be the only two english on the trip that didnt make it so I thought I would carry on a while longer...about 10mins alter I had to make my first indignant stop on tehmountain...I had to squat about 2metres away from Hugo and Radek....we all turned our lightsout for some privacy ha ha!! Atleast I felt a bitbetter, had some coca leaves and carried on. I couldnt eat and I think its the first time that I have ever not wanted choc and have actually needed to be eating it - typical hey?? I started to feel sick again soon after and had to stop after another couple of hours on the side of the mountain...nice!!!
I remember asking Hugo ´how far´? It was about 4am and he said another 4 hours...I nearly fainted...so long!!! Again I wanted to turn back but I knew thatif I did then it would all be over for Radek so I plodded on!! I had mantra´s going to try and help me ´pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever´ but it didnt seem to help, I kept asking Grandad for help but would soon go into another lull again......the best thing to
do was to just concentrate on the next step!!I never thought I would have to dig as deep as I did!!!
It was about 5am when I was really poaining and my legs were so tired, this time I even asked Radek if he was okay to carry on but he said lets carry on struggling for a while...damn i thought!!
Then the sun started to rise and that was my real saviour!! It was a massive boost to my morale...amssive and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, we were sooo lucky to have such a clear day!! I knew I could carry on but it never even crossed mymind that I could reach the summit, I had already decided that it was fine if I could just make it to 5900m, that was still pretty damn high and much higher than I had ever been before!!
In the daylight, once we had got over the breathtaking views and sunrise...I spotted the actual climb ahead (180m ice paick)...the climb that would lead to the summit and knew I couldnt make it, I had justified it in my head already so I felt okay.
When we reached thebottom we had some food and drinks, my hands got really cold and I was paranoid that I would get frost bite as I couldnt feel my thumb or little finger so Hugo (bless him) put my hand under his arm pit!!!and gave me extra gloves!! I said that I was too cold so I would stay at 5900m and wiat for them to make the hour long ascent and 40 min descent, he aksed if I was sure......was I sure...no I wasnt...I wanted to make the top...so I stupidly said no I am coming!!!
Oh how I regretted that decision all the way up until the actual summit!! It was the hardest thing I have ever done...I thought the previous 50m ice pick climb acouple of hours previous was hard but no way....I have never struggled so much and can honestly say at one point I thought I would die on the mountain!! the most testing moment was 60m from the top (doesnt sound much...) and I really thought I was going to crap myself...Hugo told me jsut to hold on until the top, I had to dig my ice pick and crampons in and
hold on whilst the worst of it passed!! I seriously felt that I couldnt go either up nor down, it was horrible!! Luckily Radek was suffering too so I wasnt holding him back too much and Hugo helped me loads in the last section by taking some of my weights on the rope!!! We must have stopped every meter for a rest as we were so exhausted!!
I oculdnt believe that we actually made the summit and did so with littletime to spare as the sun was changing the state of the snow (making it unsafe) as we were later than most reaching the top!! I gave Hugo and Radek a hug as soon as we got to the top, the relief is just un paralelled to anything!! Then shortly after I had to go and leave my own personal mark on Huayna Potosi ha ha.... with no dignity left I didnt care!!
The views from the top were amazing - the Cordillera Real, Lake Titicaca (miles away), La Paz and loads of other places!! the realisation hit as to how hard it had been, I would say 100x harder than ever anticipated!! And then the realisation hit
that we actually had to go all the way down theway we had come...but atleast the sun was out!!
We had to rapel 3x to get down the 180m 50 degree angle (felt like 90). It was prettytough, tired and never done with someone underneath me on the rope but we did it!! The hike back seemed to take forever but was so pretty, it was only 4.5km but in snow its pretty arduous!! We were so tired we would just randomly fall over and sit in the snow, we were even allowed to slide down some sections. I fell down a hole but was luckily roped up so was okay, was quite fun too!!
When we finally got back to the hut everyone was gone...we really were the slowest group hee!! And good stats - 11/12 people did it!! We got fed and seemed to get some energy back for the further 1 1/2 hour climb back but the tiredness hit about 15 mins from minibus, I just wanted to curl up and sleep!! I couldnt even sleepon thebus (not like me) must have still been buzzing!! Realised I had burnt nostrils from the reflection on the
snow too...mmmm
Was in bed for 10pm!!!! Next day was exhausted and felt weirdbut threw myself back on to the travel trail and we headed to the jungle....the next life threatening experience the journey there on a 19seater propellor plane...........
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