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Published: December 4th 2008
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Hauyna Potosi
Hauyana Potosi is a mountain an hour or so to the north of La Paz standing at a whopping 6,088m or near enough 20,000ft! I thought oh it would be cool to climb that then i will have beaten dad before he even gets to the top of Mont Blanc! So i me and the only willing volunteer Joe set off to climb a very big mountain and this is what went on;
Day One & Two We set off from La Paz in a taxi with our guide Phillipe for two hours up dirt roads to the lodge at base camp (4,700m) which was already surrounded in cloud (Camera died here so all these photos were donated by Joe). We had some lunch at base before getting our ice boots and thermals on and heading up to the glacier to have a practice climb. We spent about three hours on the glacier walking in crampons, climbing with crampons and ice axe, some abseiling and even a few jumps across some pretty deep crevasses. Then back to base camp for dinner and straight to bed (the loft of the lodge = very cold).
Next Day plans were delayed
a bit as a storm had come over last night and covered the place with snow so we waited for most of it to melt before heading up to High Camp (5,200m). This 3hour walk would not have been particularly challenging had it not been for the lack of air and having to carry all our equipment for the next day but these factors were there and it was a very very difficult walk making us dread what the final climb was to be like! The afternoon was spent playing Uno with two lads from Birmingham before dinner and bed.
Day Three & THE CLIMB! We awoke at midnight in pitch black and freezing cold to get ready and set of about 1am under the light from our head torches. The first accent was couple of hundred meters of a rocky outcrop after which we put on our crampons and roped up before heading out into the endless rising snow. The next two hours or so were just constant upwards trudging in well below freezing conditions (even with two thick socks, 3layers on bottom, 5layers on top plus hat scarf neckerchief helmet and two pairs of gloves you had
to keep moving or it was just miserably cold). The next hour things just got steeper, we started to climb ridges with massive vertical drops and tip toe across narrow snow bridges over bottomless crevasses. About 5.30 the sun rose just as we got our first real look at the summit and how difficult the final asscent was to be! I must mention at this stage i was absolutely spent, tired, cold and wondering how i was ment to go on and do the the most challenging but final 200m! The last section was a climb up an ice field a scramble over some rocks and then a narrow path to the top which im not sure how i managed! The top was a peak of ice with great views and a sheer drop off of over a 1000m! Didnt stay too long as completely shattered and it was still pretty cold sitting down at the top.
The way down was fairly simple apart from one area where the snow was starting to be melted by the rising sun making it quite slippy! I fell a few feet after which the guide decided to anchor us to the ice with
ropes! After we got to high camp picked up our heavy packs and decended to base camp i think the main feeling was one of sheer relief that it was over! A great achievement but the hardest thing i have ever done in my life hands down! The level of difficulty is shown by the number of people who attempt the summit and actually make it, the stated figure is 60%!m(MISSING)ake the summit but of the people we meet no more than half made the summit! Job Done!
The Death Road
Named as such because it is officially the worlds most dangerous road an average of 30 vehicles a year disappear over the steep sides to this 3.2m wide dirt track with sheer drops of up to 600m! So we are going to put on our little helmets climb on our little bikes and cycle the entire 64km (and altitude drop of 3,600m)!
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