Ain't no mountain high enough!

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Whoever said that climbing a 6088 meter high mountain would be fun is a liar and if they told me that now I would probably punch them in the face. Originally we had no desire to climb any mountains while on our trip, a little walking on the Inca trail and maybe a day trek or two, but after a few people had told us about this mountain just outside of La Paz which is an amazing climb 6000 meters plus and do-able we thought perhaps and put the idea in the back of our minds not giving any thought to it until our pampas trip. It was on this trip that we met Ole the Norwegian and he had just completed Hyuna Potosi he talked about it with such passion describing the challenge as well worth the trouble so the idea was brought forward into our thinking and we started to research it a little more. It’s funny because the success rate of making the climb to the top is around 80% for guys and 70% for girls but every tour company we asked they all said we would be fine (think they just wanted the sell). In the end we settled for one of the older companies and put our trust in their experience, we were to leave on Wednesday for a three day assault on the mountain. Wednesday morning went at a rapid pace, collecting all the gear we needed for the trip then driving up the mountain to our base camp at 4300 meters. From here we could see the challenge ahead just under 2 kilometers above us stood the icy peaks we would hope to be on top of in two days time. We ate lunch in the refuge filled with fellow climbers some that had just come down, some that were making the climb to the top tomorrow, and us three newbie’s unsure of what the mountain had waiting in store for us. I say three because we were joined by a young enthusiastic pom that also had the idea of attempting this climb. The afternoon was spent out on a glacier getting used to our new gear as none of us had any climbing experience, the crampons and ice axe made the glacier a little easier to traverse but the altitude soon slowed you down. After three decent swings of the axe or simply trying to tie your crampons up you found yourself a little short of breath and we were now only at 4500 what would 6000 feel like. Despite this new environment we never felt in any danger as our guide seemed to always be in the right place at the right time or was always two steps ahead of us his experience was comforting in the best way or at least we thought he knew what he was talking about as he only spoke Spanish and mountain climbing wasn’t a lesson topic we had covered yet. That night I slept surprisingly well and I was glad I did because I knew that I wouldn’t be getting much sleep up on the mountain.
If day 2 was anything to go by then we should have just turned around then. It was not a long climb but just consistently uphill while carrying our full backpacks, the air was also definitely getting thinner the higher we climbed, and for the most we had to navigate our way up a loose rock track that grew in gradient rapidly, our only savior was the thought that every step we took today was one less tomorrow. By the time we finally reached the second refuge I was too tired to think and too tired to be hungry, but I knew that food would hopefully provide me with that essential energy that I would need for tomorrow. I manage to down my bowl of warm soup taking my time as it helped circulate warmth through my hands Linsey was definitely looking and feeling much better than myself as she dug into the main course, 2 min noodles and hotdogs only 5 star cuisine for us. It was around 7pm when we all decided to head to bed, well there was nothing else really to do, it was too cold outside we had no energy from the days walk and we figured since we would be getting up at 1am anyway we needed the sleep. Sleep, oh how I wish I could sleep I remember from the moment my head hit the pillow and I pulled my beanie over my eyes my mind was filled with thoughts. First it was the persistent need to pee, at least I wasn’t dehydrated but when you are lying in a warm sleeping bag 5300 meters above sea level and you need to pee 3 times in 1 hour and it is minus -10 outside you start thinking it is just easier to hold it. After I got past the peeing debacles my mind turned to what lay ahead and for the next 5 hours all I could think about was what challenges face me tomorrow, we had been told it would be the toughest thing we would have ever come across both on mind and body, but how do you prepare for such a thing. I know lying in bed awake for 5 hours constantly thinking about it didn’t help much, and was so re-leaved when I heard our guide finally wake, as now was not the time for thinking but doing. It’s 1:30am -10 degrees outside and we are 5300m high in a little tin shed trying to get pumped for the climb ahead. We drink our mate’s, coffees and teas in complete silence each person too fixed on the job ahead. At this stage there were 4 of us now along with the two guides, we had picked up another climber, a 60 year old Italian lady who had been living in La Paz for the last two months, I thought surely if a 60 year old could climb this mountain then so could I. It was just after 2 am when we started walking there were two groups Linsey and I were roped together along with H our guide, and the other three set the pace up the front. All we could see was the glow of our head torches 10feet in front of us along with random lights that seemed to be sprawled along the mountain, other climbers beneath us. It was soon clear that the other group were much faster not because of Linsey, but I kept finding myself short of breath and in need of a rest, but this was not a race and if I was going to make it to the top I knew that I had to take my time. Secretly I was hating Linsey she seemed to be taking every step higher with the same ease as the guide while I was lagging behind letting the 6 feet of rope between us become as taught as possible before I would have to push on. Nothing but darkness, snow and my own thoughts to torment me, I found comfort in the sound of my crampons digging deep into the ice as I lean on my ice axe for extra grip. It became part of a routine crunch, sway, crunch, sway this was how I would make it up the mountain. Time seemed to go so slowly and the darkness never felt like giving way, my body was withstanding the punishment but my mind was asking questions. How much further? I shouldn’t be thinking about that but it was all that filled my mind, we must be close, and as we reached a crest and stopped for a quick break and I let the cold oxygen re-fill my lungs my dream of reaching the top was nearly crushed. 3 mas horas, please let my Spanish be wrong there is no way I can continue this for 3 more hours, that was it I was going to turn back the only thing that stopped me was standing in front of me still smiling still eager to make it to the top and I couldn’t let her down that would be selfish of me, we pushed on. Half an hour later we caught up with our first group it seemed that the Italian lady was finding it difficult and needed a change of pace so she joined our group, this gave me the boost I needed and I found a renewed source of energy that was hiding somewhere and as the other two ran off into the night our group continued the slow plod back up the mountain. I was still at the back but this time was not the one needing to stop for rest, the Italian was finding it tough and at times was happy to stop un-tie and wait for us to collect her on the way back down, but yet she pushed on. The higher we got the more we noticed other groups turning back or struggling and I was glad that we were not the only ones feeling this crap, we passed a small group of three as they turned back admitting defeat, they looked beaten I didn’t want that feeling. It was clear that we wouldn’t make it to the top for sunrise I wasn’t sure if I would make it at all and at around 6:30am we sat on a ridge just below the summit 5900 meters high and watch the most beautiful sunrise I think I will ever see. I was content I didn’t need to go any higher and I told Linsey to push on without me, both the Italian and I were happy to get picked up on the way back down, but Linsey being Linsey didn’t want to climb unless I was with her. I looked up at what was left just under 200 meters higher to go but by far the most dangerous and technically challenging our guide didn’t want us attempting it if we were too tired as we could easily fall over the ledge and be in some serious trouble. This is where the Italian felt she had done enough and at 6000meters above sea level she called it a day, Linsey and I on the other hand were pushing and I don’t know why. By this point I had given up in my mind over a dozen times and my legs were throbbing from the constant climb, 2 hours ago I was dry reaching, feeling ill and could barely walk in a straight line yet here we were on a ledge at times no more than a foot wide with a 1000 feet drop either side clambering inch by inch higher driving by nothing more than determination, I wasn’t going to let this mountain beat me and I wasn’t going to let Linsey down. The truth is now I look back on it I can hardly remember my time at the top, there was no moment of solitude or perpetual bliss, no one moment of wonder where I felt at peace, nothing like that what I do remember is the pure exhaustion the need for oxygen the need to get down. Going down was another story completely, no longer staved by oxygen but overcome by complete and utter exhaustion. At times I would have rather been pushed over the edge and just hope I make it to the bottom with a couple of broken bones that seemed like the easier option, but again step by step we made it safely back to base camp.
Someone asked me the other day was it worth it and truthfully I couldn’t answer them, never have I put my body and mind through such agony and torment, and yet never have I been so high that I could look down upon the planes flying past. Hopefully one day the answer will come to me.

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Photos

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our trusty guide

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Ice blue lake

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it's a good look

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our stylish footwear

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the view from the top

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we made it