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Published: August 17th 2006
the sprawling city of la paz
my next challenge in the background...La Paz has been great, and certainly one of the best cities I´ve visited. Amazing restaurants (RamJam especially), interesting museums, tons of history and a spectacular geographical setting. I will miss the constant chatter of the micro busses passing with the incoherent Bolivian screaming the various locations his ride services. Una boliviano, una boliviano, plaza Isabella, san Francisco, prado…ah the memories. It´s the best way to get around town, super cheap and very safe.
After the downhill biking, I opted for some uphill trekking, and most logical option was to attempt the 6,088m Huayna Potosi, not far from La Paz. I booked a tour which included all the necessary gear (cramp-ons, ice axe, gore pants, gators, mountaineering boots, gloves, fleece), experienced guides, and a roof versus a tent over my head for the two nights (no sense roughing it when you don´t have to). We, two Canadians, one Israli-Russian, 2 Dutch ladies, a young German and a French couple, led by our guides Jesus (he made me feel extra safe), Felix, Lorenzo and Choco, jumped in the bus and headed to the base camp. We ate a quick lunch, bundled up, and headed to the practice glacier to become familiar with
mt. huayna potosi, 6088m
i like this picture...something about the dark clouds give it a unique symmetry. the various ´moves´. After a couple hours we headed back to the refuge, enjoyed a great meal, and relaxed by the fireside telling stories and watching Phillip the German try, to no avail, to dry his pack-towel.
In the morning I jumped out of bed, excited for the day and the adventure to come. Little did I know that 24 hours later I would be pushed to my absolute extreme, struggling to the peak.
We packed up and headed out at 1pm, a 3 hour hike to the next base camp at 5,000m. As you can see in the pic, the second camp was a simple iron circus tent, perfect to keeping in warmth and keeping out the already lacking oxygen. We arrived at 4ish, had some food and were told to go to sleep. Right. With that little oxygen, the serotonin-releasing cocktail of excitement and nervousness, the time (it was 6pm) and the fact that the 10 of us made up the tightest ´spooning´ session I have ever witnessed, I - and all others but one - got NO sleep. We ´woke´ at 12:30am, had some tea, got dressed in the dark and started trekking. After 10 minutes on
a nearby cemetery...
hopefully not a sign of things to come... the rocks we laced up our cramp-ons and started ice-walking. It took about 6 hours, maso menos, and the last stretch was rather intriguing. 250m of 45 degrees, 4 of us tied together, absolutely exhausted, with the summit barely in view. When I got to the top I didn´t realize I was there, the thin air combined with physical and mental exhaustion made me veritably drunk. I took a video at the top, watching it now I see how drunk I really was. Slurring words, making no sense, not even acknowledging those around me, were some of my symptoms. It sounds like I´m complaining, and in fact I am, but I will climb again, watching the sun rise at 6,000m´s, seeing the clouds and peaks below, was something only Wordsworth could describe. The hike down was harder than up for me, something about being tied together and walking down 45 degree slopes, knowing that I had hours of it ahead of me…wishing I had my skiis…arg. I think I like best the form of mountaineering that after one reaches the peak, they are doubly rewarded by flying down the mountain on tele-skiis. My sister must be proud reading this.
We
made it down, the headache subsided, and we (very tiredly) drove back to La Paz. I stayed one more night in the beautiful ´Posada de la Abuela (947 Linares St for those searching), and headed to Copacabana the next day.
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Markus
non-member comment
Congratulations!
Good to hear you made it all the way up and can now boast with a 6000-peak, I´m a bit jealous... Great pics as well!