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Published: October 2nd 2008
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The bus journey to Huaraz took us from the dull weather of Lima to the sunnier climes of the Central Andes, and what the town may lack in elegance it makes up for in its setting, with the Cordillera Negra one impressive range of mountains nearby and the snow-capped peaks of the Cordillera Blanca topping that. Not far south is the Cordillera Huayhuash, containing supposedly some of the finest alpine trekking in the world and in which the drama of "Touching The Void" was played out. Even though our modest ambitions were merely for a couple of day hikes, the region would be able to provide.
While conducting online research for our activities, I was surprised to come across a blog from 7 years ago written by a girl I used to work with in New York, who had been trekking in the same area at that time. People's paths through life can sometimes intersect in unexpected ways.
The day hike we did from Huaraz was to Laguna Churup. With public transport in the area being by no means frequent, nor starting early or finishing late, we took a taxi at dawn up a rocky, twisting road to the
Weeds
Laguna Churup trailhead near the village of Pitec. I'd been expecting weather conditions similar to our Colca Canyon hike but it was much cooler here, which was preferable. The elevation gain was supposedly 600m in 3km but it felt less severe than that, despite topping out at an altitude not far off 4,500m, which was the highest either of us had ever hiked. The final part of the trail involved a small bit of climbing that, for those of us with large hiking boot-clad feet and a poor sense of balance, took a disproportionate amount of time.
The lake itself was another excellent example of the kind that the Andes do so well, the water a deep blue with more pastel greens and blues near the shore. One end was overlooked by Mount Churup, a peak that is under 5,500m but whose first ascent was not until 1962. A glacial moraine led from its lower slopes down to the lake, with steep, scrubby cliffs occupying the other sides. We basked on a rocky outcrop for a couple of hours but, even with the sun out, the occasional gusts of wind were chilly.
Heading back in the early afternoon, the conditions
Reflections
Laguna Churup had turned blustery, and with the path being covered in the usual loose stones, the return journey was not fast even though it was downhill. Peaks off to the east, such as Mounts Huamashraju and Huantsan, which we had overlooked in the haze of the early morning, were now clearly visible. From the trailhead, we had another hour of walking to the village of Llupa, passing the many animals which seem to essentially roam free here rather than be penned up - sheep, cows, pigs, chickens, and donkeys, all indifferent to our presence, and dogs for which we picked up precautionary stones. The few kids we encountered asked for gifts, doubly disappointing as it's clear that from an early age they view foreigners as a source of money, plus the requests don't even come wrapped up in a cushion of "please".
In Llupa, we caught the emptiest colectivo in all of Peru to get back to Huaraz.
We also overnighted in Yungay in order to hike Laguna 69 (blogged separately).
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