Peruvian Middle Earth

South America
June 21st 2010

Published: June 22nd 2010

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Mick Dan

Climbing Monterrey

Peruvian- Middle Earth

Huaraz is considered by many to be the trekking capital of Peru. A little town deep in the Andes, surrounded by seemingly encroaching mountain peaks glistening white with glacial blankets, Huaraz is a perfect base for countless treks, climbs and other crazy adventures. We arrived here after a brief stint on the dry, desolate coast, excited for altitude, new colours, and challenge. I spent the first day climbing some of the local climbing routes - certainly a challenge for the old muscles after 8 months with no climbing!

The next day we set off on a four day trek through the mountains - guideless... donkeyless... alone and unassisted. Between us we carried a tent, fat sleeping bags, enough food for four days, a near-dead lighter, and piles of woolly things bought at the local market for next to nothing. We arrived at Vaqueria (3700m asl), got our bearings, and set off through small villages and rolling farmlands, passing little cornfields, guineapig farms, and gatherings of beautiful children playing in the sun in their bright coloured clothes and grubby faces. Our first campsite was 3900m asl - we settled in for the night next to a nice hot

the first night in the icy air...

Possums trying to thaw frozen hands.

fire, feasted on lentils, and went to bed as the sun set as it was too cold to remain out of our sleeping bags.

We woke the next morning in the shadow of a glacier covered mountain, ate a warm breakfast, and set off before the sun had hit the valley. This second day was hard. For 5 hours we hiked gradually uphill, getting higher and higher and passing postcard views at each corner in the track. Several tour groups passed us in the opposite direction, donkeys trains loaded with chairs, tents, bottles of wine and other unnecessary luxuries. Towards midday we reached the foot of a steep, high ridge, looming black against the clear sky and flanked by glaciers. So we went up... staggering with the altitude, cheeks stuffed with bitter coca leaves (that we happened to find stashed under a rock!), and shivering in the icy winds. Finally we reached a pass called Punta Uniόn, 4750m asl, and stepped through the narrow window to a breathtaking view of a second valley, headed by thick groaning glaciers and a sky-blue glacier lake. Through the valley below, we could see dark storm clouds building in the distance, so we

Woollies...

hand-knitted warmth from Huaraz market.

set off downhill at a fast pace for the first time in two days.

It took far longer than expected to reach the bottom of the valley, and by the time we got there, fingers were beginning to numb and specks of snow were settling on our clothes. We found a perfect campsite sheltered behind a huge rock and quickly made camp - running to collect firewood and fill waterbottles from the river. Dinner was delicious, if a little smoky, and we quickly pulled on every item of clothing we had and settled in to bed for storytime - Kate is reading us Tolkein’s “The Silmarillion”, rather appropriate considering our fairytale surroundings. The night was surprisingly warm, but we woke in the morning to a two inch thick layer of snow covering the entire valley... incredibly exciting to three Queenslanders! We lit a breakfast fire with wood fortunately stashed out of the snow, melted snow for tea, and set off while the world was still white.

Pushing down through the valley, the view was just as stunning as the day before, and the melting snow revealed hundreds of wildflowers in reds, yellows and purples. We’d planned a big

el Parque Nacional HuascarÃ¡n

early morning on our second day

day, but by midmorning we had storms approaching from both ends of the deep valley. Just before the rain we threw up out tent, gathered as much firewood as we could find (time was of the essence, no wandering allowed), and spent the freezing afternoon snuggled in bed listening to Kate read Tolkein while the rain poured down outside. Eventually it slowed enough to build a fire in an old, disused toilet block nearby, and cook a hot dinner. A cold, cold night.

The final morning we awoke stiff and cold to a stunning blue sky - ‘a new day dawning...’. We were packed and away early, passing a magical alpine ecosystem of lakes and creeks filled with reeds, algaes, birds and fish. As we walked through glacier-carved valley, we could see the tips of famous Peruvian peaks such as Alpamayo and Santa Cruz. We wandered slowly out the valley, enjoying each moment and taking in the perfect, unspoiled nature... clinging to this feeling during our final hours in this paradise.

After four days and nearly 30km, we finally walked out of the valley - tired, smelly and hungry for fresh food. We negotiated our way back to

a breather

catching our breath as the altitude increases

Huaraz via collectivos and buses, to mountain of vegetable-filled chaufa and cold beers.

We all agreed that this was one of the most amazing hikes we’ve done in our whole lives - challenging, fulfilling, and beautiful beyond description (not even our photos do it justice). Stay tuned for the next exciting adventure of Mick and the Possums.

Additional photos below

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