Sharon and I are wrapping up the Cordillera Blanca in the Andes tonight and taking a bus back to Lima to catch a plane to Cusco and Machu Picchu. The Cordillera Blanca is the second highest mountain range in the world, next to the Himalayas.
Our mission here was a hike called Santa Cruz, which goes through a 4750-meter (15,583 ft) high pass in the mountains called Punta Union. Because of the extreme altitude we took a couple of days in a city called Huaraz to adjust.
Locals suggest short day hikes on the outskirts of town to help adjust to the altitude. We started up a trail in the east edge of town called Rataquenua, which is supposed to provide a great view of the town. We never got to the top. We turned around part of the way since some mean looking storm clouds were rolling in, but not soon enough. We got caught in a hail storm during our retreat and I caught a huge one right on the bridge of my nose.
The next day, the day before our hike, we went to see some pre-Incan ruins, called Wilcahuain, outside of town. We took a combi (bus) up to the ruins and decided to walk back. Shortly after we left the ruins we passed a funeral party and they invited us to join. The people we met were all campesinos (as the local indigenous people are called) and were very friendly. We stood around drinking beer, chatting with everyone. They all wanted to meet the gringos. They taught us some Quechua, most of which we forgot (remember there was beer involved) and after a little while we were on our way.
We didn’t make it too much farther down the road before we came across a party for carnaval. I am not sure if this party is typical of just this region, all of Peru or South America, but it goes something like this: everyone drinks chichaand beer, dances in a circle around a tree while throwing talc at each other. After a while people start taking turns hacking at the tree with an axe. Once the tree falls over everyone goes and eats cuy. Sounds strange, right? It was. But we had a ton of fun!
Friday morning we set out in a very cramped combi, with our guide Roger, for a town called Vaqueria where the trail head is for the Santa Cruz trek. Actually, we started where most people finish. We found out after that this is the harder way to go.
The Cordillera Blanca is magnificent. All around are jagged, snow-capped peaks and in the valleys are beautiful blue and green lakes and rushing rivers. All throughout the hike the scenery kept changing, there were lush green mountains and valleys, big boulders, views of glaciers, jagged rocky mountains, streams, waterfalls, rapids, forests and rainforests, cacti, roaming animals and more! Every thirty minutes there was something new to see. It also covered every season of the year. We experienced cold, heat, rain, hail, clouds and wind.
Here are some highlights:
Day One - We started out from Vaqueria, a very poor farming village in the mountains. Children from the village were following us, asking for food. It was heartbreaking. They are so poor and sick. We gave what we could, but more children kept coming, and we were only carrying enough food to snack on during the hike. After the first hour we entered the first valley on our way to Punta Union. The first day’s hike was short - we arrived to our first campsite after three hours.
Day Two - This was the toughest day. Four hours up to Punta Union, and then 2.5 hours down to the next campsite. As we got higher in altitude and the air got thinner, it got more tiring and we had to take more frequent breaks. The ascent was very challenging but very beautiful. Once we reached Punta Union, the valley on the other side of the mountain was even more beautiful than the one we just came from. 15,583 feet!!!! We were exhausted from the climb, but the beauty of the vista re-invigorated us for the rest of the day’s hike. And then we got hailed on…
Day Three - Day three was pretty flat and muddy. We hiked through the valley all day and had beautiful mountain views. As we continued, the valley closed in on us, making the mountains seem taller and more imposing. We hiked for about five hours and set our camp right by the river that runs through the valley. Shortly after arriving at our campsite, it started to rain and continued for most of the night.
Day Four - This day was short but challenging. We walked mostly downhill over loose rocks and through slippery streams that were fed by the waterfalls pouring over the mountainside. After two short hours, we arrived in Cachapampa, a beautiful farming village at the end of the valley. The drive through the mountains back to Huaraz equalled the preceding days in beauty. We drove along a dirt road barely cut into a steep mountainside with a view of other mountains and the farms in the valley below.
Tonight we are headed to Cusco and Machu Picchu. To see pictures of our hike go to .