So back I am again. What a great walk! Where to start? Too much to tell - 12 days is a long time. After looking around for companions to do this walk, I finally hooked up with Ashley and Pete, whom I had already met a while ago in Bolivia and who happened to arrive in Huaraz just in time.
We decided to do the trek on our own, that is to say not making use of guides or mules, and taking our time. Most people, however, do go with at least mules and a muleteer. (We did not meet anyone else who was carrying their backpack themselves!) But we found carrying our 30kg+ backpacks, well, what to say... invigorating?! Honestly, if you are fit and acclimatized it is not too bad. One could do the whole circuit in as little as eight days, but then you would not get to see some of the truly spectacular side-valleys (which for me were the absolute highlights of the trip!). So we planned our food on 12 days instead, which turned out to be exactly right.
The landscapes we got to see can only be described as utterly spectacular! Beautiful peaks, glaciers, lakes, and valleys. I fear my pictures do not do the landscape justice, they may be nice but the views were truly breathtaking in reality! The only mountains I have seen so far that impressed me similarly were in the Nepalese Himalaya.
The walking itself is not too bad. About six to nine hours on the trail per day, going about 400m to 1000m up and down. At low altitude this would be only a moderately demanding walk. But since during this trek you are continuously between 4000m and 5000m, this is actually quite a tough daily program. This exercise, however, is only becoming provided you are sufficiently acclimatized! We have met people basically spending the first couple of days throwing up, feeling really sick and nauseous... And you have to cross a high pass of more than 4700m almost every day!
For me the hardest thing were actually the long nights. Due to the closeness of the equator the nights last from about 6pm to 6am. Lots of darkness and cold. Freezing at these altitudes! So you spend almost 12 hours in your tent and sleeping bag every day! I have never been to "bed" later than about 7pm. With temperatures between about -5°C to 5°C in the tent (less outside), there is only one place you are roughly comfortable - inside the sleeping bag!
Although I am typically very happy with my bag at temperatures around zero degrees, on this trip I was slightly cold almost every night which sometimes kept me awake for many hours. The lack of oxygen and the sufficient but not overly rich food supply certainly contributed. So there I was lying awake with all my cloths on inside the sleeping bag - two layers of thermal underwear, fleece jumper, down vest, wool socks, wool hat and fleece gloves - waiting for the morning... Sometimes dozing on and off. My advice: bring a really warm sleeping bag! (Or a mule and hence all the food and cloths you can possibly want...)
One little annoying thing is the current payment system. Every settlement you are passing is charging a few dollars per person for letting you walk by! So people with little ticket books walk up to you to make you pay, sometimes several times a day. It all appears to be totally random and you do get to hear various stories about what is going to happen with money. Track improvement, community subsidy, "security". The latter is particularly interesting, since until very recently the Huayhuash was known to be quite unsafe. The latest major incident was 2004 when four trekkers were robbed and shot by local bandits. So basically now you pay the locals for not robbing you! This is next best thing to robbery in my eyes.
A negative highlight was - owed to my own stupidity - when I arrived on the third day in camp after taking an exhausting "alpine" route variation (i.e. leading without trails through more rugged territory than the normal valley route), just to discover I had left behind my camera when I was preparing for an approaching thunderstorm... I could not believe my own stupidity!!! But in the thinner air your brain does funny things at times.
So I set out immediately again, trying to find back the spot where I remembered I had intended to pack my camera safely into my backpack. Unfortunately this was quite a while before the camp on a very chaotic and very steep slope with lots of rocks and bumps and bushes of tussock grass. Nothing but plenty of animal-trails. And no way to spot anything from further and a couple of meters away. So I criss-crossed the slopes for hours until darkness trying to find back the exact spot. Without any success. Walking back to camp with hurting feet and totally exhausted, it was already dark and I got more sleet and rain into my face from the next hailstorm... When I arrived in camp, Ashley and Pete very kindly comforted me with hot drinks and food. On the walk back I had already mentally prepared for a "let-go-of-you-possessions"-exercise. If it only had not been my camera! Worth a lot of money, too.
When I finally got into my tent - believe it or not - I found the plastic bag with my camera just lying next to the entrance! How stupid can you actually be? I know I had been carefully looking around at least twice... At least that is what I was convinced I had done. So I had put myself through hell just for nothing! I did feel a lot of relief, though. And this way you do get to see a few pictures, too.
One of the greatest views I had from scrambling up Cerro Gran Vista (5152m, very appropriate name!) overlooking Laguna Sarapococha and the Cordillera, see the view here. This is exactly where the horrible accident of "Touching the Void" took place. But there are many other spots, typically on the high passes, from where the views are incredible. Absolutely worth the effort and hardships of the trek! I would do it again immediately!
Being back to Huaraz now, I do enjoy the amenities of being able to take a hot shower and buying all the food I fancy! And I keep eating almost continuously... I guess my body has to recharge a little.
Of course there would be much more to tell, but I have already spent too much time in the internet cafe... As I am now well acclimatized and very fit, I will probably go and climb an other little mountain near here the next days. Stay tuned!
