High Altitude wanderings...
So yesterday was our first little foray into hiking around Huaraz.. a nice n easy 3hr trek up to the beautiful Laguna 69 and 2 hours back.. so the day started with our taxi picking up a group down the road instead of us, which meant a delayed departure for the 2 hour ride up to the park entrance.. a very long, windy and bumpy road through a very pretty area of Peruvian farms on an endless hillside, but with fantastic views the whole way of the Corillera Negra and the looming peaks of the Cordillera Blanca.. our taxi driver was very friendly and chatty even though we understood very little except for 'asa frio' or something (translation: Im freakin cold!!). So up we went through a majestic pass between the peaks and stopped at la laguna primera for a chance to take some photos and freeze my nipples off and we continued up to the start of the hike..
It was a nice easy start, along mostly flat ground through a fantastic campground and cattle runs, past waterfalls and rivers, with gnarly sparse vegetation and donkeys.. all so pretty until the uphill started, thats when the altitude gets ya! I found it pretty tough going, and Paul and Gaby dragging a cold each found it even harder. But after 2 hours we got up to a laguna.. is this it ?!? Its green and small and no.. still an hour to go, so we had some lunch (mm pan con queso y jamon).. We droppd down into an open valley, home to old stockyards and house foundations and with a big nasty hill looming in front.. that was it for poor Pauly, his cold getting the best of him.. so I powered up with our taxi driver, resting a few times with heart racing and spinny head.. but it was so worth it.. the view of Laguna 69 absolutely stunning.. the most amazing blue water, complete with mountain peaks and waterfall. We sat for quite a while, well rugged up as the wind was freezing and started down after half an hour and many potographs. Just as we were off Gaby crawled her way up much to my surprise and joy, so I hung with her a little, took some photos and marched back down to a sleeping Paul at the first laguna, and a long, but easy 2hr downhill hike to go.. the drive back was rather horrendous, long and windy with a headache to suit, it felt like 5 hours back to Huaraz, but we got back at 7 after a crazy drive with dodgy headlights and very, very little conversation (except for muy consado o asa frio!).. Bed never felt so good!
So today we've swaped hostels to the incredibly awesome Hostal Churup, highly recommended by everyone and everything, and for good reason, looks great, and is good to be among lots of travellers as well.. it's 4 levels, the top having a great open fireplace and views of the surrounding snowcapped peaks..
I'm about due to head up to Cafe Andino for a large amount of café and book reading.. sooooooo
hope you love these photos too :)
(( Photos ))
Ciao !
Brendon
It was a nice easy start, along mostly flat ground through a fantastic campground and cattle runs, past waterfalls and rivers, with gnarly sparse vegetation and donkeys.. all so pretty until the uphill started, thats when the altitude gets ya! I found it pretty tough going, and Paul and Gaby dragging a cold each found it even harder. But after 2 hours we got up to a laguna.. is this it ?!? Its green and small and no.. still an hour to go, so we had some lunch (mm pan con queso y jamon).. We droppd down into an open valley, home to old stockyards and house foundations and with a big nasty hill looming in front.. that was it for poor Pauly, his cold getting the best of him.. so I powered up with our taxi driver, resting a few times with heart racing and spinny head.. but it was so worth it.. the view of Laguna 69 absolutely stunning.. the most amazing blue water, complete with mountain peaks and waterfall. We sat for quite a while, well rugged up as the wind was freezing and started down after half an hour and many potographs. Just as we were off Gaby crawled her way up much to my surprise and joy, so I hung with her a little, took some photos and marched back down to a sleeping Paul at the first laguna, and a long, but easy 2hr downhill hike to go.. the drive back was rather horrendous, long and windy with a headache to suit, it felt like 5 hours back to Huaraz, but we got back at 7 after a crazy drive with dodgy headlights and very, very little conversation (except for muy consado o asa frio!).. Bed never felt so good!
So today we've swaped hostels to the incredibly awesome Hostal Churup, highly recommended by everyone and everything, and for good reason, looks great, and is good to be among lots of travellers as well.. it's 4 levels, the top having a great open fireplace and views of the surrounding snowcapped peaks..
I'm about due to head up to Cafe Andino for a large amount of café and book reading.. sooooooo
hope you love these photos too :)
(( Photos ))
Ciao !
Brendon