Huayhuash Trek (Part 1)

Introduction

Lets start with this, Huayhuash was beyond all doubt, the toughest trek, physically, mentally and emotionally for me. I was faced with numerous challenges posed by the routes, nature and my own psyche. However, I was rewarded with the most awe inspiring landscapes and environments. Looking back, this was probably my favourite experience on exchange.

Cordilla Huayhuash

The Cordilla Huayhuash is a condensed region of mountains found in middle Peru, with the nearest big city being Huaraz. It was rated as the second best region for trekking after the Annapurna region in Nepal by National Geographic. However, it differs mainly in 2 aspects:

a) it boasts much higher altitudes, thus featuring an alpine landscape more so than the forest areas in Annapurna

b) it is far less commercialized and much fewer trekkers have been there

Additionally, since mountains in the area are tightly knitted together, getting over several high passes on the trek is a must. Over the course of 11 days (10 days of actual hiking) we crossed 8 high passes and walked along several ridge lines. This was a tremendous challenge for me, and I believed helped me to shatter several physical & mental boundaries along the way.

Day 1

We spent the entire day traveling in a van to the Cordillera Huayhuash region, where we camped for the night. At the campsite, we came across a group of trekkers who were stuck at the campsite as their donkey drivers had not shown up. Apparently, the agency which they engaged had a dispute with the donkey drivers over pay. I guess it goes to show the importance of hiring agencies that give fair pay and do so on time.

Day 2

The first day of our actual trek, and what better way to start than to climb our first high pass, hooray. Also, I attempted a mini-ridgeline for the first time in my life, which was a pretty scary experience. Not having any room to walk, no proper path and a steep fall on either side? What could go wrong? But on the positive side, the ridgeline provided unobstructed good views on all sides. Also, we got the first sight of the trek’s alpine lakes while also camping in a pretty campsite in the shadow of a snow mountain.

Day 3

The night before, my awesome guide comes to us at dinner and tells us, I’m paraphrasing here - tomorrow we have two paths. The Huayhuash highway which is easy, flat and is for donkeys. We will instead go walk amongst the mountains ok? Ok!

So we left the ‘path' pretty early on, and climbed up to right beneath the mountains. I walked along my second mini ridgeline while also coming across 4 lakes. This day gave us beautiful weather and was a fine setting for a picnic lunch. It was also the first time that I felt my lungs start to burn due to the higher altitude. As a reward, I started to get a sense of how amazing this region was going to be when I saw the triple lake view.

On the way down, I faced my first major obstacle. We were attempting to descend down a large steep hill. At times, the slope seem to be between 60 to 70 degrees, with no proper path or steps. Me being a complete city boy struggled mightily to retain my balance while also controlling my fear. Thankfully all went well, and it would serve as a warm up for the days to come.

Conclusion

Next up, I continue to recount my experiences in the Cordilla Huayhuash. Some of my best memories came in days 5-7, where I encountered the most stunning of environments.