Climbing meters

Escape from the tropical heat into dry cold. Huaraz is the starting point for exploring the Cordillera Blanca and is located at an altitude of 3000m. The city itself was hit by a severe earthquake in the 70s and is therefore not visually colonial. The main cathedral is currently being rebuilt, but there is not enough money to complete it. Nevertheless, it is lively and cheerful here, hikers and adventurers dominate the scene. You must not be afraid of tourists. We also went on great hikes. The first one was to Laguna 69, a beautiful path through a green valley with a river, steep mountain slopes, lagoons, waterfalls, and glaciers. After the very demanding climb from 3900m to 4600m, we were rewarded with the amazing azure blue lagoon under the glacier. As always, hiking is tough (especially at this altitude) and, as always, it is an overwhelming feeling when you have made it and can enjoy the breathtaking landscape.

The second hike was associated with a camping overnight stay. Fully packed and with a guide and porter/cook, we hiked from 4300m to 5000m, which was only 4km in distance, so it was very steep. Temporary shortness of breath, nausea, and headaches are almost unavoidable. It was all the more unbelievable that our 55-year-old porter carried twice as much luggage (!) and covered the distance twice as fast as we did (we needed 2:45 h). At the top, the wind was fresh, but the view was overwhelming. After a hot soup, some mate de coca, and a natural toilet (which is warmer than other toilets), we went to bed at 6 o'clock, i.e., at sunset. The night... well, it was short, cold, and hard. Outside temperature -8° and inside the tent maybe 5°. The thin sleeping pad didn't let in any cold, but the stones underneath did... The night was short despite going to bed early because it's hard to fall asleep with cold feet, and besides, the alarm clock rang at 1:30 am. Although we were offered rolls with jam, a cup of tea was sufficient. It took half an hour to reach the glacier, with headlamps, 7 layers of clothing, winter pants and gloves, and snow equipment, we climbed over rocky summits and walls. Climbing with hands on steep slopes in absolute darkness. Great for Eva, 'it was manageable' for Willem. Arriving at the edge of the ice, we put on helmets, crampons, and an improvised safety harness (the agency forgot to give us these, but our guide improvised perfectly). Tied together and with an ice axe in hand, we finally started the steep ascent. However, we had to stop after 10 minutes. Unfortunately, and this was another mistake made by the agency, we did not have crampons that matched our hiking boots. The guide retied them several times until they held. With these devices, you have a very good grip on the ice, even on steep slopes. We trudged uphill laboriously, breathing was very difficult. We actually wanted to be on the summit at sunrise, but we didn't make it. The digestive problems we had been having for a week took their toll during this nighttime effort. We made it to over 5200m, the summit was another 4-500 meters higher. Too bad, but it was still a unique, spectacular, freezing, and beautiful experience. Back at the camp, we had to warm up (soup is the best) and enjoy the slowly strengthening sun on our faces. In the end, we didn't want to go down anymore.