A four-day trek in the Parque Nacional Huascaran (Part 1)

We were so excited when our travel agent broke the news: there was a group leaving the next day for the "Santa Cruz" trekking in the Cordillera Blanca. We would join another agency that already had a group of five booked up and form a group of seven hikers. The others would do the trek in three days, hiking a little less than us but we could still do ours in four days, taking a longer hiking route for the last two days. We would leave with a guide who would lead us and cook our food as well as a porter, who would lead the two donkeys that carry the camping gear, food and night packs as well as set up the campsite each day. Yes, it sounds easy that way: we would have someone carry our belongings, set up our tent and cook for us but the hike in itself would be tough: more than 40 Kms (25 miles) at high altitude. Hopefully, it will all go well.

Day One: A warm up to hiking in the high Andes

Start: Vaqueria - 3,700 m or 12.140 ft
End: Campsite of Paria – 3,860 m or 12.660 ft
Hiked for 4 hours

We were supposed to be at the agency ready to leave at 6am so when Caroline opened her eyes and saw that it was 5:50am, we kind of freaked out a little. We had not heard the alarm clock! Well, we were both ready in a record time of twenty minutes and thank god, people are not completely on time here so we were still good to go and even had time for a fast breakfast at the agency. Once done, we took a cab to the bus station where we met the rest of the hikers, the guide and the porter. It turned out that the five other hikers were all French, between 22 and 25 years old. We were definitively the veterans of the group but at least, we get to speak French for the next few days:) It took the bus about five hours to get us to our starting point: the small town of Vaqueria. It left us sufficient time to get to know our new friends and take a little nap. On the way, we also had stunning views of the valley as we were driving up on a dirt road and we even saw a magnificent emerald lake, the Lago Marococha. A long but overall pleasant bus ride.
In Vaqueria, the guide and porter unloaded the bus from all our stuff and while one was fixing our lunch, the other was loading the donkeys. We ate our sandwiches and fruits, talking a lot and very excited about starting our trek. At 1pm, we were ready to go. The path was well marked and for the first hour all downhill, through little villages where people were waiving at us. We noticed in one of the houses a big cage full of Ginea Pigs; this is where they were raising them for the famous local dish! The guide was also stopping here and there, describing the local plants. As a group, we were also learning each other's pace: the two French guys were the fastest, followed by the girls and finally us, a little behind, but not much. Chad was carrying the backpack since we only had one which made the hike easier for Caroline. We were also all adjusting to walking at high altitude and could not help but notice how fast our heart was pouding and how heavy our legs were when we starting the uphill part.

We finally arrived at our campsite at about 5pm and the porter had already set up the tents (except one he could not figure out) and the shared tent we would use for the meals. He was really fast... The site was nested in a valley and close to a huge mountain with a glacier. You could not ask for better, especially since it had not been raining. Kevin, one of the French guys, decided to start a fire while the guide cooked diner. We would have chicken in a tomato and onion sauce over rice and french fries along with a soup. It was so yummy... We all talked about the day's hike, sharing some stories. It was pretty chilly at night but it was bearable in the big tent, close to the stove and the hot food. We all went early to bed, around 9pm, since we had gotten up so early and also because tomorrow would be the hardest day with the steep hike to the Punto Union Pass. Warm in our sleeping bags, we slept pretty well.

Day Two: Climbing the pass of Punta Union at 4,750 m (15.580 ft)

Start: Campsite of Paria – 3,860 m or 12.660 ft
End: Campsite of Kiswara – 4,130 m or 13.550 ft
Hiked for 7 hours: 4 hours uphill and 3 hours downhill

The guide woke us up at 6am: breakfast was ready. Eyes still sleepy, we proceeded to the main tent where we shared scrambled eggs with sausage, bread with marmalade and hot tea. Exactly what we needed to start the climb. We left the campsite, leaving the porter undo the tents and pack all the stuff on the donkeys. The ascent started and only thirty minutes in the hike, it started raining. The climb was difficult and slow, and we were passing through muddy areas and overflown rivers. With the altitude too, it was getting colder and we were getting wetter, especially our shoes. We stopped a few times to breathe and have a snack. Both of us really needed a boost and we started chewing and sucking on coca leaves. True, these leaves are the main ingredient to produce the infamous cocaine but as a raw leave you suck on, it really has nothing to do with it. As you know, cocaine is a dangerous and addictive drug, using the coca leaves as and adding all sort of dangerous chemicals to it. On the other hand, just the leaves are a non-addictive plant widely used in the Andes, that you put in your mouth and chew to release the juice. It allows you to better cope with altitude, and therefor avoid altitude sickness, gives you an energy boost and reduces your hunger. It was really helpful given how hard the hike was and we appreciated the effects of the plant on our bodies.

We climbed and climbed, now completely in the fog and still in the rain. The stones we were walking on were very slippery and the path was full of rocks. It was hard and some of us had really a challenging time through the hike but the group was helping each other. Caroline was becoming tired and really had cold hands so the stronger hiker of the group gave her his gloves. We were also giving each other food or water, checking during the breaks if we could do anything to help the other. The hardest was to not be able to see the summit because of the fog and have no idea how far we were. The guide was telling us approximately but unable to see by ourselves, the spirit of the group was a little on the low side. Finally, we saw the shadow of the top of the mountain and a few final steps carved in the rock took us to the pass. One by one, as we passed it, we cheered or danced or smiled. It was hard to believe we were so high up; Caroline remembered we were just 50 meters lower than the highest summit in France, the famous Mont Blanc in the Alpes!

On the other side of the mountain, the sky was clear and there was no rain there. We saw a glacier lake just below a huge glacier, and even further below the valley with two big lakes at the bottom. What a view! We walked a little further down, so happy to be going downhill now, and stopped for lunch whenre the temperature was a little higher. You could really sense that the spirit of the group was at its highest, each of us so proud of reaching the pass. It had been very painful but worth it was the conclusion we all came to. We walked three more hours downhill to the campsite, with a little scare when Chad fell on a steep hill and almost broke his right wrist. He was alright but another hiker, Hugo, did not have the same luck and hurt his wrist later. Hopefully, it would not be broken. At the campsite, we did a big fire and all relaxed from the hard effort of the day. Tonight would be our last night as a group as the French would go back to Huaraz at the end of the next day and we would continue our hike. We had a really good time around the fire, joking and laughing. This was really a fun group to be part of.