A four-day trek in the Parque Nacional Huascaran (Part 2)

Day Three: A beautiful hike in the sun to Laguna Arhuaycocha

Start: Campsite of Kiswara – 4,130 m or 13.550 ft
End: Campsite of Paccharari – 3,450 m or 11.320 ft
Hiked for 9 hours: 4 hours to the lake and and 5 hours to the next campsite

Same routine as the day before, we got our 6am wake up call for breakfast. Unfortunately, today we had to eat no more than one piece of bread per person as we had eaten too much the day before. So a much smaller breakfast with no eggs. There was also no bread left for lunch so we would have to do with crackers, candy and a fruit. So glad we had no steep climb today. After everything was packed, it was time to say goodbye: the French and the guide would go down the valley and catch a bus to Huaraz and us and the porter would go up to a mountain lake and later in the day start our descent in the valley. It was a little sad to separate with the group but we were excited we had another day to enjoy the park and walk some more. It had rained hard the whole night and we had been worried that we would not be able to hike up due to the bad weather but this morning, not only did we have little clouds but we could also see the entire surrounding mountains and the fresh snow that had fallen in the night.
We started the hike up the mountain which was so much easier than the hike to the pass: the grade was more gentle and the weather kept on warming up and we ended up having sun. It was such a pleasant walk and after forty minutes, we reached the lookout with amazing views to both mountain ranges behind and in front of us. We then walked trough a flat and green highland, where the grass was the softest thing you could walk on, given a good rest to our tired feet. We also crossed a few rivers before starting the second part of the climb to the lake. The walk could not be more perfect and we felt at peace and close to the nature around us. We made it the Laguna Arhuaycocha right after 9:30am, surprised to be greeted by a field of little stone piles left by previous climbers. The lake was at a bottom of a huge glacier and we sat there for a while, enjoying the peace and quiet.

We walked back to our campsite, the porter leaving us alone as we knew the way and he wanted to go ahead and prepare some tea for us. It was nice to be just the two of us, walking our own pace and discussing various topics. We also noticed that the mountain views that had been totally clear in the early morning were now a little overcast and that the summits were no longer visible. At the campsite, we enjoyed some hot tea and our small early lunch before packing everything up. We were now ready to start the descent into the valley. The porter was in front with the donkeys and with his rapid pace, had to wait for us every thirty minutes. There was a single path to follow so at least we were not going to get lost. In the valley, after following a little river for a while in flat wetland, we faced a huge area covered with water. It was usually dry there but in the wet season and with the rain we had last night, the waters were high. We looked at the porter and he told us the only way was to emove our shoes and walk across it, in the mud and grass. Not fun...but we had no choice. The water was icy cold and in the worse parts, we had it almost up to our knees. Not a pleasant walk and we had to do it for quite a while before being on firm ground again on the other side.

Once the water passed, it was all flat on the other side or slightly downhill. The challenge though was the terrain: very rocky and hence sometimes slippery since the rocks were many but small, and when we were along the river, water was covering the path since it had overflown. We walked and walked, our porter and the donkeys now out of sight. We were walking through the valley for a long time alone, enjoying the company of each other but our feet and calves really starting to hurt now. We were really really getting tired, walking more and more slowly. After a while, we stopped talking, juts focusing on the walk. With the small and early lunch we had, we were also becoming very hungry. Finally, we saw the porter at a designated campsite. Oh joy and happiness...but short lived. After we talked to him, he dais we had to walk another hour. Not only could we not convince him otherwise but he also had no food to give us. He went ahead to set up the camp and we relaxed in the field for a little while. Donkeys were curious about us, approaching Craoline as she was lying on the grass, smelling her. It was quite funny, and we even managed to mount one of them but were not able to make it move forward and carry us:( We eventually started walking again, having no choice but it was very hard. The porter told us it should take us one hour but it took two. We were so dead when we arrived: the sight of our tents set up was the happiest ever. As we entered the main one, there was hot soup ready for us. Things were getting better by the minute. We sat down, removed our shoes and enjoyed the food in silence. Priceless...
Stomachs filled up, Caroline relaxed on her mattress, reading a book while Chad went with the porter to see if he could catch some trouts in the river. It was so nice to not be walking. The guys came back after an hour with six little fish, actually very little! Fried, they ended up being a delicious complement to our dinner comprised of tuna sauteed with onions and mashed potatoes. Chad also lit a fire and we drank our evening tea outside, watching the flames dance in the night and listening to the raging sound of the cascade next to our campsite. So tired by the long walk today, we went to bed before nine and slept almost immediately. At the start of the trip, we were a little compalining about how thin the mattress was but now, it had no more importance.

Day Four: Finally arriving in Cashapampa and leaving the park

Start: Campsite of Paccharari – 3,450 m or 11.320 ft
End: Village of Cahapampa – 3,100 m or 10.170 ft
Hiked for 2 hours

That day, we got to sleep in until 6:30am! We were surprised to see that the porter had managed to found extra food and we had a decent breakfast of bread (not sure where he ound it), marmalade and butter. Our feet were feeling much better but we had to stretch our calves quite a few times. The walk would be short today: only two hours so that we could meet the agent in Cashapampa who was waiting with a car to take us back to town. We got a head start while the porter was packing all the stuff but he caught up twenty minutes later. He indicated us the way and told us he would meet us in town. No problem, we love going at our own pace, much slower than his. We enjoyed this last part in the park a lot, descending the valley along the river. There were more plants and flowers bordering the path, as well as nasty flies trying to bite us. We did not care, the spirit was high again, the weather beautiful and the walk easier than the day before. We talked about the trekking experience and what the highlights were, how we lived the whole thing and grateful for the support we provided each other in the hard times. It had not been easy but definitively rewarding. We also had met some really nice people that we were hoping to see again once we would be back in France.

In Cashapampa, we found our porter right away: he was impressed that we had made it in less than two hours given how slow we were the day before. The agent arrived as planned and we all boarded the taxi that would take us to Caraz where we were to take a minbus to Huaraz. We were five happy campers in the car, driver included. To our surprised, we cramped in two more people in the car on the way and more stuff in the trunk. We ended up being four people in the back, Caroline on Chad's lap, and three people in the front, listening to 80's music the driver seemed to love. It was a lot of people in one car, especially on dirt roads but who cares. Once in Caraz, we got a minibus right away and ninety minutes later, we were back at our hotel, our bikes and belongings still there. It was only noon and we had the whole afternoon to run errands. First thing we did was of course to jump in the shower, marveled at how clean we felt afterwards. Chad did some bike maintenance in the afternoon and Caroline worked on the trip planning, thinking about where we would go next. Tomorrow morning, probably early given the schedule we had been on for the last few days, we would leave for Lima, the capital of Peru.