Day 1.
We set off around 6:00 for a three hour ride to the entrance of the 'Parque National Huascaran', stopping off for photos at a high-altitude lake and the view at a mountain pass at 4800m.
Then back down to the town of Vaqueria (3600m) where after a quick lunch we set off on the trail. Trailing a convoy of mules (carrying tents, sleeping bags and food, the rest of the equipment on my back) we made steady progress along mostly flat land. Water was taken from the many rivers that meandered via the trail, nice not to have to lug around litres of store bought water. We arrived at our first camp site (3870m) in the mid afternoon, I spent the rest of the afternoon sprawled out on the grass reading and watching the clouds pass the mountain range.
Day 2.
Up soon after dawn, followed by a quick breakfast, we set off on the second day of trekking. Constantly uphill, we eventually arrived at a mountain range we were destined to cross.
The trail zig-zagged up the face of the mountain range and it was hard going due to the steepness of the trail. After a lot of sweating I reached the top and passed through 'Punta Union' at 4750m. The view to the Atlantic side of the range (from where I came) and the Pacific side (where I was heading) was amazing!
I spent an hour at the top, enjoying the view and resting, before I continued downhill to the next camp site. On the Pacific side the weather turned ominous, with grey clouds filling the skies behind me. Luckily the rain held off for the afternoon, I was awoken during the night to a brief shower but remained dry in my tent.
Day 3.
I awoke to grey, overcast skies and a slight drizzle. The camp site was quickly packed up in case the skies opened up, by we were lucky to get by with only a slight 30 minute shower. Unfortunately due to the bad weather I was unable to trek up to the nearby lookout, but had to settle with another solid 4-5 hours of amazing scenery to the next campsite.
Only in this case I was ahead of the guide (and the rest of the group) and continued for another two hours all the way to the bottom of the mountain. I waited 45 minutes until I realised no-one was coming, so I set back off up the mountain. Not long before dusk I found camp, where I made a coffee and felt much better about things. It is nice to have a tent and hot water ready when you need it....
The final night was spent metres away from a rushing river and a small waterfall, it doesn't quite beat the sounds of the waves crashing to shore but it is up there!
Day 4.
Slightly more relaxed today, only another two and a half hours downhill (deja-vu...) to the end of the trek. From there it was merely a matter of taking a station wagon, then a mini-bus, then a taxi back to Huaraz. A stunning few days....
Lots more photos of mountains and trails here
