A hobby hiker’s Goliath: Summiting Vallunaraju in the Cordillera Blanca

Sometimes I wonder how I get myself into these situations, you know, halfway through a hike and wondering if my ego really has bitten off more than it could chew this time. Either way, it was too late to turn back as we were already halfway to the moraine camp. It started to hail when I felt the temperature drop a few degrees, yet we were all still in good spirits.

This was the first time I’ve had to carry a pack this heavy, although not quite the 15kg that Denis was carrying because she had our tent. This adventure took almost three months to plan because of our schedules, and to make sure our mountain guide, Cesar, wasn’t booked on a job. That’s been the motivation to live in Huaraz after all - for the mountains and the guides of course.

My first rock climbing adventure in Huaraz

My friend Shelley summed it up the best - she said that even though she was looking at a photo of my shadow on a rock face, she still found it surreal that I could be up so high. How did I manage to face my fear of heights and embrace rock climbing in just three short years? If you had met me before 2016, you too would be in disbelief.

It hasn’t been easy, but facing my fear of heights has become a mission. Not only because it’s allowed me to see the world from a different perspective, but it’s also taught me that that fear was a manifestation
of my self-imposed limitations. I don’t have to be an exceptional climber to have incredible adventures, I just have to try.

Trekking to Laguna Rajucolta from Macashca

If you Google the distance of Laguna Rajucolta from the small township of Macashca, it will tell you that it’s 20km one way. Luckily for Travis and I, the colectivo dropped us off about 5km from the National Park gates, so it only added another 2 hours to our walk. The trek from the National Park gates to the lake is less than 3 hour one way and a relatively flat one at that.

From our experience, I would recommend going to the lake by taxi and getting dropped off right up to the gates. The 100 – 200 soles fee may seem a lot, but the peace of mind of knowing that you have a ride back to Huaraz will be worth it. If you’re wanting to do it on the cheap like we did, make sure to go early because the colectivos stop running back to Huaraz by around 6pm.

Climbing Nevado Chachani in the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve

Chachani Volcano is a snow-capped, dormant volcano in the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve, located 22 kilometres from the city of Arequipa. It’s not considered a highly technical climb, but its elevation of 6,057m a.s.l. (19,872 ft) made the hike challenging.

I had originally booked to climb Misti Volcano, but on the morning of my tour (I was literally just finishing breakfast), I was told that the rest of my group had fallen victim to that all too familiar combination of too many Pisco Sours and ceviche. To cut a long story short, they postponed their tour by a day, but unfortunately for me, I had already bought a bus ticket to Cusco. He offered me a tour to Chachani or a refund. Without hesitation, I said yes to Chachani.

Why you want to explore the three lakes at Laguna 69

Laguna 69 is the most famous and popular lake in Peru - it may surprise people that it wasn’t one of my first hikes in Peru. At 4,604m above sea level, it’s the highest so far and to be honest, it was probably the fact I’ve lived at altitude for four months that allowed me to truly enjoy the hike even more. Yes, even that steep zig zag section! I recognised the familiar glazed-eyes and fatigue in many of the hikers, and all I could offer was a smile and encouragement that the lake is worth the burning in their lungs.