It’s Murray and Tim here again with part 4 of our adventure cycling through South America! This time, we’re on our feet, exploring the amazing Cordillera Huayhuash. Enjoy legends!
Day 91 - 96
[2023/03/05]
For the longest time we’ve both dreamt about trekking in “real mountains”, be that the Andes, Rockies or Himalayas - grandeur mountains have always had a strong pull.
Trekking through the Cordillera Huayhuash fulfilled that dream and so much more!
Snowcapped peaks, glacier-fed lagoons, mesmeric valleys and ancient stone walls made for an eye-opening 5-days in the remote mountain system of Peru.
Hiking above 4000m for 65km is no easy task, thin air and the ever-changing weather were our biggest challenges. But in doing so, reaching mountain summits and pushing through inclement conditions made the juice well worth the squeeze!
With a last-minute backpack purchase, we streamlined our gear and packed only what was necessary. From our Helio II Hiking Tent to the Explorer Down Sleeping Bags and technical layered clothing, we couldn’t have had better gear.
Realistically, we had our doubts as the weather in the high Andes can turn quickly (and it did) but the First Ascent gear performed better than we could’ve asked for! Over the 5 days, we grew accustomed to the aches and pains one agrees to take on when straddling a fully packed backpack. We fuelled ourselves with boiled eggs and potatoes, tuna and noodles, and trail mix and oats.
We met a lovely Belgium/French couple - they were the only other hikers we saw during the entire hike and we would reconvene every evening in the next camp marvelling over the day's wonders.
All in all, hiking the Huayhuash Trail could easily be our highlight of the trip so far and somewhere we both plan on visiting again (albeit in the dry season)!
