When last minute cancellations by other clients put paid to my plan to trek to the Incan site of Choquequirao, I signed up instead for an extended Ausangate Circuit trek in the remote Cordillera Vilcanota range of the Andes, south of Cusco, a city I hadn’t visited since 2009. After two days of acclimatization near Cusco, we commenced our nine day trek. Our group of seven clients, one guide and a horseman with his “sag” horse hiked about 90 km (56 miles) and ascended more than 3700 m (12,100 ft). While the distances and elevation gains were not great, the altitude certainly was: five high passes which ranged from 4850 to 5200 meters (15,900 to 17,060 ft).

The Cordillera Vilcanota boasts several 6000m peaks, including the sacred Ausangate, at 6372m (20,900 ft), the highest mountain in southern Peru. This high and wild trekking circuit wound its way on quiet trails through this rarely-visited range, following lovely alpine valleys and traversing a series of passes connecting them. After a lovely soak in the Pachanta town hot springs one afternoon, the usual end point for the Ausangate Circuit trek, our trek continued another 2 1/2 days, highlighted by the remote and stunning Laguna Singrenacocha.

Enjoy some of the hundreds of photos that I took!

I chose to spend this summer in the Rocky Mountains of southwest Colorado and on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada range of California. If I get some decent photos, expect one or two blog posts from some of my numerous day hikes. In early September I will be traveling around Europe for about 5 1/2 weeks, trekking across the Picos de Europa in northern Spain and the Julian Alps in Slovenia (yes, I know they are not particularly close together!), and doing a series of walks on São Miguel Island in the Azores. Expect three more blog posts this autumn from those adventures!

In the meantime, enjoy as much of the summer outdoors as you can,

The Vagabond Hiker

How does one even begin to describe the wonderful two weeks we spent in the Cordillera Huayhuash?  My friend Bob organized a group of hiking and canyoneering friends from St George Utah for this trek with the company Peruvian Andes Adventures. Our group of nine clients was very ably supported by a head mountaineering guide, a fantastic cook, and two assistant cooks who also helped as porters.  Most of the group equipment and personal kit was carried on 23 donkeys, managed by four muleteers.

The trek was a roughly clockwise circuit of the Cordillara Huayhuash, several hours drive from the mountain town of Huaraz (itself a 7 hour bus journey from Lima).  After two days of acclimatization hikes near Huaraz, we headed up into the Huayhuash. In addition to 10 actual trek days, we had three rest days where we spent two consecutive nights at the same camp. Most of us went on short out and back hikes on our three rest days. Four of us also traversed Diablo Mudo on day 13, a relatively straightforward rock and snow climb with inclines of up to about 45 degrees.

The following photos try to convey some of the sublime grandeur and beauty of the Peruvian Andes. I tried to be very selective in choosing only the most interesting photos, but as you’ll soon realize, that was not an easy thing to do. They are in strict chronological order.

 

Tonight I fly back to London from Lima, Peru for a few days of R&R before my trip to Italy next week where I’ll be hiking and (possibly) climbing in the Mont Blanc (or, as the Italians say, Monte Bianco) region.  Until my next blog post, happy trails!

The Vagabond Hiker