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| Huayna Potosi; photo taken with iPhone out the window of the van |
So, on SUnday morning I boarded a van with Travel Tracks tours and headed for base camp at 4700m (15,520 ft). My guide, Marcario (Aymara), was a great guy. Most people climb Huayna Potosi in 3 days, but since I already have mountain skills, I opted to do it in 2 days. After lunch in base camp, Marcario and I hiked up to campamento alto at 5130m (16,830 ft) in an hour and a half. He was impressed that I could walk that fast at altitude with a heavy pack. I spent the remainder of the afternoon hanging out with the guides in the refugio. The majority of the other clients were french and there was one dutch, one Brit, and one Swede. Not a bad group of people. Feeling overwhelmed by the refugio since I am used to my tent and not wall to wall mattresses, the guides suggested that I upgrade to a more ´private´room for 20 Bs. WHy not? What I didn´t realize is that I was sharing the room with 12 Aymara guides! It turned out to be a good deal because at 7:00 when everyone went to try and get sleep (I say try bc it is diffiuclt to sleep at altitude when you are not accustomed to it), my room was instantly silent and asided from a few snores, no one made noise. I even caught a few zzz´s.
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| Refugio at Campamento Alto at 5130m |
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| Posing with the full moon before bed at 7:00 p.m. |
At 12:00 a.m., alarms started going off; I didnt even bother setting mine since I was bunking with the guides. I got up, layered up, and packed my backpack. I managed to choke down a cup of tea with coco leaves and one gu (energy gel) before roping up and heading off at 1:30 a.m.
It was a full moon so the climbing was lovely and I didn´t need a headlamp. I felt really strong, and in sharp contrast to my other attempt at 6000m three weeks ago, I felt minimal effects of altitude. Unfortunately, my rope mate was neither strong nor experienced. Further, he had no rhythm which was frustrating for me. He moved extremely slowly and needed a sit down break every 30 minutes. It was windy and cold and I grew frustrated because I could simply not generate enough body heat moving so slowly and taking that many breaks. To make things worse, he was afraid of heights and I had to cajole him up the summit ridge. The guide felt badly for me. Nonetheless, we topped out in 5 hours just as the sun came up.
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| Posing on the summit with guia Marcario and rope mate Vimal |
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| summit ridge at sunrise; Mt Illimani is in the distance |
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| Climbers descending the airy summit ridge |
It took a lot of time to talk Vimal back down the airy summit ridge, but I pushed the pace on the way back. I quickly packed my things and had to wait for all the other clients. I don´t get it. We got back down to base camp and had to wait 2 hours for the van because it got trapped in blockades from the civil unrest. It was a waiting kind of day. The best that can be said is that I was pleased with my performance at altitude and it is a pretty mountain with some nice views.
Back in town, I had errands to run to plan for my alpine start tomorrow to Ryrrenabaque in the Amazon. Namely, I needed to book a tour. I chose the one recommended company that did not ctaer to Israeli clients. The trip should be interesting and I will be out of touch for 3 days. Now I need to pack because I will not come back to La Paz, but can only carry 15 kilos on the plane so I will have to leave my backpack at the airport.
Lastly, I´m exhausted and don´t know if I can deal with Chabad. I´m sure it will be an interesting experience, but I don´t think I am up for it.
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