Okay, so this humungo Huayhuash hike begins Friday morning, at 2 am when the van picks me up from the akilpo hotel and I take a seven hour journey to the trail head in Matacancha. (Thst is why I brought my butt donut).
So what have I been doing while waiting?
Two days of acclimating, wandering through cuy markets and stumbling upon a funnel procession.
Huaraz is more than a night bus from Lima, Peru, it’s light years away. Not one Starbucks in sight. And no, I will not eat a cuy.
I did an acclimation hike today to Lake Churrup. Lots of the folks were just like me, test driving their lungs before heading to Matacancha. (Tip:don’t be a mountain goat; hikers are mountain turtles.) Many booked their hike with high end your operators. But then there’s me, going with the Jet Blue of tour operators agencies, Enrique’s Expeditions. He had good reviews and hopefully I can add another one.
“All tour guides will take good care of you because the last thing they want to deal with is a “sick you” that has to be muled off the mountain.”
These words of wisdom came from a seasoned hiker whom I connected with Kam for lunch and a bit of World Cup at Ducas.
He’s hiked more than me, including up to Mount Everest Base camp.
No, that’s not on my bucket list.
“But they had to airlift my hiking mate off the mountain,” he added.
That sounds a tad more expensive than an emergency mule.
My advice is this: tour operators are just like different sections in the airplane. You can pay a lot more for first class, but you won’t arrive any quicker and will still experience turbulence and sticky-floored johns.
I met another tour operator, Juan, who has eleven dogs! Here’s half his pack: Africa, Rocky, Hanna and a blur of Quechuan names.
Im not sure if the dogs double as mules.
Well, here’s to my last hot shower for six days!
OK, yes I am sticky-floored John.
Glad you were able to be prepared for this trip and get to do some testing for the hiking on the ground!