One of the group (Ian) perched wistfully atop a rock on the ridge above our camp. Huandoy Mountain is in the background (South peak is 6160m and West peak is 6356m).
Huascaran range at dusk
2am start for our trek up Mt Pisco. 2hrs crossing the scree to the base of the glacier, then we ascend about 1000m in 4hrs to the summit.
Crampon, crampoff.
Our group really was this blurry - offputting.
One of our many pre-dawn chocolate breaks
My attachments for the trek: Evan (our guide - I think that was his name), Dave (our ballast) and Guy (our Pom). No jokes about bringing up the rear.
Dawn sunlight on Huandoy
On the summit of Mount Pisco (5752m) at about 8am, Huandoy Mountain behind me (the North peak is the highest, at 6395m).
View South from the summit of Huascaran Mountain (the South peak is the highest in Peru, at 6768m)
Self administered summit photo, Huascaran in the background, numb proboscis in the foreground.
Start of the descent, our guide decided to trust me with the pace-setting; I'm not entirely sure why, given I would have looked like a new-born foal when walking downhill in my size 15 boots and crampons.
Another break for Dave; you can see our tracks up to the summit - not technically challenging (no climbing), just hard without Oxygen.
View North from about 5400m
View South-West to Huandoy, beanie shadow and ice cave in the foreground.
View South to Huascaran, our base camp is just beyond that grey ridge (which is about 3hrs walk away - a lot further than it looks)
Mt Pisco from near the base of the glacier
Huandoy from Base Camp at 4700m
Mt Pisco in the background, our base camp is atop the foreground ridge.
Yurac Corral - donkey valley - at about 4000m
Lagoon Orconcocha, bounded on the left by the lower slopes of Huascaran and on the right by Huandoy.
Wacky caption: "I'm on the right!" Wacky fact: the porters that guide the mules are called muleteers.
