Ausangate Circuit
We just came back from our 5 day hike of the Ausangate circuit. Expectations are turned into memories as the future turns into the past, and all my expectations of what Ausangate would be like are now fused inseperably with my memories. What words would I choose to encapsulate those memories most concisely? I'll try these: exquisitely beautiful, very remote, numbingly cold, always wet. This is frustratingly inadequate, but imagine with me anyways........
Day 1.
We slept in a small hostel in Tinqui (the phonetic imagery in this word is perfect, Tinqui is exactly like it sounds, the only thing to do in tinqui is tinker) after a long bus ride from cuzco. We ate a good breakfast in the hostel facilities, and then set out on our hike under a canopy of gray sky. Following the directions provided by "Lonely Planet", we hiked by a green school, crossed 2 streams, and climbed up a steady incline, towards what our guidebook told us was the "gleaming bulk of Ausangate" which, unfortunately for us, was hidden from our view. We passed between rock walls and small stone houses, pestered by the occasional child (and adult!) saying "dame dulces" or "give me sweets". After about 2 hours leisurely hiking, we arrived in the small village of Upis, where we decided to take shelter (from the rain) under the overhanging roof of the local school. Hardy school-children dashed about in the 13,000 ft. altitude without concern, seemingly invulnerable to the cold and altitude alike. Our arrival was something of a sensation, and they crowded round us, taking special delight in the digital displays of ansley and alex's cameras. We waited for about an hour, hoping that the rain would come and go, leaving us to continue on our way unmolested. Despite the threatening clouds, the rain never came, so we decided to continue on our way. School was let out almost simultaneously with our departure, and two small schoolboys accompanied us on our way. After hiking for a ways, we parted company with the boys, and descended into a broad green valley, at the head of which was our campsite. The valley was marshy, streams that criss-crossed the valley occasionally impeded our progress, but we made steady progress. It eventually started to rain, but thankfully it was very light, and didn't give us too much trouble. We arrived at our campsite at about 4:00 P.M. set up our tents, and cooked supper. We camp tonight at about 14,500 feet.
Day 2.
Getting up was a sluggish process, it seemed like every lapse in concentration meant a lapse in progress; I would find myself sitting up in my sleeping bag, staring at a section of the tent wall, still half-way to finding my other sock. When I finally crawled out, I had the privelege of seeing a portion of Ausangate, only partially shrouded by clouds. We took our time packing up, cold hands meant little or no dexterity in our fingers, which slowed us down considerably. Our hike immediately involved some upward climbing, through barren rocky fields, the landscape interupted by the occasional grazing llama or alpaca. We navigated by a combination of a map, the guidebook description for the day, directions from local herdsmen, and a liberal sprinkling of common sense. The trails we followed were primarily stock trails, sometimes easily distinguishable, sometimes non-existant. We climbed up to a spot where we sat to rest and eat a snack, at about 15,300 feet. We hiked around a long spur and then descended into a valley with a few lakes scattered along it´s floor at regular intervals. We paused by a beautiful waterfall for lunch, the which I found so inspiring that I had to accompany the falling waters with some tunes on my recorder. We continued to hike up along the valley floor, until we arrived at the lake by which we set up camp. We look up at a large glacier on the side of a mountain, which descends down until it meets the striking green of the lake. Camp at just over 15,000 feet tonight. I fall asleep to the occasional rumble and boom of a small avalanche up on the mountain.
Day 3.
Today we crossed 2 high passes, including the highest pass of the hike. We climbed steadily from our lake-side camp until we arrived at the first pass, (about 16,200 feet) where we took a snack break. The view from the pass was both beautiful and discouraging. Far below us spread out a small valley with a beautiful lake at the bottom. The discouraging aspect was immediately apparent, our path led us down into the valley, and then steeply up the other side to the high pass. We clambered down into the valley without serious mishap, except for a slip I had in which I fell back on my pack and slid for a few feet because of a misplaced footstep. We took pause at the bottom of the valley to gear up for the upcoming climb, eating some high calorie food (snickers bars, rasins and peanuts, dried fruit). The climb would not have been so daunting if it hadn't been above 15,000 feet. As it was, we started at about 15,000 feet and then climbed steeply up to the pass at about 16,800. At the top of the pass, Alex and I immediately dropped our packs and (with GPS in hand to determine altitude) headed for the 17,000 foot mark. Ansley and Jackson followed at a little ways behind. Climbing was easier without our packs, but breathing still came fast and hard. We had set our sights on a small peak above the pass, so we kept going even after we had passed the 17,000 foot mark. We finally gained the peak at about 17,071 feet. A quick picture, then a wait for Jackson and Ansley to arrive, and then a group picture, and then a fast descent back to the pass. I think the altitude was playing with our minds a little because it was tempting to be snappy and snippish when we were that high. Thankfully, we soon picked up our packs and headed down the other side, all the way down to a valley close to a little stream. We camped close to the Ausangate base camp tonight, but unfortunatly did not see any mountaineers in camp. Our camp is at about 15,500 feet tonight.
Day 4.
Today we were supposed to camp at the head of the Jampa valley, but instead climbed over another pass and made it into a fairly vigorous day. We ate a quick breakfast, relishing the warmth imparted to our hands from the warm mugs as we took in the breathtaking view. We hiked up the lower Jampa valley, until about 11:00, when we ate a snack. We kept on, hoping that by climbing up and over a ridge we would be able to climb down into the upper valley. We climbed for a long time, until finally taking a break, we realized we had come higher than we should have, being above 16,000 feet. The next day we were supposed to climb up and out of the valley to climb another high pass, but we realized we must be fairly close to the pass now, and so decided to keep going and combine the 2 days. As we climbed over the pass, we were deluged in a snowstorm, and took pains to stay together so that none of us would get seperated. We finally made it over the pass and then hiked steadily downwards, following Alex, whose sense over direction proved good, as we ended up in the right valley, although it wasn't immediately apparent which way to go. We rested in a shepherds hut down in a snowy valley, sharing the cramped quarters with 3 generations of a family, represented by the an old couple, a young couple, and their tiny son. Once rested, we continued on to find a campsite by a lake. We camp at about 15,000 feet tonight. We are absolutely exhausted and very, very wet.
Day 5
We awoke this morning to beautiful and welcome sunlight, illuminating the rugged face of Ausangate. We cooked ourselves a leisurely breakfast, spreading all our clothes and gear out in the warm sunlight to dry. Alex attempted to catch some trout in the nearby stream, but failed in his efforts. We packed up and hiked the remaining distance out to Tinqui, accompanied by a lightning and hail storm. We catch the bus back for Cuzco, and arrive there at about midnight. It has been an incredible trip.
Day 1.
We slept in a small hostel in Tinqui (the phonetic imagery in this word is perfect, Tinqui is exactly like it sounds, the only thing to do in tinqui is tinker) after a long bus ride from cuzco. We ate a good breakfast in the hostel facilities, and then set out on our hike under a canopy of gray sky. Following the directions provided by "Lonely Planet", we hiked by a green school, crossed 2 streams, and climbed up a steady incline, towards what our guidebook told us was the "gleaming bulk of Ausangate" which, unfortunately for us, was hidden from our view. We passed between rock walls and small stone houses, pestered by the occasional child (and adult!) saying "dame dulces" or "give me sweets". After about 2 hours leisurely hiking, we arrived in the small village of Upis, where we decided to take shelter (from the rain) under the overhanging roof of the local school. Hardy school-children dashed about in the 13,000 ft. altitude without concern, seemingly invulnerable to the cold and altitude alike. Our arrival was something of a sensation, and they crowded round us, taking special delight in the digital displays of ansley and alex's cameras. We waited for about an hour, hoping that the rain would come and go, leaving us to continue on our way unmolested. Despite the threatening clouds, the rain never came, so we decided to continue on our way. School was let out almost simultaneously with our departure, and two small schoolboys accompanied us on our way. After hiking for a ways, we parted company with the boys, and descended into a broad green valley, at the head of which was our campsite. The valley was marshy, streams that criss-crossed the valley occasionally impeded our progress, but we made steady progress. It eventually started to rain, but thankfully it was very light, and didn't give us too much trouble. We arrived at our campsite at about 4:00 P.M. set up our tents, and cooked supper. We camp tonight at about 14,500 feet.
Day 2.
Getting up was a sluggish process, it seemed like every lapse in concentration meant a lapse in progress; I would find myself sitting up in my sleeping bag, staring at a section of the tent wall, still half-way to finding my other sock. When I finally crawled out, I had the privelege of seeing a portion of Ausangate, only partially shrouded by clouds. We took our time packing up, cold hands meant little or no dexterity in our fingers, which slowed us down considerably. Our hike immediately involved some upward climbing, through barren rocky fields, the landscape interupted by the occasional grazing llama or alpaca. We navigated by a combination of a map, the guidebook description for the day, directions from local herdsmen, and a liberal sprinkling of common sense. The trails we followed were primarily stock trails, sometimes easily distinguishable, sometimes non-existant. We climbed up to a spot where we sat to rest and eat a snack, at about 15,300 feet. We hiked around a long spur and then descended into a valley with a few lakes scattered along it´s floor at regular intervals. We paused by a beautiful waterfall for lunch, the which I found so inspiring that I had to accompany the falling waters with some tunes on my recorder. We continued to hike up along the valley floor, until we arrived at the lake by which we set up camp. We look up at a large glacier on the side of a mountain, which descends down until it meets the striking green of the lake. Camp at just over 15,000 feet tonight. I fall asleep to the occasional rumble and boom of a small avalanche up on the mountain.
Day 3.
Today we crossed 2 high passes, including the highest pass of the hike. We climbed steadily from our lake-side camp until we arrived at the first pass, (about 16,200 feet) where we took a snack break. The view from the pass was both beautiful and discouraging. Far below us spread out a small valley with a beautiful lake at the bottom. The discouraging aspect was immediately apparent, our path led us down into the valley, and then steeply up the other side to the high pass. We clambered down into the valley without serious mishap, except for a slip I had in which I fell back on my pack and slid for a few feet because of a misplaced footstep. We took pause at the bottom of the valley to gear up for the upcoming climb, eating some high calorie food (snickers bars, rasins and peanuts, dried fruit). The climb would not have been so daunting if it hadn't been above 15,000 feet. As it was, we started at about 15,000 feet and then climbed steeply up to the pass at about 16,800. At the top of the pass, Alex and I immediately dropped our packs and (with GPS in hand to determine altitude) headed for the 17,000 foot mark. Ansley and Jackson followed at a little ways behind. Climbing was easier without our packs, but breathing still came fast and hard. We had set our sights on a small peak above the pass, so we kept going even after we had passed the 17,000 foot mark. We finally gained the peak at about 17,071 feet. A quick picture, then a wait for Jackson and Ansley to arrive, and then a group picture, and then a fast descent back to the pass. I think the altitude was playing with our minds a little because it was tempting to be snappy and snippish when we were that high. Thankfully, we soon picked up our packs and headed down the other side, all the way down to a valley close to a little stream. We camped close to the Ausangate base camp tonight, but unfortunatly did not see any mountaineers in camp. Our camp is at about 15,500 feet tonight.
Day 4.
Today we were supposed to camp at the head of the Jampa valley, but instead climbed over another pass and made it into a fairly vigorous day. We ate a quick breakfast, relishing the warmth imparted to our hands from the warm mugs as we took in the breathtaking view. We hiked up the lower Jampa valley, until about 11:00, when we ate a snack. We kept on, hoping that by climbing up and over a ridge we would be able to climb down into the upper valley. We climbed for a long time, until finally taking a break, we realized we had come higher than we should have, being above 16,000 feet. The next day we were supposed to climb up and out of the valley to climb another high pass, but we realized we must be fairly close to the pass now, and so decided to keep going and combine the 2 days. As we climbed over the pass, we were deluged in a snowstorm, and took pains to stay together so that none of us would get seperated. We finally made it over the pass and then hiked steadily downwards, following Alex, whose sense over direction proved good, as we ended up in the right valley, although it wasn't immediately apparent which way to go. We rested in a shepherds hut down in a snowy valley, sharing the cramped quarters with 3 generations of a family, represented by the an old couple, a young couple, and their tiny son. Once rested, we continued on to find a campsite by a lake. We camp at about 15,000 feet tonight. We are absolutely exhausted and very, very wet.
Day 5
We awoke this morning to beautiful and welcome sunlight, illuminating the rugged face of Ausangate. We cooked ourselves a leisurely breakfast, spreading all our clothes and gear out in the warm sunlight to dry. Alex attempted to catch some trout in the nearby stream, but failed in his efforts. We packed up and hiked the remaining distance out to Tinqui, accompanied by a lightning and hail storm. We catch the bus back for Cuzco, and arrive there at about midnight. It has been an incredible trip.
posted by Jonas at 7:13 AM
7 Comments:
Thats awesome man! Sounds like you had quite the experience! Wow, 17000 feet...i think thats about twice as high as ive ever been, lucky punk!
17,000 feet is unreal, I felt fine, except for the fact that I knew the altitude was playing with my mind.
John, your expereinces are making you into a true Howe: independant, unique, and adventerous. Keep making your own footprints.
you go john!
What a totally cool experience, John. I can't wait to see some of your photos!
John, Thank you so much for writing a fascinating and descriptive account of the Asungate trek. I fear Barry is correct in omitting modesty from his list of the characteristics of a "true Howe". One, however, can hope that others will one day include this quality when asked to describe us.
Barry: Your afirmation was appreciated, if undeserved.
Petra: I hope to be able to post pictures of our whole trip in about 2 weeks, on our return to Pucallpa.
Uncle Ted: Thanks to the societal and reputational contributions of yourself, my father, and Papa Howe, the achievement of the title "true Howe" is an honor indeed. Honor, however, is undeserved if unearned. I think my generation needs a few more years to prove itself.
Post a Comment
<< Home