We actually didn’t need the alarm to wake us
this morning as we were more than eager to get trekking. Our transport arrived at the allotted time
and we went to the trekking office to load the car with the equipment and food
we would need. Even better than that,
our guide Sixto also remembered to join us.
His name means just what you would think – he was the 6th
born.
We were off – well not quite as we had to
crawl through La Paz’s traffic first.
There are very few private cars here but there’s a constant stream of
minivans, taxis and old Dodge buses shuttling people up, down and around the
city. The narrow, steep cobbled streets
certainly weren’t designed for bumper to bumper traffic and we were looking
forward to escaping the exhaust fumes.
We finally crawled up and out the city centre but the suburbs seemed to
go on forever. On the outskirts of the
city we stopped to collect some more provisions and we suspect goods are much
cheaper up there. Then we had to stop
for petrol where everyone bar the driver has to disembark from the
vehicle. Finally we were fully prepared,
out of the built up areas and on our way to camp.
The first day really is just getting to camp
at Kotia. We were based in a nook in a
beautiful valley in between two large lakes.
Now before you rant on about us not doing any walking read on! While Sixto fixed camp he told us to go for a
walk by the lake – we didn’t need telling twice. It looked like there was an easy to follow
path along the edge of the lake and it appeared we’d be able to circumnavigate
it. The lake was a beautiful alluvial
turquoise with steep rocky slopes on one side and a gentler grassy bank on the
other. Now there’s some discrepancy as
too how high we are (trek itinerary vs guide) so we’ll go for the middle ground
and say camp is at 4700m. A couple of
hours stroll would nicely set us up for the start of the real trekking.
We decided to head for the top of a ridge we
could see hoping to be able to look down into the next valley. Well one ridge led to another and another and
we were kind of making the path up as we went along. We knew we couldn’t get lost so long as we
could see the lake. Anyway it was lovely
to be out of the city, breathing in fresh air and admiring snow-capped peaks up
close once again. That was until we
found ourselves on the edge of a rocky ledge starting into a gully. Never ones to go and come using the same
route we would climb up and over said rocky divide. It turned out to be much steeper than it
looked and the loose scree didn’t help matters.
The slate rocks we were trying to use to pull ourselves up either came
off in our hands or crumbled under foot adding to the tricky conditions. Luckily there were enough clumps of hardy
tough grass to use to pull yourself up and to act as solid footholds.
After a lot of huffing and puffing we finally
made it back onto a track and by this point we’d probably climbed a couple of
hundred meters straight up! So much for
a gentle stroll but at least it had been a good workout. We could see the jeep track so headed for it
knowing it would take us straight back to camp.
How on earth they manage to put ‘roads’ into these mountainous regions
beggars’ belief. Now we really did
stroll back down to camp but were pleased that our fitness levels weren’t quite
as bad as we’d feared. Let’s hope this
trek helps reduce the fatness levels too!
Although that seems unlikely as they love to
feed you on treks plus we’re in Bolivia where they insist on giving you giant
portions just for sitting still all day!
So long as we get fitter in the next 6 days before we have to tackle the
very tricky Mount Sajama. Our guide and
chef is lovely and fortunately he has a modicum of English so knows that this
trek is a build up to the mountain.
Thank goodness we had the foresight to bring the phrasebook with us. We’ve already learnt some outdoor and
mountain based Spanish so hopefully we’ll generally improve over the next few
days too. We’re so looking forward to
trekking further into the mountains tomorrow.
Day
2
The night was very long mainly because it was
mighty cold and for once Steve felt it more acutely than me. We managed to get some snippets of sleep but
were very glad to see sunrise. The sun’s
rays didn’t reach down to our campsite until about 9am but by then we’d had a
warm brew and busied ourselves packing up.
The mules duly arrived and we left the lads packing the beasts while we
set off trekking. It was lovely to be
putting one foot in front of another and feeling the warmth of the sun.
The path hugged the contours of the hillside
and climbed very slowly and steadily along the lake and tarn studded valley we’d
driven down yesterday. The views looking
back towards camp were impressive as we could see another high peak range. Plus we could clearly see where we’d
accidentally gone stumbling around yesterday – today had to be easier! After about an hour; we climbed a reasonably
steep, but not very long, path up and over into the next valley. Sixto said the top of the pass was 4850m but
we’d caught up with another group and I caught a glimpse of an altimeter that
said 4950m and weren’t we supposed to be camping at 4700m? I think we’ll be talking some of these
numbers quoted with a pinch of salt and we reckon it’s time for us to buy
another mountain gadget. That said – our
understanding of numbers in Spanish is rapidly improving.
We had now left the grass studded landscape
behind and were walking over a high altitude desert with rocks strewn
around. I couldn’t believe it when I saw
something scuttle past my boot –it turned out to be a small lizard. In fact we saw a couple of them and goodness
only knows what they are finding to eat up there. As we crested the ridge we could see way down
into the valley with another impressive range of peaks in the background. It was quite a long way down to the valley
bottom and in places the footing was a little loose due to small
landslides. Along the way we passed some
picturesque chunks of ice with beautiful icicles dangling from them.
The sun was bright and warm but as soon as the
breeze picks up there’s a significant chill in the air. We made our way to a llama pen in which to
shelter while we had our picnic lunch.
It’s always nice to be sitting in among piles of poo while tucking
in! We were rather peckish by this point
and ended up eating way more than necessary.
What can you do tasty veggie pasta and salad gets piled onto your
plate? We’d eaten a couple of mouthfuls
when Sixto remembered there were potatoes in the bottom of the pot. We’ve noticed than Bolivians feel a meal or
snack is incomplete if potato doesn’t feature there somewhere. There was no way we wanted to walk up and out
of the other side of the valley on over full stomachs so we went for a wander. A short way along the river we found a lovely
little tarn and a warm sheltered spot.
Let’s not beat about the bush – we were looking for a suitable toilet
rock!
On wandering back to the llama pen Sixto had
some good news for us – we’d be able to sleep in a hut tonight for the same
price as camping. Walls and a ceiling –
yes please! The next section of the walk
up and along the valley and around the ridge to a large red hut took about an
hour. We’d only been walking for about 4
hours but we knew today was a gentle introduction. It may not have been a long walk but we’d
thoroughly enjoyed it. How could we not
with all that stunning scenery around us?
By the time we reached the hut at Ajwani the
pony lads had set up our tent in one of the rooms. There may be bricks and mortar but there
wasn’t any furniture! There was a thick
straw mattress so we hoped to be more comfortable through the night. When I talk about the pony lads I really do
mean lads; one of them is just a boy and can’t be any older than 10 and the
other one looks to be in his late teens.
I found it difficult to justify having the young’un with us as of course
I believe he should have been at home and going to school. It turns out he does attend school and I
subsequently found out that he can read.
This is a way for him to learn a trade too and at least while he was
with us he got some decent food inside him.
With the weather still good and a warm drink
inside us we set off to look at the nearby lake. We were in another superb setting for our
nights’ accommodation with llamas, sheep and lambs frolicking about. On the water we could see coots, ducks, geese
and ibis and in the skies small raptors were gliding around. Our guide has been calling these small
raptors Ava-Maria; Michael and Janette – did you know you named your daughter
after a Bolivian bird?!
This time we managed to circumnavigate the
lake without mishap, mad scrambling or getting lost. We enjoyed soaking up the sun’s final rays
but really could do with that wind dying down.
Day
3
Following a great night’s sleep where we were
as warm as toast we were ready for a slightly more challenging day. Little did we know Sixto was going to take us
off plan and we were to have a fantastic day with many a “Wow!” uttered. We began by walking along the grassy ridge
nearest to the hut to a pass at 4900m.
That was in the schedule but then we went off-roading or should I say
off-llama tracks? There are hundreds of
domesticated animal tracks criss-crossing the slopes. Mind you they are so sure footed they can
potter about anywhere they wish.
On asking Sixto where the path went next he
announced we were going up the nearest mountain. We could see for miles from the top of the
pass so it was easy to see where the regular route would have taken us. Never ones to miss the chance for a summit we
readily agreed. It was only 100m higher
but the views were even more spectacular and we got our first glimpse of Mount
Sajama – eek! From there we carried on
along the edge before dropping steeply down to a lake for lunch. We reached its nearest shores too early to
eat so walked along the edge to the far end where we sheltered behind some rocks. Once again it was a beautiful spot to take a
break. While we were letting our food go
down Sixto gave us the options for our route to that night’s camp. The steadily relatively easy was round or up
and over the mountain we were perched on.
We’d seen the mountain we’d be tackling next week so we went for the
latter option.
There weren’t really any paths to speak of but
Sixto easily negotiated a route to the top of the next 5000m pass. We climbed quite quickly considering the
steep incline covered in loose pieces of slate.
We were amazed when we looked back down towards our picnic spot as it
seemed miles away. Sixto congratulated
us as he said that the section we’d just done was similar to sections we would
face on Sajama. But, and this is a big BUT; we’ll be a thousand meters higher, slipping
our way across ice using more gear than we want to think about right now. Still it was good to hear and gave us a much
needed confidence boost.
From the pass we took a slight detour to look
over a ridge into the valley that we would soon leave behind. This was a huge ‘wow’ moment – how can this
area manage to throw ever increasing stunning panoramas at us? We hung around taking it all in for as long
as the icy blast coming down off the peaks would allow. It was time to get back to the path and head
towards camp. Well that’s what we
thought and I honestly thought Sixto was joking when he said we’ll go up and
over this mountain. No, he wasn’t
kidding and it’s great that he’s helping us to train for Sajama but enjoying
himself in the process. I think we’ve
proved to be not as slow and unfit as he (and we) thought and is relishing
getting off the beaten track. Not that
you encounter many people on the beaten track in these parts.
Anyway we set off once again at what felt like
straight up a sandy, small pebble and slate strewn incline. It was tough going and where we thought the
summit was proved to be just another of those ridges. There was no way we were giving up so we
carried on at what felt like a good pace considering the altitude. Before long we spied a cairn and once again Sixto
was congratulating us; this time for bagging our third 5000m peak of the day
and for the fact that we were now at 5200m.
Obviously the views were magnificent for 3600 and looking
down the opposite side we could just pick out our tent. It was waiting for us 500m below and we were
a little alarmed on hearing we had to wait while our guide went to check it was
possible to descend from here. We have every
faith in Sixto and know he wouldn’t put us in a potentially dangerous position
so duly followed when he beckoned. Silly
us thought there’d be some evidence of a path but no we would be going straight
down a scree slope. We’ve not tried
skiing but think we have a good idea of what it must feel like now. Basically we did a slow, controlled skid
pretty much straight down 400m to join the usual route. It was great fun and certainly and easy not
to mention quick way down a mountain.
That night we camped at Juri Quta at 4700m and
on the shore of another stunning lake.
Well, the tent had been in a cracking spot right near the lake but the
icy blast blowing across the water led us to question the wisdom of the tent’s
position. In the end we moved it to a
more sheltered spot behind a small but’n’ben type hut. It was still windy and the sun had already
dipped below the nearby mountain range making the temperature perceptively
drop. We could only hope that we
wouldn’t be too cold through the night and judging from the amount nearby tents
were rustling we’d bagged a good spot.
Day
4
Despite it being cold enough through the night
for the water in our bottle to turn to ice we managed to stay relatively
warm. To say we had a cracking night’s
sleep would be pushing it but the hours between dusk and dawn passed reasonably
quickly. Luckily there was very little
in the way of a breeze when we set off.
We thought we’d had a good day yesterday in
terms of trekking, training and views but today surpassed it. We began by walking along the edge of the
lake where this gentle stroll soon intensified.
The track gradually led up and away from the shoreline but followed its
contours. By the time we reached the
head of the lake we’d risen quite a distance and could see glacier clad
peaks. We thought we had to cross the
bottom end of one of the glaciers hence setting off a little earlier before the
surface started melting. Obviously our
Spanish isn’t improving as rapidly as we thought as in the end the glaciers
were way beyond reach. It turned out we
needed to cross the glacial stream before too much ice melt meant wet
feet. From there we walked up a very
rocky, slate dominated area where the going was noticeably steeper. The great thing about trekking in high
mountains is you can always look back and reward yourself with the knowledge
that not so long ago you were right down there.
We knew part of the day’s route involved a
brief Spiderman impression. All too soon
we were told to attach the trek poles to our packs and get ready to go up on
all fours. It wasn’t anywhere near as
treacherous as it could have been as we were climbing up a solid rocky
outcrop. The added bonus was that we
couldn’t see over the edge and therefore the drop down. We mastered this very short section quickly
and without fuss. It was now time to
think about getting to the summit of this part of the trek. In fact we were aiming for the top of Pico
Austria at 5300m. From what we’d seen of
the mountain so far it didn’t look possible without specialist skills and
equipment. However, the path wound its
way round to the other side where the going looked tricky but trek-able. We could just pick out the zig zag path so it
was time to get our heads down and plod our way up.
There wasn’t going to be any rushing from us
and in fact we found this section quite tough on the legs. Yesterday’s trekking seemed to wake up our
heart and lungs whereas today’s got some seldom used muscles back into action. Getting to the top was by no means a doddle
but we never thought it was beyond us.
As we reached the ridge on the top we could look over into the valley
we’d camped in the previous night. It
all seemed a long, long way in terms of distance and height. From there it was only another 10mins to the
summit where the views of the Cordillera Real were truly breath-taking. No – not because we were exhausted (!) it
knocked the spots off anything we’d seen previously. We quickly recovered our breath (yes,
physically this time) and got down to the serious business of trying to capture
the area’s beauty on camera.
It was a little chilly up there but luckily
the wind was still light. We walked a
little way down the ridge to a sheltered spot where we had our picnic. Not only does this go down as the highest and
most stunning place we’ve ever enjoyed a butty; but Pico Austria goes straight
in as the third highest mountain we’ve scaled.
From the top we could see Condoriri which is a popular trekkers and
climbers peak along with Mount Potosi.
Plus we could see Illampu and the highest peak Illimani with hundreds of
smaller peaks dotted in between. To be
honest not many of the peaks look trek-able and this has to be a mountaineer’s
/ climber’s dream destination.
Once the picnic things had been cleared away;
even up there Sixto put down the cloth and prepared the food. It was only butties today and we thought he
would have brought them ready prepared.
Anyway it was time to descend.
Just before we did Sixto left the remaining bread bun for the Ava-Maria
raptors to enjoy. We’d also been lucky
enough to see buzzards circling around while we were on the top.
Since we’d proved we could tackle scree
running without mishap we would get off the peak the fast way. What had taken us an hour to ascend took a
mere 10mins to descend and that was being careful not gung-ho. The couple behind us legged it down in a
couple of minutes. Mind you we’re in
climbers’ territory now where us trekkers are regarded as lesser mortals. Anyway we quickly reached the pass leading to
the next valley and that night’s destination.
In fact on peering down we could see our tent. It was a steep but enjoyable path down as we
could see we’d be camping in yet another stunning spot. We reached camp at 2.30pm where the tent had
been positioned in a sheltered shallow.
It was such a pleasure sitting sipping a brew, nibbling on a biscuit
while perched on a rock basking in the warmth of the sun. We tried to give our hands and face a good
wash but the water was freezing.
With plenty of time and beautiful weather we
went for a wander along the edge of the lake to where all the climbers
camp. There’s definite segregation going
on here! As we wandered along, the
ubiquitous herd of llamas came past and that led to Steve trying to get that
perfect llama with mountain background photo.
There were also a number of little birds pottering about proving that
we’d descended into warmer climes where food is more readily available. We also spotted a couple of different types
of lizard, including a beautiful green one, and some cute mice. Best of all was watching chinchilla again –
the way they bound around is reminiscent of pademelons though they more closely
resemble rabbits.
We’d had the best day of the trek so far and
feel it will probably prove to be the highlight. Bagging another high peak in among awesome
scenery and wildlife to boot – how can Bolivia beat that?
Day
5
I mentioned something about wildlife and
warmer climes yesterday but I hasten to add that’s only during the day. Considering the water in our metal flask
started freezing overnight I think that indicates how chilly it gets in these
parts. It is just coming out of winter
here and the trade-off for the sub-zero nights is warm clear days with bright
blue skies.
We’d been asked to have breakfast and be ready
to go a little earlier as today was going to be a long day. We knew there were two 5000m passes to deal
with but hadn’t realised we’d be walking 22kms.
We didn’t know about that last fact until we entered that night’s
camping area. Anyway we knew the first
section was a steady 2 hours up to the first pass. We had a feeling the pace was quite good but
got a shock on finding ourselves at the summit of the pass in only an
hour. Sixto was pushing and testing us
again in preparation for Sajama – let’s hope he doesn’t wear us out
though! We calculated that we’d ascended
400m in 60mins which can’t be bad.
That’s over 1000 of your namby-pamby British feet and I challenge you to
go and try it for yourself!!
Obviously what goes up much go down and we
descended steeply then steadily into a beautiful deserted valley. There were chinchilla bounding among the
rocks and at the bottom we found ourselves in an alpaca farming area. We walked along the grassy valley and then
started to climb again and we thought this was the start of the next pass. Wrong!
This was just a bobble one had to get over so we could walk towards the
next pass. The path up the second pass
was very steep so it was a case of head down and get into a pace and trek pole
rhythm. The sun had been very intense
today and even with our heads covered it was a bit too over-powering. We picked up a random extra guide today (I
think he was off to meet up with his next group) so Sixto had someone to talk
to. While we trudged up the steep slope
gasping for breath they were merrily plodding along having a good natter. Humph!
It didn’t take us long to recover at the top where we had a welcome
snack break. The set pace meant we’d got
back up to 5000m from around 4800m in just half an hour.
Suffice it to say it was too early for lunch
so we set off down the other side. The
path descended to what had once been a mining area and the abandoned mines and
villages are still clearly visible.
There’s a smattering of more modern buildings and it seems people now
make a living through fishing and alpaca farming. Plus each night we’ve had to pay Bob10 a head
in camping fees. To be fair the locals
are trying to provide toilet facilities (some better than others!) and they
keep the areas clean and litter free.
We walked through the deserted village up and
over a couple of small ridges before Sixto finally found a lunch spot he was
happy with. We’ve now left a big section
of the Cordillara Real behind but have a cracking view of Mount Potosi; an
impressive rocky, glacier clad triangular peak.
We were starving and tucked into the ever tasty food with gusto. The trouble is we ended up eating too much
too quickly so had to rest a while. We
felt rather sluggish due to fairly fast walking up steep hills, stuffing
ourselves and the baking sun. We
couldn’t lie there all day so picked ourselves up and headed for camp.
Luckily the going was easy as we were
following the old mining road. In fact
we now felt like we were heading back towards civilisation as we’d seen a car
and there were telegraph posts around.
Not that we had electricity of a nearby water source at Maria Lloco
camp. It was very dry so the nearest
stream was a bit of a trudge away. Once
again we were first to reach camp and were congratulated on a good day’s walk.
Day
6
We spent an hour longer than usual out of our
sleeping bags last night. It was a
slightly warmer campsite and the wind had thankfully abated. So we thought we might be warmer through the
night and following the long day’s walk hoped we’d be sleepy enough for the
night to pass quickly. Besides which
Sixto and the pony lads had set up the eating quarters in a hut so it was
cosy. With it being our last evening we
tried to strike up a few conversations with phrase books and pigeon English /
Spanish – we kind of got by.
For once it seemed colder when the sun was up
so none of us we on for messing around.
We’d packed up our gear, dismantled the tent but the kitchen stuff still
had to be stowed away. The young lad
found a home-made rags and bags football so we had a bit of a kick-about. It was a good way to warm up at over 4500m!
I’m sure you’ve got the trekking drill off by
heart now and of course we walked up and along the nearest ridge. The main difference today was that the path
continued steadily right up to the pass at 5000m – a common height for passes
in these parts don’t you think?! Our
final pass of this trek and we thanked our guide for all his help, training and
encouragement. To indicate how gradual
the ascent was; our pony and donkey used this path instead of the usual
circuitous route. It was lovely to all
walk down together and have a final lunch before going our separate ways. There’s always that tip moment butt this one
was easy and relaxed with genuine heartfelt thanks all round.
Unfortunately lunch proved to be a chilly
event as a bank of cloud had rolled in behind us. For us all it did was block out the sun but
we felt sorry for anyone who was on the 6000+m Mount Potosi behind us. Anyway, with the farewells bid it was time
for the lads to retrace their steps with their animals and for us to jump into
our waiting vehicle. We were now back in
the realms of civilisation with a mining town, vehicles and electricity pylons. We were seriously looking forward to a long
hot shower but were not looking forward to being back in the city. We were warmly greeted back at the Hiking
Bolivia / Alberth Bolivia Tours office (they seem to use both titles). We ensured that the boss knew we’d had an
excellent trip and felt that Sixto was brilliant.
While we were there we tried on mountaineering
boots in preparation for the following day’s departure to Mount Sajama. I really don’t know how you’re supposed to
get to the top of a mountain wearing all of that clobber! While we were chuckling about that and my
daft penguin impression we heard some great news. Sixto had decided to join us on the Sajama
leg of our trek even though he told us right at the beginning of the trek that
he doesn’t go there any more. Our
company / ability / tips must have accounted for something.
Walking back across town was horrible – people
and vehicles everywhere. We picked up a
Cordillera cerveza each en-route to the hotel and promptly holed up in our
room. We figured one beer wouldn’t hurt
and felt that the trek had been so fantastic it had to be celebrated.
Travel Info:
We booked the trel through http://www.hikingbolivia.com/ and they were very good and much cheaper than all other quotes. Our guide Sixto was excellent and also a great cook. The only negative thing is after spening a load of cash with them on 2 treks they asked for $10 to hire 2 trek poles for each trek - a bit cheeeky. Also the ifo re the Sajama climb was a bit vague ( see the blog).
