Chachani, Part 2

Lead guide Iván offered to guide us along the route through the dark. I think he was happy to have us along, as were we to have him. Despite Amanda´s stomach ache and my headache, we felt pretty good. We reached the halfway point in 2 hours, but knew the hard part was still to come. We watched a sliver moon and the sun rise at the same time, while Arequipa´s lights faded away.

As the sun rose, the hiking got harder. The lack of oxygen made it difficult to do anything. None of our bodies was sore or tired, but our brains were exhausted from the concentration put into forced breathing and the discipline needed to go forward.

We reached the summit at 7 am, after 5 hours of hiking. We descended, thinking that we would instantly feel better. Our headaches got worse. We had to cross some scree fields with hanging ice above-sketchy as the warm sunshine melted ice and released rocks. We reached campamento base 3 hours later, mentally exhausted and physically tired. We packed up and hiked down to meet Jacinto, who brought us beers to celebrate our summit. Even though the road was bumpy, we slept most of the ride back to Arequipa.

After showers and naps, we met Inti and Iván for some pizza and beers. They are amazingly nice people, and we are happy that we met new friends in Perú. Their connection with the mountains and their integrity towards responsible guiding is worthy of respect and admiration. We appreciate their service and their friendships.

More pictures can be seen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/laingrob/Chachani#