Trekking: Cordillera Huayhuash Day 5

Day five: Saturday

Guanacpatay (Elefante) 4,500 m – Santa Rosa Pass 5,070 m – Huayllapa 3,500 m

Distance: 19.3 km / Ascent: 651 m / Descent: 1660 m

Good morning!

I slept poorly. My old mistake, once again not drinking enough; this woke me up with a severe headache. At least I was able to keep the pain at bay until dawn by drinking more.

The night was bitterly cold, the tent walls were frozen thick.

We warmed ourselves up with coffee and tea. The fruit salad was warm today; the fruit must have been frozen overnight.

After a starry night, a sunny day is on the way.

Still in the freezing cold shade, we tidy up, free our tent from the ice, and pack everything away.

Today's stage is a double one, with a climb of around 650 m up to the Santa Rosa Pass and then down over seemingly endless scree slopes to Huayllapa, which lies almost 20 km away and 1,660 m lower.

This monster stage saves us another day, which we plan to spend in Huaraz meeting friends and getting our equipment back in shape before continuing on to Bolivia.

We start in the morning sun, cross a moorland and then climb up towards Santa Rosa Pass in the cold shade.

The snow-capped mountains hide from us, yet beautifully shaped rock formations line the valley in which we ascend.

At first, cows graze on sparse pastures, but as we approach the pass, the terrain becomes so rocky that hardly any grass grows. The altitude and the increasing wind cause the temperature to drop; we grit our teeth until we reach the top.

What we are presented with here is unbelievable. After stony deserts and scree slopes, this magnificent view of white peaks with hanging glaciers as far as the eye can see, directly below us a deep blue lagoon; the hardships of the ascent are forgotten.

Days ago I thought the view couldn't be topped, but this sight surpasses anything I've ever seen. We shout for joy. We can hardly get enough of the scenery, but the cold and wind force us to descend.

The path leads us steeply down towards the lake on slippery scree, demanding utmost concentration. I have to stop frequently to take photographs and capture the magnificent white landscape. Despite this, we quickly lose altitude until, slightly above the glacial lake, we turn left and descend the moraine, heading down the valley.

The seemingly endless valley is accompanied by the stream that rises above the lake, serving as the lifeblood for the entire region. We walk alongside herds of cows, down crumbling, river-eroded cliffs, until the first fields appear on steep slopes.

Now Julio surprises us again. He unpacks his backpack and serves us a dish of quinoa and vegetables that he carried with him on the long journey.

Christina and I can hardly believe the hospitality and selfless dedication. And the love with which the dish was prepared! We are simply grateful and want to show our cook and guide our joy and appreciation.

Another hour to the village; becoming steeper again, the route leads along roads that are impassable even for off-road vehicles, to the village football field, where our tent city is already set up as usual.

Savvy villagers immediately offer us beer, Wi-Fi, a shower and battery charging service, all for a fee, of course.

A long, beautiful day comes to an end; we enjoy the simple luxury of the football pitch and fall asleep content.

In the middle of the night, the gauchos' dogs, who peacefully guard our tent village, start barking in competition with the village dogs. Fortunately, we've already gotten used to the barking and howling.