Trekking in the Cordillera Huayhuash

First day: Tuesday

Huaraz – Matacancha (Cuartelhuain) – Lake Mitucocha 4,200 m

Tomorrow we'll start one day late.

Our missing bag is back, so we can repack for the Huayhuash trek and make final preparations for our departure at 4:00 a.m. We'll have a quick bite to eat and then head to bed early so we're ready to wake up.

We leave any equipment we don’t need at the hotel.

The alarm goes off at 3:00 a.m.

Special: Breakfast was prepared for us. We enjoyed a last meal in the warm restaurant before setting off on what was now only a seven-day tour with overnight stays in tents, due to our missing bag.

The pickup truck arrives on time, loaded with equipment for the upcoming adventure. We are greeted by Saúl Angeles Cruz, owner of the tour operator ANGELES EXPEDICIONES ( angelesaul67@gmail.com ).

Saúl went to the trouble of picking us up from the hotel and made sure our bags were carefully stowed with the other equipment and properly secured.

Meanwhile, we greet Julio, our cook and companion, whom we already know from mountain tours in previous years.

Everything is quickly loaded, Saúl says goodbye to us and walks home, while the four of us begin our 7-hour drive towards Huayhuash.

As soon as we leave Huaraz, the roads become so bad that sleeping in the car is out of the question.

I often wonder why we at home are still completely renovating perfectly intact roads when I see how dilapidated other countries are coping with such roads.

Soon it's getting light, and beautiful mountains open up in all directions. Our path winds its way, staying at an altitude of around 4,000 meters, past massifs of colors unfamiliar to us.

Then it abruptly descends steeply. The pass road leads in countless switchbacks down to Chiquián, where the road branches off toward Huayhuash.

The snow-capped peaks of the mountains that captivate so many people are already visible on the horizon. We lose about 1,500 meters in altitude until we turn right onto a narrow gravel road and lose another 500 meters in altitude.

Now we continue up through gorges on a bumpy road in dangerous curves past steep slopes until the valleys become lighter and the meadows wider, and we reach our starting point for the trek, Matacancha (Cuartelhuain), at around 4,200 m.

The donkeys and horses are already waiting. We greet each other warmly and begin unloading the pickup truck without haste. Everything is carefully sorted and laid out for onward transport by the mullahs, while the driver leaves us for the ride home.

Julio treats us to steamed vegetables that he lovingly prepared at home before we set off on our journey. Julio knows our preferences perfectly and never fails to surprise us with his culinary skills.

Finally, the journey begins. We follow well-trodden paths steeply up to the Cacananpunta Pass, located at approximately 4,750 meters.

The rock, calcareous like at home, washed out by rain with carts where many people step, greasy.

It's like Toggenburg, only everything is 2,000 meters higher. We feel very good, having allowed ourselves enough time to acclimatize.

Just as steep as the climb to the pass, the path now descends into a green valley where cows graze and to a river that winds its way down.

Now, after a kilometer-long traverse to the next valley, we turn right until we reach the camp site at Lake Mitucocha (4,200 m) with a wonderful view of the glacier-covered mountain giants.

Julio surprises us again with vegetables that he has brought with him in his backpack.

While we're eating, we see our mules coming over a ridge. Now we can set up our tents, settle in, and recover from the long day.

We are curious to see how the first night in the tent at 4,200 m will affect us.

Dogs bark, waking us up again and again. The typical gasping for breath bothers me a bit. Naturally, my nose gets blocked, as it has so often on previous nights in the tent. At least there's no headache or nausea. So we survive the first night in the tent quite well.