by Bob Madeley

The Cordillera Blanca in the Peruvian Andes is one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the world, with peaks reaching a height of more than 6000m. Although not as high as the great giants of the Himalaya, these mountains hold second place to none in shape and grandeur. It was with the prospect of experiencing this grandeur that eleven of us, led by Alf Gregory Greg , set off from England with perhaps a little trepidation to this wild area on the other side of the world.

After two days in the bustling city of Lima we left by bus on the 250 mile journey to Huaraz, crossing part of the Atacama desert through which passes the Pan American Highway. This is a road cut through the sand and which in places reaches a height of one hundred metres immediately above the sea. As we moved inland, many roads had washed away by floods and rivers and the driver was often forced to drive along dry, rocky, river beds until the road could be regained.

After a very hot and dusty ten hour drive punctuated by several breakdowns, the bus, with very suspect brakes, at last reached Huarez. En route we had taken a short side trip to the Parachota Valley on the edge of the High Cordillera. In this remote valley of sparse vegetation and deep clear “coral like” pools, we saw the Puya Raimondi which has the tallest flower spike in the world, attaining a height of eight metres or more. This plant is confined to the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes and may live for one hundred years, flowering just once before it dies. An estimated eight hundred flowers grow on one stalk, attracting the humming birds which play a large part in their pollination.

A tortuous alpine style road led us above Caraz and the first sight of a beautifully shaped peak of Santa Cruz got our adrenalin flowing. The arrieros packed our gear onto thirty five burros and along with a horse and three scraggy dogs we ascended the steep gorge which, after three days travel, led us to the Punta Union Pass 4,750m .

Continental drift, resisted by the Earth’s crust below the Pacific Ocean, has created intense compression and has crumbled the land’s surface, releasing the igneous rocks which form most of the highest peaks. The effects of glaciation, volcanic action and water erosion have completed the process and have helped to form the sheer mountain sides above the deep gorges through which we passed. The extreme temperatures between day and night, so near to the equator, continually freeze and thaw the snow and ice, forming beautiful jagged peaks with grotesque shapes along the ridges.

Swamp areas, created by the lakes gradually drying out, seriously impeded our progress yet revealed a vast variety of beautiful plants and flowers, at their best in June, as we splashed our way through the clinging bog.

The first stage to the campsite was undertaken on horseback. Progress was not very fast and yours truly decided to press ahead, but as the altitude took its toll the raison d’etre of the horse became obvious. A slap on the rear from the arrieros persuaded the horse to leap across the river whilst the arrieros preferred to cross the bridge upstream. The horse was unable to make the jump and so stopped I didn’t and scrambled from the river in a sodden state. From then on, there was a complete respect by the entire party for the effects of altitude!

Camping in the Cordillera was very comfortable with the temperature rarely falling below minus five degrees centigrade and very pleasant evenings were spent around the campfire. The mess tent was the scene of a pleasant “happy hour” before dinner when we drank Pisco a grape brandy to which we took quite a liking followed by an excellent meal prepared by the arrieros. As darkness fell lights appeared from other campfires high on the hillside where itinerant Indians were spending the night. However, we slept well as our dogs were very capable of keeping any light fingered intruders at bay.

Early morning: dawn was greeted with tea brought to our tents at 6.30 am. An excellent breakfast was taken as the sun rose and we were off again. The climb to the Punta Union was very steep as we wound upwards along the zig zag, rock strewn path. We passed by the very edge of glaciers below the four peaked summit of Taulliraju 5,830m , which dominated the scene with its jagged serrated ridges, lit up in the early sunlight.

A long time was spent on the summit of this pass, partly for a desperately needed breather but mainly to take in the wonderful panorama. Everywhere was silent, the snow white and glistening. The Pass is guarded by Taulliraju, its vast glaciers tumbling down into a deep turquoise lake far below, whilst overhead we caught our first glimpse of a Condor soaring above the ridges. The sun became hotter, there were deep rumblings and an avalanche fell down the mountainside then all was silent once more.

Once over the Pass we descended across bog land through the Huaripampa when we returned to lush vegetation and beautiful flowers. On the way we passed several medium sized Indian villages where we were made very welcome. Village land is generally owned collectively and the rural Indians live virtually outside the money economy. Day to day life is organized on the basis of mutual help big jobs, such as harvesting, threshing and house building are done with the help of neighbours, who in return receive help when needed. In spite of their apparent poverty, we certainly had the impression that they were a happy and contented people. A wedding was taking place in a nearby village and the procession passed us by on the trail, the bride to be on horseback, the family carrying everything needed for the festival, and grandma bringing up the rear carrying her kettle.

Along the seventy five mile length of the Cordillera rise some twenty peaks of over 6,000m, including Peru’s highest mountain, Huascaran, with the world’s largest concentration of glaciers within the tropical zone. Our journey continued over several high passes and we saw many fine waterfalls which tumble over cliffs creating delightful patterns in the afternoon sun.

A very stiff climb to the Portachuelo de Rataquena and suddenly the summit of the Pass was upon us revealing a mighty panorama of the high peaks of Rataquena, Tocllaraju and Copa, reaching down into the Honda Valley which was to lead us to our destination. And then a very rare experience just below the summit and on very slippery ice coated cliffs we saw the Rima Rima, a plant found only in this part of Peru. With its delicate red flower and large leaves, it seemed more suited to a greenhouse than to the top of a 5,000m pass. The Indians have a special reverence for the flower, perhaps because of its success in surviving in its hostile environment, and some wear it in their hatbands for good fortune.

On the final descent to Rinoconda the burros seemed to sense that their labours were at an end and proceeded with renewed energy over limestone rock, serrated over the years by water erosion. The river swells in winter and then recedes during the summer to reveal the strata of the rock and strange formations. It tumbled noisily through yet another cataract as we reached the end of our journey to be were greeted by beer, sandwiches and fruit before loading our equipment back onto the bus.

As we left the high hills for the last time, we looked back at the beautiful peak of Rataquena with its summit glistening in the sunlight and reflected on the scenery we had been privileged to trek through, also the hospitality we had experienced from everyone we met.