August 19, 2018 – August 24, 2018

The Cordillera Blanca (White Mountain Range) of Peru, according to our guide book, is,

“the world’s highest tropical mountain range and encompasses some of South America’s highest mountains”

As we drove, snow and ice capped peaks began to appear behind the nearer mountains that lined the valleys. The steep valley slopes were terraced and green evidencing centuries of farming knowledge. We drove through rural town centres, filled with fruit and produce markets, traditionally dressed indigenous locals, and backpacking tourists readying themselves for long treks in the Andes of Peru.

After spending a day relaxing and resupplying at a popular overland camp outside of Caraz, we headed into the high country to hike at Laguna Paron.  When you look at the route for the day on Google Maps and it looks like a Dr. Suess version of someone’s signature, you know you’re in for an interesting drive.

After setting up camp, at about 4,200 metres (about 13,800 feet), we headed out on a hike along the shores of Laguna Paron. The trail had very little elevation gain and loss, which was good considering we had been close to sea level only a few days ago.

That evening, we were treated to the stunning effect of the sunset casting its glow over the snow capped mountains.

We felt pretty good. We had hiked the trail fairly quickly, neither of us suffering too much from the elevation. We had dinner, made plans to hike to a view point the next morning before driving back down into the valley, and went to bed.

Within minutes of lying down, my head began to ache. I tried wishing it away, but to no avail. A few hours later, I got up, took some Diamox (a pharmaceutical that helps the body adapt to high altitude), and returned to bed. One side effect of Diamox, being a diuretic, is that it makes you pee….a lot. So, several times during the night I was up to pee, one of the times of which Derek also reported having a headache…and when I say headache, I mean, probably like what someone who experiences severe migraines would describe.

So, both of us were up, pretty much all night, either lying in near agony, or peeing. Morning came, and we decided to bail on another hike to a nearby mirador (viewpoint) and to get to a lower elevation as quickly as possible.

We spent a couple of days in Caraz recuperating and then headed to elevation again to hike Laguna 69, one of the most popular day hikes in the region. It was crowded, but spectacular.

 

After the hike, we headed to a high elevation camp at a brewery that is housed in a repurposed shipping container. We enjoyed a couple of artisanal beers, and were able to sleep at altitude (3,500 metres, 11,400 feet) without any negative effects from the elevation.  Our bodies had adjusted, just in time for us to head to the coast once again.