After Huallay we decided it was time to do some touristy stuff so naturally Machu Picchu was on our minds. We took the night bus back to Lima and went back to our usual hostel. That night we went to the sushi joint again for dinner and killed it on the all you can each sushi menu. Super proud I went to sleep with a full tummy. I’m sad to report, I got food poisoned again. It wasn’t as bad as the first time, but seriously now, is food poisonings ever not bad? Ill spare the details. So, after an extra day in Lima recovering I found myself sitting in the bus terminal of Cruz Del Sur which looked more like an airport then a bus stop.
After a long but fairly easy 20 hour bus ride, we made it south to the ancient city of Cuzco. One thing about the bus that I thought was funny was in the beginning of the trip they announce that you’re only aloud to pee in the toilet, no number two. They expected us call the attendant to our seats and then get the bus (which was full) to stop. Luckily neither of us had to go, but wouldn’t it be embarrassing to have to stop the bus and then run to a washroom and poo with the whole bus staring at you? Oh, another thing about night busses. As soon as it’s past 11pm, the driver rages it. If you have fear of going around hairpin corners at mach 10 with the bus almost tipping over and your body lunging back and forth in your seat, take the day bus.
Cuzco is massive. I had no idea it was such a large city. It’s nestled in a wide valley at around 3000 meters, with old steep cobbled roads winding their way up the mountain between colonial buildings that are literally built on top of Inca ruins. The main square is Plaza de Armas and although I typically hate touristy spots this one was really impressive. There is a massive cathedral which looks hundreds of years old and a big church with 2 massive bell towers that Cati and I are going to try and climb up. Catis Grandma sent her an email and supposedly there’s a painting of one of their ancestors on the wall so we plan on searching it out when we climb the towers. I read that when the Spanish conquered the Incas in Cuzco, they built the church with the bell towers on top of one of the royal Inca palaces. Ouch.
We got our stuff off the bus, took some lady’s advice on a cheap hostel and just like that we were settled in our new surroundings. We spent the afternoon walking around city following wrong directions looking for a Guiding Company that was supposed to have information about climbing spots and maybe even crash pads for rent. We didn’t find it, however we did find an adobe oven clad restaurant and stuffed our faces with yummy, artisan pizza.
The next morning we called Andean Destinations and got a name of a local climber. They didn’t have pads to rent but at least we got a number. David answered his phone right away and was just about to go climbing. We met him down by the plaza and started walking. We walked for 15 minutes, took a bus for another 10 then walked for another 45. On the way he showed us an old cave temple where the Incas used to do rituals. As we walked past old ruins he also told us to be home by dark. 8 years ago, apparently there was a satanic cult practicing in the area and a few years back a tourist was found dead. Home before dark, check...
The rock at the spot we finally came up to was decent. Nothing special but worth finding if you’re in Cuzco and craving some stones to climb. While we were there we met a crazy Spanish expat who we had heard about. All we heard is “He’s easy to find.” We climbed with him for a bit and he told us that he found a lady would sew crash pads for him. All the materials and labour would cost $30 dollars. After hearing this we promptly put in an order for one. Apparently well have it in 3 days...Love it.
That night we both agreed we were feeling restless and it was time to make the pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. There are multiple options to get there with the touristy expensive ones being at the bottom on our list and riding a motorcycle there being on the top. We looked into the motorcycle idea but being as it was the rainy season and apparently the road is a death trap as it is, we opted out of that one. So, it was either take the train which would cost in the hundreds our do the more economic route and take public transportation which involved one 5 hour bus ride to Santa Maria, another 1.5 hour cab to Santa Teresa then another 1 hour cab to Hydro Electrica. After this a short walk to a Train access only town called Augas Caliente.
We decided on the eco bus mission and thinking it was easy, we woke up at 730, leisurely packed our stuff up that we needed and put the rest in storage, had the usual toast, jam, and coffee and then walked down to the plaza to get some money from the ATM. We went to 4 different ATMs and not a single one would let us withdraw more than $200US. Any other city we’ve been in you can take almost $400 but here, being the tourist trap it is, $200 would have to do. This wouldn’t be a problem in my home country but here, it costs $5 every time you use your card.
The bus terminal was buzzing and seeing how it was already 1045am this was no surprise. We asked around at the various counters and ended up at the one going to Santa Maria. The lady was a real cow and told us it was either take the bus at 130pm which would be too late or, with a smirk she said “You could always take a helicopter.” Such helpful people you run into at you shoestring travel. Yes I know this isn’t some tour bus company and she probably doesn’t make much but is sarcasm really nessaccery? A solid fuck you in our minds and a polite “thanks but no thanks” from our mouths and we were out of the terminal.
We had heard from a few locals that you can also take a minivan and they park just up the street. Along the way we met a couple of 20 something yr old French tourists who were clearly traveling for the first time. Something about the way people dress and the way they talk about money and such. It just seemed obvious. Anyways, we walked up the street with these two and found a private taxi company. They wanted 35 soles each which wasn’t really that bad as the bus was 20. We were trying to knock the price down a few soles and they aggressively told the driver they would pay 25 and no more. I felt like telling them that frowning, scowling and raising your voice isn’t the way to negotiate. Watching them talk to this driver, Cati and I said gracias but no thanks and tried to slip away from the couple. The wandered back to the terminal but then half jogged and caught up to us as we continued up the street. We found a mini bus that was about to leave and got it for 25 soles. The good thing about a minivan about to leave is it’s about to leave. The bad part? It’s packed and there are only seats in the middle which are barely even seats. More like hard wooden benches with pads on them.
The drive we bumpy and cramped with Cati riding in the very back squished between a snoring lady passed out on her shoulder and a motion sick mother and 1 year old both puking yellow liquid into a bag. Up until the puking, I envied here because I was in the middle of the van with my legs unable to stretch out and me head not able to lean on anything. Awful. To make things worse the French guy was sticking his camera in every ones face so he could get shots out the window. What a douche bag. The coolest part of the drive is the switch backs with creeks running over the roads. No culverts, they just built the road through the creek and you drive through 6 inches of water as it flows over the pavement.
After 4.5 hours of hell with a short stop where I observed our brakes smoking we made it to our first destination, Santa Maria. There were a few guys with cabs waiting for our minivan. We already knew 10 soles was the going rate so without problem we were out of our minivan and into the cab. The french however thought this was too much. They put their packs in our cab, and then said they needed to go get a bag of chips from the nearby store. They weren’t fooling anyone; we watched them walk around the road asking other cabs for rides while we waited in the hot car. They came back and tried bargaining with no luck and making another scene. Embarrassing for them and annoying for us. The guy kept saying, “Go ask anyone, that’s the price!” as the whole town watched. They were actually arguing over 60 cents...wow...
After their scene they agreed to come with us and we made it to Santa Teresa without incident. The road was bumpy and not paved and it zigged and zagged dangerously close to a 100 meter drop with no barricade. Most roads don’t bother me but this one was intense and to make it wore the cabbie was wearing headphones blasting Red Hot Chile Peppers and honking super loud as we skidded around blind corners. What I didn’t get was, if he was honking so the other guy could hear him, how he was going to hear oncoming cars honking at him...
We ditched the two French in Santa Teresa and then continued on another dirty bumpy crazy road which winded through a dried up river bed. Next stop, Hydro Electrica. Oh, and the French who didn’t want to pay 10 soles to take a cab? Pulled out 100 soles to pay for it. Lame Lame Lame. As we were driving on the road in the river bed, Cati and I put it together that there’s a Dam up stream at Hydro Electrica and this is why the river is dry and we are driving in it. This wouldn’t be allowed in Canada for sure!
At Hydro Electrica we checked in with the tourists check point and signed in. From there you have to walk along the tracks. We walked for an hour or so, taking photos and generally strolling leisurely. As it started to get dark we picked up the pace a bit. Every corner we walked around we hoped we were there. It was pretty much dark when we saw the lights of a train coming. As it got closer we realized it was a service car. A small square 5 meter by 5 meter box with a diesel engine. We stuck out thumbs out and it stopped!! We squeezed in and laughed as it took off. We had just hitch hiked on a train track... I really didn’t know that was possible. They did want a few bucks for the ride but after th0 15 minutes ride on the service car we realized it would have taken us a few more hours.
We rolled into Aquas Caliente in the pitch black just as it started to rain. We bought tickets for Machu Picchu and found a hostel. Things are in the low season around hear so hostels are cheap and restaurants have people in front trying desperately to get you to come inside. Aquas Caliente is a resort town but with not so much money. There is tons of restaurants with wood fire places, hotels, and overpriced everything else u can think of. We didn’t really explore because the plan was to be up at 3am to grab coffee and then be on the trail by four.
We woke at 3am, got out the door by 350 and made it to the coffee shop by 4 something. The guy told us we were kind of early so we sat down. After our coffees we walked the 15 minutes down the dirt road to the gate. There were a few couples ahead of us waiting and while we waited for the gate to open a dozen others showed up. Some people looked super serious like they had been training to do this their whole life. One lady in particular had her game face on but the other two dudes looked pretty chill and were taking photos and talking. She just sat there staring, ready to rock.
When the gate opened Cati and I didn’t even line up. Serious lady on the other hand had her nose right on the gate and was not going to let anybody be number one. Someone needs to tell her it’s not a race...jeez... We packed our sweaters into our packs then started. We were behind maybe 12 people. The trail is basically just a bunch of steps made from stone which were made by the Incas. As it winds its way through the jungle I realized what an impressive feat it was just to make these steps... The trail was steep, but nothing too bad. Cati and I had been at 4300 meters in Huallay and Hatun climbing and hiking with heavy packs. Today as we hiked up to Machu we were at 1800 meters and had basically no extra weight.
Less than 10 minutes into the hike a few people in front of us had to stop. A few more minutes a few more people. After 20 Minutes it was serious lady and one of her friends and then Cati and I behind her. He buddy was huffing and puffing and had to stop. She was trudging ahead with no mercy until then but stopped with her friend. Cati and I were now in the front. We continued 10 minutes more and 30 minutes after we started we were at the top! There was 4 more Ausie guys right behind us but we were first!! Thousands of people come to Machu Picchu a day but we were number one at the gate. One more thing about being one of the firsts is that the first 400 people get a free ticket to access a mountain called Waynu Pichu. Oh, and serious lady? We saw her come up maybe 10th and she had ditched both her friends and was scowling at Cati and I... haha... again, not a race lady, but we we beat you!! Hahaha
The gates at the top opened at 600am and by now the sun was up and lighting up the clouds that swirled around the mountains. I’m not going to describe the sacred ruins that much because you can look at my photos, and to be honest, seeing it in person is the only way to do such a place justice. To be one of the first in the ruins has its benefits. We snapped a whole bunch of photos of all the different ruins with no one in our shots. The rock walls, tiers and stairs were incredible. I don’t know where they got the rocks to do this or how they lifted such massive stones. We walked through the maze of paths and stairs and made it to the gate of Waynu Pichu... There was a small line in front of us and we started the hike around 730 am... This mountain was a lot steeped to climb. The clouds were all around us and the misty ruins, and steps winding up this steep jungle path had a very mystical feel... It took us 40 minutes of steep climbing and we made it to the top. Literally standing on top of a mountain peak with century old ruins perched on top. Again, I couldn’t understand how they created it. We hung out for a while and then walked back down. Our legs were burning and wobbly and we had to take extra care as we walked the hundreds of steep stairs down. It was al lot busier in the main ruins and a lot cloudier. We had lucked out because when we arrived it was cloudy but clearer. As well, it was starting to rain. We walked slowly through the ruins on the way back to the exit taking our time to savour the ancient stones. Outside, every 5 minutes tour busses unloaded more people. Raining harder, Cati and I were happy to start the decent back down to the town. My legs ached and my eyes burned from lack of sleep and we had to take extra care not to sleep on the wet rock stairs... We made it back to town, ate some food and took a nap. I woke up and felt compelled to write this. As I’m sitting here I can feel my legs ache and I can’t wait to get out of this over priced tourist trap. That being said, seeing the ruins at the top is something I wouldn’t change for the world.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Huallay Peru I Love you!
We walked over to California Kitchens for breakfast. Eggs, toast, coffee and wifi. A great way to start any day. The sky was grey outside but not raining. We sent some emails, checked like 10 web pages for weather reports hoping we’d find a forecast for Huaraz we would like. Nothing good, but we did have options. Stay here, twiddle our thumbs, hike, and maybe check out the hot springs that were close by, go to Lima and catch a bus north to Ecuador where the weather was usually stable year round (the weather in Ecuador as we were trying to make a decision was dumping 200mm of rain a day for the next week), or go to lima and regroup. We had some contacts of some local climbers there and seeing how Lima is at sea level we figured the temperatures would be milder. We knew there were a few crags just outside of Lima which weren’t great but worth checking out. Seems like all signs point to Lima.
We finished breakfast, walked around, paid a bill we owed from Hatun Machay and did some shopping. Since the camera was stolen, each day passed with both of us saying “wow look at that, wish we had a camera to take a photo of it!” Luckily for us, Huaraz was full of tourists all coming to trek and climb peak and with that comes a hundred stores all selling the same digital cameras. We found a place selling a 14mp Sony Cyber-shot for $150 less then you get it in Canada for. On top of this, you also get a 4 GB SDcard free and a camera case. Sold! On our shopping spree we also checked out many places selling toques, sweaters, socks and anything else you could knit from wool and lama. We bought a toque each which turned out to be some of the best2 dollars we both spent. During the walk around town it started pissing rain and this was then final straw. We didn’t come all this way to be hanging in the rain no climbing so Lima here we come! We went to the bus terminal and seeing how it was now 5pm we had to take 2 seats that barely folded down right at the back of the bus. There’s one rule about taking a bus, no matter what bus, no matter what country. Never sit at the back. One, the bathrooms are usually at the back and it stinks, but more important is number two. The back quarter of the bus is bumpy as hell. Each little pot hole is amplified and you practically bounce out of your chair. Oh well, at least well be in Lima by 5 am the next morning...
Since being in Huaraz we had eaten a few times at a restaurant called El Hornos which has an adobe oven and AMAZING thin crust wood fire pizza. YUMMM. Being out last supper in this sweet little town we decided to order take out and chill in the room with dinner a movie. A travels date night! Dinner was amazing and we both were super sleepy as we watched the movie and waited for 10pm to roll around so we could go catch our night bus. Cati went and returned our key to Orlando and came back with some funny, but sad news. Orlando had tripped out on her and told her he wanted us to pay for this night in full. Cati discussed this with him (argued..?) and he got really mad. The same man who let us store our stuff for free while we were in Hatun and told us not to worry because it’s not a hostel and he wasn’t going to rent it out to anyone else, now was being super choked and demanding we pay for the night. Cati lost this battle, we paid, and I’m sad to say we left the House of Rolando on bad terms and no smiles. Poor guy, I think he’s just kind of senile...
We made it to the bus terminal on time and as we were waiting Cati mentioned her throat was feeling rough. She went to the little stand to buy something and came back with Orange soda and some chocolate. Such a Cati move. We ate the chocolate and I went and got two more... Two peas in a pod...
The bus left on time and as we bumped through Huaraz my prediction about our seats were right, bouncing out of our seats and slamming left to right as we rounded corners. Cati closed her eyes for an hour while I watched a movie and then suddenly woke up. “I feel like I have to puke...” Some things you just don’t want to hear from the person sitting next to you at the back of a double decker bus when the only washroom was downstairs and the isle was filed with sleeping heads and feet. I emptied out a small plastic bag I had to make a makeshift barfbag. I got her settled with both feet on the ground to calm the motion sickness and fed her 1.5 grovols. I was planning on eating two myself, but Cati was running a small fever and I figured it was better to stay awake in case she woke up again. The 7 hour night bus felt like 10. It was long, twisty, cold and bumpy. We went from 3000 meters down to sea level with like a million sharp hair pin switch backs in between. Saying I was relieved when we rolled into the dawn lit Lima bus terminal would be an understatement. It was 630am and I was grumpy and tired. Cati woke up feeling better which was a really good thing because we didn’t have a placed booked and needed to make some calls to hostels we found in the lonely planet. 5 calls later we had place booked and were in a taxi on route. We arrived to a nice big old heritage building and checked in. Only one problem though, our room needed cleaning before we would have it and we had to wait till 8am because the cleaning lady was sleeping... The defiantly failed to mention that on the phone... So, a short nap on a couch and we had our room. Two single small beds, dirty walls and a dingy bathroom. 32 dollars a night! What a rip off... We slept till 3pm and both of us woke up hungry. We wanted to go to all you can eat sushi but it didn’t start till 7pm so we opted to walk around the neighbourhood. The name of the neighbourhood is Barrack which is just east of the busy, touristy Miraflores. We could see the ocean from our window and there was a small town feel to it. We found a small little cafe owned by a Texan in his 20s and his Peruvian Cousins. Fries and a toasted tomatoe, mozza and basil sandwich went down easily and we decided to walk it off and check out some sights. We found a Plaza with an old school library on one side and a bunch of Stalls selling Drinks, sweet, clothing and lots more on the other, as well as speakers set up and a four piece band consisting of Old doods and a few instruments id never seen. The music started and some teens with one adult started to dance. It went on for 10 minutes and by the end of it we had figured out it was some sort of harvest dance. I got some really cool videos and ill post them as soon as I can.
We rounded out the day by making it to the all you can eat sushi and gorging ourselves. It was 20 bucks or so each and amazing! The only complaint I have about it is the use of cream cheese in a lot of the rolls. Cati said they do them same thing in Argentina and suggested maybe they use it to seal the rolls. Funny, but probably true...
The next day, the first priority was finding a new hostel. I don’t mind paying a little extra for place if it’s a little nicer. The problem with the place we spent the first night was it was more expensive for a worse room. So before check out we walked around the new hood and settled on a room in another old house. The lady was super nice, there was free wifi and the rooms were much cleaner. Best of all it was cheaper. After that we went walked to Miraflores where there is an underground mall to have lunch. We walked back to the hostel, watched entourage for a few hours then went to the grocery store for a snack style lunch. The grocery stores in the cities are the same in Canada. Big, busy and more expensive then the farmers market. An example would be the cheese we bought. A half kilo in Huaraz farmers market was 3 dollars. Here in Lima it was 14 dollars. Reading back over the last few paragraphs I suppose one sentence could sum up our second day in Lima. We did nothing but eat sleep and watch movies. This is what happens when you put climbers in a city. We both were going crazy and agreed we needed to climb the next day for sure!
Just before we were about to go to sleep, a climber named Mateis called. He knew a few climbers Cati did and she had sent him a facebook message earlier in the week. He tried to explain over the phone how to get to a crag that was just outside Lima but it was pretty complicated so we decided to meet at a McDonalds. So, rather than sleep we walked to the McDonalds in search of information of somewhere to climb. We met in front of the McDonalds, walked to a hostel his buddy owned and he showed us photos and gave us lots of information on the crag he had mentioned. To be honest, it didn’t look that great. Loose, ugly scenery, ugly rock. However, he did show us another place which we already knew we wanted to climb at. Huallay. A beautiful rocky landscape and we were told there was 3000 hectares of rocky spires and boulders. A small portion has been bolted and it looked epic in the photos. Later that night we both agreed the other climbing spot wasn’t worth the effort to go to, and even though it was possibly going to be raining we decided to risk it and go to Huallay. The next morning we woke up, and had a few errands to do. Buy bus ticket, try and find me glasses, and get groceries for Huallay. Huallay wasn’t a large town and we were told to stock up on supplies before we left Lima. We went to Miraflores and spent most of the day looking for glasses. I found a place that sold frames, lenses, and gave you a free eye exam. The best part of all? They would be ready before the day was over. Score! We also bought our bus tickets to Huallay and did a massive grocery/supply mission. For $50 dollars we bought enough food for a few weeks. Food in this country is super cheap!!
We made it to the bus terminal at 10pm, just before the bus left .The bus was a 2 level bus and because we had bought our seats so late we didn’t get the VIP ones. However, we were right in the front on the top story which meant more leg room and even better; we had our own windshield and could see perfectly out the front. The bus trip was easy and we arrived in a little town called Cerro De Pasco at 6am. Wow...where is we?
I forgot to mention the bus doesn’t go right from Lima to Huallay. Instead, we have to get off in Pasco, then take a “bus” to the rock forest we were headed. From what we were told, you could camp for free or you had the option to stay in the home of the family who owned most of the rocks.
We left Lima at 10pm the night before in a rush. We slept all night on the bus then awoke in Pasco. We looked out the windows at the terminal to see a super ghetto scene. Strays running around, vendors selling random stuff, garbage and dirt everywhere. Oh ya and everyone were wearing toques and coats. I looked over at Cati... Poor thing, she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and sandals. At least I had a hoodie and pants on. Haha we forgot about how cold it gets when you drive up a mountain 4300 meters. A quick wardrobe change and Cati was ready to help find a taxi. We didn’t see a bus, and considering we had so much stuff we figured we’d hire a taxi. How much could it be? We talked to some young punk looking dude that approached us and asked how much. $56 Canadian dollars?!?! Thanks but no thanks. We had just paid $36 to take an 8 hour bus in comfy seats. His excuse for the inflated rate was that he was going to show us around and blah blah. What a dick head. Thanks for the help. We decided to grab our bags and hoof it.
We walked out of the terminal and the town wasn’t in any better shape. People cooking chicken feet on makeshift bbqs, garbage in the streets, greyness and smog with tons of abandoned little houses crowding the mountains around. Not an overly inspiring place or time in our travels. We asked a few cabbies and they all quoted $30 dollars. Still too high. A lady passing by overheard us and told us to walk a few meters down the road and there were buses going to where we wanted. We walked around the corner and saw more taxis but when we talked to the driver we finally figured out what was going on. Taxis will fill up their cars and then drive to other towns. So in my opinon “shared taxis” would be a better name but here they are called busses. And guess how much it cost. 2 dollars! It went from $56 to $30 to $2. Big Dave, eat your heart out!
We rolled up to the house of Alcibiades (I don’t actually know how to pronounce it still) and his wife. They have lived there since they were children and his parents lived there since they were. No matter what I say or how many photos I take I can’t do it justice. Rock everywhere! 6000 hectares which according to Google is over 14 000 acres. Wow. There is boulder, sport routes and even trade. Mostly everything is about 30 meters with a few exceptional UN bolted lines that have to be in the 50 meter range.
We had some coca tea while Alcibiades told us about the history of the place. Apparently, 25 years earlier, Wolfgang Gullich a famous sport climber, had come to this place and climbed some routes. He would be considered the founder of the area which is pretty cool. All the locals thought was, “crazy gringo...” While we sat and listened to the stories, a lamb walked in the open door. No one batted an eye except me and Cati. The little thing known as Patcho walked around, begged for food and then got chased out by the wife... Later, we learned that Patchos momma had been killed and Alcibiades had raised him his whole life. Now, Patcho thinks he’s a dog and doesn’t hang out with the other 160 sheep Alcibiades has. Instead, he follows his master around with the 2 dog who also live here.
While we were in Huallay we climbed every day during the morning hours and every night it rained. We stayed in a little building perched on a small hill that the family built especially for climbers and it only cost 15 soles a night. One morning we work up extra early and went down the hill to help Alcibiades get the llamas out of their pens. We were a little late coming down and he had waited for us and all the llamas had their ears back and were glaring at us... The same morning I got to feed Patcho a bottle of milk. All I can say is I now feel sorry for any momma sheep. He sucked and bit the nipple on the bottle so hard I thought he was going to rip it off!
We also did lots of hiking and at 4300 meters with a pack full of climbing gear this isn’t an easy task. We found a massive 30meter rock spire that had never been climbed and also I found my dream project. Its 50 meters of smooth rock. There are some pockets and a few ledges but I think its going to be 12d or harder. We tried to borrow a drill and get some bolts so I could start working on it but to no avail. I’m defiantly coming back to this particular project because this is the first route I’ve ever walked up to and was instantly inspired.
We didn’t do much else besides climb and hike and eat. One thing worth mentioning was the hot springs just up the road. For a few dollars you got you own private tub big enough for 5 people, and fresh 40 degree spring water filling to almost a meter high. After discovering this, I’ve decided that with another decade of bolting the 100s of untapped routes and sending the thousands of untouched boulders combined with cheap accommodation, good weather and hot springs just around the corner, Huallay will be the premier destination in South America for climbing. I honestly can’t wait to bring a crew of people, a few drills, bolts and lots of crash pads!!
We finished breakfast, walked around, paid a bill we owed from Hatun Machay and did some shopping. Since the camera was stolen, each day passed with both of us saying “wow look at that, wish we had a camera to take a photo of it!” Luckily for us, Huaraz was full of tourists all coming to trek and climb peak and with that comes a hundred stores all selling the same digital cameras. We found a place selling a 14mp Sony Cyber-shot for $150 less then you get it in Canada for. On top of this, you also get a 4 GB SDcard free and a camera case. Sold! On our shopping spree we also checked out many places selling toques, sweaters, socks and anything else you could knit from wool and lama. We bought a toque each which turned out to be some of the best2 dollars we both spent. During the walk around town it started pissing rain and this was then final straw. We didn’t come all this way to be hanging in the rain no climbing so Lima here we come! We went to the bus terminal and seeing how it was now 5pm we had to take 2 seats that barely folded down right at the back of the bus. There’s one rule about taking a bus, no matter what bus, no matter what country. Never sit at the back. One, the bathrooms are usually at the back and it stinks, but more important is number two. The back quarter of the bus is bumpy as hell. Each little pot hole is amplified and you practically bounce out of your chair. Oh well, at least well be in Lima by 5 am the next morning...
Since being in Huaraz we had eaten a few times at a restaurant called El Hornos which has an adobe oven and AMAZING thin crust wood fire pizza. YUMMM. Being out last supper in this sweet little town we decided to order take out and chill in the room with dinner a movie. A travels date night! Dinner was amazing and we both were super sleepy as we watched the movie and waited for 10pm to roll around so we could go catch our night bus. Cati went and returned our key to Orlando and came back with some funny, but sad news. Orlando had tripped out on her and told her he wanted us to pay for this night in full. Cati discussed this with him (argued..?) and he got really mad. The same man who let us store our stuff for free while we were in Hatun and told us not to worry because it’s not a hostel and he wasn’t going to rent it out to anyone else, now was being super choked and demanding we pay for the night. Cati lost this battle, we paid, and I’m sad to say we left the House of Rolando on bad terms and no smiles. Poor guy, I think he’s just kind of senile...
We made it to the bus terminal on time and as we were waiting Cati mentioned her throat was feeling rough. She went to the little stand to buy something and came back with Orange soda and some chocolate. Such a Cati move. We ate the chocolate and I went and got two more... Two peas in a pod...
The bus left on time and as we bumped through Huaraz my prediction about our seats were right, bouncing out of our seats and slamming left to right as we rounded corners. Cati closed her eyes for an hour while I watched a movie and then suddenly woke up. “I feel like I have to puke...” Some things you just don’t want to hear from the person sitting next to you at the back of a double decker bus when the only washroom was downstairs and the isle was filed with sleeping heads and feet. I emptied out a small plastic bag I had to make a makeshift barfbag. I got her settled with both feet on the ground to calm the motion sickness and fed her 1.5 grovols. I was planning on eating two myself, but Cati was running a small fever and I figured it was better to stay awake in case she woke up again. The 7 hour night bus felt like 10. It was long, twisty, cold and bumpy. We went from 3000 meters down to sea level with like a million sharp hair pin switch backs in between. Saying I was relieved when we rolled into the dawn lit Lima bus terminal would be an understatement. It was 630am and I was grumpy and tired. Cati woke up feeling better which was a really good thing because we didn’t have a placed booked and needed to make some calls to hostels we found in the lonely planet. 5 calls later we had place booked and were in a taxi on route. We arrived to a nice big old heritage building and checked in. Only one problem though, our room needed cleaning before we would have it and we had to wait till 8am because the cleaning lady was sleeping... The defiantly failed to mention that on the phone... So, a short nap on a couch and we had our room. Two single small beds, dirty walls and a dingy bathroom. 32 dollars a night! What a rip off... We slept till 3pm and both of us woke up hungry. We wanted to go to all you can eat sushi but it didn’t start till 7pm so we opted to walk around the neighbourhood. The name of the neighbourhood is Barrack which is just east of the busy, touristy Miraflores. We could see the ocean from our window and there was a small town feel to it. We found a small little cafe owned by a Texan in his 20s and his Peruvian Cousins. Fries and a toasted tomatoe, mozza and basil sandwich went down easily and we decided to walk it off and check out some sights. We found a Plaza with an old school library on one side and a bunch of Stalls selling Drinks, sweet, clothing and lots more on the other, as well as speakers set up and a four piece band consisting of Old doods and a few instruments id never seen. The music started and some teens with one adult started to dance. It went on for 10 minutes and by the end of it we had figured out it was some sort of harvest dance. I got some really cool videos and ill post them as soon as I can.
We rounded out the day by making it to the all you can eat sushi and gorging ourselves. It was 20 bucks or so each and amazing! The only complaint I have about it is the use of cream cheese in a lot of the rolls. Cati said they do them same thing in Argentina and suggested maybe they use it to seal the rolls. Funny, but probably true...
The next day, the first priority was finding a new hostel. I don’t mind paying a little extra for place if it’s a little nicer. The problem with the place we spent the first night was it was more expensive for a worse room. So before check out we walked around the new hood and settled on a room in another old house. The lady was super nice, there was free wifi and the rooms were much cleaner. Best of all it was cheaper. After that we went walked to Miraflores where there is an underground mall to have lunch. We walked back to the hostel, watched entourage for a few hours then went to the grocery store for a snack style lunch. The grocery stores in the cities are the same in Canada. Big, busy and more expensive then the farmers market. An example would be the cheese we bought. A half kilo in Huaraz farmers market was 3 dollars. Here in Lima it was 14 dollars. Reading back over the last few paragraphs I suppose one sentence could sum up our second day in Lima. We did nothing but eat sleep and watch movies. This is what happens when you put climbers in a city. We both were going crazy and agreed we needed to climb the next day for sure!
Just before we were about to go to sleep, a climber named Mateis called. He knew a few climbers Cati did and she had sent him a facebook message earlier in the week. He tried to explain over the phone how to get to a crag that was just outside Lima but it was pretty complicated so we decided to meet at a McDonalds. So, rather than sleep we walked to the McDonalds in search of information of somewhere to climb. We met in front of the McDonalds, walked to a hostel his buddy owned and he showed us photos and gave us lots of information on the crag he had mentioned. To be honest, it didn’t look that great. Loose, ugly scenery, ugly rock. However, he did show us another place which we already knew we wanted to climb at. Huallay. A beautiful rocky landscape and we were told there was 3000 hectares of rocky spires and boulders. A small portion has been bolted and it looked epic in the photos. Later that night we both agreed the other climbing spot wasn’t worth the effort to go to, and even though it was possibly going to be raining we decided to risk it and go to Huallay. The next morning we woke up, and had a few errands to do. Buy bus ticket, try and find me glasses, and get groceries for Huallay. Huallay wasn’t a large town and we were told to stock up on supplies before we left Lima. We went to Miraflores and spent most of the day looking for glasses. I found a place that sold frames, lenses, and gave you a free eye exam. The best part of all? They would be ready before the day was over. Score! We also bought our bus tickets to Huallay and did a massive grocery/supply mission. For $50 dollars we bought enough food for a few weeks. Food in this country is super cheap!!
We made it to the bus terminal at 10pm, just before the bus left .The bus was a 2 level bus and because we had bought our seats so late we didn’t get the VIP ones. However, we were right in the front on the top story which meant more leg room and even better; we had our own windshield and could see perfectly out the front. The bus trip was easy and we arrived in a little town called Cerro De Pasco at 6am. Wow...where is we?
I forgot to mention the bus doesn’t go right from Lima to Huallay. Instead, we have to get off in Pasco, then take a “bus” to the rock forest we were headed. From what we were told, you could camp for free or you had the option to stay in the home of the family who owned most of the rocks.
We left Lima at 10pm the night before in a rush. We slept all night on the bus then awoke in Pasco. We looked out the windows at the terminal to see a super ghetto scene. Strays running around, vendors selling random stuff, garbage and dirt everywhere. Oh ya and everyone were wearing toques and coats. I looked over at Cati... Poor thing, she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and sandals. At least I had a hoodie and pants on. Haha we forgot about how cold it gets when you drive up a mountain 4300 meters. A quick wardrobe change and Cati was ready to help find a taxi. We didn’t see a bus, and considering we had so much stuff we figured we’d hire a taxi. How much could it be? We talked to some young punk looking dude that approached us and asked how much. $56 Canadian dollars?!?! Thanks but no thanks. We had just paid $36 to take an 8 hour bus in comfy seats. His excuse for the inflated rate was that he was going to show us around and blah blah. What a dick head. Thanks for the help. We decided to grab our bags and hoof it.
We walked out of the terminal and the town wasn’t in any better shape. People cooking chicken feet on makeshift bbqs, garbage in the streets, greyness and smog with tons of abandoned little houses crowding the mountains around. Not an overly inspiring place or time in our travels. We asked a few cabbies and they all quoted $30 dollars. Still too high. A lady passing by overheard us and told us to walk a few meters down the road and there were buses going to where we wanted. We walked around the corner and saw more taxis but when we talked to the driver we finally figured out what was going on. Taxis will fill up their cars and then drive to other towns. So in my opinon “shared taxis” would be a better name but here they are called busses. And guess how much it cost. 2 dollars! It went from $56 to $30 to $2. Big Dave, eat your heart out!
We rolled up to the house of Alcibiades (I don’t actually know how to pronounce it still) and his wife. They have lived there since they were children and his parents lived there since they were. No matter what I say or how many photos I take I can’t do it justice. Rock everywhere! 6000 hectares which according to Google is over 14 000 acres. Wow. There is boulder, sport routes and even trade. Mostly everything is about 30 meters with a few exceptional UN bolted lines that have to be in the 50 meter range.
We had some coca tea while Alcibiades told us about the history of the place. Apparently, 25 years earlier, Wolfgang Gullich a famous sport climber, had come to this place and climbed some routes. He would be considered the founder of the area which is pretty cool. All the locals thought was, “crazy gringo...” While we sat and listened to the stories, a lamb walked in the open door. No one batted an eye except me and Cati. The little thing known as Patcho walked around, begged for food and then got chased out by the wife... Later, we learned that Patchos momma had been killed and Alcibiades had raised him his whole life. Now, Patcho thinks he’s a dog and doesn’t hang out with the other 160 sheep Alcibiades has. Instead, he follows his master around with the 2 dog who also live here.
While we were in Huallay we climbed every day during the morning hours and every night it rained. We stayed in a little building perched on a small hill that the family built especially for climbers and it only cost 15 soles a night. One morning we work up extra early and went down the hill to help Alcibiades get the llamas out of their pens. We were a little late coming down and he had waited for us and all the llamas had their ears back and were glaring at us... The same morning I got to feed Patcho a bottle of milk. All I can say is I now feel sorry for any momma sheep. He sucked and bit the nipple on the bottle so hard I thought he was going to rip it off!
We also did lots of hiking and at 4300 meters with a pack full of climbing gear this isn’t an easy task. We found a massive 30meter rock spire that had never been climbed and also I found my dream project. Its 50 meters of smooth rock. There are some pockets and a few ledges but I think its going to be 12d or harder. We tried to borrow a drill and get some bolts so I could start working on it but to no avail. I’m defiantly coming back to this particular project because this is the first route I’ve ever walked up to and was instantly inspired.
We didn’t do much else besides climb and hike and eat. One thing worth mentioning was the hot springs just up the road. For a few dollars you got you own private tub big enough for 5 people, and fresh 40 degree spring water filling to almost a meter high. After discovering this, I’ve decided that with another decade of bolting the 100s of untapped routes and sending the thousands of untouched boulders combined with cheap accommodation, good weather and hot springs just around the corner, Huallay will be the premier destination in South America for climbing. I honestly can’t wait to bring a crew of people, a few drills, bolts and lots of crash pads!!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Didnt you get the memo?
I thought it might be worth mentioning. I am back logged on my written blog posts. Right now I am in Cuzco Peru about to go to Machu Pichu. I’ve been writing as much as I can and I have most of my adventures saved on the lap top. This being said, it takes time, and more importantly, motivation to read edit and fix all my scribbles on MS word. So this is why my written posts are talking about me being in Hatun Machay, while my photos Im uploading are showing me in Lima, Cuzco and probably a few days, Machu Pichu. So as confusing as it is, my blog is coming to you in 2 parts. The written part as seen through the eyes of me and slightly behind the actual timeline of my travels, and the photos, as seen through the eyes of me, Cati and anyone else we get to snap a picture for us. Thanks for visiting!
Hutun Machay, Peru. Beautiful sport climbs, my hardest route, and laughing at altitude sickness.
The morning we went to Hatun was sunny and crisp. We made it to Andean kingdom a little before 8am just as the city was starting to wake up and you could see all the vendors getting set up. I was still feeling kind of Ill from the food poisoning and I wondered how long the ride was. Huaraz is at 3000m and Hatun Machay is at 4300m so I knew the whole trip would be a climb up the road. Andreas showed 30 minutes late and while apologizing he explained he had gotten a flat. As he was helping us load our packs, I sized up his old land cruiser and started getting myself ready for a slow climb up to the oxygen depleted dead lands known as Hatun. What I know now about 4000+ meters places, is that nothing grows up there. They get yellow grass which the sheep, cows, and donkeys eat, as well as potatoes and corn crops. Nothing else. No trees, no plants. There are some cacti that grow and some other thorny little things. Oh, and rocks, lots of rocks.
After our crew piled in to the squished truck we bounced our way down the narrow streets of Huaraz and stopped at a tire shop. By tire shop, I mean a bunch of dudes standing outside pounding tires on and off rims with pick axes and sledge hammers with one small air compressor. As rough of a shop as it was, there were plenty of cars parked with their 4ways on at the side of the road and we were one of them. In the car we had Andreas who was the guide, and 3 other tourists who didnt really talk much, and to be truthful I don’t remember their names or much about them. We all sat in the car while they patched his flat and then jacked the car up, put the tire on and waved us goodbye. Finally, were on our way. My stomach still feeling ill all I wanted was to get the 75km drive out of the way. We drove for like 5 more minutes then pulled into a gas station. Buddy needed to fill his tank... Sometimes it just isn’t my day... Something I’ve noticed about people in High altitude towns is everyone moves slow. People drive slow and even talk slow. It’s kind of like Kootenay Time in nelson, but in Nelson people are high in a different way...
On the drive up the highway we were stuck at multiple constructions zones for about an hour. I had a window seat and just hung my head out the window. (Later that night I had sunburn on my forehead...haha) While we were waiting at one stop I saw a donkey come out of the ditch with a bag on its back and a guy walking behind it. They got to the road, stopped and he dumped the bag of sand off the donkeys back, and returned down the hill towards the river. 2 minutes later another donkey and another man. It looked to me that they were packing sand from the river to the road for the construction company to use for paving... wow... random and thought provoking.
To get to Hatun you turn off the highway and climb a steep switch backing road for 30 minutes. The views were epic! You can see all these 5000 and 6000 meter peaks covered in snow and ice and there is a monster called HuayHuash which command your attention as you take the view in. I had great photos and when the Refugio came into view I recorded a video as well... Needless to say, none of us will ever see those images...
The Refugio is a 2 story stone building made of rocks with a synthetic clay roof. Inside there’s a wood stove, 3 big tables to eat at and a small kitchen area with a sink, stove and counter space. Upstairs there are 10 or 12 bunk beds with thick blankets on each one. Cati and I slept outside in our tent.
We unloaded the truck, put all our stuff on a table inside, and ate a quick lunch. We promptly loaded the climbing gear we needed into our packs and walked the half kilometre to the amazing single pitch sport rock forest. We climbed a shitty 5.9, a really nice 6a+ and the nicest 10d I’ve ever been on. This 10d had big volcanic pockets, pinches, a shallow chimney section and to finish it shallow 3 finger pockets with a dead point at the end. All this in 20 meters makes for an amazing climb.
As we flaked the rope and got ready to return to the Refugio I started eyeing up a climb beside the 10d. Super blank wall with small 2 and 1 finger pockets. I decided I’d try it the next day. Being at 4300 meters we were told to take it easy, drink lots of water and so forth. We joked as the sun set because we felt really good and had done some good climbing without feeling much fatigue. When we got back we set up our tent and I was a little surprised at how fast it got cold. It was definitely around the 5 degree celcius range. That night we sat infront of the fire and drank some tea after dinner. This was defiantly going to be a good mission way out here in the middle of nowhere. We went to bed happy, full and ready for a good day of climbing to commence in the morning.
2 Am. I wake up with a massive head ache and a dry throat and nose. I couldn’t get comfortable and I couldn’t sleep. Fuck. Someone had mentioned this could happen the first few days at this altitude... Cati was awake too with the same symptoms... well... misery does like company... we laid there for hours and complained to each other before we fell back asleep... Morning came with the sun beating into the tent which soon became a human oven... From just above 0 to 30 degrees in our tent in a few hours...This was going to take some getting used to.
The last 4 days we spent At Hatun Machay were all pretty much the same. Some nights we would eat gravol so we could sleep and we both wondered if a person could get addicted to it... probably right? The climbing was super epic. Really unique features id never climbed before. Perfect pockets and sharp barbed edges... It was a challenge to climb every day as we both had worn most of our skin off by the second day. Speaking of the second day, I went to the Blank, pocketed climb Id seen on the first day. I tried leading it but the 3rd bolt was too far away and I took an awkward fall. It didn’t hurt but we decided it would need an extension. At this point I had no idea of the grade. Cati gave it a go after me and took the same fall. We climbed a few other climbs that day but at night, all I could think about was that climb. The next day after coffee, tea, peanut butter and toast, we sat outside on the steps and soaked in the sun. I grabbed my camera and set it up on a rock and took a photo of Cati and me chilling on the stairs. Earlier in the day a cab with 4 tourists had arrived and gone on a hike. Just after I took the photo a Scottish guy named James came down the hill from the east side of the Refugio and started talking about how he had come up to boulder. We chatted for a while and we all decided to go to some boulder problems and then some routes. As we walked away towards the crag, the camera sitting on the rock outside had completely slipped my mind.
James took some amazing photos while we climbed and though I had noticed I dint have my camera with me I still didn’t remember it being outside. At 5pm, we were at the blank climb I was projecting and the other 3 tourist hikers came by to grab James. They walked to the Refugio and I started to psych myself for the climb. We had rapped in and put all the draws in and figured out it was a 13a. It would be the hardest route I would have ever completed. I top roped it, figured out I needed to do two knee bars in a row, the second one being a drop knee, knee bar. After that, there were a few thin moves with my left hand ending up in a 2 finger shallow pocket and my right on a thin, sharp crimp. From there you dead point to a right hand pocket only big enough for 2 fingers stacked on top of each other. One more dead point to a big right hand pocket and then a few pockets more with small crimps finishing it off. Such a beautiful slightly overhung climb. That day, I pulled all the moved on top rope. What a great feeling to pull all those moves! Now I just need to climb it all in one on lead.
We walked back to the Refugio totally stoked on the place with endorfens and adrenalin keeping us amped. We were half way through making dinner when I finally remembered the camera. I went outside to grab it and...what? Why isn’t it there? I went inside, asked the caretaker who told us he hadn’t seen it. I went back outside looked around for a long time and finally accepted it was gone. Someone had actually walked by the camera, picked it up, and instead of bringing it inside so it didn’t get broken, stole it. Who does that? All the photos Id taken of Peru, gone. There were only 4 people there that day and I had their emails from the check in book. I emailed them when I got back to Huaraz and every one of them replied. Weird, this means even the thief replied with a fake “sorry bout your camera msg” fucking karma shall strike you hard. Stealing from someone who is traveling while you’re traveling? Some peoples kids...
Anyways, I’m over it now. It defiantly put a damper on the vibe and we were ready to leave a few days before we had intended. I had worked my project on lead, climbed the whole thing but on the day we were leaving couldn’t put it all together. On my last attempt it started raining. I pulled all the hard moves and then fell just above that because I was rushing my moves. I wanted to try it again but it was literally pouring. So I climbed to the top easily, rapped off and cleaned the route. We walked away from the crag that day in a downpour. It was cold, windy, and gray and I was really happy. I had just reached a milestone in my climbing. I didn’t send the route, but I proved to myself I was ready for the next grade. Stoked and soggy, Cati and I packed all our things, said our goodbyes and half slept on the bumpy cold ride home. It was just getting dark in Huaraz when we got back and someone had informed us that it was going to rain for a week straight so naturally as we got ready for bed one thing was on our minds.
Now what?
After our crew piled in to the squished truck we bounced our way down the narrow streets of Huaraz and stopped at a tire shop. By tire shop, I mean a bunch of dudes standing outside pounding tires on and off rims with pick axes and sledge hammers with one small air compressor. As rough of a shop as it was, there were plenty of cars parked with their 4ways on at the side of the road and we were one of them. In the car we had Andreas who was the guide, and 3 other tourists who didnt really talk much, and to be truthful I don’t remember their names or much about them. We all sat in the car while they patched his flat and then jacked the car up, put the tire on and waved us goodbye. Finally, were on our way. My stomach still feeling ill all I wanted was to get the 75km drive out of the way. We drove for like 5 more minutes then pulled into a gas station. Buddy needed to fill his tank... Sometimes it just isn’t my day... Something I’ve noticed about people in High altitude towns is everyone moves slow. People drive slow and even talk slow. It’s kind of like Kootenay Time in nelson, but in Nelson people are high in a different way...
On the drive up the highway we were stuck at multiple constructions zones for about an hour. I had a window seat and just hung my head out the window. (Later that night I had sunburn on my forehead...haha) While we were waiting at one stop I saw a donkey come out of the ditch with a bag on its back and a guy walking behind it. They got to the road, stopped and he dumped the bag of sand off the donkeys back, and returned down the hill towards the river. 2 minutes later another donkey and another man. It looked to me that they were packing sand from the river to the road for the construction company to use for paving... wow... random and thought provoking.
To get to Hatun you turn off the highway and climb a steep switch backing road for 30 minutes. The views were epic! You can see all these 5000 and 6000 meter peaks covered in snow and ice and there is a monster called HuayHuash which command your attention as you take the view in. I had great photos and when the Refugio came into view I recorded a video as well... Needless to say, none of us will ever see those images...
The Refugio is a 2 story stone building made of rocks with a synthetic clay roof. Inside there’s a wood stove, 3 big tables to eat at and a small kitchen area with a sink, stove and counter space. Upstairs there are 10 or 12 bunk beds with thick blankets on each one. Cati and I slept outside in our tent.
We unloaded the truck, put all our stuff on a table inside, and ate a quick lunch. We promptly loaded the climbing gear we needed into our packs and walked the half kilometre to the amazing single pitch sport rock forest. We climbed a shitty 5.9, a really nice 6a+ and the nicest 10d I’ve ever been on. This 10d had big volcanic pockets, pinches, a shallow chimney section and to finish it shallow 3 finger pockets with a dead point at the end. All this in 20 meters makes for an amazing climb.
As we flaked the rope and got ready to return to the Refugio I started eyeing up a climb beside the 10d. Super blank wall with small 2 and 1 finger pockets. I decided I’d try it the next day. Being at 4300 meters we were told to take it easy, drink lots of water and so forth. We joked as the sun set because we felt really good and had done some good climbing without feeling much fatigue. When we got back we set up our tent and I was a little surprised at how fast it got cold. It was definitely around the 5 degree celcius range. That night we sat infront of the fire and drank some tea after dinner. This was defiantly going to be a good mission way out here in the middle of nowhere. We went to bed happy, full and ready for a good day of climbing to commence in the morning.
2 Am. I wake up with a massive head ache and a dry throat and nose. I couldn’t get comfortable and I couldn’t sleep. Fuck. Someone had mentioned this could happen the first few days at this altitude... Cati was awake too with the same symptoms... well... misery does like company... we laid there for hours and complained to each other before we fell back asleep... Morning came with the sun beating into the tent which soon became a human oven... From just above 0 to 30 degrees in our tent in a few hours...This was going to take some getting used to.
The last 4 days we spent At Hatun Machay were all pretty much the same. Some nights we would eat gravol so we could sleep and we both wondered if a person could get addicted to it... probably right? The climbing was super epic. Really unique features id never climbed before. Perfect pockets and sharp barbed edges... It was a challenge to climb every day as we both had worn most of our skin off by the second day. Speaking of the second day, I went to the Blank, pocketed climb Id seen on the first day. I tried leading it but the 3rd bolt was too far away and I took an awkward fall. It didn’t hurt but we decided it would need an extension. At this point I had no idea of the grade. Cati gave it a go after me and took the same fall. We climbed a few other climbs that day but at night, all I could think about was that climb. The next day after coffee, tea, peanut butter and toast, we sat outside on the steps and soaked in the sun. I grabbed my camera and set it up on a rock and took a photo of Cati and me chilling on the stairs. Earlier in the day a cab with 4 tourists had arrived and gone on a hike. Just after I took the photo a Scottish guy named James came down the hill from the east side of the Refugio and started talking about how he had come up to boulder. We chatted for a while and we all decided to go to some boulder problems and then some routes. As we walked away towards the crag, the camera sitting on the rock outside had completely slipped my mind.
James took some amazing photos while we climbed and though I had noticed I dint have my camera with me I still didn’t remember it being outside. At 5pm, we were at the blank climb I was projecting and the other 3 tourist hikers came by to grab James. They walked to the Refugio and I started to psych myself for the climb. We had rapped in and put all the draws in and figured out it was a 13a. It would be the hardest route I would have ever completed. I top roped it, figured out I needed to do two knee bars in a row, the second one being a drop knee, knee bar. After that, there were a few thin moves with my left hand ending up in a 2 finger shallow pocket and my right on a thin, sharp crimp. From there you dead point to a right hand pocket only big enough for 2 fingers stacked on top of each other. One more dead point to a big right hand pocket and then a few pockets more with small crimps finishing it off. Such a beautiful slightly overhung climb. That day, I pulled all the moved on top rope. What a great feeling to pull all those moves! Now I just need to climb it all in one on lead.
We walked back to the Refugio totally stoked on the place with endorfens and adrenalin keeping us amped. We were half way through making dinner when I finally remembered the camera. I went outside to grab it and...what? Why isn’t it there? I went inside, asked the caretaker who told us he hadn’t seen it. I went back outside looked around for a long time and finally accepted it was gone. Someone had actually walked by the camera, picked it up, and instead of bringing it inside so it didn’t get broken, stole it. Who does that? All the photos Id taken of Peru, gone. There were only 4 people there that day and I had their emails from the check in book. I emailed them when I got back to Huaraz and every one of them replied. Weird, this means even the thief replied with a fake “sorry bout your camera msg” fucking karma shall strike you hard. Stealing from someone who is traveling while you’re traveling? Some peoples kids...
Anyways, I’m over it now. It defiantly put a damper on the vibe and we were ready to leave a few days before we had intended. I had worked my project on lead, climbed the whole thing but on the day we were leaving couldn’t put it all together. On my last attempt it started raining. I pulled all the hard moves and then fell just above that because I was rushing my moves. I wanted to try it again but it was literally pouring. So I climbed to the top easily, rapped off and cleaned the route. We walked away from the crag that day in a downpour. It was cold, windy, and gray and I was really happy. I had just reached a milestone in my climbing. I didn’t send the route, but I proved to myself I was ready for the next grade. Stoked and soggy, Cati and I packed all our things, said our goodbyes and half slept on the bumpy cold ride home. It was just getting dark in Huaraz when we got back and someone had informed us that it was going to rain for a week straight so naturally as we got ready for bed one thing was on our minds.
Now what?
Sunday, November 21, 2010
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