The mountains of Northern Peru were one of the reasons I wanted to travel to South America. After 24 hours or so on the bus from Ecuador, I arrived in Caraz, Peru. It was a beautiful bus ride up El Canon del Pato. I planned to stay for a few nights to rest and acclimate, but I decided to head out to the mountains after just one night.
I found a collectivo after asking around quite a bit, and soon I was heading off into the mountains on my own. It was late December and Peru was in the midst of its rainy season. Most travelers visit Peru from May to September during the dry season, but I was here and figured I’d at least give hiking a try. I had recently finished the AT, so I was prepared for heavy rain. The trek was supposed to take 3-4 days, but I suspected I could finish a bit more quickly.
It felt great to be hiking again after a few months on buses and boats. The fresh but thin air filled my lungs and the big mountains beckoned. As I got higher in the mountains, it began to rain harder and harder. This would become a pattern in Peru — clearish mornings and then downpours every afternoon. Luckily, a dog joined me as I hiked through the rain. I setup camp around 14,000 feet, definitely feeling the altitude, but still feeling strong.
The next morning the clouds had mostly cleared and it looked like I’d have a weather window to go up and over the pass. My canine friend continued on with me. I slowed down as I neared the top as I struggled in the thin air.
As I neared the top, the clouds began to move in more and more. A mile or two down the other side it started to rain. Nonetheless, the scenery was beautiful, and I was thoroughly enjoying myself. As I descended, the rain picked up. Two more dogs joined me, so there was a group of four of us now. Before I knew it, I was nearing the end of the hike. It was not until 1 mile from the east end of the hike that I saw another group of hikers. I felt very lucky to have had this beautiful paradise all to myself.
Suddenly the “3-4 day” hike was over in just about 24 hours at a casual pace. I met a farmer who offered that I could sleep in a tent in his yard for 15 soles (about 4usd). This seemed a more than fair price to pay for a dry night of sleep. He also let me boil some water for dinner and we ate and talked in spanish together in his kitchen. He told me the only combi back over the mountains would be at 3am in the morning. I told him I would probably pass, but he strongly recommended I take the combi.
Sure enough, at 3am a combi came by and honked. I packed all of my things up in under a minute, and got in the combi. I spoke in spanish with two elementary aged peruvian girls as we crossed over a massive mountain pass in the pitch darkness. As first light arrived, we were in Yungay, and soon I took another combi back to Huaraz.
Overall the trip was a success. The rainy conditions were less than ideal, but the trek showed me that hiking was still possible at this time of year, and that the tradeoff for wet feet was solitude. I planned to rest for a few days in Huaraz and head off into the Huayhuash.
Anthony Ottati 