Time to Hit the Hills
This will be my last update for a little while. Tomorrow I head out into the hills proper. First to Yanapaccha, and then to Chopicalqui, which are both in the same valley.
Had a good day today, another acclimatisation day hike. The aim was to trek to Lake Churup at 4450m, but got there in good time so pushed on a bit higher, getting slightly above 4600m before turning and heading down.
Tomorrow we trek to Yanapaccha base camp at 4900m and sleep there the night. A massive jump going from sleeping at 3050m which I have for the past few days, straight up to 4900m, but should be alright.
Looking at the mountain weather forecast for the next week, we’ve got 3 days of good weather with a change then coming through late Tuesday 5th bringing snow and moderate winds. The change is forecasted to pass by Thursday 7th with fine weather behind it. If it stays that way, it will be pretty good as it will give me time to attempt Yanapaccha before the change, then make my way up the lower slopes of Chopicalqui while the weather is less then ideal, and be positioned at high camp for a summit attempt around the 9th when the weather has cleared. But then again, what’s the chances of a 7 day weather forecast being accurate….
I’ve just spent the evening going through gear with Marco (the guide coming with me) and doing last minute packing. Now looking forward to an early night.
All things being equal, I should be back in town, and back in internet range on 12th July. In the meantime, you should all be able to get a reprieve from my daily dribble.
Cheers,
Steve