Entries from Peru Seminar
August 4, 2016
Posted by: Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 16,010'
Cold morning when we pulled out of our camp at 7 a.m. Not 30 minutes later did the sun start to warm our fingers and toes along with illuminating the glaciers of Salkantay while we climbed towards Incachiriaska Pass at 16,010ft.
The team is doing great after our seven-hour day. After the pass we walked through a beautiful valley filled with dry grasses and expansive boulder fields. We are camped in a small village (read 3-4 stone houses with thatch roofs) listening to the bleating of sheep and watching dogs heard the mix of horse, llama, sheep and pigs back to rustic stone corrals. We are settling into our tents and getting warm as the sun has already left our valley at 3 p.m. Tomorrow our horseman will depart the group as we enter the National Park. Porters will join us to continue the excellent meals and difficult but much appreciated job of carrying our camp towards Machu Picchu.
RMI Guide Mike King
August 4, 2016
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Eric Frank
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 13,650'
And we are at Base Camp! The second day of the approach was incredible, as the scenery went from beautiful to dramatic... The climb up to Punta Union pass at 4750m greeted us with the views of Taulliraju, one of the most radical peaks in the range, with a sheer west face that made our jaws drop just thinking of how could it be even possible to climb. On the other side, Artesonraju, our objective reigned over the valley with its top amongst the clouds. Now it is time to spend some time acclimating, all while enjoying the comforts and gourmet food of camp.
Best regards,
RMI Guide ElÃas de Andres Martos and team
P.S. Rich wishes happy B-day to his wife Christina.
August 3, 2016
Posted by: Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 14,500'
Wow, what a day! After waking at 3:30 am to leave the hotel we drove for a few hours only to wake to the sunrise and Salkantay Peak, 20,500 ft dominating the horizon.
After getting our gear rigged for the horses and porters the team started up a dusty road passing through small settlements above the Rio Blanco. 'Mountain Plush' is how I'll describe our living and eating arrangements due to our hard working local crew. Upon retiring from our dining tent during lunch, members of the team napped in the sun and gentle breeze before ascending the final stretch into camp.
We are currently camped beneath Salkantay at 14,500 ft with tent doors open and our feet hanging out enjoying beautiful views of the glaciers, seracs and fluted snow couloirs.
The team is doing great and sends their love to friends and family who are following along. Tomorrow we ascend to our high point of Incachiriasca pass, 16,010.
RMI Guide Mike King
Today the group toured the Urubamba River Valley that was and continues to be a fertile farming area for the local people of Cusco. With large varieties of corn and potatoes being grown, we could see terraces that the Inca used reaching well above 12,000 ft.
We had several stops on our way to Ollantaytambo, a wonderful Incan site featuring farming terraces, ceremonial stone work and intact buildings used for storing food. Our impromptu stop to sample chicha, a fermented corn drink that locals enjoy while playing a fun coin toss style yard game also yielded two cute puppies sleeping by a fire and a guinea pig farm. Cuy, or guinea pig, is a common form of protein consumed by locals and tourists alike.
We wrapped the day finalizing our packs for an early departure. Tomorrow morning we begin our Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu, the entire group is excited to leave Cusco.
RMI Guide Mike King
Not there yet?? Steve, I thought you’d have run all the way up on the first day ;P Sounds like you are having lots of fun on the way!! Hope the weather holds out for you all and you have enjoyable travels back down.
Posted by: Audrey on 8/8/2016 at 7:43 am
Sounds exciting, wish we were young enough to join your excursions.
Posted by: Uncle John Aunt Jan on 8/3/2016 at 7:26 pm
August 2, 2016
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Eric Frank
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 12,430'
Good evening from Huaripampa, our camp on our way to Artesonraju Base. For the writer here, starting the Santa Cruz trek from this side has been a revelation of yet undiscovered beauty. We're currently enjoying an incredible dinner of fresh trout, zucchini soup and fried banana, fueling for tomorrow's hike. We're all enjoying social time and laughter inside or pyramidal dining tent.
Stay tuned on our progress,
RMI Guides ElÃas de Andres Martos, Eric Frank, Peter and team
Sounds amazing! Have a great climb!
Posted by: Jim Thayer on 8/4/2016 at 6:58 am
Sounds yummy! Happy climbing (and eating!)
Posted by: Pam on 8/3/2016 at 5:19 am
August 1, 2016
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 14,400'
Today was a great day for the first day of our RMI Artesonraju Expedition- incredible landscape on the acclimatization hike, a stellar crew, and great weather. We hiked up to 14,400’ to our traditional destination of Lake Churup, and we had incredible views of the range, the glacial lake and the mountain of the same name. We hiked back to town and had a team lunch before returning to our hotel for some packing and relaxing. We’re heading tomorrow to the trailhead, at the town of Vaqueria. Everyone is doing great and is very excited.
We’ll be checking from the trail tomorrow, as we camp on our way to Base Camp.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
So happy you have such a great team. Enjoy! Rich, I love you. Xo
Posted by: Christina on 8/3/2016 at 7:38 am
So glad to know you’re doing great and had wonderful views! Wish I could see them.
Posted by: Kay Roberts on 8/2/2016 at 7:17 am
Hello from the little Swiss oasis that is Huaraz's Hotel Andino! The Artesonraju team had a full day of acclimating. Early this morning we taxied across the city to a local rock climbing area and snuck in a few pitches before the sun got too hot. By noon we were spent and trekked back into the city to grab some lunch. An afternoon siesta left us refreshed to walk to the city overlook and enjoy the sunset.
We are all packed up and ready to launch into the mountains tomorrow morning. Wish us luck as we embark on this adventure.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
That’s some rock! Way to go, guys!
Praying for great weather and another great adventure.
Via con Dios!
Pam
Posted by: Pam on 8/2/2016 at 5:08 am
August 1, 2016
Posted by: Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Peru Seminar
Elevation: 11,400'
This is RMI Guide Mike King checking in from Cusco. Our team has arrived with high spirits and all luggage accounted for. We spent the day touring 3 Inca sites and admiring the phenomenal rock work and immense size of the what the Inca accomplished without iron and wheels in just 80ish years. Cusco sitting at 11,400ft elevation requires the Team to acclimate before we reach 16,010 ft on our second day trekking. Tomorrow we will tour the Sacred Valley along the Urubamba river.
We will check in tomorrow, thanks for following along!
After meeting up for a phenomenal opening dinner of sushi and ceviche in Lima last night, the Artesonraju-Frank team was back up early this morning. We caught a 5:30 a.m. cab to the Lima airport, and had anticipated being in Huaraz for breakfast- a quick one hour flight away. Instead, our carrier LC Peru, had oversold our flight and despite having confirmed reservations we were told there were not any seats available for us. A terse hour of back and forth conversation with the ticket agent about finding additional seats for us, and the exact definition of of the phrase "confirmed reservation" yielded nothing. Eventually we gave in and did the only thing we could in such a situation - took a series deep breaths, bought a couple cups of burnt airport coffee and started looking for other options to cover the 300 miles to Huaraz.
Three cab rides, four bus stops and ten hours later, were finally here in Huaraz only slightly worse for the wear. In many ways, developing world travel is a lot like the mountains. Things are always changing and if you wanna succeed, you have to stay on your toes! Thanks for following along. We be out of the city, and into the mountains in a couple days, headed for a ultimate objective- Artesonraju!
RMI Guide Eric Frank and the Arteson Crew
Sorry we didn't check in last night, I was unable to get any SAT reception from Base Camp. Yesterday we descended from high camp to base camp where we were welcomed by hot lunch, beers, and warm water for a foot bath. We re-sorted gear and relaxed before an outstanding dinner and then went to bed fat and happy. This morning we woke up to coffee in bed and then eggs and bacon before we finished packing. Just after 9 a.m. we began our hike back to civilization, we quickly descended through many ecosystems over the course of the day with dark clouds nipping at our heals. By early afternoon we had made our down the Santa Cruz valley and out to Cashapompa where we met our van. We are all now back in Huaraz having just finished a huge dinner and a couple pisco soures. We are all happy to have showers and some Wifi, but also already talking about the next trip.
Thanks for following along on our amazing adventure here in the Cordillera Blanca!
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens & Team
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Hi Kim, WOW….Can’t wait to see the amazing photos! This climb sounds wonderful! We will be heading back home this evening from our terrific trip out West. We will continue to follow your progress. Love, Dad
Posted by: SHEL on 8/4/2016 at 8:10 am
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