The Auspicious Journey: Santa Cruz Trek, Huaraz June 2012

The past four days I've been out in the Andes exploring and adventuring with a group of 6 friends and a dog. It began on Tuesday when we all met up very early and traveled to the trail head of Santa Cruz to begin our exploration, camping and trekking adventure. Santa Cruz is one of the most popular treks in the Huaraz area and I now know why it has a very good reputation! It's just a 4 day trek which is a nice length for people who don't want to take a guide because it's totally doable without one. The amazing mountain views of the Cordillera Blanca range, waterfalls, rivers, beautiful flowers and trees along the trail were breath taking. Each day we were in awe of the fantastic panoramic beauty of the Andes!

The gang, all except the dog... ready for the big 4 day hike

Lucy

Full backpacks with tents, camping stoves, sleeping bags, food, warm clothes and more to get us through the next days with full belly's, fresh drinking water and warm nights ahead. We decided to not take a guide and carried all our own stuff which in some ways was nice to have the freedom to go at our own pace, but we also had to carry some weight which got somewhat challenging as we climbed to higher altitudes. Some of the group were novices to the mountains which added some stress to the experience, no prior experience with altitude or camping made it a bit more difficult for myself and friend Allie as we were the only ones that with prior backpacking experience in the mountains. Another issue was with one of the rented backpacks, was total rubbish and was not designed for mountaineering so the person couldn't carry a fair load of the weight; meaning the rest of us had to carry extra. All in all it was fun once we got into the groove and people adjusted to a challenge of backpacking!

Day 1: It was as fairly mellow day as we just hiked to before the first camp so it was just about 4-5 hours of hiking. The whole group was very excited about the upcoming trek and as we walked there was lots of joking, laughing and overall jolliness. Later when we made camp, cooked a nice meal over the gas stove and had some hot drinks as we sat by a lovely camp fire talking. We were all really excited to be out in the mountains and enjoying the great outdoors, so spirits were high with anticipation of the days ahead. The stars were amazingly bright that night and how much I loved admiring the fabulous night sky. Especially this time of year because it's winter now in Huaraz so there are little to no clouds with spectacular views of the stars.

Allie checking the map...think we need to go that way!

Day 2: We left a little late in the morning time 11am, which set us back some for making the pass later on the same day. It was definitely a more challenging day for all of us, one of group was sick due to the altitude and we were all getting fairly tired due to the uphill walking, weight of our packs and doing our best to push ahead to reach the pass before dark. As we approached the area where the pass was supposed to be according to the map, we were all a bit puzzled as to where the pass actually was. It just looked like a huge rock face with no access point through the mountains. Anxiety began to rise in the group because it was getting late in the evening and the pass was apparently another hour away 4,750 meters, plus an additional 1.5 hours to get down the other side to the next camp site. Allie and Alfonso, the only ones that had any energy left decided to hike up towards the top where they thought the pass may be and to see how long it would take without packs. The rest of us just hung out, relaxed and took in the wonderful sites of the surrounding mountains until they returned. In the meantime a donkey herder came along and said where the pass entrance was and how long it would take to reach the next point. Our call was to stay put until early morning to get a good start with rest and full energy before we cross over the pass. On A & A's return we made a group decision to hang tight until morning, set up camp and knowing exactly where the pass was we were more confident for the hike the next day. After we set up the camp and got ready to cook some food and boil drinking water we discovered the gas stove wasn't working. Panic set in because we were all a little hungry, but most of all cold at such high altitude (4,550 meters) and not being able to make hot drinks was a big problem. Also the prospects of not being able to boil water for drinking the following day was a really serious issue because doing the pass is challenging enough and clean drinking water is a necessity! I was doing my best to relax and not worry about it but it was hard because in the mountains if something goes wrong there's no-one else around to help. To switch off from the drama I watched the stars and observed 2 shooting stars which gave me hope and happiness that all things will work out. We snacked on peanut butter and crackers and afterwards all hit our sleeping bags early, to wait until morning and see if we can get the stove to work then... nobody slept that night because at altitude it is much harder to sleep, especially at 4,550 meters!

Allie, Sole and myself - The Girls!

Day 3: Was definitely the hardest of all the days because we had no cooked food the night before, no sleep and had to wake get up very early in the freezing cold to make a head start on the pass. The tent was frozen and had ice on it, so it was really cold getting out of the sleeping bag especially with the lack of inspiration because we wouldn't have a hot breakfast or drinks to warm us up. The stove was still in bad shape and not working, so breakfast was granola and some cookies. Off we went to do the pass 4,750 meters and it was actually one of the easier passes I've ever done and it was over quite quickly and soon we were heading down the other side of the mountains. Downwards was definitely a bit quicker and easier! Wow the mountain views keep getting better as we go further and further, also the morale of the group improved after we completed the pass because the hardest part was over.

We finished the pass...now it's all downhill from here!

Along the path, going down the other side of the mountain we met some alpacas and how proud and powerful they look in their natural habitat.

One of 4 Alpacas we met along the way

When we reached the next camp there was a local man there, he was the cook for a European group that were climbing one of the mountains there: Artesonraju peak. He took a look at our stove the tube was blocked and fixed it right there and then. He mentioned that a lot of tourists have issues with the stoves here and that he's had to help with the same problem before. This was a boo boo on the tour operator we rented the camping gear from for not letting us know of this problem before we left the shop and it could have been pretty serious if we hadn't of had help from that kind man! We were all happy again that the stove was working and we had a yummy lunch of spaghetti, hot drinks and enjoyed a good rest afterwards. Off we went with full bellies and more energy as the trail was much easier now we'd finished the pass and the downhill walk for hours. The rest of the day the trail was excellent, with lots of open meadows and pretty scenery. I stayed a bit behind the rest of the group, shooting pictures, enjoying listening to the sounds of the running water of the nearby river, the rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through the trees, birds singing their joyful songs as I walked peacefully through the mountains. Being in the mountains is definitely one of my favorite places to be is in world! Surrounded by nature, the fresh smell of the earth, flowering blooms on the trees, the alpine air and surrounding peaks.

The kind man that fixed our stove

I'm taking a nap, Lucy by my side staying warm...shattered after our morning hike

Finally reaching the area where the campsite was at 5pm, it was more isolated and really serene by the river. Everyone was bubbly and joyful for having made it before dark and setting up camp with the daylight. We cooked a yummy meal of ramen noodles (the last of the food) and had some cookies for desert with milo. It felt great to be on our last night too because the following day a nice hot shower, real hearty meal and good nights sleep were things to look forward to.

Our camp on the last night trekking the Santa Cruz trail

Lucy exhausted from our big day

Happiness

Day 4: The final stretch to make it to the trail head and return to Huaraz, exhausted, fulfilled from the trek, ready for a hot shower and clean comfortable bed to sleep in were real motivators. We made it to Cachapampa in very good time, where we ate a simple lunch of rice, egg, papa fritas (fries) and drank lemonade. It tasted like an amazing feast because we'd been eating such basic food during our trek!
While we waited for the taxi to arrive to take us back to where we pick up the collectivo (mini bus) to Huaraz. All feeling exhausted but thoroughly fulfilled from our adventures in the Andes.

The final push on Day 4

We made it Lucy and no injuries in the group - hooray!

It felt like being in Eden during my time in the Andes and how blessed I was to have experienced this with some amazing people. The sharing, fun, laughter and playfulness as we done the Santa Cruz trek together. Shared moments like these make my decision even easier.... this is where I want to live on a more full-time basis... Peru has everything I need and love which is why I'm coming back here to live later this year. There is nowhere else I'd rather be! To have access to the Andes, all the beauty and freedom to play in the mountains. While still having access to the amazon jungle, desert, and pacific ocean (with good surfing) all within a days travel time of each other.