Peak Summit!

To celebrate two years in Peru, the volunteers of Peru 19 in Ancash decided to take the ultimate challenge of summiting a mountain peak in Ancash! Since none of us has ever had any experience in summiting a peak, we decided to summit one of the lower peaks that takes only two days to reach the top. The peak we summited is called Vallunaraju and it is 5,686 meters high (18,655 ft). It was the most physically and emotionally exhausting experience of my life but also one of the most beautiful and amazing experiences that I have ever had in nature.

The first day, we hiked to base camp with all our camping and climbing gear in our back packs. That morning we had rented all the necessary climbing gear: picks, big boots with cramp-ons (metal points that go on the bottom of our boots), snow pants, a helmet, snow gloves, etc. So we arrived to base camp as a grueling 4 hour hike straight up with very heavy back packs from all our gear. We arrived to base camp and got our tents set up, hung out, cooked dinner and then tried to get in a few hours of sleep. We had to wake up at 1am to begin the climb!

Hiking up to base camp

Where we camped. What a beautiful view!

The view at sunset

We got up at 1am and by the time we hiked up a little farther to where the snow started and then got all our gear on, it was 2:30am by the time we started the actual climb. We all had to be attached to a thick rope together with our guide in front so that if anyone slipped, they wouldn’t fall to their death off the mountain. The first half of the climb was intense! Well it was all very intense actually and required hiking straight up in deep snow and ice picking out way up in some parts. It was also very, very cold. It took us about 5-6 hours to get to the top and we were ecstatic to make it because there were several points when we were so physically exhausted that we couldn’t go on. It may sound like I am exaggerating but I am not!  The very last 20 minutes of the climb was pure ice picking and climbing up vertically. Getting down that part was even trickier. But we made it and it was such an unforgettable experience!

Almost ready to start the hike at 2:30am!

Getting our gear on

Ready to start!

There was another big group from Canada who were also summiting the peak. The started a little bit before us so when we stated all we could see was a line lights from head lamps climbing straight up the mountain. Pretty cool! 

The sun finally started setting and it was beautiful! 

We had the most incredible views of the mountains around us. 

And then the top of the mountain peak finally came into view!

One of the less steep sections of climbing when using our ice pick wasn´t necessary. 

Taking a little break before tackling the last part of the climb

Climbing up the last part to the peak

A local brewing company in Huaraz told us that if we took some of their beers to the top and took some photos, they would give us 3 free cases of their delicious beer 

Almost to the top!

At the top!

Group shot at the top

It felt like we were on top of the world!

Heading back down

A cravass on the way down

By the way, went with two guides who are friends of a good friend of ours here in Huaraz. Since they were friends of a friend, they only charged us $10 each for the trip! It was such an amazing and challenging experience that I am so thankful to have had before leaving Ancash. I live in the most amazing and beautiful part of Peru! 

Turning 24

I recently had my 3^rd birthday in Peru. When I arrived to Peru I was just a little baby of 21 years old and I just turned 24. To celebrate another year of life, my boyfriend and I met up in Huaraz for a weekend of adventures. We went overnight hiking and camped at a beautiful green lagoon at the base of a snow capped mountain. The lake was called “Shayap” and it was about an hour outside of Huaraz. My boyfriend is a surfer from the big city of Lima so this was his first overnight hike in the mountains and his first time camping in such cold weather. He was a trooper and started the hike just after getting off an overnight bus arriving from Lima. It was a long trek getting to the lagoon but we made it and I got to wake up on my birthday with the love of my life in the most beautiful mountain scenery possible. I felt so thankful and happy to be celebrating another year of life that way. 

Starting off our hike!

Passing a quinoa farm on the way

The lake where we camped

Keeping warm in the tent with the hat my mom made ;)

Our camping spot

Pretty darn beautiful! 

The morning of my 24th birthday

The view from the hotel we stayed in the next night. 

 Life is so beautiful! Especially in the Andes Mountains :-) 

Ancash Love

A few facts about Ancas:  (the name of the state in Peru that I am lucky enough to call home)

• "Ancash" is a Quechua word that means "blue". The Inca named it this because of the impossible blue color of the sky. 
• Ancash is home to the second highest mountain range in the world: The "Cordillera Blanca". 
• Not ironically, Ancash is also home to the biggest mine in the world and because of this is the "richest" area of Peru but also the most corrupt and has the most poverty and wealth disparity.
• Ancash is the most beautiful part of Peru...Okay maybe that's not a fact but it is my opinion and I may or may not be biased :-)

Ancash has been my home for the past two years and I have an immense amount of Ancash pride. It is a place where we literally have some of the most beautiful mountains in the world in out back yard and we can go hiking, camping, and have awesome mountain adventures every weekend. The indigenous culture and traditions are still very much alive here and daily we see women and men dressed in traditional Peruvian clothing and hear people speaking Quechua. 

About a week ago, the Ancash volunteers had a regional meeting in a part Ancash called "Huari". My friend Leland and I decided that instead of conventionally arriving to Huari by bus, we would hike a well known trail from Olleros-Chavin to get part of the way there which was typically a 3 day, 2 night trek and we tried to do it in 2 days and 1 night. We made it but of course had some interesting adventures and struggles along the way :)

Such awesome mountains!

Day 1

There were many farms along the way and cute animals to be seen :) It's always amazing to see that people have farms in places that took us two days to reach by foot!

I just love these cute little guys!

Enjoying the view on our lunch break.

Such unique mountains!

Passing Quinoa farms

After two days of walking through the mountains, we arrived to Chavin Ancash, spent a night there, and got up early to take a car to Huari to meet up with the rest of the volunteers for out meeting and fun activities such as doing a few more hikes, hitting up the town in traditional Ancash clothing, and eating cat. More on that later.

The lake that we reached after a hike that we did.

The main plaza in adorable Huari.

We had decided previously that in when we went to Huari we wanted to dress up in traditional Ancash clothing to hit up the town in all our Ancash pride. So we went shopping ahead of time and bought our beautiful polleras, chompas, llanquis, and sombreros.

Getting ready!

More getting ready...

Ready to rock our Ancash pride on the town!

Cholita linda from head to toe: Sombrero (hat), chompa (sweater), lliclla (blanket/shawl), pollera (skirt), chicles (leggings), and finally my llanquis (mountain sandels made out of tires).

Some of us dressed up in full traditional clothing while others only wore parts like a sombrero or lliclla. But we all have the Ancash spirit :)

Certain parts of Ancash have the tradition of eating cat that they still keep to this day. This idea seemed quite strange to us but we all wanted to try it because well, "When in Rome" and all that. But I guess this time it's "When in Ancash". So we ate some cat! It tasted like rabbit. Please don't judge us, most of us ladies felt like terrible people after we ate the cat, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. And quite frankly I have eaten much worse while in the Peace Corps.

Fried cat.

Tyler and Ivan enjoying some cat.

After eating our cat, we headed to the plaza to start a drinking circle like true Peruvians.

My site mate and I. True Peruvians never smile in photos.

We ended the night in true Peruvian style with some huayno dancing in the plaza :)

I love Ancash and I feel so lucky to have lived in such a culturally rich and beautiful area of Peru for the past two years. I will soon be moving back to the US but my Ancash pride will shine on forever!