Huyana PotosÍ

This post will quite likely be very short, as it only covers the events of three days, however they were so tough and they mean so much to me, I thought they deserved a post of their own. We had decided to attempt to climb a mountain, and had chosen Huyana Potosí (6088m). If we achieved it, we bagged our first 6000m peak, which is about 1800m higher than the highest mountain I've climbed before. I knew that the snow and the altitude would make it difficult but I had no idea how much it would take out of us. I think it might be the hardest physical effort I have ever undertaken.

We arrived at base camp on the first day, freshly kitted out with our (rather old and badly fitting) equipment. We spent that afternoon learning to use the crampons and ice picks on a glacier an hours hike from camp. The altitude (around 4800m) was already making is breathe heavily, and the idea of going so much higher was already a little concerning! 

The next day, the real challenge began. We had a three hour hike up to high camp, which sounded like nothing. However, we had to carry all the gear we would need for the final climb, including the crampons and ice picks, helmets and gloves, sleeping bags and warmer clothes. The altitude really started kicking in, and walking uphill in snow, with crampons for the last two hours, was hard. We made it up, but we were worried for the next day. We went to bed early, at about 6, as we were to get up at 1.30 to start the final ascent. 

I'm not quite sure how to describe the final 4/5 hours of walking up to the top. They really were hellish. We were tied in a line together, with the guide in the guide in the front, followed by Tanya and finally myself. I hadn't really eaten, having not felt very well in the morning, and it was struggle to take more than 10 paces at a time. My eyes were closing involuntarily. There were parts which were so steep we had to use our ice picks and climb up with our crampons. We even had to jump over a couple of narrow, buy extremely deep crevasses! At 5800m, with so little left to go, I began really struggling. However, our guide then pointed out the 100m up to 6000m and finally up to the summit itself. This gave us the push we needed to carry on. Once we reached 6000m, the final ascent followed a narrow ridge, in certain areas so narrow one couldn't place both feet next to each other! This final part was perhaps my favourite, as it was actually less steep, and the sun was slowly rising revealing incredible views of other mountains, La Paz itself and mountain lakes (including Lake Titicaca!). Tanya was perhaps a little more peturbed by this part, having a small fear of heights, but she did fantastically and eventually, after all the mental and physical exertion, we finally made it to the summit! It was a fanatastic feeling, and the views were superlative. The reality hasn't really set it, but we had made it! 

The way down the mountain was in some ways worse than the way up. We were so tired and still so hungry and the guide was pushing us to hurry as the snow was melting increasing the avalanche risk. By the time we reached high camp we were at the end of our tethers. I wasn't sure we'd make it down any further! A couple of Oreo biscuits later and our guide was again edging us on down. To cap it all off, Tanya's knee started to hurt, and we once again had heavy packs to carry. However, somehow, very slowly, we finally reached base camp, nine hours after leaving high camp that morning. I was done, I couldn't even eat, and I slept most of the way back to La Paz. 

Even a couple of days later we are still recovering and suffering with coughs, sore throats and extreme tiredness. Apparently, on average, 30% of a group do not make it up to the top and all of ours did. The mental and physical effort was huge, but the feeling of achievement was worth every moment. I'm so glad we took the challenge and succeeded, however we certainly need a rest before our next trek or other physical trip! We are now heading for Chile, and aim to find a beach! The weather won't be warm, but certainly warmer than up a snowy mountain! I will keep you updated soon with our first days in another new country. 

Lots of love, 

Emma