Into thin air: joining the 6,000m club
Let’s look at the silly facts of why I want to climb into the rarified air occupied by commercial airlines and the Andean Condor.
Why:
Insanely high without having to require technical mountaineering skills and endless $$$
Test my bodies ability to cope with less than 50% of the oxygen at sea level
Get above the clouds and see the earth from a different perspective
Stick it to my little bro who’s not been above 5,500m
Where:
Chachani Volcano to the North of Arequipa, Peru
Starting at their base camp of 5,180m
Breaking for coca tea at 5,400m
Day is finally breaking
How:
Unlike most agencies Colca Trek walk through the night to avoid camping at altitude and freezing your ass off
Pickup at 22:20pm for a 3hr drive to basecamp. Includes an hours off road where the surface is a combination of a backroad to the beach, Bolivia's Dakar Rally course and an army training ground all rolled into one
Equipped with crampons, coca tea, endless thermal layers and a head torch we embark on the vertical adventure
2am start at 5,180m for a continual trek stopping every 200m or 1hr. Going is slow and steady but occasionally this wins the race.
Moving from stars shining forth, through a distant sunrise until eventually the crater is reached at 5,990m around 8am
The final push is through an ice field to the summit at 6,075m and witness Peru in all it’s glory, not to mention how clearly the curvature of the earth is displayed from over 6km’s above sea level
Moon rings and the Milky Way
It's scree until the last 100m, and pretty steep
Looking up from 5,200m basecamp
It gets cold up this high. My climbing buddy receiving some TLC
Back from where we've come - 5,600m
Challenges:
Lack of oxygen
Backpack with almost nothing in but at this altitude it feels like a genuine Himalayan Sherpa load
Scree-covered zig-zag path
1 climbing companion (3 of us + a guide in total) who badly struggled with low temperatures and physical effort - she still reached the top however which shows desire to complete a challenge
Controlling my competitive nature of wanting to speed off the front but not wanting to collapse and die (over dramatic?)
Results:
Reaching the top first and enjoying 5 minutes alone to savour 360deg views of Peru. It was enough to make my dry mouth water - endless volcanos, watercourse cut highlands and Peru’s 2nd city Arequipa stretching out below me
Not cursing the altitude. A month in Bolivia where most of the country resides on the Altiplano of 3,600m+, and numerous trips to 5,000m made it feel less like a llama was sitting on my chest than I expected
Achieving a pre-travel goal of climbing higher than I'd ever been. Guatemala was a good start (3,964m) but there was plenty of room to improve. Mission accomplished!
What next:
Technical climbing isn’t my bag so I’m satisfied for now
Bragging rights over almost anyone who hasn’t summited a Himalayan peak
Shower, clean clothes and a big beer
Ice covered crater
The TOP!
Looking back down to Arequipa and Misti Volcano
Our great guide Roy - in high season he can climb Chachani 10-12 times per month!
River valleys and distant volcanos
That's the curvature of the earth
Instagram: @thelisaphillips #somedaysherpa
