Huayna Potosi 6088m peak
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Here we start for the first day climb, after checking our specific mountain gear, adding weight and volume to our 60-70L backpacks. We quickly meet snow starting falling on the cold rocks around us.
We have to do forced breaks to take it easy with the altitude and keep our heart rate low to avoid any sickness due to exhaustion.
The final climb is so steep that we have to use our hands to continue.
We finally reach the base camp in the middle of afternoon where we are going to wait until the next morning for an early climb planned at 2am.
We are already overall feeling exhausted and our heads are spinning. We are not at all hungry even if we should be and we desperately drink tea made with coca leaves, supposed to cure our altitude sickness.
No energy, slow movements, we just hope the 10 hours left before the final ascension are sufficient to rest and reduce our headaches to the minimum.
Here we start for the first day climb, after checking our specific mountain gear, adding weight and volume to our 60-70L backpacks. We quickly meet snow starting falling on the cold rocks around us.
We have to do forced breaks to take it easy with the altitude and keep our heart rate low to avoid any sickness due to exhaustion.
The final climb is so steep that we have to use our hands to continue.
We finally reach the base camp in the middle of afternoon where we are going to wait until the next morning for an early climb planned at 2am.
No energy, slow movements, we just hope the 10 hours left before the final ascension are sufficient to rest and reduce our headaches to the minimum.
On the second day, we leave at 2am in an untouched fresh powder the second base camp at 5000m all geared up and linked up. Piolet, harness, carabineri, crampons and helmet are our new gear for this second and last day for the final ascension.
Tough steep ascension in full moon, with our Petzl head front lights and GoPro on.
Unfortunately and sadly after 2h30 climbing, our heads started spinning more and more, feeling dizzy, and our stomachs feeling like stretched.
Too much CO2 = not enough O2 in our blood, we sadly have to accept give it up at 5600m just after passing the deserted last base camp.
Situation at 4:30am: breathless, on our knees every 5min to slow down our crazy heart rate, loosing lucidity.
Verdict: return to base at 4:30am. At the end of the slow come back near 6am, daylight appears again. Snow is heavier and after 5 hours of effort, we are actually happy to be back again to the base camp.
Despite the "Cool" picture, we only think about laying down in the dormitory of the base camp.
Slightly later near 7-8am we can see the other unsuccessful teams also slowly and hardly returning to another base camp located just 300m higher tan ours.
Feeling like when you hear this Coldplay song. Frustrated but relieved with the hope to feel better once at lower level. We just want to go down and lay down.. there is no pride anymore to have at this stage ;)
In the end, only one team made it to the top among the 7. One team even fell from one edge by 30m down, then tried to continue parallel to the top of the edge and fell again down by 70m in the steep but fresh powder where piolets do not grip at all.
We saw part of the whole scene 900m far from the refuge window.. with our guide trying to contact by walkie talkie the exhausted group coming back early morning; but late enough for the snow to melt and stick to crampons making the descent a hassle for delayed knackered teams...
We have been now travelling for just under 2 months out of our 6-month career break..
From La Paz, we take a coach to Copacabana in Bolivia on the shores of the Titicaca lake where we plan to visit Isla del Sol, an small island where Inca ruins are well preserved.
Coach La Paz - Copacabana 3hrs, 142km