NatGeo 2012 Expedition to the Peruvian Andes

A blog about a research, mountaineering and photographic expedition to Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash of Peru. Project crafted by Young Explorer Sergiu G. Jiduc, 2012.

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National Geographic "Melting Glaciers" Video about our Expedition to Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash of Peru. "Go on assignment with National Geographic Explorer Sergiu Jiduc to Cordillera Blanca, Peru, to document vanishing glaciers using photography”.

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Life in the Peruvian Andes

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Cordillera Huayhuash. 

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Panoramas in Cordillera Blanca

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Peruvian Food

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Lima, the capital city of Peru.

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The Expedition

Sergiu G. Jiduc is an Environmental Geoscientist and alpinist from Edinburgh University who led and organized a seven-week geoscientific, mountaineering and photographic expedition to the Peruvian Andes during August and September 2012. The team was composed of photographer, Sorin Rechitan, mountaineer Aurel Salasan and Sergiu Jiduc as logistic leader and scientific investigator. The main objective of the project was to observe and document landscape changes in Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash focusing on glacier, vegetation and human parameters. In order to do so, Sergiu reproduced historic photographs from the 1936 and 1939 German and Austrian Alpenverein Expeditions and the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Boulder Colorado as well as interviewed local people. As a result, over 10,000 photographs and over 90 GB of video material were produced, showing geological, geographical and anthropic aspects of Peru. Furthermore, Sergiu and his climbing partner Aurel, ascended some of the most difficult and beautiful mountains in Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash such as: Artesonraju 6025m, Alpamayo 5947m and the Yerupaja Grande 6617m – the second highest mountain in Peru. The team also collaborated with Changes for New Hope - a NGO preoccupied with improving the lives of the poor and underprivileged children and their families in the Peruvian Andes. They also visited Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca with the Los Uros Islands, Cusco, Lima, Huaraz, Carhuas, Yungay, Caraz, Llamac and Chiquian. The expedition was sponsored in part by the National Geographic Society and other private companies from Romania and United Kingdom.

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Travel Experience

Shortly after landing in Lima, we took a bus to Huaraz, the capital of the Peruvian Andes. The journey was long and cold as the bus lacked heating. We had a short glimpse of the Andean landscape thanks to the full moon that was lighting the Earth: an arid environment, lacking vegetation with the exception of a few cacti species. Early next morning, we checked in at the Caroline Lodging Hostel in Huaraz and also had the pleasure tasting some Peruvian breakfast: avocado, gem, margarine, coca tea and bread. Later, we met with our contact in Peru, Christian Silva Lindo - an experienced mountain guide - and Jose Luis Flores – owner of a mountain shop - and sorted out the plan and logistics for the next few weeks.

The first two days, we climbed to a few photo locations in Cordillera Negra and reproduced panoramas of Cordillera Blanca and Rio Santa Valley. Next, we explored Quebrada Cojup, with its famous 1941 flood event that swept Huaraz, and also acclimatized, reaching for the first time the altitude of 5035m. During this trek we sailed on Palcacocha Glacial Lake via a boat, and saw the first avalanche of our trip, caused by a serac fall, roaring down the NW face of Pucaranra. Later, we explored Laguna Paron and climbed Artesonraju.

On August 17 we left Huaraz and headed towards Cordillera Huayhuash. In Llamac village we hired Camilo Basilio and 4 of his donkeys to help us carry our equipment while trekking around the Huayhuash range. When reaching Quartelhuian, the first camp of our trek, we were surprised to see the tents already pitched, by Camilo. The next day, we reached Cacanapunta pass, and continued trekking towards Laguna Mitucocha, where we set camp. Interesting folding and dipping strata near the lake made me go off track to document these features as much as possible. After passing through Yanapunta, we reached Laguna Carhuacocha, where one of the best views of Jirishanca, Yerupaja and Siula Grande can be admired. Here we found a piece of the airplane that crashed in Jirishanca in 1954. On August 21, we reached Rondoy camp, after crossing Garagocha Punta and almost got lost and injured in the steep scree slopes. It seemed that the shortcut proposed by Camilo was slightly dangerous and misleading. Next, we reached Laguna Jahuacocha. From Sambuya Punta, we admired the heavily glaciated west side of Rondoy, Mituraju, Jirishanca, Yerupaja and Rasac. We were in awe for quite a while, as all the other trekking groups already left the pass. Using our lenses, we studied the west faces of Jirishanca and Yerupaja for and efficient route to climb. The next few days we spent recuperating and preparing for our big ascent at Laguna Jahuacocha, eating fresh truchas, potatoes, onions and maize thanks to the hospitality of a Quechua family that lives in a stone hut just next to the lake. The wonderful view of Rondoy, Mituraju and Jirishanca we found truly inspiring. From August 25 until August 28, we attempted to climb Yerupaja and on August 29 we descended to Llamac through Macrash Punta. The next three days we spent relaxing, eating, socializing and also suffering from food poising in Huaraz.

The last three weeks of the expedition we climbed Alpamayo and collaborated with Changes for New Hope. We also visited Cuzco, Agua Calientes and Machu Picchu. I remember the crazy driver that took us from Santa Maria village to Hydroelectrica, going with full speed through a very steep and treacherous canyon, having 6 people in his car and listening to loud Peruvian music. Puno and Lake Titicaca marked the end of our wonderful trip. Even though we still had a long way back home, visiting the Los Uros floating islands – the southern most point of our trip felt like a calm end for our adventure. It was truly astonishing to find out that 3500 people live on floating islands made of bundles of dried tortora reeds.

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Mountaineering in Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash

Mountaineering was the main adventurous activity carried out during the expedition. The initial climbing objectives included the ascent of Alpamayo 5947m, Huascaran 6768m and Yerupaja 6617m or Jirishanca 6126m, depending on weather and snow conditions. Acclimatization was the first step we took in order to successfully climb these mountain peaks. For this purpose, we trekked 40km along Cojup valley starting at an altitude of 3850m and ending at 5035m, as well as climbing up to 4000m in Cordillera Negra, reproducing Alpenverein panoramas of Cordillera Blanca. After discussing logistics with our contact in Peru and experienced mountain guide, Christian Silva Lindo, we realized that in order to be more efficient from both a mountaineering and field research perspective, it was better to climb Artesonraju instead of Huascaran. The latter was situated at the head of Quebrada Paron, a valley where we had several photographic objectives. Moreover, some sources consider Artensoraju to be the source of inspiration for the Paramount Logo, as the two are strikingly similar. Artesonraju: From Laguna Paron, we crossed the north side of the lake and set the first camp at an area known as Timber Camp, situated in a small pampa at the East end of the lake. In the morning, we ascended the moraine crest through some steep grassy lopes, and skirting left of some smooth slabs before going up a couloir and scree terraces to the glacier edge. Moraine camp was set an altitude of 4840m. The next day, we crossed the Paron Glacier, negotiating some dangerous crevasses at the East end of the glacier and set a high camp at 5200m under a serac. Summit day included climbing a 825m level difference, 45 - 80° slope, with packed snow, ice and some sections of mixt terrain. We approached the bergschrund between the seracs on the right and the mixt ground on the left of the face. Being for the first time at 5500m in this expedition, we were feeling the altitude effects: headaches, suffocation sensations and tiredness. Furthermore, around noon, the clouds started to cover the surrounding mountain peaks and soon a complete whiteout prevented us seeing more than 20m in front of us. Moreover, the last 100m of the ascent were mainly on hard, sometimes brittle ice, 60-80°. Through the whiteout, tired and tested by the altitude we were thinking to abandon the climb, but after consulting the altimeter we decided to make a final push, eventually reaching the summit around 15:00. The summit view was very dull; I could barely see my partner. We abseiled shortly after we summited using snow anchors and Abalakov threads.

By far the most adventurous experience of the expedition was Yerupaja, situated in the Huayhuash range. After studying the snow and ice conditions on Jirishanca we realized that our proposed Cassin or Czech - Slovak Routes on the W and SW Face of Jirishanca were impracticable due to the massive bergschrunds and crevasses, some 40m wide, and the lack of good quality ice. We decided to attempt a climb on Yerupaja Grande via the SE ridge. From Laguna Jahuacocha, we skirted the lake until we reached the entrance of the swale between the south lateral moraine of Solteraocha and the southern slope of Jahuacocha Valley. A faint climber’s trail rises through the swale and becomes narrow as it contours several hundred meters above the lake. There were many dangerous and exposed spots until the path turned steeply uphill and gained a plateau at 4500m. Our heavy packs made this ascent quite difficult. Next, we crossed a few boulders and climbed the crest of another lateral moraine towards the SE and set camp, north of a banded rock formation. From this spot we admired the fragmented Tam and Yerupaja West Glaciers as well as the surrounding peaks: Rondoy, Jirishanca, Mituraju, El Toro, Yerupaja Chico and Yerupaja Grande. Next morning we continued up the moraine, hitting snowline at around 5000m. After crossing a few crevasses, we entered the open Yerupaja West Glacier. The west face of Yerupaja was full of seracs and crevasses including a massive one that was crossing the entire face. We climbed up the saddle between Seria Norte and Yerupaja through some dangerous penitentes and crevasses. In the saddle we realized that we were actually standing on a massive cornice, in fact the entire ridge was full of terrifying and unstable cornices on both sides. The view of Siula Grande – the famous mountain from the Touching the Void story by Simon Yates and Joe Simpson reminded us that this was an alien terrain. We returned to the col and set camp at around 5600m. The idea of an ascent on the SE ridge was abandoned. The night was terrible: wind, low oxygen and sloping surface on which the tent was pitched, made our sleep impossible. Tired, we left camp early and started to zig zag between the seracs. We chose a fairly direct line on the west face situated between the SE ridge and 1950 American (Maxwell and Harrah) route. There were sections of overhanging ice, massive crevasses and even a small incident where I almost got killed due to a TV size block of ice that dislocated along with my left hand ice axe. Fortunately, my partner was aware and secured me tightly, eventually managing to reach the edge of the serac. At noon, we reached a point at 6250m, marked by a massive bergschrund. We looked for a safe ice bridge to cross for more than 2 hours, but soon realized how much the mountain conditions have changed since the last party had been here in 1998. Moreover, due to the extreme afternoon heat, snow and ice was melting fast and avalanches were roaring down the face every 10 minutes. After assessing the dangerous situation, we decided to abseil into the bergschrund and wait until the evening when temperatures drop and the melted snow freezes again. For 7 hours we stayed in an ice cave, bivouacking on a platform deep into the ice. Sometimes, small avalanches were coming through the small cracks above us. Cold, tired and hungry, we melted snow and cooked our freeze-dried Bolognese pasta with an improvised spoon. After sunset, we climbed out the crevasse and scanned the bergschrund again for a safe spot to cross. Unfortunately, unstable ice bridges, brittle and overhanging ice and icicles, fatigue and approaching bad weather forced us to abandon the climb. We rappelled the face, jumping over wide crevasses and zigzagging between seracs, using the snow anchors that we carried wit us. After 18 hours we were back in our tent, extremely tired. We estimate the difficulty of our route to be: TD+/ED1 with AI5+ sections, 60-100° inclination, 950m level difference in total, of which we managed to climb around 600m.

Alpamayo was the last mountain we climbed and also the most enjoyable climb of the trip. First we took a collectivo from Huaraz to Caraz and then a taxi to Cashapampa. Without porters or donkeys and with two heavy packs, we trekked the Santa Cruz Valley all the way from Cashapampa (2900m) to the col between Quitaraju and Alpamayo. We set camp below Alpamayo at around 5350m. The next day, we climbed the French Direct Route (D+/TD, 60-90°, 600m), starting at the very bottom of the bergschrund. Climbing the steep ice fluting was the best mountaineering experience of my life. The good quality ice was a celebration for our ice tools. The view below and around us kept us motivated to climb in the cleanest style as possible. Both of us enjoyed every aspect of the climb so much that we actually allocated more time to film and photograph every pitch of the 600m long route. We reached the summit shortly after noon in high spirits. The view was outstanding. All you could see were high-glaciated peaks such as Artesonraju, Huandoy and Huascaran to the South East, Santa Cruz to the West. We felt truly lucky and grateful to have the mountain only for ourselves as no one else was there. Happy and pleased we shacked hands on the most beautiful mountain in Peru. We abseiled the route, using threads already placed in the ice. While descending, my partner received an ice boulder the size of a handball straight in his face. Fortunately, no major injuries occurred, except some bleeding nose. Relaxing in the tent after our successful ascent, we saw a massive hanging serac falling and obliterating our tracks below the face. It seems that today, with our changing climate, even the most secure Andean climbing routes are now questionable.

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Peru Expedition 2012

Geoscientific, mountaineering and photographic expedition to Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash. 

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More beautiful photographs from Peru by expedition photographer, Sorin Rechitan.

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Changes for New Hope

 Changes for New Hope

“I remember this little girl that humbly and curiously asked me where do I come from. Europe I replied. She then kindly asked to take more photographs of her, wondering whether I would take them back to Europe. I played and told her stories from Transylvania. I think she enjoyed my company because when I left she couldn’t stop hugging me. This truly was a very emotional moment for both of us.”

After returning from Huayhuash we spent one day with Changes for New Hope. This is an organization situated in Huaraz, preoccupied with improving the lives of the poor and underprivileged children and their families in the Peruvian Andes. Through the dedication of Mr Jim Killon, the founder and president of the organization, along with volunteers and supporters worldwide, Changes for New Hope aims to help families living in poverty to become self-sufficient, to develop opportunities for children to reach their fullest potential and to enhance the level of respect, self-esteem and community awareness. We met Jim at Caroline Lodging, a hostel where we stayed while being in Huaraz. Jim invited us to see some of the children he works with, not very far from the hostel in an area known as Challua. The area is pretty much situated in the Rio Santa floodplain and the adobe buildings where the children and their families live lack electricity, continuous running water and basic sanitation. The average age interval was between 4 and 12 years old. We were surprised to be greeted with applauses by the children. They were very happy to see us and showed great interest in our cameras and tripods. We played with Lego, and communicated with the children, showing them where we come from on the plastic Earth as well as photographs from the places we’ve explored so far in Peru. We’ve also photographed and video recorded every activity observed during our visit focusing more on the children. I was particularly impressed by some of the their humble and mannerly behaviour but also their signs of depression and low self-esteem. Very intelligent, they asked perceptive questions about us. The main objective of the organization is to educate the children and eliminate desperation and depression that exists amongst them.  Through art projects, health awareness, nutrition and psychological assistance, coping skills and support from people all around the world, these children can become the leaders of tomorrow. “Haz lo correcto” or do the right thing, respect everyone, respect yourself is their core message. 

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Fieldwork and Research

Introduction

The destination area of our expedition, Cordillera Blanca (CB) and Cordillera Huayhuash (CH), are the most prominent mountains ranges in all of Peru. CB is a straight mountain chain, 180km long, with NNW to SSE direction, running parallel to the coast from 8°5’ S to 10° S latitude. It also forms the main watershed. From a geologic perspective, CB is made of plutonic rocks that have penetrated into the layers of the Earth’s crust.  These rocks consist mainly of light color granodiorite (intrusive igneous rock containing more plagioclase than orthoclase type feldspar), which can be found in the glaciated areas, forming the base of the peaks.  Stratified rocks such as black slate (foliated, homogenous, metamorphic rock) surround the granodiorite. These seem folded and strongly compressed towards the crests (Kinzl and Schneider, 1950).

Cordillera Blanca offers some of the best mountaineering in South America. Its advantageous position in relation to traffic routes and exceptional bold, high summits make CB an accessible high altitude climb. From a climate perspective, CB has a tropical climate with two main seasons (dry and wet) alternating according to the distribution of rainfall. The rainy season begins in November and ends in April reaching its greatest intensity in January to March. The dry season occupies the other months and it is the best season to visit the two cordilleras.

Cordillera Huayhuash is a compact sub region of Cordillera Occidental, 30km long with NNW to SSE direction, running fairly parallel to the coast from 10°8’ S to 10°24’ S latitude. It contains sharp summits, six of which exceed 6000m. The geology of Huayhuash comprises limestone, interbedded with sandstone and shale. Volcanic activity is also present under the forms of cinder cones, hydrothermal alteration (sulphate minerals and iron oxide) and vertical hexagonal columns comprising lithic tuff.  In some limestone beds, marine fossils such as ammonites and bivalves can be found. CH is home to some of the most spectacular and difficult alpine climbing in all of the Andes as well as one of the best treks in the word, known as the Great Huayhaush Trek (Frimer, 2003).

The Deutscher und Osterreichischer Alpenverein (DuOAV) expeditions, created the world-renowned Alpenverein maps, using terrestrial photogrammetry from mid to high altitude photopoints. Moreover, thousands of glass negative plates and Leica photographs were also produced. These historic landscape photographs provide a unique opportunity to qualitatively document contemporary landscape changes (Byers, 2000) The maps below show details regarding the photo locations and transportation links for the main research area, Cordillera Blanca as well as the trekking route in Cordillera Huayhuash.

The Huascaran National Park

The Huascaran National Park is situated in the Ancash department in the north – central part of Peru and includes most of the Cordillera Blanca. The national park was established in 1975 and two years later was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The park hosts 60 peaks with altitudes above 5700m, the highest being Huascaran 6768m. Forty-four glacial valleys transect the range from both west and east. The terrain below 4800m is characterized by high altitude grassland (puna) with remnant quenual (Polylepsis species) forests located within the upper inner valley slopes. The Polylepsis forest cover contains a high diversity of flora and fauna as well as providing habitat for many endemic species of Andean birds. Unfortunately, the Polylepsis forests have been drastically reduced during the past century, with as less as 3% of the original forest continues to remain today.

West of the park lies the agricultural and earthquake-affected valley of the Santa river, a densely populated region containing cities such as Huaraz (90 000 inhabitants), Caraz (15 000 inhabitants) as well as hundreds of rural villages. These cities are relatively prosperous however most of rural settlers still rely on subsidence as means of living. Incomes are mainly based on agriculture, livestock and growing tourism especially in the west parts of the park.

Important environmental issues exist in the area. These comprise of: overgrazing of alpine and subalpine pastures, concentrated tourism, uncertain land titles and park boundaries, government policies supportive of resource extraction within the national park and subsequent external pressures such as new roads, mining, dams and tourist infrastructure.  However, during 1995 and 1996, the Mountain Institute along with governmental, non-governmental, private sector and local communities produced the Huascaran National Park Ecological Management Plan, the country’s first participatory plan for protected areas (Byers, 2000).

Methods:

Repeat photography is an analytical tool capable of broadly and rapidly providing preliminary clarifications related to landscape/ land use changes within a given region. This was aided by interviews with local people and scientists, literature reviews. The specialist equipment that was used included: a Canon EOS Mk III DSLR camera with three different lens systems: EFS18-55mm f/2.8, Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS and Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS; a Canon EOS 550D DSLR camera with two lens systems: Canon EFS 18-55mm, f/3.5-5.6 IS, Tamron AF 28-300mm f/1:3.5-6.3 IF and a Panasonic DMC LX2 28mm digital compact camera. For the video documentation of our expedition we have used a HD Sony Handycam and a Go Pro Hero 2 video camera. Unfortunately due to the poor quality of the batteries, we used the GoPro little. Personal, photography and location release forms provided by the National Geographic Society were filled in by every person and landlord interviewed or photographed. For individuals lacking literacy skills a simple video acknowledgment was used.

It is important here to specify some of the problems that have arisen during our fieldwork. Ideally, the historic photographs should be replicated using the precise equipment used by the original photographer. Season, time/date and weather conditions should also be replicated as closely as possible. This was quite challenging due to practical and budgetary reasons and the remoteness and high altitude of the photo locations. The lack of time and the late departure date of our expedition, forced us to reduce the number of photo locations. We also tried to identify areas, which provided both scientific and mountaineering interest, in order to double our efficiency. Nevertheless, the overall objective of high quality reproduction of the historic photographs to address landscape changes in the two cordilleras has been reached. Moreover, insights regarding other problems that the local communities are facing have made us reconsider our objectives.

Maps

The Alpenverein maps used for our research included: DON, Deutschen Alpenverein  und den Osterreichischen Alpenvereins, Munchen, 1932. “Cordillera Blanca y el Callejon de Huailas (Peru)”, scale 1: 100,000 and 100m contour intervals. This map is commonly referred to as the Parte Norte or north sheet of the Cordillera Blanca. The DON, Deutschen Alpenverein und den Osterreichischen Alpenvereins, Innsbruck, 1939. “Cordillera Blanca Parte Sur” or south part of Cordillera Blanca with scale 1: 100,000 and 100m contour interval was also used. Moreover, we also acquired the Cordillera Blanca und Mittleres Santa-Tal (Peru). Cordillera-Blanca-Expedition des Deutschen und Österreichischen Alpenvereins, 1932. Expeditionsleiter Dr. Ph. Borchers scale 1:100,000. Lastly, we also used a new map of Cordillera Huayhuash, entitled: DAV Alpenvereinskarte Cordillera Huayhuash (Peru), 2008. Scale 1: 50 000.

The Google map image below shows the main photo locations used in our research. These locations have been cross-referenced with the Alpenverein maps, journals and expedition report. Our contact in Peru, mountain guide Mr Christian Silva Lindo has proven to be very insightful in finding these locations in the field.  His knowledge of the area was crucial to our fieldwork.

Figure 1: Map showing our photo locations after cross-referring with the locations from the Alpenverein maps

Our expedition managed to reproduce 21 pairs of photographs. 14 of which are shown here in greater detail.

Nevado Ranrapalca (6126m)

Date: 08.08.20102            Aspect: 272°                     

Time: 12:41                       Map Station: S24

Altitude: 5028m                Original: DuOAV

Figure 2: Nevado Ranrapalca (6162m). DuOAV, 1939

Figure 3: Nevado Ranrapalca (6126m). S. Jiduc, 2012

The thinning and retreat of several hundred meters of ice is clearly visible from the two photographs. The formation of a new glacial lake in the cirque depression at the bottom on the SE side of Ranrapalca, (right hand side of figure 3) is probably due to the meltwater coming from glacier and snow cover above. The erosive effect of glacier ice can also be observed. 

Glacier Lake Palcacocha, Quebrada Cojup            

Date: 08.08.2012             Aspect: 01°                                 

Time: 13:04                      Map Station: S24           

Altitude: 4991m              Original: DuOAV

Figure 4: Glacier Lake Palcacocha, Q. Cojup. DuOAV, 1939     

Figure 5: Glacier Lake Palcacocha, Q.Cojup. S. Jiduc 2012

Palcacocha is a tropical glacier lake subjected to Glacier Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF).  On December 13, 1941, an ice avalanche coming from a hanging glacier on Pucaranra – Palcacocha, fell into the impounded Palcacocha Lake showed in figure 4. This event caused the breaching of the terminal moraine that contained the lake. A massive wave swept down the entire Cohup valley, also entraining the water of another lake (Laguna Jiracocha) situated 2-3 miles down the valley. The combined water of the two lakes descended on Huaraz, delivering rock boulders, ice and liquid mud. More than 6000 people died and large parts of the city were destroyed (Ayers, 1954). The approximate arrival time of the flood was around 22 minutes with the peak in downstream discharge produced 33 minutes after the breach (conceptual models, Rivas, 2012). The flood has drained a large volume of water as shown by figure 5. Comparisons show widespread glacier recession, especially in the center and left hand side of the figure. The thinning of ice is also present on Palcaraju 6274m. New geomorphic features such as gullies, sumps, torrents have formed.  Climate change is accelerating the retreat of tropical glaciers in Peru with hydrological consequences such as the increase in glacier lakes volume. Even though the 1941 GLOF has drained a substantial amount of water, the volume of Palcacocha Lake, has increased from 1941 to 2010 with over 7 million m3 mainly due to climate change induced glacier melting (Rivas, 2012). Knowledge about the behavior of an expected GLOF event in Palcacocha is required in order to identify emergency strategies to prevent human life losses as well major infrastructure damage in the downstream areas.

Glacier Lake Palcacocha

Date: 08.08.2012    Aspect: 038°

Time: 09:18             Map Station: S39

Altitude: 4525m      Original: DuOAV, 1939

Figure 6: Glaciar Lake Palcacocha, Q. Cojup, DuOAV, 1939

Figure 7: Glacier Lake Palcacocha, Q.Cojup. S. Jiduc, 2012

Figure 8: Glacier Lake Palcacocha, Q. Cojup. S.Jiduc, 2012

This set of photographs shows the evolution of Palcacocha lake and the glaciers that surround the lake. Comparisons show extensive and widespread glacier retreat and thinning, especially in the center of figure 7 and the accumulation of moraine debris (probably due to erosion and rock avalanches) on the right hand side of figure 9. The size of the lake has increased substantially since 1941 due to increase in meltwater input. The Peruvian Government, Mountain Institute and Glaciological Institute have taken measures to prevent future GLOF. Figure 8 shows the construction of a dam as well as drainage pipes in order to control the water volume of the lake and prevent future GLOF. The water is drained through pipes, which are floating on the lake. Workers drag them using boats, ropes and human muscle power. This is one of the most important water supplies of Huaraz. A clear example of anthropic intervention in glaciated environments.

Breakthrough Morainal Dam, Quebrada Cojup

Date: 07.08.2012     Aspect: 020°

Time: 17:25              Map Station: S1                        

Altitude: 4368m       Original: F.D. Ayres, 1954                                                                      

Figure 9: Breakthrough Morainal Dam, Q. Cojup. F.D. Ayres, 1954 

Figure 10: Breakthrough Morainal Dam, Q. Cojup. S.Rechitan 2012

Figures 9 and 10 show the breach caused by the ice avalanche. This is estimated to be around 45m high. Comparisons show an increase of the width of the breach due to erosion and the usage of boulder material for the construction of the dam and drainage system. The boulder flow that accompanied the flood can be clearly depicted in figure 11. Puna grassland (alpine vegetation) has covered some parts of this terrain. The degree of shrinkage and thinning of the glaciers on Pucaranra and Palcaraju is alarming. Since 1954, hundreds of meters of ice have disappeared. As a consequence, the Palcacocha lake behind the moraine has increased dramatically since the flood occurred.

View through the south cut of the moraine wall, Quebrada Cojup.

Date: 08.08.2012             Aspect: 188°

Time: 08: 49                     Map Station: S2 

Altitude: 4513                   Original: F.D. Ayres, 1954

Figure 11: View down the south cut of the moraine wall. F.D. Ayers, 1954

Figure 12: View down the south cut of the moraine wall. S. Jiduc, 2012

This pair of photographs shows the view down between the walls of the south cut (breach) through the moraine when the 1941 flood occurred. In 1954, F.D. Ayers estimated that the height of the walls was around 150 feet. Today, the height of the wall is a few feet less. This change is mostly due to erosion processes as well as human intervention as moraine material was used to construct the Palcacocha dam, shown in figure 8. The width of the cut has also increased by a few feet. The moraine material is composed of debris, rock and ice deposits. The drainage pipes are visible in the bottom part of figure 12.  

Glacier Lake Artesonraju, Quebrada Paron

Date: 15.08.2012     Aspect: 350°

Time: 14:30              Map Station: S37

Altitude: 4297m       Original: DuOAV, 1939

Figure 13: Glacier Lake Artesonraju Q. Paron. DuOAV, 1939                                 

Figure 14: Glacier Lake Artesonraju, Q.Paron, S.Jiduc, 2012

This pair of photographs is a clear example of the alarming amount of ice cover that has disappeared in last 80 years. The rock face in the center of the figure is around 400m high. It is easily observed that the entire hanging glacier has disappeared. The lake has increased substantially in size and volume. The large seracs present in figure 14 on the SW face of Artesonraju have disappeared also. Runoff has increased since 1939. A small dam has been built at the western shore of the lake where natural streams drain the lake. As in the case of lake Palcacocha, in Quebrada Cojup, this dam controls the water discharge further down the valley and prevents dangerous increases in water volume. Considering the importance of the hydrological properties of Paron Valley  (i.e. Paron dam and tunnel, Canon de Plata hydroelectric plan) this area is one of the most accurately investigated areas of Cordillera Blanca.

New Glacier Lake in the Paron Valley

Date: 12.08.2012       Aspect: 22°

Time: 16:45                Original: Sorin Rechitan, 2012

Altitude: 4850m

Figure 15: New Glacier Lake at the foot of Artesonraju. S. Rechitan, 2012.

This photograph shows the Paron Glacier between Artesonraju and Piramide (the same glacier as in figures 14 and 15). The glacier lake has formed between 1932 and 1940 at the Paron Glacier terminus, (described also by H. Kinzl, 1950). The lake has increased in size and volume ever since. In order to avoid a possible outburst of the lake through the terminal moraine, a drainage system, similar to that in Cojup Valley, has been built further downstream to control the water outflow. A monitoring station, which measures the glacier melt rate, snowfall, solar radiation intensity, wind speed, humidity and precipitation has been installed on the glacier. These measurements are important to assess the volume of water in the two lakes and thus prevent a sudden outburst. Such an event would be disastrous for the communities downstream and cities such as Caraz.  

Laguna Paron

Date: 11.08.2012     Aspect: 057°

Time: 15:03              Map Station: S38

Altitude: 4346m        Original: DuOAV, 1939

Figure 16: Laguna Paron, seen from Huandoy Moraine. DuOAV, 1939               

Figure 17: Laguna Paron seen from Huandoy Moraine. S.Rechitan, 2012

Laguna Paron is the largest lake in Cordillera Blanca and was formally used for the Canon de Plata hydroelectric plan. An interview with a local worker has raised concerns about the current usage of the lake. Even though, the lake has substantial hydroelectric potential, the lake water is only used for irrigation. This is due to the privatization scandal, which started in 1994, and the negative effects on the local communities of the excessive discharge rate of 8m3/s. Even though the comparison of the photographs shows a decrease in the lake size, the lake has actually increased in volume due to the excess meltwater coming from the surrounding glaciers.  The tunnel that was built for the hydroelectric station is used to drain the lake and thus the reason for the low level of the lake.

Yerupaja 6617m seen from L. Carhuacocha

Date: 21.08.2012     Aspect: 230°

Time: 08:20             Map Station: S43

Altitude: 4138m       Original: DuOAV, 1936   

Figure 18: Yerupaja from Laguna Carhuacocha. DuOAV, 1936 

Figure 19: Yerupaja from Laguna Carhuacocha.  S. Jiduc, 2012

Glacier recession is present on a massive scale in CH as well. Figure 19 shows the Yerupaja East Glacier, which has lost around 200m of ice since 1939. Most of the hanging ice is lost through serac falls and avalanches. Recession is also present on the left hand side of the photograph, on the col between Yerupaja and Siula Grande. We have seen an increase in the number, size and frequency of crevasses on all glaciers visited. Many climbing routes are now impracticable due to massive bergschurunds that cross the entire mountain faces, some 40 meters wide. We had many difficulties crossing these bergschrunds while climbing Yerupaja West Face. If route descriptions from the 1970’ acknowledged the existence of bergschrunds, today these crevasses are often too wide to cross. Low latitude glaciers are sensitive indicators in the climate system. The atmosphere in the low latitudes is thermally homogenous in space and time and thus seasonality is caused by the annual cycle of atmospheric.

Huascaran 6768m seen from Yungay Cemetery

Date: 06.08.2012         Aspect: 058°

Time: 15:04                  Map Station: S21

Altitude: 2657m            Original: DuOAV, 1939    

Figure 20: Huascaran from Yungay Cemetery. DuOAV, 1939   

Figure 21: Huascaran from Yungay Cemetery. S. Rechitan, 2012.   

In 1970, Yungay city was completely destroyed and buried under a thick layer of liquefied mud, ice and boulders due to a 7.7M earthquake and its subsequent avalanche. The new city has been moved further north, however as visible in figure 23, people still live and work in the aluvion’s path. Eucalyptus species now populate the area more extensively than before the catastrophic event. The thinning and retreat of glaciers on Huascaran is spectacular.  These people are totally reliant on the freshwater provided by the glaciers above.The limit marked by the difference in rock color (the lighter brown being the consequence of glacier erosion such as abrasion & plucking) represents the past snow line. Now, this line has progressed a few hundred meters up the mountain.

North View of Nevado Huascaran

Date: 09.08.2012            Aspect: 198

Time: 16:20                     Map Station: S19

Altitude: 4500m               Original: DuOav, 1939

Figure 22: North side of Huascaran seen from Llanganuco Valley. DuOAV, 1939.                                                                             

Figure 23: North side of Huascaran seen from Llanganuco Valley. S.Rechitan, 2012.  

This is another clear example of the massive scale glacier recession present in Cordillera Blanca. The highest peak in Peru has lost a few hundreds meters of snow and ice cover in the past 80 years. The North Summit is the most affected. Ice thinning is very obvious from this photographic comparison. Moreover, the moraine catchment has suffered severe changes such as moraine wall collapse, increase in surface area, rock and debris avalanches, ice retreat, and infills of melt water.

Nevado Chopicalqui

Date: 09.08.2012         Aspect: 165°

Time: 16:56                  Map Station: S20

Altitude: 4726m            Original DuOAV, 1939

Figure 24: North view of Nevado Chopicalqui. DuOAV, 1939.

Figure 25: North view of Nevado Chopicalqui. S. Rechitan, 2012.

This north view of Nevado Chopicalqui taken from the highest pass in Quebrada Llanganuco is another example of climate change induced glacier recession.  The ice thinning is quite spectacular in some areas such as in the case of ice flutings. The glacier on the bottom left hand side of figure 24 has shrunk by a few hundred meters in the past 80 years. The hanging seracs present in the 1939 photograph (figure 24) have partially if not but all disappeared.  The “Swiss roll” ice features present on the North ridge in the center of figure 25 have also shrunk considerably in size

Carhuas from Cordillera Negra

Date: 06.08.2012      Aspect: 072°

Time: 12:02               Map Station: S41

Altitude: 2829m         Original: DuOAV, 1939     

Figure 26: Carhuas. DuOAV, 1939 

Figure 27: Carhuas. S.Jiduc, 2012

Carhuas has been entirely destroyed by the 1970 earthquake. A new city has been built on top of the old one, which has been populated with people from all around the country. According to interviews with local people, the population of the city has increased compared to the old one. The configuration of the city is similar; however the density of buildings is much greater. An increase in non-native eucalyptus species is observable. Regarding the cultivated areas and enclosed fields, there seems to be a decrease. Receding glaciers are visible in the background on Nevado Hualcan and Nevado Copa.

Quebrada Llanganuco

Date: 09.08.2012       Aspect: 234°

Time: 15:31                Map Station: S41

Altitude: 4493m         Original: DuOAV, 1939

Figure 28: Quebrada Llanganuco  DuOAV, 1939.

Figure 29: Quebrada LLanganuco S. Jiduc, 2012

Quebrada Llanganuco offers great views of Huascaran, Huandoy, Yanapaccha and Pisco (one of the most popular and easy climbs in CB) as well as the beautiful lakes Chinancocha and Orconcocha. Llanganuco experiences some intensive tourism, as a consequence of being included in the great Santa Cruz Trek, and providing the main access route to Pisco, Chopicalqui and Yanapaccha. Comparison of photographs show: a relative stability in the native ‘quenual’ (polylepsis) species, but an increase in anthropic impact. The building of the road that connects Callejón de Huaylas to Yanama, and other cities situated east of CB (Callejon de Conchucos), is one of the changes.

Panorama of Huandoy, Huascaran and Copa

Date: 06.08.2012                                    Aspect: 080°

Time: 17:00-18:00                                  Map Station: S9 and S10

Altitude: 3810 and 3850m, respectively. Original: DuOAV, 1939

Figure 30: Composite Panorama of N. Huandoy, N. Huascaran and N. Copa, seen from C. Negra. DuOAV, 1939

Figure 31: Composite Panorama of N. Huandoy, N. Huascaran and N. Nevado Copa, S. Rechitan and S. Jiduc, 2012

The panorama provides an overview of the amount of glacier recession that has occurred on the West Side of Cordillera Blanca. The new location of Yungay city is visible on the left side of figure 31. There is an obvious increase in cultivated lands and contained fields, as well as in the density and size of settlements. New roads have been built including one traversing the cordillera through Quebrada Llanganuco up to a pass at 4760m, showed in figure 29.

In the context of an increasing population, the melting of glaciers in CB and CH is affecting the vulnerability of Andean communities and their access to freshwater. As glaciers melt, there is a transitory increase in runoff, due to mass reduction. Nevertheless, water stored, as ice in glaciers is limited and the apparent increase in runoff is only temporary. In a few decades, after glaciers have lost substantial mass, a decrease in runoff will follow. This trend will be even more pronounced during the low flow season when the relative contribution of melt water is at its maximum (Barer, et al. 2012).  In the next decades, many mountain communities could be at risk because of water shortages.

The 2007 IPCC report, pointed out that the Andes of Peru is one of the most biologically diverse areas of our planet. A research carried by Florida Institute of Technology, suggested that the new century may bring hundreds or even thousands of plant and animal extinctions to this richly endowed area as a consequence of climate change and growing anthropic impact on the natural ecosystems. Cordillera Blanca lost over 25% of its glacial ice in the last 30 years. With over 70% of the population living in the coastal desert and dependent entirely on mountain water, the Peruvian population is extremely sensitive to hydrological changes caused by climate induced glacier melting. Moreover, Peru is the third most vulnerable country in the world to extreme weather, following Honduras and Bangladesh. With climate models predicting that the intensity and frequency of extreme events such as storms, droughts and El Niño southern oscillations to increase in the near future, Peru seems to be one of the most affected countries in the world by human induced climate change.

Besides the alarming shrinkage of glaciers, and the impact on the hydrology of the Rio Santa watershed, interviews with the local people raised concerns regarding the legal and illegal mining, in both cordilleras. It seems there is a lack of information regarding the exact number of mines, and their effects on the local soil, and water resources. Some locals believe there are contaminating effects with no quantitative or qualitative account of them. This subject is taboo, and opinions are divided. As a developing country, Peru has the right to extract many of its valuable resources, but what is the impact on the environment? The lack of sewage and the heavy exploitation of the Rio Santa bed for construction purposes, as well as redirections of the water from the river, are also problems identified by us during our visit in the Rio Santa Valley.  The pollution of C. Huayhuash due to the increase in tourism and subsequently an increase in the disposal of waste consists a main concern of environmental degradation. Garbage can be found on many trekking trails and this phenomenon is more widespread than ever before. The degradation of grasslands, alpine areas and aquatic systems due to camping and waste disposal is quite common in C. Huayhuash.

Another important problem is poverty. More than two out of three Andean people live in extreme poverty, with 6 million alone in Central Andes. Poverty in the Andean area is the result of a few factors such as: the poor productivity of land, fragility of mountain environments, weak infrastructure, lack of educational opportunities and social marginalization. The latter two have been pointed out after our collaboration with Changes for New Hope a NGO preoccupied with improving the lives of the poor and underprivileged children and their families in the Peruvian Andes. Through the dedication of Mr Jim Killon, the founder and president of the organization, along with volunteers and supporters worldwide, Changes for New Hope aims to help families living in poverty to become self-sufficient, to develop opportunities for children to reach their fullest potential and to enhance the level of respect, self-esteem and community awareness.

Conclusion

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Acknowledgements

I should especially like to thank my university staff, Mrs Kate Heal, Mr Wyn Williams and Mr Anthony Newton who, from the beginning supported the project, and myself too, providing recommendations and constructive feedback as well as insightful advice. I also thank Christian Silva Lindo, whose knowledge, expertise, patience, and hospitality made our expedition, logistically possible. I thank too the Alpenverein librarians in Innsbruck and Munich who provided the historic photographs and the National Geographic Society for supporting the project and providing with us the opportunity to stretch our limits and seek further into the field of research and exploration.  Special thanks go to Mr Horia Pasculescu, Mr Razvan Muntianu, Mr Vlad Lacu, Mr Glad Varga, Mr Alin Buda and the rest of my sponsors in Romania, as without their support, the project would have been delayed considerably. Last and not least, I should thank Sorin Rechitan who provided photographic equipment and knowledge, therefore substantially increasing the quality of our material; and my climbing partner, Aurel Salasan, whose patience, dedication and climbing experience have made possible the ascents. 

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Administration and Logistics

Sunset at Laguna Carhuacocha, Cordillera Huayhuash. Photographer: Sorin Rechitan

Our research material (maps and photographs) was obtained from the Alpenverein Library of the Austrian Alpine Cub in Innsbruck and German Alpine Club in Munich. A few photographs have also been obtained from the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Boulder, Colorado. The full material included 30 photographs, three Alpenverein maps, Deutcher Alpenverein (DAV) and academic journals and the comprehensive expedition report written by the Alpenverein Expedition leaders, Hans Kinzl and Erwin Scheinder, called Cordillera Blanca.   Of particular significance was a monitoring and evaluation study carried out by the Mountain Institute in Cordillera Blanca in 1997 and 1998, - expeditions, which reproduced some of the 1936 and 1939, Alpenverein photographs. The paper, entitled “Contemporary Landscape Change in the Huascaran National Park and Buffer Zone, CB, Peru, written by Dr Alton C. Byers produced several insights related to landscape and land use change within the area of interest. Yurak Janka, written by John F. Ricker provided us with more information regarding the geology, structure, flora, and fauna of CB, Peru. Before heading to Peru, we identified the GPS coordinates of some photo locations by using Google Earth and cross-referencing these coordinates with the Alpenverein maps.For the mountaineering section of the expedition, the Huayhuash guide written by Jeremy Frimer, Mr Simon’s Yates advice (Touching the Void) as well as the Summit Post website helped us to organize our ascents.

It is important here to specify some of the problems that have arisen during our fieldwork. Ideally, the historic photographs should be replicated using the precise equipment used by the original photographer. Season, time/date and weather conditions should also be replicated as closely as possible. This was quite challenging due to practical and budgetary reasons and the remoteness and high altitude of the photo locations. The lack of time and the late departure date of our expedition, forced us to reduce the number of photo locations. We also tried to identify areas which provided both scientific and mountaineering interest, in order to double our efficiency. Nevertheless, the overall objective of high quality reproduction of the historic photographs to address landscape changes in the two cordilleras has been reached. Moreover, insights regarding other problems that the local communities are facing have made us reconsider our objectives.

  A copy of the original 1932 Alpenverein Map of Cordillera Blanca. Courtesy of the Alpine Club in Innsbruck, Austria. 

Training for the expedition started seven months prior to our departure. This consisted of regular weekly gym sessions, swimming, running, indoor and outdoor climbing as well as taking supplements to strengthen the body such as minerals, vitamins, proteins. The climbing, technical and fieldwork equipment such as GPS, video camera, tent, half ropes etc. was partly provided by the University of Edinburgh School of GeoSciences, National Geographic Society, Explorer Club and Alpin Expe Mountain Shop Romania.

  Aurel, testing his acrobatic skills in Huayhuash. Photographer: Sorin Rechitan

Research and climbing permits were obtained on our arrival in Peru from the Huascaran National Park authorities situated at the entrance of a few valleys such as Llanganuco and Santa Cruz. Letters from the Expedition Council of the University of Edinburgh and Explorer Club Romania helped us to obtain these permits without the instructions of a mountain guide.                                                                                                                                                                                   

Fundraising was the most difficult aspect of our expedition. It started in January 2012 and included applying for grants to different worldwide mountaineering and scientific organizations such as the Royal Scottish Geographical Society and Berghaus Equipment Company. In July, National Geographic Society offered a Young Explorer grant, and along with the rest of the sponsorships from Romania and our personal contribution, the budget of $15,000 was reached.

Financially, the proposed budget was relatively appropriate, however the parity between the Peruvian currency (soles) and the ones used by us (euro and dollars) was fluctuating. Therefore, we were forced to use more money from the emergency budget. Grants were sent electronically via bank transfer and we used cash as well as credit cards for payments in the field. However, the charges of Peruvian Banks for processing international cards are large so I would recommend bringing as much cash as possible. 

Travel Insurance was obtained from the Generali Insurance Group for the entire length of the expedition and also included cover for extreme activities such as climbing. Fortunately, we did not have to use it, as there were no injuries involved. 

The Royal Dutch Airlines provided air transportation to Peru. For travel within the country we used buses for large distances such as: Lima – Huaraz and Huaraz – Cusco; minibuses, known as collectivos for distances up to 150km between research localities such as: Carhuas, Yungay, Caraz; taxis for some photopoint locations where roads have been built (Yanganuco valley and Cordillera Negra); as well as donkeys and horses for inaccessible places such as the Huayhaush chain. Recommended bus companies are: Movil Tours, Crus del Sur and basically all collectivos that you can find in Huaraz Collectivo Terminal. Donkey drivers are easily found in Llamac, a small village in the Huayhuash range and I recommend firm price negotiation and the signing of a contract to enforce the agreement between parties.  Donkey drivers tend to change the agreement during the trek. Unfortunately, our expedition has cost the planet quite a bit as our calculated carbon footprint for the 7 weeks is around 7t/CO2.

Caballos and arriero in Cordillera Huayhuash.

Regarding food, Mountain House Freeze Dried Food Company, UK, provided high altitude meals for the mountain ascents whereas Peruvian markets, restaurants and hostels provided the rest. Quite often we came across the impossibility of reading shelf prices in shops and markets located in the more remote ares in the mountains, as they simply were not there. Because it is quite common to charge foreigners a higher price than normal, I recommend that anyone travelling to Peru, should get familiar with the prices for basic products and try to negotiate. Nevertheless, Peru is market economy and you will be able to find almost everything you need in the many supermarkets the country has.  However, Peruvian food is very tasty and we discovered this as soon as we arrived: our first Peruvian meal included a cooked Guineea pig known as Cuy, Humitas (humitas are prepared with fresh corn combined with lard and salt and queso fresco for a savory dish or with fresh corn with lard, sugar, cinnamon and raisins for a sweet dish and Pachamanca (closely related to Pachamama which means mother Earth). Pachamanca included three different types of potatoes, with pork, corn, cicha morada (a beverage derived from maize).

Cuy. Peruvian delicatesse. Photographer: Sorin Rechitan

Humitas (Steamed corn husks filled with ground corn are a traditional food, eaten by the native inhabitants of South America before the arrival of the Europeans). Photographer: Sorin Rechitan

Pachamanca with chicha morada. Photographer: Sergiu Jiduc

Accommodation was mainly provided by our 3–person, VE -25 North Face tent.  We also used a few hostels such as Caroline Lodging in Huaraz, Backpakers in Lima, Tu Hogar in Cusco and El Inti in Puno. Caroline Lodging offers a warm and friendly atmosphere as well as breakfast, Internet (1 s/hour), free use of kitchen facilities, the possibility to rent climbing equipment and movies, support for, and organized trekking tours to places such as: Laguna 69, Churup Lake, coca oil massage, and even horse riding. 

Moraine Camp, Artesonraju, Cordillera Blanca. Photographer: Sorin Rechitan

Night camp at Laguna Carhuacocha. Cordillera Huayhuash

Communication with our families and friends was provided by an Iridium Satellite phone, for places with no GSM reception such as high altitudes. We used normal phones with roaming coverage in cities where reception was possible and Internet through the aid of a Blog, E-mail, and Socializing networks) to communicate with the interested public. Weekly posts shared our evolution in the field with the world.

Camilo (our donkey driver and Sergiu). Photographer: Sorin Rechitan

Risks and hazards were assessed using the UoE Expeditions Council guidelines. The supporting body approved the risk assessment, which included an evaluation of the physical, biological, chemical and man-made hazards, personal safety, environmental impact and decision-making. High altitude and low oxygen concentration, extreme weather, rock/ice/snow falls and avalanches, microorganism poisoning, road accidents, pollution of the environment, and improper decision-making were taken into consideration. A complete first aid kit accompanied us in all treks and climbs. 

Checking the water before drinking. Cordillera Blanca

Specialist equipment included: a Canon EOS Mk III DSLR camera with three different lens systems: EFS18-55mm f/2.8, Canon 24-105mm f/4 IS and Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS; a Canon EOS 550D DSLR camera with two lens systems: Canon EFS 18-55mm, f/3.5-5.6 IS, Tamron AF 28-300mm f/1:3.5-6.3 IF and a Panasonic DMC LX2 28mm digital compact camera. For the video documentation of our expedition we have used a HD Sony Handycam and a Go Pro Hero 2 video camera. Unfortunately due to the poor quality of the batteries, we used the GoPro little. Personal, photography and location release forms provided by the National Geographic Society were filled in by every person and landlord interviewed or photographed. For individuals lacking literacy skills a simple video acknowledgment was used.

Sergiu photographing some debris flow deposits Cordillera Blanca. Photographer: Sorin Rechitan

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Adventurous Activities: Alpamayo 5947m, Cordillera Blanca

Alpamayo at sunset as seen from high camp 5300m. Photographer: Sergiu Jiduc

Alpamayo 5947m was the last mountain we climbed. Without porters and with two heavy packs, Aurel and myself trekked the Santa Cruz Valley from Cashapampa to Llamarocal (800m level difference) - where we stayed for the night, and eventually reached Alpamayo Base Camp situated near Laguna Arhueicocha at 4300m the next day. On September 5, we climbed the Alpamayo moraine and glacier, (1200m level difference) and reached the col between Quitaraju and Alpamayo. We set camp below Alpamayo, at around 5350m. On the September 6, we left the high camp around 06:00 and climbed the French Direct Route, D+/TD, 50-90° inclination, starting at the very bottom of the bergschrund. 7 hours later we reached the summit of Alpamayo 5947m. Fortunately, this time the clouds allowed us to enjoy the surrounding view and take pictures. We abseiled the route, using threads already in place in the ice. Shortly after reaching the camp, a massive serac fell and avalanched our tracks. In one day we descended all the way to Llamarocal from the high camp, and on September 8, we were in Huaraz.

Climbing the French Direct Route on Alpamayo 5947m.Photographer: Sergiu Jiduc

Last pitches of the French Direct Route: Photographer: Aurel Salasan

Alpamayo Summit, and Sergiu: Photographer; Aurel Salasan

Sergiu, rappeling over a bergschrund. Photographer: Aurel Salsan

During this last section we trekked and climbed around 6000m level difference. A rough estimation of the total level difference climbed and trekked by foot during this expedition is around 30,000m. No porters or donkeys were used for these ascents. All climbs were done in pure alpine style. Due to time constraints and sensitivity to the effects of altitude, Sorin Rechitan was unable to accompany us in these ascents

Quitaraju as seen from high camp. Photographer: Sergiu Jiduc

Sunset over the Santa Cruz Group. Photographer: Sergiu Jiduc