Volcan Misti 11-18

Mon, 21 Nov 2005 04:25:14 GMT

On Friday, November 18th, I ventured out for my first trek into the Andes of Peru, Volcan Misti. Just a few miles from my home, this still semi-active volcanoe looms overhead at 19,100 feet. Many of you have seen photo's of her already, but now I've had the chance to get up close and personal with her.

In true Peruvian style, I was to meet one of my climbing buddies at 6:30 a.m. on a corner downtown. I arrived at 6:15, he arrived around 6:43, and another of my friends finally showed up at 6:50. From there we headed two blocks over to meet the rest of the group, 7 other men and 2 women all ready for a few days of fun above the clouds. As I said, this was in true Peruvian style, which is to say that our entire team assembled and we finally set out around 9 am. By the time we set out from the trailhead the morning was coming to an end, but hey, to the mountains I was headed, so who cares.

Now, as this would be my first time climbing above 14,000 feet, and as I wasn't sure what to expect, we'll just say I overpacked for a one day trip, a fact that became noticeable within the first of the 4 1/2 hour journey up to base camp. I am not ashamed to say that I was the slowest member of the team, but I continued on, looking up as much as possible. Not knowing what to expect, I had packed more water, food, and clothes than I needed, not to mention somehow being duped into carrying a tent for four, along with all my own stuff!!

Unfortunately, one of our group, the one person who happened to be my responsibility, was stricken with severe leg cramps, and as we moved higher, came down with a case of AMS (acute mountain sickness). I say he was my responsibility because he is Alec's physical therapist, and aside from me he had no connection whatsoever to the rest of the group. If I had not been there, he would not have been there. As his AMS became worse he finally gave in to the mountain. As a result we made camp around what I guess to be 13,500 feet, about 500 feet below our prospected base camp. The thing about AMS is that you only have two options- stay at the altitude you are and rest overnight, or head down. If you continue upward you risk edema, and at that point getting down becomes necessity, a much more serious matter.

As you can see from the pictures, our camp wasn't exactly a terrible place to spend the evening. After a few hours my friend began to feel better, but our window had passed on the summit. Not to worry, though. I'll be back up there in a few weeks, and two things are for certain, my pack will be much lighter and my story will be much longer...

My View, From Peru: Travel

Volcan Misti 11-18