- Patricia Alcivar uploaded a blog post.
- Category : Mountaineering and Summit Memories
- Peru - The Mountains & Challenge I Needed to Meet
- “Challenges are an opportunity to test you and rise to the next level.”
On June 11, 2021, I summitted the highest peak in North America- Denali, 20,310ft/6190m and it was also my 4th of my 7 World Summits. It was one of the most difficult climbs I had ever endured losing over 12 pounds in 14 days.
After a couple of weeks of recovery, I kept thinking of ways to continue my journey with the mountains. It was and is a constant need to be in their presence, to grow and learn through their challenges and beauty.
As a Professional Boxer, Competitive Runner and now Mountaineer, I had learned the importance of staying in shape “just in case” anything came up.
I also knew that I had to be wise in taking time off having 3 different jobs in New York City from being a Professional Spanish Interpreter/Translator, EMT and Writer as well as a Volunteer for NYCARES.
Throughout the incredibly hot New York City Summer months, I stayed active competing in Triathlons, Duathlons, Running events, Endurance Hikes as well as Bouldering, Rock Climbing and my own training during the week before my work days began.
As the Fall Season was approaching, the alpine climbing season in the Pacific North West and in many places was also coming to an end, but after some research, I learned that Peru had some high altitude mountains that could still be climbed.
I had avoided International Travel because of the pandemic and the last time I flew Internationally was in October of 2019 when I went to climb in Russia and successfully summitted the highest peak in Europe- Mount Elbrus, 18,510’/5641m.
I had received my 2nd Pfizer Vaccine in April and felt it was time to climb for the first time in Peru. After ensuring I could take 5 days off from my jobs from Oct 13th-19th, I researched expedition companies and found Andean Peaks, a Mountain Expedition Company founded in 2010 by two UIAGM/IFMGA/AGMP certified mountain guide brothers- Octavio and Eloy Salazar based in Huaraz, Peru.
I contacted them in early October and spoke with Octavio Obregon-Salazar explaining that I literally had 5 days and wanted to Climb 2 High Altitude Mountains in Peru. Within a few hours he built an ambitious and challenging itinerary:
Oct 13: Arrive in Lima, Peru & travel 8 hrs via bus to Huaraz, Peru
Oct 14: Acclimating Hike to Wilcacocha Lake at 12,253ft/3735m
Oct 15: Acclimating Hike to Lake Churup at 14,600ft/4450m
Oct 16: Alpine Climb at Nevado Mateo, 16,896ft/5150m
Oct 17: Hike up from Huaraz, 10,137ft/3090m to High Camp Moraine at 16,830ft/5130m
Oct 18: Summit Push to Montaña Vallunaraju, 18,700ft/5686m
Oct 19: Fly back home
There were no rest days or weather windows built into this itinerary because I simply didnt have time. What most people allotted 10–12 days, I would attempt in five days. PERFECT!
I was relieved that I had stayed in good physical shape and had also started my Marathon Training for the Philadelphia Marathon on November 20th. I booked my flights, arranged care for my dog, Jack and the time had come to travel.
As far as I knew, a negative Covid-19 antigen test no more than 3 days prior to traveling was required, However, upon arrival at JFK airport, I was told that a PCR negative Covid-19 test was the updated requirement.
I took a cart and loaded my expeditions duffle bags and sprinted to Terminal 1 from Terminal 5 to wait 3 hrs to obtain the PCR test provided by a private company. I prayed in silence and within 45 minutes, a negative test result was given to me amd I sprinted back to Terminal 5 and provided the test to the ticket agents. I made my flight with exactly 1 minute before they closed the door.
“Positivity always wins. Always”
I arrived at the Faraona Grand Hotel in Lima at almost 1am, but I was thrilled to finally be in Peru! I barely slept and was up early to shower, eat breakfast and take the bus to Huaraz which took nearly 10 hours! Octavio and Eloy greeted me and picked me up at the Bus Terminal and took me to El Jacal Hostel in Huaraz. The brothers seemed genuine and Professional, so that definitely made me breathe a sigh of relief.
El Jacal was a cozy hostel where I immediately felt comfortable which can always be a challenge for me, so that was a good sign. They offered daily breakfast from 7am-9am at the Terrace right above my room.
Day 1 (Oct 14): Octavio would pick me up at 8am from El Jacal and Eloy drove us to the start of the trail to hike Wilcacocha Lake, 12,253ft/3735m. It was a gradual steep 2-hr inclined hike up to the Lake. I could immediately feel the altitude in my breathing which forced me to slow down my pace considerably. It was a great opportunity to just take in the beauty.
Aside from my breathing, everything else felt pretty good and I had an extra bounce in my step as we descended. Octavio made a few suggestions as to where to get dinner at the “Plaza” which was a 10–15 minute walk from El Jacal.
During dinner, I checked in with my sister, Julie back in New York City. She has always been my “rock” and talked sense into me when needed.
Day 2 (Oct 15): Today, Octavio & Eloy picked me up at 7:30 am as Lake Churup was a further drive as well as a longer and higher hike at 14,600ft/4450m. From the very start, this hike was absolutely beautiful with stunning views. One of the things that caught my eye immediately as we were getting higher was a particular looking tree which Octavio told me was the Queñua tree, one of the most representative trees of the high Andean regions.
Among its most outstanding features is that it grows at the highest altitudes of any tree in the world and has the ability to provide oxygen in high places exceeding 4,000 meters in altitude. This is because it has a thick and foliated trunk, several layers of reddish color that cover the trunk, these layers are called ritidoma and protect the tree from low temperatures and in turn enrich the earth.
I hugged the tree & secretly wished it would provide some much needed oxygen to my lungs as I was definitely feeling the altitude and the sections that followed included steeper rock scrambles to the top.
Upon reaching the summit, I felt goosebumps developing from the wonderful sight of the snow covered mountain and lake that had blue and green tones.
I had truly never experienced such beauty and I felt overwhelmed. I took it all in. It was a great acclimating day and now the real challenges were going to take place the very next day.
As Eloy was driving me to El Jacal, Octavio was reviewing what I should be packing tonight and have ready for tomorrow. “I will pick you up at 3am. Pack your crampons, helmet, harness, locking carribeaners, nalgene bottles, ice axe, gloves, mittens, goretex jacket and wear your mountain clothes and mountaineering boots,” said Octavio.
I was excited but nervous for some reason as I got dropped off. I guess it was the anticipation of the unknown. I took a shower and walked down to the popular “California Cafe” which some acquaintances from NYC had recommended. It was a nice hangout place that was only offering their breakfast menu and closed at 4pm.
I had a cheese omelette while the owner and a friend spoke loudly at the table behind me about their thoughts on a conspiracy theory regarding the Covid-19 Vaccine.
Although it had started to rain heavily, I decided to not finish the rest of my meal and walked back to El Jacal. I messaged my sister, said a prayer and tried to fall asleep.
Day 3 (Oct 16): I tossed and turned all night. I barely slept a wink and was in the shower at 1:30 am to and Octavio promptly knocked on the door at 3am. We loaded my backpack in the trunk and took off.
As we were arriving at the parking area and start of the climb, we saw that the roads and mountain were fully covered in a blanket of snow. It had snowed heavily throughout the night and it was still coming down!
I was smiling nervously as we arrived and I got ready. Octavio was also smiling but with confidence. “Don’t worry, it will clear up for us,” he said before we took off.
After a short walk, we had a 2-hour+ rock scramble climb in the icy, snowy and wet rocks! This was definitely something super new to me. I tried to put my best foot and face forward and just keep going.
“Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.”
We saw a few groups down below, but we were pretty much alone with no one near us.
After the rock scrambles, we put on our crampons and ate a quick snack. Now, we were on the glacier and it was an exceptionally steep climb to the summit. It was still snowing and the mountain was gray and foggy, however, as we kept getting closer to the summit, we started to see hints of blue skies and some clearing.
After about an hour of relentless steep climbing, we reached the summit and for a few minutes, Mother Nature and the Mountain gifted me the opportunity of a clear summit with breathtaking views.
My eyes filled instantaneously with tears and I closed my eyes for a few seconds and Thanked God, Mother Nature and the Mountains. Then, I hugged and high-fived Octavio.
The clouds and fog started to quickly roll back in. It really was incredible that for a few short moments, we had clear skies.
We started to descend quickly and midway down saw 3 groups making their way up. Descending the rock scramble portion was even more challenging and I took a few spills, but Alas, we made it back to the parking area in one piece!
On the ride back, I passed out! The stress, adrenaline and lack of sleep had taken its toll.
As we arrived at El Jacal, Octavio instructed, “Tomorrow, be ready by 7am. You need to pack everything You had today but add your sleeping bag, mattress and extra clothes. You will have to carry up all your things up to Camp Moraine.” I smiled and nodded.
I took a long hot shower, downloaded the “maps.me” app as Octavio suggested and took myself down to the Plaza for dinner. I had a much needed delicious steak, rice, fried egg and plantain dish while I messaged my sister and told her about my climb today and what was coming tomorrow and Monday. “Stay Strong and have Faith! You can and will do this! Was her final message to me.
Day 4(Oct 17): I finally had a great night of deep sleep. I ate a good hearty breakfast and was ready by 7am when Octavio picked me up. It was a 2-hr+ drive to the start of the hike for Camp Moraine. It was gray and foggy once again as we started hiking up.
We saw a few members of groups coming down from their Summit attempts. None which had made the summit. The word was that the soft snow was too challenging, slippery and dangerous. Octavio saw the expression in my face and said, “It is best not to ask. Everyone has their own version of the story and people have different perspectives. We will find out on our own.”
I found it hard to swallow my own saliva, but I smiled nervously. Hiking up with my incredibly heavy backpack was demanding and taxing and I was looking forward to getting to High Camp Moraine so I could unload my backpack and rest.
Eloy, had been there a day prior and was currently climbing Vallunaraju with 2 male clients. As we arrived to High Camp, it had started to rain, then hail then snow. Octavio sent me into the tent to rest. Silio, the cook gave me a bowl of hot soup which helped me fall asleep.
At 5 p.m., Octavio gave me a bowl of Spaghetti which I also ate and gave me instructions, “Tomorrow, I will wake you up by 12:30 am, Breakfast is at 1 am and we will leave by 1:30 am understood?” I handed the bowl back to Octavio and said Goodnight.
Day 5(Oct 18): The temperature had dropped significantly and I was tired. I fell into a deep sleep inside my -20 degree sleeping bag. “Patty! Patty! Time to get up,” yelled Octavio from his tent.
My stomach felt full from last night. As I was coming out of my tent, I saw that it had snowed heavily throughout the night. The tents, ground and everything was covered in alot of snow!
I was ready and out of my tent promptly at 1am. “Are we going to be able to climb Octavio?” I asked in a very concerning tone. Octavio smiled and without any hesitation said, “Of course! Anything is possible Patty! Just have faith.”
I didn’t want breakfast, coffee or tea and instead took sips of hot water in a cup while Octavio ate a honey sandwich. At 1:45 am, we had our backpacks on and were on our way.
Like Nevado Mateo, this Mountain also started with a steep rock scrambling/climbing section. However, this had much more snow and ice. I was visibly nervous and my leg was trembling. “You have to control that fear Patty. Don’t give in to it,” said Octavio.
I was way out of my comfort zone, but managed to embrace this challenge. After a couple of hours, we reached the glacier and put on our crampons.
Vallunaraju had never ending insanely steep sections. One after the other that left me gasping for air. My mouth was so dry and I managed to drink water when I was able to, but couldn’t eat.
We finally arrived to a section where the summit was visible. I smiled big and said, “Is that the Summit? How much longer to the top?” Octavio looked at me and then looked down and said, “It’s at least another hour or two away.” I was stunned and couldn’t believe it was still that far away.
“Suck it up buttercup!” I said to myself. The final push was on a very narrow ridge which didn’t scare me because that, I have done before at Denali and before I knew it, we had arrived at the glorious Summit of Vallunaraju, 18,700ft/5686m!
I fell to my knees and cried as I do at every summit, however, each summit has a special meaning and this one definitely did!
“Good job Patty! You did it!” said Octavio. I was smiling and crying at the same time. For this moment, nothing else in the world mattered. For this moment, all the pain and hurt from my life had ceased.
The descent was extremely arduous. I had still not eaten anything and every bit of the last 4 days had caught up to me. I was beyond exhausted but had to keep moving.
The skies were now clear and the sun was warm. I kept taking away layers until I was down to my base layer.
We arrived back at High Camp at 11am and I collapsed into my tent passing out for a full hour before Octavio woke me up so we could breakdown, pack up and descend back to the trail.
It was a slow descent, but I replayed all the moments of this expedition in my head. I had learned that even if I had doubts and fears, it was ultimately up to me to NOT give in.
As we made it to the trail and drove back to the hotel, Octavio made sure I was okay. That would be the last time I saw him before I left the next day back to New York City.
I had my final breakfast at El Jacal and departed back home with a lifetime of memories and lessons.
I am eternally grateful to God, the Mountains and Mother Nature for the Challenges and opportunity to learn and grow.
Special thanks to Andean Peaks and Octavio for guiding me through the magnificent mountains of Peru.
Octavio Obregon-Salazar, UIAGM/IFMGA/AGMP certified Mountain Guide.
He was born and raised in the village of Yarush in 1987, at the foot of the Cordillera Blanca from a very young age his passion for the mountains was born. In 2003, he began rock climbing with his brother Eloy. In 2009 he obtained the title of "Official High Mountain Guide", also occupying the first place in his class. He has been sport climbing and opening new routes in the Cordillera Blanca and in other countries. His extensive work experience has led him to climb most of the mountains in the Cordillera Blanca.
Log in or register for more content!