400km or 250milestU d t (111(10, I

Abstract: During June and July 1999, twelvemembers of the Yorkshire Ramblers' Club visitedBolivia. Following a week of acclimatisation on thealtiplano, five visited the Cocapata range nearCochabamba for exploratory rock climbing ongranite peaks, while the remainder completed a two­week trek in the Cordillera Real Subsequently allcombined for an ascent of Sajama. Two membersthen explored the Cordillera Occidental. This reportincludes notes on planning, routes, personal accountsand further opportunities for climbing and trekking.

Contents:Introduction 4Personnel and Logistics 7Cocapata 10Cordillera Real 22Cordillera Occidental.. 34

The YRCBulletin 3

Birds ofBolivia .42Excursions 48Conclusions 59Achievements, Acknowledgements 61Sources ofinformation 62

Winter 1999

IntroductionThe YorkshireRamblers' Club'slinks with Bolivianmountaineeringstarted in 1898when honorarymember, Sir MartinConway, made thefirst ascent ofIllimani's highesttop (6402m 21ooofi)with two Swissguides. Their localporters abandonnedthem on the ascentof this prominentpeak whichdominates the viewfrom the city of LaPaz at the southemend of the CordilleraReal (Conway, 1901,pI24). Conway lateralmost reached thesummit ofAncohuma (6427m21086fi) at thenorthem end of theCordillera Real.

Then in 1966 TonySmythe climbed tenpeaks', mostly firstascents, in the Illimani, Ruben Calderon

1 These traditional mountaineering ascentswere made more tiring by penitentes andlong days out from Laguna Jacha LecheKhotabasecamp. The ten ascents were:Yoka de Ancohuma, 19,873ft, 1stascent;Kimsakolyo, 19,332ft, 1stascent;Hankopiti I, 19,249ft, 2nd ascent;BuenaVista, 18,200ft, 1st ascent;Viluyo 2, 18,39Oft, 3rd ascent;Taparacu, 18,867ft, 2nd ascent;Haltatawa, 18,370ft, possible 1stascent;Nonte Triangulo, 18,609ft, 1stascent;PicodeLinea, 18,40Oft, 1st ascent; andKunotawa, 19,622ft, 1stascent.

The YRC Bulletin 4

Ancohuma area with one or both ofDave Challis and Bob Hall of aBangor University team.

That trip was during a generation longlull in YRe organised mountaineeringin the greater ranges. Later, the Club,after a series of well supported Alpinemeets, organised a successfulexpedition to the Apolobamba range,north ofLake Titicaca by the Peruvianborder, in 1988 (Smith, 1989). This

Winter 1999

Apolobamba: Hunancuni & Cololo from Quello

attracted six members and created twofirst ascents of new routes on peaks­which had previously had few visits(Brain, 1999, p17,75). That expedition'slogistical support was provided byBernardo Guarachi who was, thisyear, being honoured in Bolivia by theisssue of a stamp commemorating hisascent ofEverest.

There followed a series of Himalayantreks and climbs over the next tenyears until, by the late 1990s, groupsofmostly newly retired members, withforty or so years experience, wereheading out to Nepal once or twice ayear.

1995 saw a YRC party of sixteentrekking and climbing in the JugalHimal including a younger group ofmembers. These active youngermembers concentrated increasingly oninternational caving trips over the nextfew years. This, and their careers,resulted in a 1998 call for membersinterested in another hip to Bolivia

2 Cololo, 5915m / 19,406ft, west ridgeroute and Nevado Nubi,571Om / 18,734ftsouth-west ridge.

'The YRC Bulletin 5

and Chile predominantly attractingolder, retired members. The vastmajority of those interested wanted tospend a month, rather than six weeks,on the trip and preferred to trekwithout vehicle support throughattractive peaks and meet up as asinglegroup for part ofthe time.

Consequently the expedition itinerarywas in four parts: acclimatisation;trekking in the Cordillera Real orexploratory rock climbing in theCordillera Cocapata [Echevarria, 1997)

near Cochabamba; a combined trip toSajama; and finally, for those whoremained, an exploration of theCordillera Ocidental and the Puno deAtacama. These lasted about one,two, one and two weeks respectively.The Apolobamba, Quimsa Cruz andSouthern Cordillera Occidental wererejected as the main trekking andclimbing as being, respectively,already visited, unlikely to bear manysignificant new classical routes andtoo remote and widely spaced.

Support was negotiated, severalmonths in advance with the La Pazbased agency, Andean Summits, withwhom a suitable trekking routethrough the Cordillera Real wasnegotiated. Portering proved muchmore reliablethan a century earlier.

Information on the Cocapata wassupplied by Evelio Echevarria tosupplement his article in the AlpineJournal.

Winter 1999

Personnel:

Cordillera Cocapata, Climbing:

David Hick

Tim Josephy

Duncan Mackay

Rory Newman

Michael Smith

Cordillera Real, Trekking:

David Atherton

Derek Bush

Albert Chapman

lan Crowther

lain Gilmour

Alan Kay

Alan Linford

David Smith

Cuzco, Arequipa and Sorata

Christine Marriott

Support from Andean Summits

Jose Camarlinghi, guide

Javier Thellache, guide

Vrrginia(Vicky), cook

Arles, cook

Rebecca, assistant cook

Rafael Save, driver

George, driver

Juan Carlos, driver/aspirant guide

Mario Quespe Mendosa, boatman

The YRC Bulletin 7

Logistics:Flights were booked nine months inadvance with American Airlines fromHeathrow to Miami then Miami to LaPaz, This reduced Conway's fortyfour day journey out from London toLa Paz [Conway 1901, p69) to justtwenty hours including a stroll roundMiami's fashionable art deco area.

The local agent provided all trekkingand base camp gear and support, localtransport and food. They also bookedhotels and tourist excursions for theacclimatisation period. We took outtwo Club Ultra Quasar tents, threeMSR®Dragonfly stoves for usebeyond base camp and eight climbingropes.

Our base camps were supported by acook and, in the case of the largercamps, an assistant. The food carriedinto the camp was supplemented bysmall amounts purchased locally asavailable and by a resupply after aweek when the guides changed over.

Joseph Barclay Pentland (1827), aBriton who was the first person tomap the Cordillera Real, was allowed£650, including £200 for books andinstruments, for his eighteen monthsurvey of Bolivia on behalf of theBritish government. In 1988, theApolobamba trip cost members about£1300 including incidental costs in thefield but excluding personalequipment. This time the expedition,

Winter 1999

with its increased level of support,cost about £2000. That comprisedroughly of:

£550 air fare,£1200 logistical support,

£200 on excursions and£50 administration and

communal gear.

The trekking routes through theCordillera Real are now wellestablished and a variation, selected onthe advice of the agent, was plannedto provide an opportunity to ascend apeak ifall was going well.

For the climbers, photographs of theCordillera Cocapata, supplied byEchevarria, indicated that the steepestcontinuous rock was to be found onthe west side of Jatuncasa (CerroJatun Khasa on the map).Consequently the largest lake in thearea, Lago Calzonani, only a fewkilometres away, appeared to providea good base. This lake is a few, uphillkilometres from the nearest road andseveral hours steep and rough drivingfrom the city of Cochabamba.

Since our 1988 visit the transportinfrastructure and mountaineeringsupport service had improvedconsiderably. The publication ofYossi Brain's climbing guide, earlierthis year, makes the peaks accessibleto a wider range of mountaineers.Bolivia would appear to be set for anexpansion ofmountaineering activity.

Why Bolivia?Invariably the first reaction of anyonetold of our plans was to ask ''WhyBolivia?" We saw the mainadvantages as abundant impressivepeaks, a lack of climbers, peak feesand bureaucracy, clear blue skiesalmost guaranteed daily, a rich andunfamiliar culture, general stability,reasonable safety, inexpensive localsupport and ease of travel to themountains. The air fare costs, sparseflora and fauna, less well knownmountains and the impossibility ofgradually acclimatising are significantdisadvantages.

The YRCBulletin 8 Winter 1999

The expedition consisted not of a single party but groups which formed at different times tovisit different areas. It would be tedious to record who was where at each stage but thefollowing outlines the main movements.

34567

89

10111213141516171819202122

Day12

OthersLaPaz 23La Paz 24

Embassy reception with Blashford-Snell 25Depart for UK 26

Cordillera Occidental (2) 27Chilean Lacua National Park, Putre 28Zapahuira, Belen, Saxamar, Cuya 29

Huara, Humberstone, Iquique, Pacific 30Tocopilla, Calama 31

Chuquicamata, Chiu Chiu, El Tatio 32Geysers, San Pedro de Atacama 33

near Licancabur, L.Verde, L.Colorada 34Laguna Caiiapeto Vo1can Ollague 35

ascend V.Ollagiie, Salar de Chiquana 36Salar de Uyuni, Uyuni, Isla de Pescadores 37

Tahua, Jirira, Salinas, Challapata 38Poopo, Cala Cala, Oruro, La Paz 39

day in La Paz 40La Cumbre, Apacheta Chukura 41

Fly La Paz, Santa Cruz to Miami 42Heathrow 43

44

Fly Heathrow - Miami - BoliviaArrive in La Paz and remain there for orientation/recovery

Titicaca sailing group (3) Cuzcu group (9)Puerto Perez, sail to Suriqui, camp By road to Cuzco

Tiquina to camp on east shore In Cuzco visiting archaeological sitesIsla de la Luna and Isla del Sol Visit to Machu Picchu ruins

Cochabamba and back to La Paz Fly from Cuzco back to La PazLunch with Embassy staff and Guarachi, 3 ascend Charquini

Cocapata Climbing group (5) Cordillera Real Trekking group (7)Via Cochabamba to Tunari, camp Via Sorata to Cocoyo and campEstablish Laguna Chacapata base Sarani pass to near Chajolpaya

Jatuncasa, Co. Cajonani Khasa Negruni pass to Negruni lakeExplore to Willipanki, Cerro Torre Rio Amawaya Jawira, Janqu Quta

Establish Willipanki camp Quinasini Quta to near mine trackWillipanki I, Sankhayuni Mina Fabulosa, Chiqapa Jawira

Willipanki Il climbed Mina Fabulosa, Chiqapa JawiraKhocha Khasa, Malpaso Cerro Nigruni corries

Cerro Torre, Pututuni, Co.Chiquapa pass, L.Alka QutaJatuncasa circuit, Malpaso near Co.Wawanaki, Juri Quta

Poma Apacheta near Co.Kuntui, Chiyara QutaNido de Condores (Sankhayuni) Cerro Ventanani (Austria)

Decamp to Pefias Condoriri GlacierSipe Sipe and on to La Paz to Tuni and La Paz

Reorganising in La PazSajama group (9)

Drive to Sajama, camp nr thennalsEstablish base, 4800m

high camp at col, 5800mascend Sajama, 6542m, to base

Decamp to near thennals, geysersSajama village, return to La Paz

day in La PazFly La Paz, Santa Cruz to Miami

HeathrowPeru Group (2)

CuzcoPisac and Urumbamba

Visit to Machu Picchu ruinsfly to Arequipa

Colca CayonPacific Coast

Arequipa to PunoPuno

LaPazday in La Paz

Fly La Paz, Santa Cruz to MiamiHeathrow

June19 Sa20 Su

21 Mo22 Tu23 We24 Th25 Fr

11 Su12 Mo13 Tu14 We15 Th16 Fr17 Sa18 Su19 Mo20 Tu21 We22 Th23 Fr24 Sa25 Su26 Mo27 Tu28 We29 Th30 Fr31 Sa1 Aug

26 Sa27 Su28 Mo29 Tu30We1 July2 Fr3 Sa4 Su5 Mo6 Tu7 We8 Th9 Fr10 Sa

The YRC Bulletin 9 Winter 1999

CocapataOur attention was drawn to this areaas having the "potential to be a rockclimbers' playground ... 'and whoevergoes there will have the whole rangeto himself' (Bchevarria, 1997, p158).This matched the YRC approachperfectly and the lack of previousvisits by foreign mountaineers, sinceHoek in 1903 and Herzog in 1908 and1911, suggested that an exploratoryclimbing venture would yield newroutes and peaks.

".

The Germans Henry Hook, 1878-1951, andTheodor Herzog, 1880-1961

Yossi Brain, outspoken as ever,commented "no snow, shite rock, whybother?" (Dec. 1997, e-mail) but wepreferred to rely on first-handaccounts such as Herzog's "greyjagged ridge", "bizarely formedpeaks", "steep rocky homs" and"extraordinarily impressive blacktower" (1913) and Echevarria's"excellent grey granite" and ''long,steep slabs of smooth rocks" (1998,correspondence).

Studying the 1:50000 maps, sent outbeforehand from La Paz, confirmedthe extent of the range, its relativeease of access, the steepness of theslopes and the number of peaks.While these maps depict permanentsnowfie1ds they do not now exist nordid they in Herzog's time.

The name Cordillera de Cocapatawas used by Herzog and Echevarria in

The YRCBulletin 10

preference to Tunari or Cochabambaand we have followed their example.The group lie north-west ofCochabamba and south-east of theQuimsa ClUZ. Peak names areproblematic. Map names do notcoincide with much of the currentlocal usage. This report uses namesshown on the IGM maps except forJatun Khasa, or Herzog's Incachaca,which is referred to as Jatuncasa.

The climbers were:David Hick

Tim JosephyDuncan Mackay

Rory NewmanMichae1 Smith

Their average age was 48 years. Wespent two weeks in the area duringlate June and early July after a week ofacclimatisation. We were supportedby a cook, Virginia1, and a guide whonegotiated with local people,organised the logistics and joined uson ascents. It was also the guides firstvisit to the area and they knew of noother visits there apart from someviscacha hunters and mountain bikersmaking excursions from Cochabamba.

Our journey to the range from La Paztook a w1101e day, from 9am to sunsetat 6pm, first south almost to Orurothen east over the Cordillera Orientalvia the Pongo pass. Refuelling thenturning north-west at the plaza in

1 Virginia was impressive. She not onlycatered efficiently despite having just oneparaffin stove but had, with otherexpeditions, climbed Illimani and HuaynaPotosi (threetimes), and, whennot employedas a cook, knits garments for sale. She spunwool at a tremendous speed. Her meals werehearty, tastyand uncomplicated. We tooktosearching for fossils or birds rather thanarriving back at camp mid-afternoon sinceany early return prompted Virginia to rustleup a large bowl of salad for you, making itimpossible to dojusticeto the evening meal.

Winter 1999

Quillacollo, on the outskirts ofCochabamba, initially flat fields leadinto a narrow steep-sided valley risingfrom around 2500m to 4400m in20km. As most of the ascent is overjust 5km as the crow flies, theunsurfaced road zig zags as much as akilometre.

The YRC Bulletin 11

Close to the Tahua Cruz road junctionnorth of Huayna Tunari, headtorcheswere needed as we unpacked anderected the American designed,Taiwanese manufactured, Walrus tentsand sorted out their arrangements ofinterlocking and criss-crossingpoles.

Winter 1999 .

On Sunday, June 27, we rose wellbefore dawn for an early breakfast togive time to take the gear to Pefias atthe far side of the range and leaveenough time for the vehicles to bedrivenback to La Paz.

Tiro, David and Rory were drivenround to the west and dropped off atBarn, at a hut by the road, due south ofJatuncasa, They intended to cross thepass between Lagunas Margarita andAzeroni to reach, Laguna Calzonani,locate a suitable campsite and meet usat Pefias village. However, as theyapproached the supposed pass, thecrags by the pass, viewed from below,against the rising sun, lookedimpassable and an alternative wasfound. This yomp of several miles,with :full packs, clockwise round thewhole Jatuncasa-Sankhayuni groupmeant they arrived at the camp areashortly before the first of our two,horse assisted carrys up from Pefiasaround noon.

Meanwhile Duncan explored theridges ofHuayna Tunari. Michael andJavier had taken photographs from thesouth side of the range and then fromthe east as they had all driven round toPefiasfor Ham

The second carry up is completed by4pm and we establish the camp in andaround a pinfold by LagunaChacapata. There is no running waterand the area is grazed by alpaca.Andean geese often fed on a boggyarea above or swam on the larger lakewith Ruddy Duck, Caracara werefrequent visitors and condors wereseen daily. A lizard lived under a rockby the camp and another visitor, avole, was only found, freshly squashedunder the mess tent floor when webroke camp.

~.~

\ '"/ .

,. 'I, "

The YRC Bulletin 12

Jatuncasa

Jatuncasa's slabs looked brown, cleanand warm in the morning sunlightacross the lake. Just a couple ofkilometres away they were an obviousfirst objective.

Tim and David climbed close to theleft-hand edge while Javier and I tooka more direct line partly along cracks.The vertical rise of the slab wasmeasured as 300m though the 40°angle and a short ridge behind theslab's top to the true summit behindbrought the climbing to 500m

Jatuncasa's 450m slab seen from thenorth with the two routes marked.

Even the smallest horizontal cracks inthe lower half of the slab werescattered with viscacha droppings.These dog-sized rodents can scoot upmuch steeper rock than this atincredible speeds - they need to too,to avoid being shot.

The climbing was around VD withpoor protection on infrequent shallowexcavated cracks. Typically, a 45mrunout would have one runner. Ashort descent from the top of the slabalong a shattered ridge and past atottering gendarme brought us to thesummitin four hours.

There was no sign on the summit of aprevious visit and no cairn on either ofthe two tops. Yet this was supposed

Winter 1999

to be Herzog's Incachaca. Comparethis with the description of nearbySankhayuni (see notes below) and itis likely that these were the firstascents of Jatuncasa.

The descent looked uninviting in alldirections and was a dangerouslysteep and loose scramble off the backand to the north, requiring threeabseils in the lower part.

Michael was stricken with a stomachbug and, weakened, trudged slowlyback to camp arriving well after dark.

Sankhayuni

Cerro Sankhayuni is a prominentgroup of peaks above LagunaCalzonani. Four peaks and some lessertops enclose a complex come. Alower, fifth peak extends towardsJatuncasa, separated by a lower col.From most angles it is difficult to tellwhich peak is which, or to see howthey relate to each other.

Our original information was thatJatuncasa had been climbed by Herzogbut there was no sign of a previousvisit and no cairn. The highestsummit of Sank-hayuni, however, was

approached byDuncan and ROlY on IVIst July, via twochimney-gullies atabout D-. On it wasan old tumble-downcairn and Rory isconvinced that thiswas the summit reached by Herzog,and therefore that our ascent ofJatuncasa was a first ascent.

Peaks IT and V (see ridge map) ofSankhayuni were climbed by YRCparties and involved rock climbing. Afirst ascent of IT was made by Tim andJose in four pitches of unprotectedclimbing on slabs similar to those onJatuncasa. Their descent involvedthree abseils down a loose couloir.

Peak IV was already cairned, and wastherefore probably the other peakclimbed by Herzog, Peak ill wasclimbed by Rory and Duncan andinvolved a very pleasant scramble up along section of easy-angled slabs onits north-east ridge, and a loose,shattered summit ridge. It wasapparently unclimbed. A traverse ofthe complete ridge of Sankhayuniwould be a very serious undertakingbecause ofthe rock.

Cerro Jatuncasa, Nido de Condores (just left of centre) and the Sankhayuni peaks from the east

The YRC Bulletin 13 Winter 1999

Nido de Condores

Condor's Nest was our fanciful namefor the outlyer of Sankhayuni, top V,which, from basecamp, sat betweenJatuncasa and the Sankhayuni tops.Each morning in the first couple of

hours of sunlight thevery tip of this peakglistened white.What else could thatbe but the droppingsround the nest or

perch of some bird? What bird otherthan a condor would select such anexposed spot for an eyrie? The nameNido de Condores, stuck.

On July 6 the dawn sky was unusuallycloudy but David, Jose, Michael andTim walk west up the QuebradaSankhayuni. The upper part of thevalley is littered with large bouldersand shadowed by the vertical, coldand forbidding southern crags ofSankhayuni. Tim, his attentionattracted by swarming flies, found aboulder shelter in this area, whichstank of cats and there were pumaspraints, fox prints and bones piercedwith teeth marks.

No sooner had the four stood underthe steep slab at the foot of this peakthan it began to snow. Aftersheltering under a boulder inincreasing snowfall and a freezingwind for half an hour a retreat wasmade to the bottom of the high come.The weather gods were in tauntingmood and the sun came out andcleared the peak of its snow as wewatched. Jose and Michael sloggedback up to the peak for a closer lookand by heading right onto the colgained a better viewpoint.

It was clear that the intended routewould have necessitated a traverse ofseveral false saw-tooth like tops togain the true summit. These could be

The YRC Bulletin 14

avoided by a shorter climb starting atthe side of the slab and takinggrooves, ledges and slabs to the crestthen turning left to the true summit.Footprints crossed the col.

Returning the next day Jose, Michaeland Tim climb this route in threepitches but end up on the wrongpinnacle and have to abseil back downtwo of them From this unexpectedvantage point they see that the summitis composed of stacked blocks andclouds passing behind can be seenthrough a tunnel between the hugegranite blocks.

The 150m climb to the summit wasmade in three pitches at VD+ mostlywith good stances on terraces whichbroke up the climbing. There were nosigns of any previous ascent. Therock here was the best in the area.

Near the top our attention is caught byrockfall all around. Nothing toodramatic but stones clattering down inthe distance.

As for the condor's nest, it turned outto be pale grey lichen covering acouple of metres of slab below thesummit but angled to catch themorning .sun,

Cerro Poma Apacheta

Cerro Poma Apacheta: the nameimplies that this is a suitable mountainfrom which to contact the Apus ormountain spirits. It is a high ridgerunning WSWIENE, with foursummits, that at the WSW end beingthe lowest and separated from theother three by an obvious col. Thetwo ENE summits (joint highest) areseparated from the third by aprominent overhanging gap - thesetwo appeared unclimbed: the lowersummits were cairned. There is a fairlycontinuous slabby buttress on the

Winter 1999

ENE end of the ridge. Roryapproached from the SE, on 6 July, ina snowstorm; this fortunately clearedas he reached the ridge via agrass/scree rake at what turned out tobe the col. The WSW summit wasreached via an easy scramble, thecentral one involved steeper rocks atabout D-. An interesting traverse onsnowy ledges led to a loose stonechute/gully which gave access to thegap between the two highest tops (andan even more interesting stone-fall).The tops were reached by easyscrambling, and Rory caimed themThe ridge is very loose and the flanksquite broken, but the ENE buttressseems sounder and might give decentclimbing, particularly as a relativelyeasy descent exists.

-- ::- ~'-- \,.. - - \. - ......

--~ ~ -~ - --=""",----,",,- ~. ------'..:. -----

<; - - :~..;. - ----.~ - ---

- ~ - ~ - ~ \1' --1 ~, -.:....-.. •., '(. (. - _ .f .~ ,:~: ...:t£-~4- : !..~""-~, »> ~ --..... / "tt'f.~\,./" 'T

• : ,./~ • 'r . • ' I ,/. ~ 4,f:;.r·... .....{ v

Poma Apacheta's profile seen from the south

Cerro Malpaso

Cerro Malpaso (as it appears on themap) is a ridge south of Willpanki,separated from it by a pass accessibleto llamas. The ridge runsapproximately east-west with a peakat its east end near the pass, and ahigher central summit. A local farmertold us that the peak is misnamed onthe map. He believed this ridge to bepart of the Willpanki massif, andsuggested that the un-named peaks tothe south-west climbed on 30 Junewere the real Malpaso. The east peakof the map's Malpaso was climbed byRory and Duncan on 3rd July by avery pleasant scramble at about D­from the south-west, following anobvious gully, then a slabby ridge.The central summit was climbed, again

The YRC Bulletin 15

by Rory and Duncan, on 5th July,approaching over the llama pass, thenby an ascending traverse up the northflank. A short gully. led to the loosebut easy summit ridge.

Pututuni

Cerro Pututuni is an extensive andcomplex mountain with foursignificant ridges, each with severaldistinct peaks, lying north-west ofCerro Willpanki. Two of the ridgesrun east-west in parallel, enclosing asteep hidden valley with a llama passat its western head. A third, lowerridge runs south-west then south; itssouth-western part was not exploredbut looked very much like one of therock ridges on Arran. The fourth ridgeruns north-west and includes thehighest peak on the mountain.

The massif was partially explored on4th July by Duncan and Rory from acamp below the west flank ofWillpanki. Unfortunately, they chosea day with extensive cloud and strongwind. This made navigation awkward,as the tops were intermittently incloud, and the lack of sunshine meantthat a lot of the rock was verglassed.They approached from the south; thisflank of the mountain is made up ofslabby broken buttresses separated bysteep gullies. They followed an icygully with Moderate excursions ontothe buttress to its light (east). This ledto the ridge west ofpeak IX (see ridgemap). They scrambled easily up thepeak, then followed the hidden valleybetween the parallel east/west ridgesto its head. An icy Moderate scramblenorth led to peak IV; through breaksin the cloud we could see apparentlyhigher peaks to east and north-west.The continuation ridge east lookedvery icy and awkward, so instead wemade a traverse on scree to another

Winter 1999

were considerable amounts of poorrock and sections of the route weregraded Severe. Reaching the top viaslabs, it was obvious that this wasclearly the higher of the two topsdespite the opposite being marked onthe map. There being no record ofany previous ascent and no cairn onthe summit, despite building on beingthe local habit, this was claimed as afirst ascent ofWillpanki I.

Willpanki II and I seen from Khocha Khasato the west. The route on II is the ridgeforming the right-hand edge. On I the routefollowed the nearer of the two ridges on theright descending the left hand skyline.

The ascent was only part of theirproblems though as the descent to thecol between the two peaks requiredabseils despite the lack of suitableanchors.' A jammed rope furthercomplicated matters. This descent ofthe north ridge and dropping into thecouloir at the head of the come to thewest, is not recommended. The returnto camp was made late in theafternoon and return to basecampcompleted after dark.

David and Michael, on July 2, climbedthe south-west ridge of Willpanki IT,the northern top. This route wasabout VD, 350m vertical rise andabout 500m of climbing took sixhours. It started at the lowest point

The YRC Bulletin 17

on the butress (4585m) and followedthe rib, broken in places by scree, toan obvious tower (4865m) beforetraversing a narrow crest to thesummit at about 4915m Loosematerial in gullies was a hazard, goodbelays were few and short walls gavethe hardest moves, some Severe.Only close to the tower was theclimbing directly lit by sunlight so therock was cold and some ledges snowcovered. This is undoubtedly a firstclimbing ascent of the peak but thereis a straightforward walking routefrom the north and a large, well-builtcairn indicates regular ascents. Thatroute was used in descent to reach thesteep open couloir leading east andback to the camp. Both climbers wereso tired after this climb that they sleptstraight through the long night - ararity indeed.

The Willpanki peaks give good viewsover to the Quimsa Cruz and Illimani.The eastern flank is an obvious areafor further climbs ofhigher grade.

/

Khocha Khasa

The peak under this map label was agentle one mile walk from ourWillpanki camp. It gave good viewsinto a deep-cut valley running into theRio Pucarani. Steep, shattered cragsfell to the south. David, Rory andMichael made this ascent on July 3.David visited the summit three timesin search of a dropped compactcamera.

Winter 1999

Cajonani KhasaTwo small uncaimed tops of CerroCajonaniKhasa, but south of the maplabel, were climbed by Rory on 28thJune. Each involved a little mildscrambling on loose rock. He suspectsthat these had been previously climbedby llamas ifnot by people.

Cerro Torre

A short exposed climb on north-eastside protected this distinctive isolatedbarrel-shaped peak. The summit wascaimed.

Cerros del Lago Chuli ChulaniThree unnamed peaks forming a ridgerunning approximately north-south

were climbed, on 30th June, by Roryand Duncan. The ridge is south ofCerro Willpanki, west of Cerro PomaApacheta and north of Chuli Chulini.All three peaks present steep screefaces to the east, and very steepbuttresses of rotten rock to the west,with caps of loose but continuousrock on their summits. The southernpeak of the three is the highest of therange. Each was ascended bystruggling up the scree then mildscrambling up the summit rocks. Theviews, particularly from the highestsummit, were extensive andimpressive. The peaks appeared to beunclimbed but the extensive screemakes them rather unattractive.

The YRCBulletin 18 Winter 1999

We gather that there have beenoutbursts of civil unrest overgovernment plans to switch control ofschools and teacher training to theuniversities in a bid to improvestandards. To prevent themobilisation of demonstrators themilitaryhave been called in to enforcea movement restriction order.Traditionally the teachers havesupported the general workers union,COB, and, it appears, the favour wasbeing returned. A few times over thefollowing weeks, when in La Paz wewere to see well organised massdemonstrations by students bringingcity centre traffic to a slow crawl forhours at a time.

On returning to La Paz we were toread the newspaper headline Slight

Tremor Shakes Cochabamba (Bolivian

Times, July 15, 1999). On our last dayof climbing, at about three in theafternoon, we had noticed extensiverockfall on the opposite face and hadwondered what the cause was. Itmust have been that reportedearthquake measuring 3.9 on theRichter Scale with its epicentreactually in the Tunari mountain range.Thankfully it appeared to have causedno damage or injury though it musthave had a psychological effect on thelocal people who suffered in thedeadly 5.9 strength quake that hit theregion on May 22, 1998, killing over ahundred and practically destroyingAquile and Colollo Grande to leaveover 20000 homeless. It is possiblethat what we experienced was merelyone of over a thousand aftershocks.

This Cocapata report was compiledby Michae1 Smith and Rory Newman.

Visitors to base camp

Michae1 Smith on thetop ofJatuncasa

The YRC Bulletin 20 Winter 1999

David Hick by the summit cairn of Willpanki II

Michael Smith and Tim Josephy on a false summit of Sankhayuni V, the Condor's Nest

The YRC Bulletin 21 Winter 1999

Charquini and Cerro Wila Mankilisani from the south-eastsketched by Michael Smith

Cordillera RealThe Cordillera Real was chosen as thetrekking area for its simplicity ofaccess from La Paz, the attractivenessof its peaks and availability ofexperienced support. It provided allof these and inspired the hardened,experienced trekkers with theopportunities for further visits.

Besides the trekking visit a few otherexcursions were made into the Realincluding a day ascent of CerroCharquini [Biggar, p94) as part of theacclimatisation and a final-day walkfrom La Cumbre appraoching CerroWila Mankilisani (Biggar, p94/S)

Charquini Tim Josephy

Duncan, Rory and I decided to use thespare day before we set off for theCocapata to go up and look at HuaynaPotosi (6088m), hoping to get as far asbase camp. Jose provided us with avehicle and driver, and we set off earlyfor the Zongo Pass. Once clear of thedismal slums of El Alto, we tookrough dirt roads past abandonedcopper mines up towards the whitecone ofHuayna Potosi. The views arestunning: there can be few places

The YRC Bulletin 22

where you can get so close to such abig mountain. The advanced camp(Campo Argentino) could just be seenhigh on a glistening glacier. Two tinydots could be seen working up thevast moraines below the glacier andwe began to have second thoughts. Inour state of acclimatisation, we mightspend the whole day grovelling aboutin the moraines. On the opposite sideof the pass we could see another,smaller mountain. Yossi Brain'sexcellent climbing guide gaveCharquini (5400m) a passing mention(p143). Armed with the informationthat the walk in was along anaqueduct, and with the help of adotted line on a sketch map, wedecided to give it a try. We soonfound the aqueduct and set off in finestyle. Round the first corner westopped in astonishment. Theaqueduct, about two feet wide anddeep, with a twelve inch retainingwall, snaked across a vertical cliffabout 1500 feet high. Rejecting theidea of walking in the channel becauseof the risk of frostbite later from wetfeet, we teetered along the rim. Farbelow, beyond the foot of the cliff theground dropped steeply to the track,where a"plume of dust marked a busnegotiating the dizzy hairpins of the

Zongo Pass.Occamonal ove~

hangs enlivened theproceedings bycausing us to stoop,and we tried toignore the feelingthat a slip wouldprobably precipitateus straight throughthe roofofthe bus.

Once past the cliffthe going was easyand we soon turnedup over morainetowards the glacier.

Winter 1999

A faint path made life easy, and westopped at a pretty glacial tarn to puton crampons. A few steep feet tookus onto the perfect snow of theglacier. We were all feeling thealtitude now as we weaved betweenwell defined crevasses towards a col.Clouds had been building for a time,and now visibility dropped in a lightsnowstorm, We left the col andcontinued up mixed ground untilsuddenly there was no more up. Thesummit was a pile ofblocks on a knifeedge ridge, with a terrific drop on thefar side. Occasional rents in the cloudallowed views of wild mountainsidesand huge crags.

Our elation at having made the summitat over 17500 feet was temperedsomewhat by the sight of anotherpinnacle, about 400 yards away, andapparently higher. Duncan (MrGadget), produced a miniatureclinometer and proved conclusivelythat it was, in fact, lower. We set offdown in high spirits and made goodtime until Duncan announced that hehad been suffering for some time withheadaches and nausea. He was bynow feeling pretty bad and descendingwas not helping very much. Duncan'snausea and lack of balance made thecrossing of the aqueduct somewhatexciting. We roped up and put him inthe middle, intending to throwourselves flat in the channel if he losthis balance. He didn't, and we didn'thave to, so eventually we reachedrelative safety where the steepnesseased. Here we found a plaque on therock commemorating an Israeli whohad attempted to ride a motorbikeacross! He had not made it very far.

Relaxing in the minibus on the wayback we felt pretty pleased withourselves. There is no doubt the bestdays are always the unplanned ones.

The YRC Bulletin 23

Trekking through theCordillera Real Alan Kay

''Many people who climb high (over8000jt - 250om) are fit on arrival butfeel ghastly over the next couple ofdays, with headache, breathlessness,insomnia, fatigue, poor appetite,nausea and dizziness"

This quote from The MedicalHandbook for Climbers by PeterSteele could hardly have been moreapt for some of the YRC party onarrival at La Paz. The city lies,somewhat astonishingly, in a hugebowl-like valley at 3600m, but theairport is on the Altiplano which formsthe rim at 4000m, and therefore allmedical advice about acclimatisationhas to be adjusted to these statistics.

The pilot of our American Airlines jetdid his bit to help us as we descendedtowards the airport from our cruisingaltitude of 37000ft in the last twentyminutes of the flight. He graduallyadjusted the cabin air pressure from5000ft to 15000ft a case ofdescending and ascending at the sametime.

The trekking party comprised thefollowing:

David AthertonDerekBushAlbert ChapmanIan Crowtherlain GilmourAlanKayAlan Linford andDavid Smith

Their average age was 641;4 years andages ranged from 62 to 71 years.

Our trek in the Cordillera Real startedon 26th June, with a drive in 4 wheeldrive vehicles, scheduled to last eighthours but which in fact took tenhours. From La Paz we drove up onto the altiplano, through initially

Winter 1999

dreary scenery, but eventually weturned towards the hills, and lunchedon a ridge high above the town ofSorata. A maze of interconnectingridges, some covered with lusciousvegetation, shifting clouds and varyinglight made this a delightful lunch spot.We descended to Sorata and spent ashort while looking round the centreof this beautiful town. It is at a mere8800ft in height, is therefore warmerthan La Paz, and there is a feeling ofmild affluence about the place. Thetown centre and palm tree lined squareare similar to some small towns inSpain, a clear reminder of its colonialpast. Sorata merits more time, andwith hindsight we should have stayedthere overnight, and perhaps locatedits "Ristorante Italiano", reputedly thebest (perhaps the only) Italianrestaurant in South America.

We had to press on, however, to getto the village of Cocoya where thetrek was to start. Leaving Sorata andthe valley ofthe Rio San Cristobel, theroad abandoned any attempt atremaining horizontal, and for the nextfour hours the vehicles were eitherascending or descending on everdiminishing tracks at angles between20 and 30°, with sharp hairpin bends,mist and thin rain thrown in for goodmeasure.

On arrival at Cocoya, the end of theroad in every conceivable way, Jose,our agent and guide for the next fourdays, handed out our tents forerection. Most of us have enoughexperience at this job, and can put upalmost any tent, or so we thought, butthe American made "Walrus" tentsdefeated us all. Imagine being given abundle of thick knitting needles and asheet ofnylon, and being told to makea tent; throw in the poor fading lightand drizzle, and you might be able tovisualise how we felt. It took four or

The YRC Bulletin 24

five days of help and instruction byJose before all of us could both erectand dismantle these wretched tents.

So at last we were able to start ourmuch planned, much discussedtraverse of the Cordillera Real. Day 1was suitable for an introduction totrekking in the Andes - a gradualascent of the valley behind Cocoya tothe Sarani Pass at 4500m, along fairlywell graded paths. The valley wasbrown with winter vegetation, but theview from the pass was of tantalisingsnow covered peaks in the ChiarocoMassif Jose pointed out threecondors and an eagle high above thevalley, the first of regular sightings inthis part of the trek.

A few of the ''hares'' in the party gottoo far ahead and subsequently wishedthey hadn't - perhaps a useful lessonin this remote terrain for maintainingadequate group contact.

Derek was still recovering from astomach upset, and David A wasbeginning to show signs of mildaltitude sickness, so progress wasslow on the steep descent from thepass. We arrived at our campsite nearChajolpaya in daylight, but in drizzlethick enough to require waterproofsfor the one and only time on trek. Itadded an urgency to the erection ofthe oddly shaped ''Walruses''.

On day two we headed for theNegruni Pass, a climb of 900m. on arough scrambly sort of path. It wasnot easy to discern the direction oftravel because of the many spurs,hanging valleys and boulder fieldsaround, but gradually we gainedheight. A short rocky descent broughtus to an intermediate col, our lunchspot, with views back towardsChajolpaya, and over to the wildupper part of the valley. After lunchwe applied ourselves to the long

Winter 1999

arduous grind to the top of theNegruni Pass. The pass was just clearof snow but glass hard ice ledimmediately from the pass to theattractive peaks ofNegruni Chico andNegruni Grande. Fortunately on thedescent from the pass we were able tocircumvent most, though not all of theice, but without ice axes at this stageof the trek, some care was neededbefore we got to ice free rocks.

We had struggled a bit on the finalpull to the pass, but we had, of course,not merely climbed 900m, we hadascended from 4000m to 4900m, arespectable feat on the second day ofthe trek. It had taken us just over fourhours.

Descent to the campsite was through amixture of scree, then a marshy area,finally the path traversed the hillsidehigh above a scree choked lake, quiteattractive with the patterns of stonesformed by the old inflow and outflowchannels. We arrived at our campsiteby Negruni lake almost four hoursafter leaving the Negruni Pass, and inthe last few minutes of daylight. Ithad been a long hard day, especiallyfor our two unwell members, but onthe bright side, arriving late with therearguard, I found that one of thellama drivers had kindly erected thewretched tent for me.

Llamas were our "beasts of burden"for the entire trek, though we hadthree separate teams of them AtNegruni Lake the first team returnedto Cocoyo, and the second teamjoined us, augmented by a pony and adonkey. The llama drivers for thisteam were three amiable brothers whohelped with tents, carrying kit bags,and were delightful company. Therewere about twenty llamas in the team,each able to carry a load of 20 kgs.With relatively small heads atop longnecks, the llamas have a superior,

'The YRC Bulletin 25

haughty appearance, as they literallylook down their noses at the smaller,human species. At the same time theyseem quite dainty, but they canapparently spit 5m at anything thattroubles them, and can also kicksideways - obviously an animal toadmirefrom a distance.

Our campsites and consequently thelength of the daily stages were alwaysdictated by availability of water andflat dry land, and we had a choice nextday of either a long trek or a shorterone of about four hours, and wedecided on the latter. The nearer sitewas apparently sheltered by a fewtrees and bushes and was relativelylow down, and this last point wasimportant, as a further low camp wasneeded to help with acclimatisation.We went down valleypassing by a fewadobe buildings and small farmsteadswhere potatoes were spread out onthe ground for freeze drying.Potatoes seemed to be the only crop,and they were grown in the mostunlikely places, with patches moreoften than not high up on steep sidedvalleys - presumably the aspect of theslope as well as drainage ofthe potatopatches was important for theirgrowth. We saw people only fromsome distance, except of one occasionas we rounded the corner of a buildingand came across two small girls whowere playing, the elder girl, perhapseight or nine years old looking afterthe younger child who was aboutthree or four years. Both girls weredressed in clean smart dresses withtheir hair carefully combed, and faceswere clean, bright and inquisitive, aswell they might be when a gang ofstrange gringos turns up in the valley.We could only "speak" to them in signlanguage, but smiles can be verycommunicative, and the elder girl letus take her photograph; it waseventually too much for her younger

Winter 1999

sister, however, and she took fiight,hardly surprising, really!

Our campsite lived up to itsdescription and we were able to relaxand wash previously unwashed bodiesand clothes in the nearby stream. Thellama drivers and our kitchen staff didlikewise, and clearly appreciated aneasy day. As the afternoon progressedcloud drifted into our valley from theYungas, a reminder that we were notfar from the Amazon forest, but atdusk the cloud melted away.

As we prepared to get into our tentsand snuggle into our four seasonsleeping bags, the llama drivers merelycovered themselves with a llama skinlay on the ground and slept - yetanother oflife's lessons in humility.

Just before turning in I looked up atthe Milky Way in all its splendour, andthe Southern Cross; there was theoccasional shooting star, thensuddenly a vivid streak of brightorange light flashed across the sky anddisappeared from sight behind a highridge - possibly a piece of space debrisburning out in the Earth's atmosphere.The stillness of our mountain valleywas complete, not a sound could beheard, and the night was full ofpeace.

It is, I suppose, a form of poeticjustice that a short day is immediatelyfollowed by a long day, and that ishow it turned out for us. A longslanting rise up the valley side on adusty slender path brought us into ahanging valley where more potatoeswere laid out for freeze drying. Therewas ~ trickle of a stream in this valley,and It was dammed in one or twoplaces, with more potatoes placed inthe ponds to produce a type offermentedpotato, so Jose told us. Wegradually wound round the sides ofthe hanging valley, past incrediblysteep cultivation patches (potatoes

The YRC Bulletin 26

again), over the main ridge, and then along pleasant descending traverse intothe next main valley, the valley of theRiver Amawaya Jawira. This valleyforms one of the very few ''throughroutes" in the Cordillera Real, and arough jeep track comes in from thesouth west and eventually links upwith the road to La Paz. Jose hadarranged for a vehicle to meet us atthe highest point of the track; ourrendezvous was successful, and wereceived fresh supplies of food. . 'mcludmg bananas which wereimmediately pounced upon.

We also had a change of guide here asJose had to return to La Paz to go onto our climbing group, and hisreplacement was Juan Carlos an,amiable young man of28 years.

Carlos started in the afternoon in away which was to be repeatedoccasionally, namely steeply uphill,and fast. We soon slowed him down,however, for the terrain was roughand broken, and we were heading intoa high hanging valley the entrance towhich was not particularly obviousfrom below. Some of us had muchtrouble with this slope and as wegradually gained height a thin playfultype of mist began to form. As weneared the lip of the valley we weretreated to the most superb aerialdisplay of the trip when five condorsflying low, just about ridge heightdipped and darted about on th~thermals with obvious enjoyment, andtwo or three smaller birds attemptedto harry them along. The thin mistadded a touch of unreality to it all,making one want to pinch oneself tobe reminded that we were deep in theBolivianAndes at 17000 feet.

The sighting did wonders for morale,as did Carlos' comment that ourcampsite was 400m distant, not 400mof ascent away.

Winter 1999

II

boulders of the lip, a view of distantridges merging into one another inthe late afternoon light. Far distantwere the thicker clouds of theAmazon jungle. In this narrow valleythe sunlight was lost early, and itsoon became dark and cold.

Our onward route was ever upwardsto the top of our hanging valley,followed by a rough scrambly descentto a large lake, the Qinasini Quta.This was one of those spots where asensibleperson just stops and silentlytakes in all the surroundingcountryside. Blue sky, dramaticmountains, shimmering lake, goodcompany; is there anywhere a moredelightful combination? On the lakewere two Andean geese, aworthwhile addition to our bird list.

Southwards we went, past otherlakes, over a 5100m pass, then a longdescent on scree beside crumblingcliffs to a valley bottom campsite atthe junction of three sizeable valleys.Ridges of jet black rock on threesides looked like enlarged versions ofthe Black Cuillin or An Teallach, andare almost certainly unclimbed.

We were close to a track leading tothe Mina Fabulosa and we followedthis track next day until we came insight of the mine some 300m belowus - just the usual heap of wastematerial to see and nothing else,though crucially there was a vehicletrack leading from the minesouthwards through the Cordillera toLa Paz, some four hours drive away.

This had to be a short day, and at1.30pm we camped in the valley ofthe Chiqapa Jawira, about a milefrom the mine. Above us and to thesouth was the Cerro Chiqapa pass, at

5100m, and known to be choked withsnow and ice on its southern side; ithad been decided that whilst we rested

lllampu• A

to Milluni

The campsite was dramatic - a narrowvalley floor with just enough flat spacefor our tents, a tantalising ridge onthree sides of us, and beyond the

.-7 from Achacachiand La Paz

Ancohuma.

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. ..: Cerro A.IA.(IA. Ventanani

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The YRC Bulletin 27 Winter 1999

had descended and were clear of thesnow and ice before we topped thepass. Llamas mayor may notappreciate beauty in theirsurroundings, but we definitely did,and some ofus looked longingly at thesummit of Cerro Chiqapa, 300m or soabove the pass. There was no time toclimb it, for steep ice, cornices andloose rock would have meant a detourof two or three hours. We followedthe pack animals down the head wallof the valley, and although the routewas straightforward, some care wasneeded on the ice, and we lunchedbeside a small, part frozen lake justclear of the ice. Here one of us (he'dbetter remain anonymous) brokethrough the frozen crust at the lakeedge and was lucky to struggle outwet only to thigh height.

A rough, and in places very wetdescent into the teeth of a strong headwind brought us to camp at thesouthern end of lake Alka Quta, thebiggest lake we saw on trek. We hada change of llama team here, and theold team, returning home in two days,had firstly to reverse yesterday's routeand re-ascend the 5100m ice boundpass - anyone of us who previouslythought little or nothing of humblellamas, ponies and donkeys would bynow have changed his mind.

Condoriri group with high steep peak beiug Cabeza del COUdO;:"5648';;~next day, our three llama driverswould climb to the pass and hack outa route for the llamas to -descend.

David A had developed a bad cold andthroat infection, and hadn't been goingwell for a few days, and furthermorehe hadn't been able to acclimatiseproperly during the trip. Faced as wewere with a succession of longer daysove~ high ice covered passes, hedecided that he should return to LaPaz to recover whilst there was anopportunity to do so along the minetrack. Carlos therefore climbed highon the ridge to call La Paz on hismobile telephone, and requested avehicle. Thus at 5pm David left us onwhat turned out to be a six hourjourney to La Paz, and whilst this wasundoubtedly the right decision forhim, it was nevertheless sad for ourgroup to lose one member.

Whilst we waited for the vehicle toarrive at the mine, some of uswandered round the adjacent ridgesand comes, and in a high come atabout 4700m beneath Cerro Nigruni, Isuddenly found myself too close forcomfort to three or four cows with afrisky, defensive young bull inattendance (surely a record height forbull), and I beat a hasty retreat.

The llamas, pony and donkey beat usto the top of Cerro Chiqapa pass, and

The YRCBulletin 28 Winter 1999

'I.'. """""

Our route went eastwards across moreroughly angled valley slopes to a passjust north of Cerro Wawanaki, at5258m Carlos disappeared for awhile, but we followed the new llamateam down into a big rocky valleybeneath the pass, in terrain that lookedlike the roughest of the Rhinogs ofNorth Wales, but on a gigantic scale.Woe betide anyone who got lost here!When Carlos reappeared we learnedthat he'd climbed higher to get astrong enough signal to telephone hisgirlfriend in La Paz!

In traversing round to lake Juri Quta,our destination for the day, wecrossed wide scree slopes, made upentirely of small stones arranged intolines by the process of frost heaving.So uniform were the patterns of thelines that they looked as though agigantic comb had been used to formthem

Juri Quta was one of the mostbeautiful campsites of the trip, a fairlylong and narrow lake with the icecovered Cerro Janchallani forming animpressive backdrop. Overnight itsnowed, adding even more beauty towhat was already a "chocolate boxpicture". The snow delayed ourdeparture next morning, when wefaced yet another steep and roughascent eastwards towards CerroKuntui, then a long descentnorthwards over scree to ChiyaraQuta, the site of the Condoriri basecamp.

So far our campsites had been veryremote, devoid of any other trekkers,so it was now with a minor cultureshock that we had to share ourcampsite with three other groups, allengaged in climbing on Condoriri orneighbouring peaks. We spent threedays here, surrounded by peaksaveraging 5500m, many ofthem withinthe ability of a number of YRC

The YRC Bulletin 29

members - it was a bit like the betterparts of the European Alps, but a lothigher, and with no crowds. Some ofus climbed a peak to the west whichacquired the name "Austria", but is Ibelieve more correctly named CerroVentanani - 5408m; others took theopportunity to recover from a bout of''Delhi belly" which had affectedeveryone except lain G and Alan L.On day three these two took Carlosonto the glacier between the camp andCondoriri and practised snow and icetechniques.

The trek finished with a four hourwalkout to Laguna Tuni, a largereservoir, where the land cruisers werewaiting. Three hours later we were inLa Paz, enjoying the luxury of hotwater and trying to remove the twoweek accumulation of grime andgrease.

Currency conversion

Transactions could be made in eitherthe national currency, New PeruvianSols, Bolivianos (B$) or ChileanPesos or, alternatively, in US Dollars(US$). One US$ was at this timeequivalent to approximately £O.62p,5.7S01s, 5.6B$ or 880Pesos.

Holding a llamas ears at Condoriri camp tokeep it still while it is loaded

Winter 1999

The Trials of a Pensioneron Trek Derek Bush

I'd got it all planned: trekking in theAndes with a maximumpass height ofno more than 1650oft. Have a coupleof days rest in La Paz and then go outand climb a straight-forward snowpeak even if it is over 21500ft. Noproblem! Done it all before (wellalmost) on two previous trips toNepal. What's more the food this trippromises to be more to our liking.''Dream on Bushy-boy" as Albertwould say. The reality provedsomewhat different.

I should have been forewarned. Ourcurrent President had said so. He hadbeen there in 1988. Trekking in Nepalis thirty to forty years old whereas inBolivia it is in its relative infancy.Almost always in Nepal except on itshigh mountain passes the tracks areadequate but in Bolivia there arestretches of steep hillside to negotiatewhere paths seemed non existent or oflittle use. Failure to lift your ski poleor your feet over the high tussockygrass and you were in deep trouble. Itwas akin to walking in Bowland onlytwice as steep and 14000ft higher.KE, the Keswick based adventuretravel company, described a similartrek as moderate to demanding, hardlya description the average YRCmember would view with trepidation.

It was a blow to one's pride thatalmost every day I was "tail endCharlie". We did not have the safetynet, as in Nepal, ofhaving a Sherpa atthe front of the party and one bringingup the rear. You were on your own.Carlos, our leader for the second partof the trek was less than half the ageof even our "youngest" member. Hewas too young and innocent to realisewhat the ageing process does to aperson! He was a thoroughly nice guy

The YRC Bulletin 30

but he went like a bomb throughout,partly I suspect because he wasn't toofamiliar with the route and he had toscout well ahead to make sure he gotit right. Once or twice he was savedby timely whistles and shouts fromeither Arles our cook or one of thellama drivers. One afternoon he didget it wrong and this was after aparticularly tiring morning, when wehad crossed over a high pass. We hadto retrace our steps, a very tiringprocess for an already tired trekker.

One morning towards the end of thetrek I had to stop for a call of natureand was well behind. When Ieventually caught up I was put at thefront immediately behind Carlos.There had been a light fall of snow inthe night and I set my own paceencouraged by the President who wasimmediately behind. It was a measureof my lethargy that although I wasgasping for air there was a generalbuzz of conversation as ifall my othercompanions were out for a Sundaymorning stroll on the riverbank. Whata turnoff

All sorts of excuses could be made formy condition. I'd had a bout ofsickness and diarrhoea immediatelyprior to the trek but I got over this.Nearly all the other members had atsome stage on the trek the sameproblem However although I had noappetite, I should have forced myselfto eat more because the food wasexcellent and there was no excuse fornot partaking. It was no coincidencethat those who ate well went well; thetwo fittest trekkers Alan Linford andlain Gilmour ate everything put infront of them. They also kept free oftummy upsets which may have beendue to them using their own drinkingutensils throughout the trek, althoughone can never generalise about thesethings.

Winter 1999

So what other reasons caused me tostruggle so often? Had my generalphysical condition deteriorated somuch since the Rolwaling trek twoyears ago? I must admit I had notbeen too active in the Spring and earlySummer. Glen Etive was a washoutwell almost. I hadn't been to Ana~but I'd done some jogging and hadcoped reasonably well at the high levelcamp week-end at Scoat Tarn wherewe had a fairly hard day on theSaturday. When we got to Bolivia wedid all the right things regardingacclimatisation. We went to Peru andvisited the Inca sites at Cuzco andMachu Picchu. Their situations arenot as high as the Cordillera Real butalways between 8000ft and 10000ft.La Paz airport (El Alto) is about13300ft and the city where we werestaying some what lower at 11800.However when we look at the trekitself we started at the hamlet ofCocoya just over 13000ft and we wereat or above this height for the wholeof the thirteen days oftenswitchbacking up to 16000ft plus, anddown again in a day.

We spent the last few days of the trekat .Laguna Chiar Khota (Black Lake)height 15500ft which is the base campfor the Condoriri group of mountains.A magnificent situation. The next daymost of the party ascended PicoAustria a relatively easy rock peak atjust over 16400ft. I didn't make it,much to my disappointment and theday was only saved by Alan whopersuaded Arles our excellent cook tomake us a most delicious bacon andonion omelette for lunch. Thefollowing day I decided to try the peakon my own but just told the rest oftheparty I was going for a wander. As allYRC members will know there issomething magical about walking onbig mountains in solitude. The routegoes up fairly· steeply to a highplateau which is then traversed to ascree slope. An ascent by areasonable track brings you to a colperhaps a few hundred feet before thesummit. The only company I hadwere a group of horses grazing highon the plateau plus of course theubiquitous llamas. I was almost at thetop ~f the scree slope when to mysurprise a young Bolivian movingsilently and swiftly caught me up. Weexchanged greetings although neitherof us knew a word of each otherslanguage. He must have beenconcerned about my lack of upwardprogress as he stopped behindto makesure I chose the correct one of severalalternative paths. At the col he waswaiting for me and what little food Ihad, I shared with him, for which hewas grateful. We took a photographof each other with my camera, usingthe Cabeza de Condor as a backdrop.(His snap turned out better than mine- no comment needed.) He thenenquiredby sign language where I wasgoing and I indicated down. I wish Ihad told him the summit of PicoAustria as I am sure he would have

The YRC Bulletin 31 Winter 1999

accompanied me. For some strangereason I thought my friends belowwould be wonied about me. Itshowed how unwell I was! MyBolivian friend then continued overthe col and I thought that was the lastI would see ofhim. However he sooncaught and passed me and he musthave reached the base camp at least anhour before I anived. I had thethought that there must be dozens ofpotential Olympic athletes waiting tobe discovered in these parts of thehigh Andes, given of course thecorrect diet and training routines!

The interesting thing which occurredto me over the trek was that all theBolivians we met seem to be able toeat European food without anyproblems. From what I observed bothArles and Rebecca our charmingassistant cook plus an assortment ofllama drivers and porters all ate thefood cooked for us. This was not thecase in Nepal where even Motup our

Western educated Indian leaderseemed to prefer the more Nepaleseversion ofthe food served to us.

However I digress. The more I writethe more it appears an apologia forbeing a first class wimp! The readermay think that I did not enjoy the trek.They would be completely wrong.My own personal view was that it wasthe best I have ever been on. Most ofus wished we had been thirty yearsyounger when a lot of the snow peakswe walked under or around wouldhave been climbed. Without hesitationI would say to the younger climbingelement in the Club if you want anexcellent Alpine type holiday withoutthe crowds, with assured goodweather and stable snow conditionsget yourself to Bolivia. The base campat Condoriri would be a good place tostart. All you want is three to fourweeks holiday, and you could do itmuch cheaper than our somewhatexotic geriatric excursion.

Michael Smith and Duncan Mackay try the best eatery in Challapata, Bolivia

The YRC Bulletin 32 Winter 1999

5000 metres

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David Atherton

The YRC Bulletin 33 Winter 1999

Cordillera Occidental

Sajama, 6542m

A Novice on Sajama

lain Gilmour

If you asked a trekker of averageYRC age if he would climb to over21000 feet, the answer would usuallybe "No", but ifyou take advantage ofYRC teamwork, all S01tS of thingsbecome possible.

The Bolivian trip splendidly organisedby Michael Smith and Alan Kayincluded a last week joint effort byclimbers and trekkers to climb Sajama,Bolivia's highest peak. Both theclimbers and trekkers had been activefor two weeks at altitudes above theAltiplano (14000ft), and this had givena reasonable degree of altitudeacclimatisation. We were glad to beaccustomed to the height, and freefrom AMS symptoms.

After two weeks trekking, oftencrossing passes at 16000ft, it requiredsome determination to leave ourcomfortable La Paz hotel, and set outagain for Sajama, some 4 hours driveto the south of La Paz, in the desertnear the Chilean border. We wereagain guided by Jose Camarlinghi ofAndean Summits, and we motoredsteadily in a heavily loaded Toyotaminibus and an off road 4x4 car. Ourfirst sight of Sajama was a tiny whitepeak on the horizon, which grew insize to a massive white volcanic coneas we came closer. We drove into theSajama National Park, and registeredat the reception office before campingat the hot springs a mile or so fromSajama village.

Our camp was at the end of a dirttrack, near some volcanic hot springs,and conditions were semi-desert.Some of the keener members of the

David Hick & Duncan Mackay with Sajamabehind. The route was near the left skyline.

party went for a swim in the hotwater, although swimming at 14000ftis quite tiring. The tough wiryaltiplano grass grew in discrete clumpswith bare volcanic dust between them.Herds of alpaca and llama wanderedthroughout the area, tended by localfolk from the few remote adobedwellings. Sajama peak lay to the eastof us, and looking north we could seean unclimbed snowy peak with amassive summit tower of unstablerock. To the west of us, two giganticsnow covered volcanoes attractedadmiring glances, but the probable tenhour trek to a possible base camptempered the enthusiasm of theclimbers. To the south of us lay arange of snowy volcanoes, and in thecrystal clear air one could seeoccasional puffs' of volcanic dustemerging from one ofthem.

Moving up to Base Camp, we walkedthrough the thin forest of small

The YRCBulletin 34 Winter 1999

shrubby queflua trees, the highestforest on earth, which covers thelower slopes of the Sajama foothills.Base Camp was in a wide flat basin at4600m, and our muleteers deliveredthe bags and tents in plenty of time toenjoy the last of the afternoonsunlight. The plan was to move up toHigh Camp the next day, with eachclimber carrying his own gear, but thetents and food being carried byporters. The effects of gippy tummyand chest infection had reduced ournumbers to Michael Smith, DavidHick, Duncan Mackay, RoryNewman, Too Josephy, Alan Linford,lain Gilmour, and our guide, JoseCamarlinghi.

My first benefit from teamwork wasthe excellent tuition given by AlanLinford to Juan Carlos and me on theCondoriri glacier. A bit of iceclimbing and abseiling had greatlyimproved my confidence on ice. Mysecond bit of teamwork was simplebut crucial, when Rory saw mestruggling with a gigantic rucksackand muttering about dropping out, headvised me to offload sleeping bag tothe porters and to get started. Theclimb to High Camp crossedthen some ofhard

a rocky ridge. This ridge ascendedpast rock towers and eventually wecame to a small flat area above amassive rock tower, which stands likea tooth on the volcanic cone of themountain. This is probably the onlysuitable camp spot, since all otherparts appear to slope at the samegeneral angle of some 35 to 40degrees.

When we arrived at High Camp,5600m, we were delighted to find thatthe porters had erected three of ourfour tents, and were busy digging asnow platform big enough for theremaining tent. We had a splendidlittle camp with tents on three levels.Duncan constructed a snow gardenseat, where Tim actually fell asleep inthe afternoon sun! We looked outonto an amazingview ofmountainsideand distant space. The key piece ofteamwork was by our excellent guideJose Camarlinghi who successfullyarranged strategy, transport, mules,and porters. Jose took every problemin his stride and was courteous andpatient with all of us.

Our valiant cook, Arles, huddledunder a tarpaulin and plied us withafternoon tea, followed by supper of

The Payachatas, Parinacota (left) and Pomerata lie several hours walk from Sajama village MS

The YRC Bulletin 35 Winter 1999

Penitentes on a Sajama ridge

sausages and mash. Shortly after ourarrival, some porters arrived with tentsfor a Karakoram Experience party.There was barely enough room fortheir three tents which were placedabove us with minimum shelter.

. /The night was cold, probably -14QC.as we lay fully dressed in our sleepingbags. What would tomorrow bring?Would I be able to cope with the nextday? Turning to simpler matters, I putmy leather boots into my sleeping bagat one in the morning, and dozed untilcamp stirred. We rose at 2:00 am andpacked our sacks with the bareminimum of gear. Arles producedbreakfast of tea and muesli, and weprepared to depart. At this point myPetzl headtorch decided to fail. Ittook some encouragement from theteam before I could get it to workwith a wide pale beam

It was a reliefto get going. All doubtsand concerns were put to one side aswe plodded upwards.

A feature of high snow slopes in thetropical latitude and dry air ofBolivia,is the formation of penitentes. Theseare blades of ice, in long ridges, orindividual spear shapes, varying fromsix inches to three feet high, and somemay even look like kneeling figures ­penitentes. The ice may be wafer thinat the tip, and several inches thick atthe base, and these penitentes arespaced at intervals of from six inches

to a foot apart. We crossed extensivefields of these devilish creations,trying to tread in between them, ortrying to stand on top of them in ourcrampons. We then made a longascent of a forty five-degree couloir,which led to a rocky ridge. At analtitude approaching oooom. Michaelhad to return, due to a stomachinfection which had prevented himfrom eating properly for days. Davidaccompanied Michael back first toffigh Camp and then, after a sleep, toBase Camp.

It had always been my intention toclimb with Alan Linford, but altitudehas peculiar effects on the mind. Myascent became a self-containedstruggle, not against the mountain thatkindly tolerated our presence, butagainst myself As the air becomesthinner, you have to force yourself tokeep going, and every fifteen yardsbecomes a challenge. Daylight beganto break at 6:15 am, as we wereclearing the last band of smallpenitentes. The warmth of the risingsun was dissipated by a strongblustery wind, estimated at between35 and 40 knots. Climbing at altitude,it is often helpful to develop abreathing rhythm such as "Step,breath, breath, step, etc." but whenfaced with a strong gusty wind suchmeasured progress is not suitable. Amore feasible method was "Step, step,

ice axe in, step, step,ice axe in, step, step,ice axe in, and pausefor forty seconds offrantic extra breathing"Lurching around like adrunken man, I must

::U:.:': ...... :'.··.i....<..:.:".:'."'.' have presented a sorryspectacle.

As the route groundslowly upwards on thesymmetrical ice cone,

The YRC Bulletin 36 Winter 1999

Duncan Mackay on the summit of Sajama

the voice of Jose from my left shoutedsomething about 6200 metres. I didnot know what that meant, but took itas encouragement and plodded on.Another figure appeared goingdownhill, and ROlY gave words ofencouragement.

My climbing hamess began to slipdown over shiny trousers, impedingmy progress. I think I was aware ofsomeone behind me, like a StChristopher, keeping an eye on myprogress. As I became hobbled by thehamess, St. Christopher steppedforward to :fix it for me andundemeath his goggles and balac1ava Icould see a distinct likeness to thewhiskered face ofTim Josephy.

Shortly after this the angle of slopebegan to ease, and we emerged onto aflat summit. If I was jubilant, this wastempered by relief: and after a fewmoments, Jose, Tim, and I started offdownhill. The temperature on thesummit was probably around -20°C.and the strong wind made conditionsvery severe. Duncan Mackaysummitted, but suffered a temporaryfrozen eyeball in the extreme wind­chill conditions, while Tim sufferedfrostbite on the tip ofhis nose.

The YRC Bulletin 37

Looking down the mountain indaylight for the first time, I wasastonished at the length of snowyridge beneath me. Some minute dotsof colour in the distance, which Imistook for climbers, were in fact ourtents at High Camp. There was nosign of the other party, who hadabandoned their ascent. We used asafety rope in a couple of places onthe descent, and returned to HighCamp. Arles plied us with cups ofteaas we packed tents and rucksacks,Our splendid porters, who hadascended from Sajama village andbase camp on succeeding days,retumed and collected our tents.Thinking about these porters who hadtwice ascended from Sajamavillage onsucceeding days, I felt more like atourist than a mountaineer! Weretumed to Base Camp that same dayand agreed with Jose that climbingSajama is gruelling enough, withoutplanning other ascents the next day.

Well, thanks to Jose, Alan, Rory, Tim,and Duncan, I now have some supermemories to look back on. MichaelSmith and Alan Kay can be satisfiedthat their plans for Sajama led to asuccessful outcome.

Winter 1999

Sajama Snippets

The drive out from La Paz to Sajamais now on good surfaced roads foralmost all the trip. Turning from theLa Paz to Oruro road and headingwest towards Arica we stopped at thefirst checkpoint and neighbouringshops where a village party was inprogress. The standard brass bandwas enthusiastically belting out a shrillmelody with heavy bass drum Thenotes slurring as the alcohol took itstoll. We were engaged in intense but

The YRCBulletin 38

incomprehensible discussion by one ofthe older members of theaccompanying villagers and pressed tojoin in the drinking. After a glassthere was a move to process to thenext cluster of buildings so we couldmake our excuses and break away.

Well on the way to Sajama a deepvalley was crossed lined on either sideby innumerable rock spires and crags.Alan Kay likened it to ''theBridestones gone mad". Nearby, set

Winter 1999

back from the road, is the Bolivianarmy mountaineering school.

Arriving at Sajama village the firstbuilding seen is the National Parkoffice. This has regular radio contactwith La Paz, houses a small museumand has large scale maps displayed onthe wall. The ranger there willarrange for the local familywhose turnit is on the rota to provide any packanimals or porters required.

The thermal springs are about anhours walk away from the village andare signposted, as are all the features,from the main track north which usedto be the road to La Paz. A buildingby the pool marks the spot in thisempty, undulating pampa.

Volcan Ollagile, 5868mMichael Smith

Not having previously climbed anactive volcano I expected a rather dulltrudge up even slopes and a quickscree run down. The ascent provedmuch more interesting than that.

The ascent of Ollagiie from the north­west is published [Biggar, 1996, pl09)but our route approached this isolatedvolcano from the south-east. Eatinglunch on volcanic wavelike rockformations many miles away from thepeak, we viewed the facing flankthrough binoculars. We can make outthe steaming fumarole and a likelylooking track zigzagging across theface and decide to investigate.Branching left from the track toAvaroa we cross a wide river washarea, take a well graded track steeplyup to a cluster of houses then on to aright-hand switchback at 5300m wherethe road splits into three tracks on thebend. The leftmost heads horizontally

The YRC Bulletin 39

A geyser field is also about an hourswalk west ofthe village. The bubblingsprings, hot pools and gurgling noisesare interesting rather than dramatic.

Vicuna on a minor ridge above basecamp

across a snowfield to the Chileanborder, the right most to the currentlyworked mine area and the central oneto a previously worked area. As thisis the only place for miles along thetrack where it would be possible toturn the vehicle we decide to stop hereand camp. At the other side of thesnowfield, somewhat higher wassteam emanating from the fumarole.Hydrogen sulphide from this pervadedthe air, gave us headaches and clungto our clothes for days.

Three workers came up about fourtimes each 24 hours to fill their lorryand descend. At their 10pm visit theysuggest we move our camp from thedisused central track round the cornertowards the snowfield to be a littlefurther from their turning area forsafety. We do this before they return.Via Javier they warned us about minesrecently laid along the border byChilean soldiers.

Our ascent, on 24 July, starts as asteady walk up old, snow covered

Winter 1999

mmmg tracks to aridge (light) ofgleaming yellowsulphur crystalsrunning roughlysouth-south-east.The route wasdecorated withpinnacles, eyes andarches and hadfresher air. Thispeters out around5S00m and we crossscree to another ridgeand traverse a shortway to the summit.On that traverse a chunk of rock isdislodges and falls to hit Duncan'srucksack.

Sitting at the summit around noon wewonder if a more easterly top, furtherround the crater, is higher. We check

The YRC Bulletin 40

it out but it is not but it did have awindbreak and spent flare cases.

Javier circles anti-clockwise round thecrater while Duncan and I gowiddershins (clockwise in thishemisphere) past the summit and on a

descending traverse tothe large fumarole nearmore old tracks.

The fumarole stank ofhydrogen sulphide.Unpleasant from ourcamp about a mileaway it was revolting atclose quarters. 'Thelocal miners had talkedof it giving themheadaches and stomachupsets. I consoledmyself with arecollection of beingtold that it was noxiousonly once theconcentration was sohigh that you could nolonger smell it.

The column of steam,several metres across atthe surface, billowedout and rose hundredsof metres into the air.In the calmer, colder air

Winter 1999

of the night and moonlit this was veryimpressive. The water content is notsurface water but from perhaps 100kmdown, taken there over thousands ofyears after being trapped in thesubduction zone under the Pacific.

The sulphur thickly coated everythingfor tens of metres around and left ayellow rime on edges on rocks nearthe rising vapours.

I could withstand being a hundredmetres or so away looking down intothe fumarole but soon had a headache.After a retreat to the col joining themain cone with the subsidiary conecarrying the fumarole, we had to pickour return route. The alternativeswere a haul back over the summit anddescent in clean air or a short directroute across the screes and snows ofthe corrie which carried the warningoflandmines.

On closer questioning it appeared thatthese soldiers arrived on motorbikes.Given this, the hard snow covering the

area and our strong determination toallow Javier to descend first, there wasno real contest. Javier, though, didsuggest that the longer route might besafer. Outvoted he set off down ascree which started promisingly butsoon became too steep and coarse forcomfortable running. It was a relief toreach the hard neve that allowed theuse of crampon to within twentymetres ofthe tents.

Breaking camp was made easier bystrong winds having already collapsedour tent. In fact it was only promptaction by the driver, Rafael, who waswaiting for us at base, that hadprevented our gear being scatteredacross the mountainside.

We descend to pitch camp, after dark,by a deserted quarry or mining depot,lost on the salar. Driving in the darkwe had kept too close to the securityof the single railwayline and missedthe fork off to San Juan de Rosario.With the light of morning we are soonback on route.

The YRCBulletin 41 Winter 1999

Birds of BoliviaDuncan Mackay

Going from England to any othercountry always brings with it thechallenge of identifying newspecies. Going to South Americais unlike anywhere else in theworld because the huge number ofspecies found there. On top ofthis almost none of them except,the ubiquitous Starlings andHouse Sparrows occur in Europe.So with nothing familiar and manyfamilies of birds which only occur inSouth America, Bolivia is quite anornithological challenge.

Until recently, it was also difficult toget a guidebook to the birds like thefield guides we enjoy in Britain.However a new guide to The Birds ofSouthern South America andAntarctica (De La Pena and Rumboll,

1998), goes some ofthe way to solvingthis problem Though, with more than1600 species of birds in the region, itis impossible to cover all of them in asingle volume. Using this field guide,we were always faced with thepossibility that what we were lookingat was not included in the book.

The expedition visited 'a number ofdifferent habitats during the six weeksthat it was out in the field. Theseranged from high Andean peaks andvalleys, Altiplano regions of Bolivia,Lake Titicaca, the city parks andgardens of La Paz and Cuzco, thecloud forests of Peru, the Atacamadesert the Pacific shore of Chile and,the lakes and salt pans of southernBolivia. These habitats are in manyrespects very demanding of the birdspecies that live there. Thetemperature extremes and the aridnature of the climate make this aregion for birds that are specialists in

The YRC Bulletin 42

Pan'a a blue-billed duck on Lake Titicaca,

survival. They have to be tough toeke out a living in the Andes.

When we arrived in La Paz, the firstbirds we saw were flying around theparks and gardens. The ChiguanoThrush and the ubiquitous RufousCollared Sparrow were seen. HouseSparrows and Starlings are alsopresent in large numbers and the FeralPigeons are almost as abundant andwell fed as those in London.

Our journey to Peru across thealtiplano went through a variety ofhabitats, in particular puna andwetland. Eared Doves and Black­Winged Ground Doves were to beseen particularly in agricultural areas,Andean Lapwings were also quiteabundant. Pearl Kites, AmericanKestrel and White Tailed Hawks werealso seen. On the rivers were AndeanGeese and Southern Pochards. Inareas of wetland, we saw Puna Ibis,

Snowy Egrets,Andean Lapwing(left) and AndeanCoots. Thosesailing on LakeTiticaca sawPan'a or Ruddy

Duck and, slowly flapping in flight,Huacana or Cotili as they are calledlocally in Aymaran, probably the NightHeron.

Winter 1999

The cloud forest around MachuPicchu contained so many species, andwas outside the region covered by theguidebook, that it was not possible tobe accurate about identification. Thefabulous colours and wonderful songsmade a magical spectacle thatwarrants a whole expedition all toitself To walk the Inca Trail with apair of binoculars would be the idealway to study these birds.

North of Cochabamba we wereclimbing in the Cocapata area withmountains of between 4500m and5000m The valley floors wereprimarily low grasses, and shrubstypical of puna vegetation. Themountains were free from snow duringthe winter season when we werevisiting. Winter being the time of theyear when least precipitation occurs.The local farming was principallypotato growing and grazing llama andsheep. The large herds provided agood food supply for the Condors andMountain Caracaras. We found thatmost days we couldcount on seeing atleast four Condors. They often flewquite close and on mountain ridgesvery close fly-bys, sometimes just afew metres away (above), normally

The YRC Bulletin 43

happened at moments when thecamera was buried at the bottom ofthe rucksack.

The bird guide mentions that theyoung of the Mountain Caracara arecoloured brown. However the localpeople seemed to think that the brownCaracara were actually females. Wewere unable to decide which wascorrect. However some very maturelooking Brown Caracaras werepresent around base camp, and wenoticed that on several occasions thebirds mobbing Condors were thesebrown coloured Caracaras. Perhapsthe adults don't bother to actaggressively towards their largercousms.

Our base camp was positioned besidesmall lakes at the foot of Sankhayuni.Andean Geese, Silver Grebes andPuna Teal were all present on thelakes. Shrike Tyrants, White-wingedCinclodes Plumbeous Sierra Finches,and an unidentified species ofOvenbird were all frequent visitors. Adelightful flock of Black Siskins;beautiful black birds with' blightyellow wing patches lived among thescrub and rocks close to the shore of .our base-camp tarn.

Winter 1999

Amongst the mammals Viscacha(above) were abundant in the rocksright up to the tops of the peaks. Wealso had a large species of vole thatlived under the ground sheet of themess tent in base camp... until oneday somebody stepped on it. Anotherdeath, that of a horse near base campwas notable in that the Condors andCaracaras only took 48 hours tocompletely strip the carcass of meat.This large assembly of birds of preyarrived within a very short time of thedeath and then departed just asquickly, immature Caracaras being leftto clean up the few remaining scraps,Some birds were so full of food thatthey were unable to flyaway when weapproached.

Our next climb was made : in theSajama National Park in the west ofBolivia on the border with Chile.Some members of the expedition werelucky enough to see Lesser Rhea closeto the village of Sajama. Amongst the

The YRC Bulletin 44

buildings of the village colourfulSierra Finches and Rufous CollaredSparrows were abundant. Puna Ibis,Andean Geese and Flamingos werefound on the wetland areas.Plumbous Sierra finches were alsowidespread occurring at quite highaltitude. Of the Mammals, seventeenpuma are reported to be active in thearea, although the only one wemanaged to see was kept on a shelf inthe wardens' office. Wild cameloids,Vicuna, are found in the park. Wesaw small herds of them close toSajama Base Camp. Alpaca are themost common grazing animal in thepark.

The continuing journey made by twomembers of the expedition wentacross the border into Chile. It isremarkable how the numbers ofparticularly Vicunas but also someother species increased immediatelywe crossed the border. This is likelyto be influenced by the strongprotection that the Chileangovernment affords the wildlife bothin and outside the national parks.Vicuna are protected and veryabundant. The wild fowl on the lakesin the area is also very rich.Unfortunately, we passed throughrather quickly on a strict timeschedule.

The Pacific seaboard saw a radicalchange in the bird life. PeruvianPelicans, Olivaceous Cormorants,Brown and Peruvian Boobies werefound in abundance. Some of theisland colonies that we saw justoffshore south of Iquique werespectacular. A few Oystercatcherswere seen among the rocks, notable inthat they were completely black.Amongst the gulls, we identifiedBrown Hooded Gulls and Kelp Gulls.The large number of Turkey Vultureswhich frequented the beaches was

Winter 1999

quite a surprise. They also turned upright in the middle of Iquique roostingin the palm trees outside the town hall,lots of them!

The next stage of the journey saw usreturning across the Atacama Desertinto Bolivia. The desert itself wasdevoid of almost all forms of life,although Black Vultures were foundin several places. Plumbeous andRed-Backed Sierra Finches, RufousCollared Sparrows were foundthroughout the area and in oases wefound Speckled Teal, Puna Ibis andPlumbeous Rail. On the LagunaVerde Andean Avocets, Puna Ploverand Andean Gulls were present.Whilst Laguna Colarada was the bestlake for flamingos and all three specieswere seen: Chilean, Andean, andJames. It was quite remarkable thatthe flamingos remain standing in thewater during the night and becomefrozen in as the lake freezes over. As

the morning sunshinemelts the surfaceice, flamingos are liberated one by oneto fly off.

This region of South America is full ofbirds. The new bird guide made thejob of identification easier andhopefully the above notes will givesubsequent expeditions a head start onus. They can start to look in detail atsome ofthe more difficult families likethe Ovenbirds and Tyrant Flycatchers.

:'..---,- ...-.----_._.~~---,~.-==:;:,.

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Llareta is a relative of parsley which is collected and usedas fuel. Thousands of individual plants form these brightgreen solid domes seen here with Sajama and Jose.

The puma!

The YRC Bulletin 45 Winter 1999

Birding on the TrekMan Linford

He must hear the question from everygroup "Jose, when are we likely to seeCondors?" His answer was that itwould be the second week so mindand eye were conditioned to look forthe other birds we expected to see.As it happened our first sightings wereof three Mountain Caracara black andwhite scroungers with red faces andyellow legs, looking thoroughlymiserable as they sat by the roadsidein thick mist and drizzle, unpeturbedby our presence.

The YRCBulletin 46

During the first day of trekking,Derek's birthday incidentally, and wesaw two Condors, their metre longbody, three metre wing span and whiteermine collar unmistakable despitebeing high up. We enjoyed a sightingevery day until the sixth day when weobserve five Condors in one group,harassed by Caracara; a sight ourtrekking guide Carlos had not seenbefore. We saw no more for six days.

You may have seen video of Condorsbut to see one float over the ridge justas we started to descend Pico Austria(Condoriti) gives one an entirelydifferent appreciation ofthis bird. Theterrain there was a beautiful valleywith three lakes and it had anothersurprise in store - a pair of AndeanGeese. These are big birds the malethree and a half kilos, the female less,coloured mainly white with blue-blackprimaries, Not only did we see themon the water, which is most unusual,they also carried out a bonding ritual,

Winter 1999

Duncan's photos of Caracara on this page and Condors on previous page

We soon made friends with the SierraFinches charming little birds. Themale grey, female speckled, theywould wait patiently for us to lift ourtents and feed on the bugs beneath ­the ground there being moist and frostfree. Not so the aggressive Ground(Andean) Tyrant, a flycatcher with anevil red eye, they would dash in andpick the early risers. Bugs neverbothered us, but there must have beenplenty around for the Tyrants andSouth Martins,

Finch-sized, grey withwhite throats, whiteunderparts and red rump,the Common Divca Finchwere not unlike ourSnow Bunting but seenmuch higher thanexpected.

Among the smaller birdswere Siskin, SouthLapwing and AndeanRuffNecked Sparrow.

Snipe drew our attention,the Common (Jack)Snipe, always seen in

The YRC Bulletin 47

pall'S, IS similarto ours apartfrom the yellowrump, The SeedSnipe, however,looks more like aGrouse in shape,short stubbybeak and grey/white underparts.

We had a fewsightings ofDuck and Plover,but many moreof Moorhen,even over Sooum,and CommonGalhnole on wetlands. The most

stunning of our sightings, though, wasa White Necked Heron, standing stockstill in a mirrored surfaced pool, thereflection so brilliant and perfect,Most lakes are now stocked withtrout, something we not only saw butate.Flocks of Spotted Tinamou, withfeatures similar to our Ptarmigan,were spotted and many more birds,too many to relate and all at incredibleheights. We never did find out wherethey roosted.

Winter 1999

fishing boat of Mario QuespeMendosa of Isla del Sol for just $150.Suddenly we were all looking forwardto the acclimatisation period. Thiswas greeted with scepticism in myfamily as they are all too aware ofwhat a lousy sailor I am - seasick inthe slightest swell.

The reality lived up to expectationthough there was probably as muchrowing as sailing since the winddropped for long periods during themiddle of the day. Mario's boat wasabout six metres long and typical ofthe local fishing boats. The mast wasset well forward and extended by along gaff that, together with a boomwhich extended well aft of the stem,allowed a vast area of sail to berigged. The sail gaped untidily at thefoot of the mast as the fore end of theboom was not resting against the mastbut was held in'a loop of cord hangingfrom the gunwale. When changingtack the boom had to be manhandledto the opposite gunwale and relocated.

\"

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Maria's fishingboat was made011 Isla Suriquiin traditional

Excursions:Various excursions weremade while we were gettingused to operating at altitudeand after the main part ofthe expedition.

Sailing on Titicaca

Michael Smith

Once you have been toMachu Picchu, it appears,you are reluctant to returnlest on the second seeing itdoes not match that perfectmemory from the first time.Well that is one theory toexplain why Ian Crowther,and I left the others to theirdash into Peru to see thefamous ruins before anyone had achance to erect the proposed cablecar. We were joined, thankfully, byDavid Hick, who was heading forPeru later, and together we decided torelax somewhere near Lake Titicaca,only an hour's drive from La Paz.

We had considered lounging in Soratabelow the Illampu-Ancohuma massifbut our guide, Jose, vetoed that as toolow for adequate acclimatisation forlater climbing. Considering it a bit ofa long-shot I asked Jose if he couldhire a boat for sailing on the Lake. Afew weeks before leaving the UK wewere resigned to visiting a few ruinsand taking a commercial hip to Isladel Sol as Jose's enquiries had drawna blank. Owners at the sailing clubwere reluctant to allow precious craftout oftheir control. Then I mentionedthat we were not wanting anythingflash and would be happy to have alocal sailor along as a guide or guard.Almost by return of e-mail, Jose hadarranged for four days sailing in the

The YRC Bulletin 48 Winter 1999

Petroglyphs and Geoglyphs

Michael Smith

through the tent door, we pack ourgear down to the jetty. Before amotor boat arrives to take us toCopacabana we have time to helpbeach a large boat and raise it onprops.

The usual way back to La Paz wouldbe through Peru but one of our partyhad not got his passport so we mustgo via Tiquina. There willbe a bus ina few hours but we find a taxi in theplaza which, once we have feignedindifference by dozing on the wall,drops his price to half: $35. On baldtyres we slip and slide to Tiquinawhere the driver decides he has hadenough, leaves the taxi and takes usonto a ferry boat bluffing his waythrough the police passportcheckpoint. We are packed onto aminibus, which already has a fewlocals on it, and instructed not to payany more. It leaves immediately andwe are given special treatmentfrequently being asked if we want tostop for photographs. We aredropped off at the terminus, ElCimetario, and take a radio taxi toreach the Hostal Naira about 4pm fora welcome shower.

Driving south along Chile's section ofthe Pan American Highway betweenArica and Iquique can be tedious attimes. The road has long straightsections through largely unchangingrocky desert. So when theopportunity for a short diversionpresented itselfwe took it.

We stopped the four-wheel drivevehicle at Huara, a small town withmany buildings resembling closed anddilapidated stores with boardwalksseen on western ghost town :film sets.Entering one open general store westand between stacked furniture andbundles of alfalfa while our driver asksabout petrol. Supplies appear in fivelitre open plastic canisters to bepoured into the tank through aninverted two litre plastic soft-drinkbottle with the bottom removed.

The next stop was for a coffee at acafe which had a stuffed armadillowith a red ribbon tied around its head,by the till. Bolivia has a day whendogs and llamas are be-ribboned,Could this be the Chilean equivalent?

Inca doorway on the Isla del Sol M.Smith Refuelled and refreshed we headedeast about ten' miles to the single hillrising from the flat desert, CelTO

The YRC Bulletin 51 Winter 1999

Unita. There, high on the evensouthern slope, was an 86 metre tallgeoglyph, a line-drawing of a person.It is supposed to be the largestarchaeological representation of ahuman figure in the world. It consistsof dark stones arranged on the lightersoil.

.This is not the only such work in thearea but it is the largest and mostcomplicated.

Later, having crossed back over theCordillera Occidental onto thealtiplano we ask at Poopo town hallfor directions to some rock carvingswe have heard of Rosa, the wife ofan official is volunteered to act as ourguide and attempting to make a goodimpression, interprets every feature ofthe local landscape for us.

After crossing the river while headingtowards the co-operative mine, we goa kilometre along a new road up thenarrow valley by the river. Stoppingat a small adobe hut by a mineentrance we walk down a path whichthen contours upstream, crosses asmall tributary then, almost at riverlevel, a scree. Several metres up thisscree are the remains of thepetroglyphs. Most have beendamaged recently by the miningcompany while creating the roadway.

Rhea, puma, humans and cameloidsare represented. The shapes havebeen made by hammering with a

pointed tool. There are alsogeometric shapes, collections of dotsand two shapes we could not identify,which resemble aircraft.

Approaching Oruro from the previoussite we broke off and headed east adozen or so kilometres to Calacala, afenced in cliff site. About two metresabove the base of the overhanging cliffwere representations in white, black

and red ofcameloids, two ofthem are being heldby humans. Wewere informed thatthese wereprobably ofWankarani ongmplacing them

\ between 800BCand400AD.

The YRC Bulletin 52 Winter 1999

Calama to El Tatio, Chile

One ofthe big mistakes ofthe trip wasthe choice of the northem route fromCalama to El Tatio to see the geysers.On the guidebook map [Biggar, pl04) itlooked logical as it was practically oneside of a triangle rather than the two itwould have taken via San Pedro deAtacama which we intended to visitlater anyway. Also, on local maps,that one side had various braids andthe northern one appeared to go closerto the mountains.

All started well with a picnic lunch inthe shaded quiet plaza at Chiu Chiu bythe whitewashed adobe church andDuncan finding new birds tophotograph. Then Javier offered apan of avocado and tuna leftovers to acouple of local girls but in the bustleof departure we forgot to recover thepan. That was half our kitchenequipment gone.

The YRC Bulletin 53

After Chiu Chiu (doesn't Bolivia havesome wonderful sounding placenames) the paved road ends and it isan unsurfaced track. Thoughtfully atthe larger junctions in this scrubbydesert with no habitations, theauthorities have erected whitewashedadobe-covered brick-wall centredsigns on which are painted a roughmap of nearby villages and the tracksbetween them. We should havedescended into Tonconce and takenthe newer track to the south of ElTatio but to the north were attractivecrags and the maps showed a trackwhich appeared to avoid descendingonto the canyon containing Tonconce.

As far as the crags the road was fineand we saw viscacha, vicuna and tallcactus. A right at a T junction and wewere skirting below the crags withviews down over a ribbed rocky plaincut by a deep canyon. By now theroad was closely following an ancientwaterpipe over rough terrain, So

closely that we deduced that itwas a maintenance road forthe now apparently disusedpipe. Our speed fell to a fewkilometres an hour as thetrack became steeper,narrower, looser, boulderstrewn and cut by streams.Rafae1 gave heavily loadedglances but coped masterfullyusing four-wheel-drive to linktogether ribbons of gravel andvegetation into a route acrossa fast flowing stream Wecleared the bigger boulders onnarrow sections and watchedthe hours pass - this would bealmost impossible in the dark.

Arriving at Linzor at six wefind that it is a one bicycle,one man, one house, two dogplace with the function oflooking after the reservoir.

Winter 1999

The man is amazed that we havearrived this way and promises us thatthe road out to El Tatio is better andonly 25km long. Surely it didn't lookthat far on the map. With half an hourbefore sunset and only a short tropicaltwilight we make haste east. Then wediscover why it is 25km the roadtwists round contouring and headingwest at times. There were a few moreboulders to move but we arrive, in thedark, after an hour. We knew we hadarrived when crossing a stream therewas steaming water bubbling out ofthe ground by the side of the vehicle.We crept forward a little onto moresolid ground, :find a track and follow ituntil stopped by a column of steampassing through our headlight beamand rising hundreds of metres in themoonlight. It was time to camp as weneed a pre-dawn start.

The view at first light could have beenfrom a Star Wars set. In the coldesttemperatures of the day (-14°C)columns of steam rose higher thanever and the small stream of scaldingwater produced a curtain of steamover 200m long and several metreshigh. We wandered around the fewkilometres of geysers finding differenttypes. A metre tall column had steamspluttering from the top. Pools hadsprings that gushed up almost a metrethen settled back to a rolling flow.Sulphurous pools were rimmed withred, brown, yellow and white streaks.Rusting away at the northern end wasthe remains of a steam engine wheresomeone had attempted to tap thisseeminglyinfinite supply of energy.

All too soon, dozens of vehiclesarrived from San Pedro de Atacamabringing trippers and breakfast tables.Some boiled their eggs in the hotwater while others bathed in preparedpools. At this point we decamped anddeparted,

The YRC Bulletin 54

Cuzco and the sacred valley

Two Innocents AbroadTim Josephy

Dawn in Cusco. Both Duncan and Iare awake in our hotel room listeningto the chorus of car hems withoutwhich Peruvian traffic is unable toproceed. Nothing for it but to get upand about and see what's to see. Inthe main square, an army of cleaners isjust :finishing the mammoth task ofclearing up after last night's revelries(it is Inti Raman, an Inca festivalwhich seems to involve a solid weekof drinking, dancing and music). Noother pedestrians are about and wecan view in peace the magnificentcathedrals and the Spanish colonialbuildings atop their massive Incafoundations. About 500ft above thesquare are two hills, one crowned witha statue of Jesus and the other with across. We decide to test our total lackof acclimatisation and climb up there.

The way takes us up narrow steppedalleys, between white painted terracesofhouses to a church courtyard whereworkmen, even at this early hour arerebuilding an Inca wall from a pile of.numbered blocks. Climbing on, bothofus pretending we are not in the laststages of collapse, we suddenly breakout into a huge area of ruins.Surrounding the hilltop, the temple of

Winter 1999

Pisac is a strange mixture. On thetourist trail, it has its fair share oftawdry souvenir shops but on theother hand it is still an ancient markettown carrying on its trade much as it

The first micro to arrive, with seats forabout twenty, has at least forty onboard. No self-respecting rush hourtube traveller would even consider it,but the conductor jumps off andthrusts us in. The next 20 minutes areto be among the most terrifying I canremember. The road drops about3000ft ina series of steep hairpins, theshininess of the tarmac matched onlyby the shininess of the tyres. Thedriver is clearly on a time bonus andbelieves the whole road is his. As wesqueal round a corner on the wrongside of the road, Duncan muttersabout taking a taxi next time. A girlnext to us speaks a bit of English andrelays his comment to the passengers,who dissolve in gales of laughter."Taxi drivers are dangerous" she says,"stick with the bus!"

Saqsaywaman is one ofthe finest remnants ofInca building to befound. Wanderingaround the massivewalls and doorways,we fall into conver­sation with the onlyother person around, aBrit and Inca nut whospends half of eachyear out there. We get

the guided tour, and ~~qsaywaman's impressive Inca foundations ove~look Cuzco and areon our way back to the dominated by a three tiered zig-zag wall about 700m long built fromhotel for breakfast, huge stones which fit together perfectly.

Mike offers to show us around for the our way accompanied by more smilesday. Climbing once again out of the and good wishes. Not far above thecity, we visit the ruins of Q'enqo, an village, we reach the road from Cuscoarea of limestone outcrops covered in to Pisac, where we wait for a "micro",carvings of animals, much mutilated one of the ubiquitous mini buses thatby the Spanish invaders. Further on, in are the principal form of transporta large crag split by natural fissures, hereabouts.we explore the Temple of the Moon, amodified cave with carvings of snakesand pumas and with an altar lit by askylight. All rather Indiana Jones! Outin the sunshine again we follow anancient highway up through terracedfields and over a low pass. Grotesquecacti and the variety of songbirds are areminder that despite the height, weare in a tropical country.

Eventually we reach an Indian village,where women and children are layingpotatoes out to dry. The tiny thatchedadobe huts look as if they haven'tchanged for a thousand years until onenotices the incongruous lookingelectrical supplies going into the roofs.Black pigs wander in and out of thedoorways and when Duncan gives agrubby little urchin a coin to take hisphoto, every child in the village rushesto line up, complete with sundry dogsand cats. Mike ducks into a blackdoorway, inside which is a tiny shop,presided over by a charming lady withan enormous smile. We consumebottles of sickly fizzy drinks and go on

The YRC Bulletin 55 Winter 1999

Machu Picchu ruins from the top of Huayna Picchu peak. Amember noted that "the countryside seen in Peru is the mostpicturesque I've seen anywhere, and deserves a return visit."

has done for centuries. We visit a shopowned by the mayor, who sidelines ingrave robbing. His back room is full ofartefacts way beyond our price rangeso We make polite excuses and leave.High above the town is a craggylimestone mountain whereon is a largeInca city. We are too late to walk upso we accept the offer of a taxi. Thedriver demands payment in advance sohe can buy a few pints of petrol.Having shifted a large sow from theroad and convinced a cow torelinquish its scratching post on thepetrol pump, we complete the refueland set off up the hill. Considering thetotal lack of clutch and brakes, thedriver does a great job of negotiatingthe hairpins but Duncan and I havealready decided that, approachingdarkness or not, we are definitelywalking down.

Inca Pisac is magnificent. Thesurrounding hills are splendidlyterraced and the city itself covers themountain top and spills down thesides. We follow a narrow path acrossa cliff and through a low tunnel to acol, above which a large cliff face,pocked with holes, contains the gravesof hundreds of Incas, We follow apath down, past well preservedbuildings and dry fountains towardsthe terracing below. In the gatheringdusk, with the lights ofPisac still Iouoft below, itis a magical place. Wefinally reach the bottom infull darkness and wait forthe last micro home.Arriving in Cusco, werealise we have discoveredthe stress free way oftravelling in SouthAmerica always gouphill and at night!

Next day, on our returnfrom a trip to Machu

The YRC Bulletin 56

Picchu (which is another story), wefind the last night of Inti Raman in fullswing. Tens of thousands pack thesquares, listening to concerts, whichare a strange mixture of rock andPefias, the haunting pipe music madefamous by countless wildlifedocumentaries. High above, thechurch we passed on the first morningis floodlit and I have the brilliant ideaof going up there to take photos ofthecity below. In the dark the alleys lookdifferent and we are soon lost. Nomatter, we climb on until suddenly werealise the crowds have gone and weare alone apart from three figuresfollowing a short distance behind. Weturn left, they turn left. We quickenour pace, so do they. One catches upand demands money. I am all preparedto hand over my life savings butDuncan is made of sterner stuff Hedelivers a smart blow to the chin andwe make a break. I don't know ifDuncan is as frightened as me, but hemakes a fine job of keeping up as weput Colin Jackson to shame, hurdlingthe alley steps down to the safety ofthe crowds below. Back in the square,light headed and breathless from ourescapade, we reflect on our stupidity.

There's no fool like a pair of oldfools!

Winter 1999

----

l

A Grand Day Out

Javier, our guide from AndeanSummits, was a bit unsure about theclimbing party's fitness andacclimatisation. He and Tim went fora nice day's climbing. The dayinvolved an early start, an epic multi­pitch ascent of a new summit on looserock, and an even more epic descenton even looser rock. Tim and Javierthen found themselves some six milesof steep difficult going from basecamp with an hour of daylight left. Asusual, Tim had eaten about threeraisins all day, which he believes isentirely adequate. Unfortunately hehad catered for Javier on a similarlygenerous scale. When they arrivedback in base camp, as darkness wasfalling, Too was in good form andhigh spirits. Javier, arriving a fewminutes later, croaked, ''He made meRUN!" (all this having taken place ataround 450om). Later I saw Javierlying in a corner of the mess tent, eyesclosed, trying to eat his supper butfalling asleep between mouthfuls. Theconclusion seemed to be that Too atleast was acclimatising quite wellreally.

Guiding the YRC

Our guides, after being with us forthree weeks, got to know everyonewell and got over their initial concernat this collection of mountaineersmuch older than their usualclients. They enjoyed nothaving to instruct us in thebasics and could relax aswe looked after oneanother rather than leavingit to our guides. Theyenjoyed the trips.

British Embassy

The British Embassy were supportiveand interested in our venture. Makingcontact on arrival we were invited to awelcome lunch with embassy staff andBernardo Guarachi. Maria PazCampo was full of enthusiasm, helpfulinformation and advice.

While some were visiting Sajama,Albert, Ian, David Atherton and newlyarrived Christine Marriott were in LaPaz and able to take up the Embassy'sinvitation to a reception for the Col.John Blashford-Snell Kota MamaExpedition. This was held at theAmbassador's house rather than theoffices and allowed them to meetAmbassador Minter, who is a keenrambler.

Cocapatan Huntsman

Late one afternoon a local chap withfeathered hat, well worn jacket andthe usual sandals came past ourWillpanki camp carrying a .22 rifle.We engaged him in conversation andhe explained that he was after viscachaor possibly puma. The latter hadbeen responsible for taking llama overin the next valley.

His gun was well worn, obviously amuch loved and treasured possession.The stock had been replaced with arough cut version which was held ontothe barrel by innertube material strapsstapled into place. We wished himgood luck and provided a new plasticbag to hold his few precious rounds.

One of the several fiesta bands we came across on the altiplano

The YRC Bulletin 58 Winter 1999

Conclusions:Bolivia holds a store of opportunitiesfor mountaineer at the club levelincluding new areas. Age and lack ofhigh-altitude experience proved not tobe barriers. Indeed one of the mainachievements was that of lain toppingSajama on his first attempt at a largepeak.

The Cordillera Real were good fortrekking with enough to see each dayto make it interesting. Weather waspredominantly good and plenty ofinviting mountaineering opportunitieswere passed on the route.

Exploratory climbing in the CordilleraCocapata was encouraged by theshapely peaks but hampered by looserock and inadequate anchors. Thereare more and steeper routes awaitingfuture visitors. For those seekingmountain walking or scrambling ampleopportunities remain as weconcentrated on one part of the range.The scarcity ofprevious visits, ease ofaccess, local support and modestheights were advantageous features ofthis range.

The Quimsa Cruz were considered asa alternative to the CordilleraCocapata when planning thisexpedition. Local guides confirmedthe extensive possibilities in thenorthern parts of the Quimsa Cruz notonly for climbing but also forattractive trekking off the usual route.However to include it in a list of sevenof the "last great wildernesses" anddescribing it as ''largely unexplored"(Gentleman, 1999) is probablyhyperbole. From the tops of the peaksin the west of the Cocapata we couldsee the Quimsa Cruz and the areaappeared attractive for mountaineerclimbers.

The YRC Bulletin 59

The Cordillera Occidental offersmainly isolated peaks with littletechnical difficulty. There areinnumerable unvisited lower crags andboulders. Their setting is spectacularthough access is difficult on accountof their isolation and long distancesbetween habitations. The lack ofwater and support makes having a4WD vehicle indispensable. Sajama isan exception in that the localinfrastructure supports ascents by thenormal route though it is essential tobring sufficient food.

A budding tourist industry based onSan Pedro de Atacama in Chile andUyuni in Bolivia operates multidayendurance-testing tours of theAtacama. Small hostels are emergingto service this trade though theiramenities are minimal.

Comparing conditions with twentyyears ago the improvement in the LaPaz infrastructure and major roads(with the exception of El Alto, thoughroadworks are underway there) isstriking. Supermarkets carry the fullrange of goods you would expect inan European small town; certainlysufficient to stock a basecamp.Simple well-made fleeces, sleepingbags, jackets, gloves, hats and the likeare readily available from a number ofstores round Sagarnaga at modestprices. Tents, ice axes and cramponcan now be hired.

Petzel head torches were not availableand, despite their domination of themarket, our group ran into severalproblems due to inadequate or failingcomponents. Three self-inflating airmattresses, of various types,developed leaks while those withclosed-cell foam mattresses sleptsoundly. These too are available in LaPaz. Heavy waterproof jackets werenot worth carrying and lightweightwindprooftops were invaluable.

Winter 1999

::::;::;»»»» Lagunas::::::::;:<:>;<:;:»:-;«'»:" 0 Colorada-.,:::::««<.:.:':':: : and..... :: <>«« Verde

.... <::::<.:-:::::«.:-. V Licancabur......................................

Routes taken during the various parts of the expedition

The weather, both ElNifio and La Nifianotwithstanding, provedgenerally reliably stable,dry and sunny but cold.Very little time waswasted due to badweather. The tropicaltwelve-hour day withtwelve hours ofdarkness put a certainpressure on time duringdays out. Nights wereoften clear and rangedfrom -14

QCin the

mountains to +14QC onthe coast .

Bolivia, Peru and Chilekept us well entertainedand provided more thanenough of a challenge.The Club is sure toreturn and take up someof the many remainingopportunities.

A Polaroid camera and several packsof film were taken by the climbingparty. They were used to take shotsof the Cocapata range from the roadswhich lay to the south and the eastduring the drive in. These were oflittle use other than a general reminderof the outlines. This was partlybecause they were backlit, wide-angleand small, but also because we endedup climbing on the opposite faces tothe ones photographed. We also tookpictures of the villagers for their ownuse in return for their tolerance andassistance. Local people greatlyappreciated their portraits so the

outlay of around £50was worthwhile. Theearly morning lowtenaperatures increaseddeveloping times severalfold.

Mountain (climbed) ...Mountain (other) 6­

Route travelled ",Route walked ","''''Previous trips

Historic site ...

.......... ....................

....................................

........................ ..................... ........................................................................................... .................. ......... .................... ................................................................, ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................... ................................................. ............................. ............................................

There are plenty of :firms offeringguiding services but good,experienced guides and cooks are at apremium. making contact and bookingwell in advance, being explicit about'your requirements and expecting topay a little more than the average ratepays dividends.

Communications have improved to thepoint where a mobile phone used on apeak has a good chance of making aconnection. Using e-mail permittednegotiation during the planning phaseand kept relatives back home informedof our progress once we were inSouth America.

MachuPicchu

.'? ...Qllantaytambov-, : .... ,'•••

The YRC Bulletin 60 Winter 1999

AchievementsThe real achievement was that weworked together, with our Bolivianhelpers, to enjoy some of the cultureand geography of Bolivia, Peru andChile. However, expeditions are alsomeasured by their contribution tomountaineering achievement so a listof the new ascents in the Cordillera deCocapata is given here.

Rock climbing routes:

Jatuncasa slabs, left-hand route,Hick & Josephy, 28 June, andcentral route, Smith & Thellache,28 June. First ascents.

Willpanki I, south-west ridge, Josephy& Thellache, 1 July, first ascent,andIl, south-west ridge, Smith & Hick,2 July, new route.

Sankhayuni Il, slab route, Camarlinghi& Josephy, 29 June, first ascent, andIV, Nido de Condores, Camarlinghi,Josephy & Smith, 7 July, first ascent.

New peaks or mountains:

Poma Apacheta I (also Il) Newman,6 July

Cerros del Lago Chuli Chulani I(also Il and ill), Mackay &Newman, 30 June

Pututuni I (also Ill, VI and IX?),Mackay & Newman, 4 July

Sankhayuni III (also ill), Mackay &Newman, 1 July,

Malpaso I and Il, Mackay & Newman,3 July

Other peaks or mountains:

Sankhayuni I, Mackay & Newman,1 July, probably Herzog's Incachaca

Also many other minor peaks.

Sajama was climbed to the summit byCamarlinghi, Gilmour, Josephy,Mackay and Newman on 14 July.Ventanani was climbed byA.Chapman, I.Crowther, I.Gilmour,ALinford and F.D.Smith on 7 July.

The YRC Bulletin 61

AcknowledgementsWe wish to acknowledge thefollowing for their valuablecontributions to the success oftheexpedition:

Jose Camarlinghi ofAndeanSummits for advice on logisticsand the collection ofinformationin Bolivia

Maria Paz Campero, Press andPublic Affairs Officer, BritishEmbassy, La Paz, for support anda warm welcome

Barnsley College for reprographicsservices and accommodation

John Biggar for advice onopportunities in southern Bolivia

Sir Christian Bonington CBE forsupportive correspondence

Yossi Brain for advice on theCordillera Real and opportunitiesin the Cordillera Occidental

Evelio Echevarria for drawing to ournotice the Cocapata range andthen supplying photographs anddetailed reports

Mark Greenstock, Yuri and Jessicafor current information onCochabamba

Nerrissa Kisdon for translations

Liz Nicholson for assistance incollecting local information

John O'Neil for recent informationon the south ofBolivia

Matthew Parris for contacts

and the members ofthe YRC fortheir encouragement and support.

Winter 1999

Sources of Information

Organisations:

Andean Summits, Casilla 6976, LaPaz, Bolivia, situated on CalleSagarnaga No.189 Murillocorner, TellFax (591-2) 317497,andean@latinwide.com

Bolivian Times, an English languageweekly newspaper published in LaPaz, Bolivia and available onhttp://latinwide. com/boltimes

Articles:

Evelio Echevarria, Cordillera deCocapata, Bolivia, The AlpineJournal 1997, Vol.102, No.346,p154-160 and plates 75-78

Douglas R. Hardy, Mathias Vuille,Carsten Braun, Frank Keimig andRaymond S. Bradley, 1998,Annual and DailyMeteorological Cycles at HighAltitude on a TropicalMountain, in Bulletin oftheAmerican Meteorological SocietyVo1.79, No.9, pI899-1913

Theodor Herzog, 1913, Diebolivischen Kordilleren, inPetermanns GeographischeMitteilungen, Vol. 59, p304-8

Background:

Sir Martin Conway, 1901, Climbing& Exploration in the BolivianAndes, London: Harper &Brothers

Evelio Echevarria, Cordillera dePotosf, Bolivia, on Henry HoekThe Alpine Jouma11995,Vol.100, No.344, p162-172 andplate 44

The YRC Bulletin 62

Amelia Gentleman, 1999, Britishexplorers scale unexploredpeaks, in the Guardiannewspaper, July 20, 1999

James Oberg, 1999, The probe thatfell to Earth, reporting the failedRussian Mars-96 probe, in NewScientist, 6 March, 1999,No.2176, p38-42

Matthew Parris, 1997, Heaven­wards to hell, article describingan ascent oflllimani, in TheTimes newspaper, 19 September,1997

Joseph Barclay Pentland, 1827,Report on Bolivia (for theBritish government), edited by JValetie Fifer, 1974, andreproduced in the CamdenMiscellany XXV, Camden 4thseries, Vol. 13, pI69-267,London: Royal Historical Society

Simon Richmond, 1998, The LostWorld, on Blashford-Snell'sAtlantis expedition, inGeographical, August 1998,p6-12

Guide books:

Wayne Bemhardson, Chile andEaster Island: a Lonely Planettravel survival kit, 4th edition,1997, London: Lonely Planet

John Biggar, 1996, The HighAndes: a guide for climbers,Andes, 93 Queen Street, CastleDouglas, DG7 lEH, Scotland

Yossi Brain, Andrew North andIsobel Stoddart, 1997, Trekkingin Bolivia: A Traveller's Guide,Leicester: Cordee and Seattle:Mountaineers

Winter 1999

Yossi Brain, 1999, Bolivia: AClimbing Guide, Leicester:Cordee and Seattle: Mountaineers

Hilary Bradt and Peter Schepens,1995, Backpacking in Peru andBolivia, 6th edition, Globe­Pequot

Alan Murphy, 1997, BoliviaHandbook, Bristol: FootprintHandbooks

Robert Pecher and WaIterSchnriellillDll, 1977, TheSouthern Cordillera Real: AGuide for Mountaineers, Skiersand Walkers, Chur, Switzerland:Plata Travel

Deanna Swaney, Bolivia: a LonelyPlanet travel survival kit, 3rdedition, 1996, London: LonelyPlanet

Other Books:

Martin R, de la Pefia and MauriceRumboll, Birds of SouthernAmerica, London: Collins

J. V. Remsen Junior and Melvin A.Traylor Junior, 1989, AnAnnotated List of the Birdsof Bolivia, Vermillion SD:Buteo Books

Ruth Janette Ruck, 1978, AlongCame a Llama, London:Faber and Faber

Michael Smith et al, 1989, .Apolobamba 1988 ­Expedition Report, YRC

The YRC Bulletin 63

Maps - Cordillera de Cocapata:Instituto Geografico Militar de

Bolivia, 1:50000, Series H731,Edition 1, 1968, reprinted 1991,Sheets 6342-IV Icari, 6242-1ComunidadTiquirpaya, 6242-ll,Morochata, and Edition 2, Sheet6342-ill Cordillera del Tunari,1989, printed 1990

6242-1 6342-IVCerro Achaghararia Cerro Willpanki

Ventanani Jatuncasa Pirhuata

6242-ll 6342-IllCerro Tunari

Maps - Cordillera Real:

LiamP. O'Brien's 1:135000, ANewMap ofthe Cordillera Real de LosAndes, 1995

Maps - Cordillera Occidental:

Waiter Guzman Cordova's 1:50000,Navado Sajama, 1993

Maps - Bolivian Roads

Mapa Politico de Bolivia 1:3000000,1998 (available from the OvejaNegra on the Prado, La Paz)

Video

BBC Manchester, 1999, RoughGuide to Bolivia

Condoriri

Winter 1999

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·~f~

This was Guarachi's second Everestattempt. His first, in 1994, endedat 8180minbad weather.

Guarachi was raised near the windsweptAndean town of Patacamaya, where hisfather still tends the family herds of sheepandllamas, so he has spentmuch ofhis lifeabove 50001ll As a guide, he has mademore than 170 ascents of 6450m IDimani,overlooking La Paz, The most dramaticof these was in 1985, when he was hiredby EasternAirlines to locate the wreckageof an airliner that crashed on New Year'sDay.

Theplanto finance hissecondattemptwashatched during a 1996 climb up Illimani inwhich Guarachi guided Bolivian Vice­President Jorge Quiroga Ramirez andBolivian Timespublisher, Peter Mcfarren,Theyformed a groupwhichraised$33000.

On July2nd Guarachi received the Condorde los Andes award, Bolivia's highestrecognition, fromPresident Hugo Banzer.

Back at Camp IV, Guarachi's limitedEnglish caused him to misinterpret theplansofhis group, andhe returnedto basecamp. Then, realising his error, he did anabout face and pushed straight throughonce more to Camp IV. On midnight ofMay 25, he set off a final time with aSingaporean group of climbers, making3548m in 72 hours from base camp to thesummit.

While in La Paz AlbeitChapman, Ian Crowtherand Michael Smithwereinvited to lunch with

Bemardo Guarachi to catch up on newssince our lastvisit in 1988 when Bemardoprovided logistical support in theApolobarnba.

Bemardo presented the Club with apanorama of the Cord:illera Real and wasgenerously invited us to his spacious newoffices for coffee and a detailed discussionof our plansfor the currenttrip.

The description of his ascent is compiledfrom articles by Roger Hamilton whichappeared in IDBAmerica, July 1998, p15andChasqui, July 1998,p4.

At 5:55 a.m on May 26, Katmandu time,after almost having to concede defeat;Bemardo Guarachi, 43, placed theBolivian flag on the summit of Mt.Everest. He was the first Bolivian and firstnative American to reach Everest'ssummit.

The expedition had not gone in a textbookfashion. After' arriving in Nepal in lateMarch, heavy snows kept Guarachi and agrowing number of climber's tied to basecamp. Guarachi spentthe next two monthsconditioning himselfwith climbs to CampII and Ill. "It was very, very frustratingfor him," saysDavid Atkinson, one of theorganisers of the drive to fund Guarachi'sattempt. '11 took tremendous willpowerand character just to spend two monthsunderthose conditions, living out ofa tent,losing lOkg, so cut offfrom his family."

Then on May 19 the weather' cleared, andGuarachi and 53 others set off up theNepal side. But by the time they reachedthe Hillary Step, just 100 vertical metresfrom the summit, they had run out of ropeandhad to turnback.

The YRCBulletin 64 Winter 1999