Happy New Year Everyone!
Since this trek very likely would not have happened without them, the first thing we want to do is thank our great friends Scott and Kathryn (And Scott Joly) for highly recommending the Huayhuash Trek to us five years ago! I am not sure we would have been willing to spend the money (budget travelers that we are) for this guided tour without their enthusiastic tales of the trail. Thank you so much!
In order to make the hike as economical as possible we waited around the city of Huaraz for more than a week before leaving on our group trek. The price to do it privately is three times as much! Way outside our budget; so, we had to roll the dice and pray that the group we joined would be a good one (spoiler alert: they were fantastic:). Our group consisted of travelers from England, Canada, France, Germany and Spain, as well as, our Peruvian guides, an emergency horse and our heroic pack mules. I call them heroic because they were the ones who carried the majority of our gear each day!
The Huayhuash Trek is considered one of the most beautiful high alpine hiking routes in the world. Just look at the pictures and you will see why. We had seven nights on the trail and covered a distance of approximately 85 miles. The entire trail is high altitude, but the highest pass we crossed was 17,000 feet! The highest (outside of an airplane) either of has ever been! Some of the peaks we saw along the route were greater than 21,000 feet. We were super thankful that we took so much time to acclimate to the altitude, it helped a lot. Don’t get me wrong though, we were huffing and puffing like steam trains to reach the top of the passes! Sharon was very concerned about the altitude triggering migraines, but glory to God that was not the case! Sharon’s head did incredibly well when you take into account the altitude and the level of exertion required each day. It really was a miracle.
The first five days we hiked through rain, hail and snow, however, the last two days the skies cleared and the views became truly glorious. At one particularly breathtaking viewpoint a hiking companion broke out in spontaneous song, a hymn declaring the beauty of God’s creation as…a beauty that we could see all around us so clearly. It was very special and utterly unforgettable. Overall, the hike was left us utterly exhausted and simultaneously completely thrilled for such an amazing experience.
Words can’t do it justice, so, I won’t even try. Enjoy the pictures!
p.s. – The small animal is a chinchilla!
Incredible. If this earth is so amazing, just imagine the new earth. Glad you had that wondrous experience.
We are so grateful to able to visit so many beautiful places in the world! Including your place in Nicaragua!
Wow! We sat here this morning with our faces planted in front of our computer, in rapt attention to every photo…And…hoping you will someday, be able to consolidate your story and photos into a book. It will be wonderful!
So glad you enjoyed the hike photos. If we do ever write a book (a very big IF:) it will definitely have to be a photo book!
Holy Cow!! Happy New Year! Unbelievable pictures!!!! What an experience:) We love you guys and looking forward to seeing you in person not that long in the future!
Thank you Cindy! Happy 2020 to You and the whole family! We can’t wait to see you later THIS year :)!
Beautiful!! I did it 40 years ago alone. Didn’t know my Israelí friend was behind me one day with a donkey or I’d have waited for him. Incredible place!! So glad you could do it.
40 years ago! Wow, I thought we were hardcore, but soloing it 40 years ago must have been an epic challenge – our hats are off to you sir! I am sure the mountains haven’t changed much, but the route and popularity certainly has.
A Happy and Blessed New Year!!! What an incredibly, awesome trek!!! Thanks for sharing the beautiful views…🎉🙏💗😊
Thank you Vicky! We hope you have a Great 2020!!!
What a wonderful life you two are living! Do you realize how many people would love to be free enough to to travel and be so happy as they explore our beautiful world that our Lord God made just for us! I’m so happy for you both! You certainly picked the perfect partner for this ! May our Lord Jesus continue to keep you safe and healthy! Lots of love! Kathy Jehring!
We are truly blessed beyond all measure of logic. As each new wonder unfolds in front of us all we can do is be humbly grateful and enjoy it (and try to share it a little with others via the photos and stories:). Thanks for the prayers Kathy.