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Bolivia III, Mountain adventure
Hola a La Paz:
This will be my final transmission from Bolivia. The team of Blaine and
Blake Reed, Chuck Duey and myself, Kevin Kichinka, began the climbs of two
mountains in Bolivia last Saturday. I hadn't even mentioned the first,
Chirquini, in my last letter, because it was presented to us as a couple of
hour training "walk-up" and I didn't think much of interest would come of
it. How wrong I was.
We arrived via Toyota Landcruiser 4x4 to Huayna Potosi base camp at 10AM
last Saturday. A small 125 sqm. (400 sq.ft.) house maintained by an Aymara
couple is there, but most climbers erect tents on site. The view at 4,200m
(14,000') is of many magnificent snow-covered mountains. We unpacked our
gear and began following our two guides directly up a 300m (1,000') rocky
hill. Pablo and Marco had decided that we should try a new route up
Chirquini, instead of the old, established route. After Pablo scouted
ahead, we traversed a long, steep area of boulders and rock. At a rest stop
I noticed that my foot was bleeding at the ankle and I was also suffering
pain in the same foot. After a two week "Easter egg hunt" for boots big
enough for me it was clear that the plastic boots I had rented were still
too small. I took off the heavy insulating sock on my right foot leaving
only the thin, liner sock for more room. Poor rental equipment was to
become the bain of the rest of our time on these two mountains.
We slowly gained altitude climbing on rock and scree until we reached the
snow line and it became time to add our crampons, ice axes, heavy gloves
and warmer clothes. We were tied together with rope and since I was the
weakest and inexperienced climber, I was put in the lead behind Marco. You
only go as fast as your slowest member.
During the next few hours we encountered slopes up to 55 degrees and
protection was added by Marco. Many small crevaces were encountered without
problem. When the sun was out it was fairly warm, but when the sun went
behind a cloud the temperature dropped almost instantly by about 30
degrees. After a semi-technical final 100m (330') wall was climbed (we
probably looked like over dressed Spidermen) we summited the 4,800m
(17,800') Chirquini.
Unfortunately, we had taken too long getting up on this new approach and
Marco told us that we must go faster. Tied together, we were almost running
down the mountain when one of my crampons caught and I pulled a hamstring.
This was not good and everyone waited while I drank some water and hoped
for some quick recovery. God was good to me this time and I managed to get
myself down off the glacier where I could remove the crampons. The walk
down was tiring for everyone on the mixed terrain we encountered as we
returned on the traditional route. Passing a herd of llamas, we turned a
corner to a somewhat terrifying sight. The route went along an aqueduct
carved into the mountainside and next to the three foot wide trail was a
1,000m (3,000 foot') drop that we had to travel for a distance of about
800m (880'). One slip and certain death awaited. Of course our guides
thought nothing of this. Extreme tiredness, and heavy backpacks added to
the hazard as we carefully made our way. A cross marked the spot where
someone had fallen to their death. We passed this point safely and after
another hour arrived back at base camp. Because of this new approach, the
usual 4 hour climb had taken 8 1/2 and we were all wracked with fatigue.
We had intended to sleep in tents, but that option seemed dubious after we
talked to three people from the Netherlands that had been robbed at
gunpoint by four individuals at the camping site the night before. As
amazing as it sounds, in Peru and Bolivia, robbers will even climb to high
camps over 5,000m (18,000') and rob climbers of their money, tents, and
other equipment. We were alowed to sleep on the floor in the tiny house
along with another ten people. I noticed a rat running around that night
and it chewed a hole in Chuck's wool hat.
The next morning the climb to high camp of Huayna Potosi was to begin. The
minor hamstring pull was a problem for me, especially going downhill and
with the problem of the small plastic boots, I opted out of the mountain.
Even if I got up, the twelve hour descent wasn't going to be safe and it
wasn't fair for me to jeopardize the chances of the others. It was a very
painful decision for me. In the end there's no good reason to climb a
6,000m (20,000') mountain except that.......
Blaine, Blake and Chuck, just as exhausted as I was took off in the company
of our two guides, a cook, and four porters at about 10AM. The porters had
held up the start, claiming that the mountain bags weighed too much. I
negotiated a raise in pay for them and the group left for high camp.
After laying around their tents on the ice through a cold evening, Chuck,
Blake and Blaine were up at 12:30AM and hit the trail at 2:30AM. The
initial ascent was on a glacier and around the back side of the mountain.
Overnight temperatures were mild for the altitude and the wind was
mercifully calm. Huge crevaces that could have swallowed a house were
everywhere. They climbed some walls and were making good time when altitude
sickness and fatigue claimed Chuck at about 5,700m (19,500'). Chuck
climbed most of Colorado's 14er's last summer, has experience in Alaska and
not reaching the summit was very disappointing for him. Marco stayed with
him and at one point of the descent, Marco had Chuck remove his rented
harness and manufactured him another of webbing to lower him down a wall.
"Your harness is garbage and too dangerous" Marco told him angerly. Our
harnesses were what held us together if someone disappeared in a crevace
and that one weak link could have endangered us all.
Blaine and Blake continued on into the night and finally reached the summit
ridge at about 8AM. Pablo had them wait while he gathered up extra
protection for the final push. Not advertised as part of this climb, a two
foot wide ridge led to the summit. On one side the hopelessly steep slope
dropped at 90 degrees for about 1,000m (3,000') while the other side
dropped 160m (500'). They had to walk along this for about 200m (220') to
the summit. Both were terrified. For some reason at this point, piles of
frozen human feces were everywhere. I know that this would have scared the
shit out of me, too.
Only a few meters onto this path, Blake lost a crampon (rented, of course)-
it had simply disintegrated. With one hand, he devised a fix and
continued. One hundred meters on, one of Blain's crampons slipped off.
Standing on one leg at 6,000m (19,900') in a now freezing, howling wind on
a two foot wide cornice, Blaine removed his gloves and re-tied the crampon.
Reaching the summit, only the size of a king-size bed and at a steep slope
that neccesitated that they tie themselves to the ridge by their ice-axes,
they left after only a couple of minutes. They were afraid of what awaited
them as they again had to pass over this ridge.
Several times when they placed their ice-axes, they punched clear through
the blue snow - exposing 1,000m (3,000') of thin air. They made it down
safely, arriving back in La Paz at 5PM. They hadn't slept for 35 hours.
"You were smart for not going" Blaine told me. "This is probably the
stupidest thing that I have ever done."
Despite training harder than ever for months, I'm still hurting from my
minor injuries and any more mountains on this trip would be dangerous for
me and I'd probably be a drag on the others. Besides, it's really "no
boots, no go". I should've spent the bucks and bought the boots in the US.
Mountain climbing - mountaineering - is a sport that requires almost super
human amounts of stamina, patience, and fearlessness. Even then altitude
sickness can strike anyone at any time. The people I've met in this area
have all been the most "real" of people who's friendships anyone would
treasure.
I've had the great priveledge of sharing time on the tops of three
mountains with three great men. I hope that you have enjoyed going along
on our journey to Bolivia, it's one of the last great adventure countries
left on this Earth and it's people are glad to see you.
Tomorrow, Blaine and Blake leave for the 6,500m (21,400') Sajama Volcano.
New information reveals that the snow wall they must climb at 6,000m
(20,000') is 100m (330') high. Wind chills are expected to be near -100*F.
Let Pachamama give her blessing to them for a safe trip.
>From La Paz, Bolivia
Kevin Kichinka
MARSROX@aol.com
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