Peru Cordillera Blanca May-June 2013

Yanapaccha (17,909') shines during a brief spell of sunshine on an overall cloud-covered week in the Cordillera Blanca.  Luckily our second week was pure sunshine to balance out our time in these glorious mountains.

Map of Peru with Santa Cruz peak highlighted in red- we were a few miles south of this peak in the Llanganuco valley for our first week in the Cordillera Range.

Basecamp accessible by burros below Pisco and the magnificent south faces of Huandoy.

One of our porter's climbing gear.  We supplied him with a new harness and rope for safer climbing while on our two mountain routes.

Looking west down the lower Llanganuco Valley with its dramatic 700m vertical cliffs framing the way to the Cordillera Negra and eventually the Pacific.

Daniel Vargas

Joel Vargas

Our Huaraz-based staff at high camp on Vallunaraju.

Dave and Art enjoying Haute Cuisine at our 5000m high camp.

Joaquin checking out the new Rab Latok Mountain Tent at the Vallunaraju high camp.

Art and Dave roping-up for a practice run on the Vallunaraju Glacier.

Dave above 5,000m on the glacier of Vallunaraju.

Descending the glacier polished granite below the glacier entrance on Vallunaraju.

High camp on Pisco with Yanapaccha peak behind.

Eli descending from Pisco high camp on the moraine of the south Huandoy Glacier.

Pisco catches some sunshine the day after our whiteout summit ascent.

Descending from the summit ridge of Vallunaraju.

More descent of the summit ridge of Vallunaraju.

Eli enjoying the sunrise on the glaciated flanks of Vallunaraju.

Sunrise over the Cordillera Blanca while ascending Vallunaraju.

Eli, Dave, and Art on the summit of Pisco in a whiteout.

The three musketeers enjoying sunshine on the summit of Vallunaraju.

(L-R) Daniel, David, Joaquin, Art, Eli and Joel at Olaza's Hostel in Huaraz after two successful weeks in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru.