Trekking into the Valle de las Animas

We returned to La Paz last week and with Steve coming from his nearly sea level home in Philadelphia we have planned a gradual acclimatization schedule to ensure the best health and success in our planned ascents in the nearby Cordillera Real.  

Today was our biggest walk since arriving and it turned out to be a perfect loop that took us through some truly amazing terrain at a perfect pace and with great weather and partners, who can complain?

The ridge crest of the Animas Canyon with La Paz in the near distance.

Views towards La Paz and the Valle de la Luna which lays behind the black rock spur of the Devil's Tooth.

 Creek bed close-up above the Valle de las Animas.

 A traverse of the upper Animas Canyon provided a nice sustained loop above 14k with views of the nearby high peaks.

 Mudstone fins and the foothills of the Cordillera Real, nearby the popular peak of Huayna Potosi.  These fluted ridges above the famous Valle de las Animas cover much of the terrain between 12-14k on the southern flanks of the Calacoto Valley just south of downtown La Paz.

 Illimani mountain begins to shed the cloud cover that was blowing towards the close Amazon basin to the east of this peak.  A bit of lunch and a nap in the warm sun at 14k was the halfway point of this 7hr. trek.  Extensive grazing of sheep, cows, and llamas has kept the vegetation short and well fertilized.

 The best view we gained of the west face of Mt. Mururata (19,262').  The regular route gains this glacier from nearby the visible toe and follows the same glacier up and right to the summit.

 Alejo remembering a 2005 ascent of Mururata via the steep south face with a descent down the visible west face route.

 Illimani showing us a bit more of her west face as we descended into the Animas Canyon.

 Beginning the descent into the upper Animas Canyon.  The rest of today's photos are from our descent through the entire canyon where there was minimal sign of human impact and we saw no one else on our entire trek.

We managed hot showers back at the hotel where Alejo enjoyed the sauna and after a tasty dinner at the nearby "Charlie Papas" restaurant, our full day in the high altitude sun took its toll as sleep comes easy in the soft beds of the Casa Grande.