The objectives

As a tribute to the bicentennial, a group of Mountain Guides from Huaraz planned an expedition to Huascarán, the highest mountain in our country. We attended delegations of mountaineers and climbers from various parts of Peru and abroad with the aim of bringing a message of unity at a time when we have seen our country so polarized and promoting tourism, a sector hit by Covid-19.

The event was held between July 19 and 24 under two modalities, the first with the objective of reaching the summit and the second with the objective of carrying out activities in Camp 1 of Huascarán.

The challenge

Climbing mountains is an activity that requires acclimatization, physical preparation and technical knowledge in order to enjoy the experience responsibly.

The delegation from Lima, of which I was a part, was prepared by the School of Mountaineering, Zenda, where we are physically trained at least twice a week online, we acclimatized on various routes in the Cordillera Central for several weeks and they prepared us with knowledge of knots and rescue. Likewise, the various delegations prepared hard for the physical and mental challenge.

during the expedition

Before the expedition we had talks about responsible mountaineering and glacier recovery.

We begin the expedition in the town of Musho (3100 masl), from where the two summits of Huascarán can be seen, with a ceremony attended by authorities from Ancash.

Then, we begin the walk to the Moraine Field, where the Huascarán Refuge (4700 masl) is located together with Certified High Mountain Guides, Dircetur Ancash authorities, Huascarán National Park and delegations of mountaineers and climbers.

We camped around the Huascarán Refuge early and the next day we went up to Camp 1 (5200 masl) along a path with huge stones.

After camping in Camp 1, at dawn a group went out to reach the summit (6,768 masl), however, due to the danger caused by strong blizzards, only a small group was able to do so. Meanwhile, another group remained in Camp 1, where we took the opportunity to apply what we learned in the talks and carry out environmental awareness activities.

The experience

The Bicentennial Expedition was an enriching experience as mountaineers and as people.

At times like now it is important to stay united working under the same goal regardless of our differences. Taking care of our country is also visiting it responsibly and keeping it clean so that future generations can see it as beautiful as we find it now.