28.05.96
8:30am - 5:00pm went with Cruise del Sur (a bus company) form Lima to Huaraz. The bus didn't stop anywhere, we were served food.
29.05.96
Went to a Pasto Ruri excursion (went up to 5 000 high with the small bus) for acclimatization. Saw Puya Raimondi - the biggest flower in the world.
30.05.96
Tried to gather some information about Ishinca valley from the tourist office and Casa de Guias in Huaraz (both not recommended). Bought food for 8 days. Booked a collectivo for 50sl. from Huaraz to Collon for the next morning (bad idea) - could have got there much cheaper by taking the one of the collectivos going between Huaraz and Caraz every day and then walking up to Collon from the main road.
31.05.96
Went to Collon with the collectivo (7:30am - 8:30am). In Collon paid for a buro and ariero $12 and went to the base camp (4,300 m high) 16km from Collon. It took us 4 h to get there.
01.06.96
A day for acclimatization and orientation. Went up to the moraine of Toclaraju. At 2pm it started raining.
02.06.96
Climbed Nevado Uros (5,400 m). Started at 4:30am and were back at the tent at 1:00pm. The way up to the top took us 6 hours. In the morning the weather was cloudy but after the sun came it got better. 2:00pm it started raining.
03.06.96
Rest day. Still had headache from the altitude from time to time. 4:00pm it started raining.
04.06.96
Climbed Nevado Ishinca Chico (5,430m). Started 4:30am. The weather was still cloudy. We couldnt get to the top of Nevado Ishinca (5,530m) since we went a wrong way after we got to the col between Ishinca and Ishinca Chico reaching a very wide and deep crevasse. 2pm it started raining.
05.06.96
Started going back down to Collon (very heavy backpacks). From Collon to Paltay took a buro for 13 sl. From Paltay took a collectivo to Huaraz 1 sl. 7pm we were back in Huaraz.
06.06.96
Susanne got ill.
07.06.96 and 08.06.96 Organized the next trip.
09.06.96
Took a collectivo for 2 sl. from Huaraz to Yungay. Another collectivo took us from Yungay to the Llanganucco valley for 5 sl. We got of at "the curve for Nevado Pisco" (3,900m). Walked from there to the moraine camp (4,900m) 5 hours.
10.06.96
Climbed Nevado Pisco (5, 752m). The weather was not good (clouds + strong wind). the way up to the top from the moraine camp took us 5 hours. Descended all the way down to the base camp (4,700m).
11.06.96
Went back to the road - 1 hour and 15 min. Took a collectivo to Yungay and from there another one to Huaraz.
12.06.96
Stayed in Huaraz.
13.06.96
Went again to the Llanganucco valley, got off at the"Chopicalqui curve". Walked up to the moraine camp (4,900) - 4 hours.
14.06.96
Climbed up to the high glacier camp (5,800m) - 5 hours. We started much too late - 10am and it was very hot on the glacier and thats why the climbing was hard and long.
15.06.96 (Alex's (mine) birthday).
Climbed Nevado Chopicalqui (6, 345m). From the high camp to the top - 4 hours; there were passages as steep as 65 degrees; started climbing at 5am. Descended back to the moraine camp.
16.06.96
Went back to Huaraz.
17.06.96
Took an organized trip to Chavin de Huantar 20 sl.
18.06.96
Visited the ruins Ruinas Wilcalmain with a taxi for 10 sl.
19.06.96
Rest day.
20.06.96
Took a collectivo to from Huaraz to Mancos from there to Musho. Took a buro and ariero for $10 and went to the base camp - 3 hours.
21.06.96
Started early for the moraine camp (took a wrong way). Sanne was not feeling well and after 2 hours we made a camp near some river. (45 min. before the moraine camp). Rest day.
22.06.96
Started at 4am and walked to the first glacier camp at 5,300m. Arrived there at 9am. Sanne was still not feeling well.
23.06.96
Climbed from the camp #1 to camp # 2 at 6,000m. 4 hours; there were some steep passages ~ 60 degrees.
24.06.96
Climbed Nevado Huascaran Sur (6, 769m). - the highest peak in the tropical zone of the world. 7 hours to the top, 45 - 50 degrees. Descended all the way back to the moraine camp (3:30am - 5:30pm).
25.06.96
Went back to Huaraz.
26.06.96
Rest day
27.06.96
Visited the hot mineral springs in Monterey (went there with a local bus from Huaraz) - there was a swimming pool there - nice.
28.06.96
Rest day.
29.06.96
Took a collectivo to Caraz - 2 hours, 2.5 sl. From Caraz took another collectivo to Cashapampa - 1 hour, 5 sl. It took us 2 hours to get a buro and ariero ($10.50 per day, for 3 days). Walked 4 hours and camped 30min. before the first lake in the Santa Cruz valley.
30.06.96
Walked 4.5 hours to the base camp of Alpamayo (4,300m).
01.07.96
Walked 3 h to the glacier and another 3 hours to the col where the high camp on Alpamayo was (5,300m). 45-50 degrees, from 6am to 1:15pm. It was windy at the col.
02.07.96
Climbed Alpamayo (5,947m) - La montana mas bella del Mundo. Started 8:30am, 2:30 we were at the top, 7 pitches, around 300m altogether, 65-80 degrees, last 2 pitches were ice, the rest were very hard snow - the Ferary route. Descended by rappelling 7 times to the bergschrund (there was some old gear in - ice screws). 5:30 we were back to the high camp.
03.07.96
Went back to the main valley and camped between the 2 lakes. 9am - 4 pm.
04.07.96
Went to Cashapampa and with a collectivo went back to Caraz and then to Huaraz.
05.07.96 - 30.07.96
Traveled arround the rest of Peru.
The prices quoted above are at exchange rate of around 2.5 sl. for 1USD ($).
Most of the time in Huaraz we stayed at Hostal Galaxia (nice) for 15 sl. for a double room. In the beginning we stayed at Edward's Inn (nice but expensive) for 25 sl. for a double room. In both places we could leave the luggage that we didn't take to the mountains at some storage room at the hostal for free. Nothing ever got stolen (unlike other places in Peru). In general its not recommended to leave your stuff unattended and may be Huaraz is the only exception (or we were lucky).
For information about the peaks and the conditions in the Cordillera Blanca go to Monttrek Adventures, a mountaineering agency located somewhere on the main street of Huaraz. One can also rent mountaineering gear at any of the mountaineering agencies located on the main street (expensive). I would like to recommend the Monttrek Adventures since the people there where somewhat friendlier than the rest and provided us with some (not a whole lot) useful tips. One can also buy the drawn maps posted in this web page for 1 sl. a piece from them. They also spoke relatively good english.
At last I want to mention that Susanne led all the climbs that we did in Cordillera Blanca, and I just want to underline this fact and say that she is a truly exceptional woman.