Huascaran is the highest peak in Peru (22,200 feet) and was my first climbing trip outside the United States (actually, the first trip of any kind outside Canada or the United States). I think the trip was conceived by Harry Ellis and Jim Frush. Recruited, besides myself, were Roy Ellis (no relation to Harry) and Keith Echelmeyer. Keith was a late addition and was recommended by another trip participant (who’s name escapes me) who had to drop out.
We allocated 3-weeks in July for the climb during the region’s dry season. Rather than going directly to the mountain, we chose to do some acclimatization at Cusco, a popular tourist site and the access point for Machu Picchu. We did the Machu Picchu excursion as a long day trip from Cusco.
From Cusco we flew back to Lima for the trip to Huaraz which provided some of our best stories of the trip. Perhaps we had seen too many movies depicting public transportation in developing countries as being provided by dilapidated buses carrying people with their livestock on board and the luggage tied with twine on top the roof.
We weren’t going to have any of that mischief so instead we hired a driver at the airport who had a van. It turned out the van was some sort of 20+ year old British van whose 4-cylinder engine badly needed rebuilding. Multiple times during the evening and night as the van crept up the steep highway over the coast range, we had to get out of the van and push. We ended up sleeping along side the road and were kept awake as the many buses (all modern European buses with onboard restrooms) roared by us.
The climb itself was not technically difficult be did have route finding challenges. Additionally, the altitude took its toll on both Harry and Roy who turned back along the way. It was Jim, Keith and I who summited the south peak of Huascaran in somewhat foggy conditions.
