It was kind of a spontaneous decision to make this trek. A friend of mine had been planning to climb the mountain for several weeks, but at the last minute the people he was supposed to go with canceled. I thought of the circumstances just as a sad story, but then he asked if I would want to go. I wasn't sure how to response at first. I had only been in La Paz for two weeks, and wasn't sure if I was acclimated yet. Also, I've never climbed a mountain before, and this is a HUGE mountain! But, on the other hand- why not?!
So the next day, we were off! It's about an hour drive to the base of the mountain, and that same day we walked almost two hours to the small hut were you spend the night and attempt to acclimate. And you have the most INCREDIBLE view!!!! There were about twenty or so other foreigners up there as well, and we milled about for several hours, trying to stomach some food and (at least for me)- trying to calm my nerves! And then it was bedtime: 8:30.
I had a really hard time sleeping, the wind was howling outside, and I was freezing inside. But also, I think the real problem was that the pills my friend and I had taken to help with the altitude- I found out later were pretty much just caffeine pills. Whoops!
However, it wasn't too long of a night because four hours after hitting the sack, we woke up to start hiking. I was feeling a bit nauseas from the altitude so for breakfast I just had a strong cup of coca tea. Then, I put on every layer I owned, helmet, headlamp, crampons, ice axe, tied into the rope, and we were ready to start: 2 am!
It was a weird thing to only be able to see several feet in front of you. Also though, it keeps you very focused-- all I was really thinking about was putting one foot in front of the other. The first hour or so wasn't too bad. You just keep trudging along in a mindless state.
But as you continue, the nausea sets in, and breathing becomes more and more of a task. My friend had brought some coca, so we put a good handful of that in the side of our mouth to try to ward off all normal human feelings: hunger, thirst, nausea, tiredness.
Honestly, I don't really remember all that well how the hours passed. When it I try to remember it, it feels a bit like a foggy dream, that you know you experienced, but you can't quite recall what happened.
I do remember the last half hour to the top though! Most of the hike is in pitch black. You see ice, you can sort of make out some of the crevasses, and you can vaguely see the outline of the top- looming over you. But as we got close to the top the sun was almost rising, and I could begin to make out the scenery around me. The last twenty minutes you walk along a ridge that has more or less solid footing on one side, and on the other is a sheer drop-off, for hundreds of feet. It gets really really steep, and you have to fight your delirious state-of-mind to focus and make sure each step is on solid ground.
And then the sun rises! And you're at the TOP, with the most amazing view!!
IT WAS UNREAL!
And then it became real again when my friend had to keel over and puke. haha. It was time to head down.
The way back is in full daylight, and it's so cool to see everything that you didn't know existed on the way up. Also, I realized that despite the feeling on the way up, that we were on an endless trek that was hundreds of kilometers, the climb really isn't that long. It took about 4 and half hours to go up, and only about two to get down!
We rested at the hut for a little while, and then hiked the rest of the way down to meet the truck. And I have NEVER sat in a car that felt so comfortable!!!
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