On previous mountain wanderings the flora have never really made a lasting impression. This is probably because we’ve trekked little in the Himalayan monsoon, and even less in the Andean rainy season. May and June in the Cordillera Blanca therefore…
H Pike vs 4000m pass
The first few kilometers of a climb are always tricky: stiff legs from the previous day mean it’s a while till I find my rhythm. Then a song lyric lodges in my brain – sometimes it’s from Sunday School (“rise…
Old as the hills: trekking Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz trek made me feel old. It’s the trek the gap year kids do. A beautiful four-day hike that all the tour companies offer, and backpackers, with their £1,000-a-month Peru budgets, lap up. They come, they walk, they…
First Forays into Black & White
Huaraz lies in the Rio Santa valley, or Callejon de Huaylas, flanked to the east by the majestic Cordillera Blanca, and to the west by its uglier, squat little brother the Cordillera Negra. Both are a paradise for bikers. Climbing…
Initial Impressions of Huaraz
Friends had warned us beforehand that the town we’ve decided to call home until October isn’t the most attractive place in the world, but that its sublime setting and ease of access to the mountains more than make up for…