Laguna Paron is the largest lake in the Cordillera Blanca; but it’s not as vast as it once was.
After the devastating earthquake of 1970 the Peruvian Government marked it as one of the lakes whose water level needed to be lowered to offset any chance of a Yungay-esque disaster befalling any other low-lying communities in the region which stand in line to be obliterated by future lake outbursts.
In the mid ’80s a tunnel was built to drain the lake, lowering its level by 50m, with the outflow being used to generate hydro power for the local area. Then in the early ’90s, dodgy Peruvian President Fujimori privatized the hydro-electric dam on the lake, and in 1999 it was sold to U.S. giant Duke Energy. By now the local community was well and truly suspicious about the real motives behind the installation of the dam. Was it to protect them from future aluviones, or had this just been a ruse to introduce a highly lucrative money-making scheme all along? Another example of foreign multinationals wrapping their grubby tentacles tightly around Peru’s natural resources?
With the water level continuing to fall, the campesinos began to take matters into their own hands. The hydro station was ‘retaken’; discharge rates from the lake were reduced; messy court cases ensued. To this day the matter is far from resolved. A small number of campesinos have been jailed, but the Paron community still retains de facto control of the lake, whose level is slowly beginning to rise again.
This is our understanding of the situation anyway, from some chats with (totally unbiased) locals.
Cycling up the 75+(!) switchbacks to the lake is an interesting endurance challenge, and the trekking deeper in the quebrada is still fantastic. It’d all look even nicer with a higher lake level however – but maybe the aluvion risk (and a high water level clearly creates a risk) makes this just too dangerous for towns like Caraz, languishing precariously down-river, in the depths of the main Callejon de Huaylas.
Taking a break on the long climb to Laguna Paron. 10 zigzags down. A lot still to go.
Wandering round Laguna Paron, with Huandoy (the Cordillera Blanca’s 3rd highest peak) in the background. Note the water level in the lake – recovering, but still nowhere near its pre-lowering level.
Heading for Piramide (L) and Chacraraju (R). 6,100m Chacraraju is the most technically difficult 6,000er in the range. Its eastern peak (not in view) is a dead ringer for the Matterhorn.
Lupins and Laguna Paron. From this vantage point the lake is but a shadow of its former self.
Rounding the end of Laguna Paron on the way to Artesonraju basecamp.
Climbing to Artesonraju basecamp. Huandoy for company.
Artesoncocha’s turquoise waters come into view on the way to Artesonraju basecamp.
More great views looking back from whence we’d come. Nevado Pisco (so called because of the copious amounts of said grape brandy drunk after the first successful ascent) behind.
Artesonraju: the mountain we’d come to see. Or not see as was the case on this day – the summit remaining in cloud for the majority of our visit. Despite this we’re pretty convinced it’s the most beautiful mountain in the Andes.
The channels feeding Artesoncocha – which themselves emanate from a spectacular, roaring waterfall.