Given that we live at sea level, we needed time to acclimate before setting out on our Huayhuash trek. Chris recommended three days in Huaraz and I’m glad we allowed ourselves this time to acclimate; it certainly helped make our trip more enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong - we certainly felt the altitude throughout the duration of our trip (I felt like the Big Bad Wolf with all the huffing and puffing I did), but it was always manageable and we were able to do our intended itinerary without problems*. We did meet people during our trek that did not fare as well and had to change their plans, so I’m glad we took the time to acclimate.

We had a late night arrival in Lima and despite Steve’s frugal wish to sleep in the airport overnight, we forked over the money to stay at the hotel airport (very convenient and the accommodations were fine, but you definitely pay for it). We were up early the next morning to fly to Huaraz. We had opted for the flight to save time (a one hour flight versus an eight hour bus ride), which thankfully went smoothly. This is not as inconsequential as you might think. I could write a long essay about LC Peru.** Anyway … so we made it to Huaraz - yay! A driver met us at the airport and took us to Hotel Suiza Peruana where we stayed for three nights. The staff was very friendly, the room comfortable, and the location was convenient (short walk to the city center with plenty of banks, restaurants, stores, etc). Chris touched base with us when we arrived and we made plans to meet him for a late lunch at Cafe Andino, which gave us time to get settled and walk around Huaraz for a little bit.

Huaraz is at 3050 m/10,010 ft and we definitely felt the elevation the first day walking around, mainly in the form of light headaches (we were also pretty tired, partly due to our long travel day and little sleep the previous night). We were sure to drink plenty of water, took some Advil, and went to bed early. We woke up the next morning feeling refreshed for our first day hike to Wilcacocha. After breakfast at the hotel we met our driver Hacinto and companion Alan and we were off for the trailhead at Chiwimampa 10 km south of Huaraz.

Wilcacocha is located in the Cordillera Negra and is a common first hike when staying in Huaraz. It’s a shorter hike, 6.4 km/4 mi round trip with ~ 500 m/1640 feet elevation gain, and on average it takes people two hours to reach the lake. The hike winds through small farms on the mountainside and it was interesting to see the various crops and animals, farming methods, and locals in traditional Peruvian clothing. The lake is at 3725 m/12,200 ft and has great views of the Cordillera Blanca. Since it was a modest gain in elevation we could certainly feel the altitude, but it was manageable. We made good time on the hike and had the afternoon to eat at the José Olaya food festival and peruse the artisan market.

We were feeling pretty good with one acclimatization hike under our belts and were ready for our second day hike on our third day in Huaraz. Laguna 69 is the most popular day hike in the area, but it's a much longer drive, so we opted for the closer-but-also-pretty Laguna Churup. We again met Alan and Hacinto at our hotel and drove to the Pitec trailhead. The trailhead is about 30km east of Huaraz and took around 1 hr 15 minutes to get there. We drove through some small farming communities and on a well graded dirt road (although often at the edge of some big drop offs). Laguna Churup is located in Huascaran National Park and we paid a small fee at the trailhead. We had a 600 m/1970 ft climb to Laguna Churup and I'm not sure how far it was. One site I found said it was 7 km/4.5 mi round trip and websites list the round trip hiking time between 4-6 hours. All I know is that the trail felt steeper than the day before and we were at a higher elevation (Laguna Churup is at 4450 m/14,600 ft), so we were def