A map of the Cordillera Hauayhuash mountain range (267 KB).

An altitude log.

In July, Karen and I travelled to the Peruvian Andes to undertake a world renowned circular trek around the Cordilliera Huayhuash mountain range. We were travelling as part of a small organised group with the company 'Andes'. This is a long-distance high-altitude trek, and so our fitness training began in February. By the time we set off, we were swimming/cycling/walking several times a week.

Our first port of call was the capital city of Peru, Lima. It was a hot, polluted and noisy place, so we were glad to only stay overnight in a hotel. The following morning, after some confusion over the time difference between Peru and home, we set off in a minibus towards the town of Huaraz in the Andes. Again we fought our way through the busy streets of Lima, choking on the pollution. But soon we were out of the city though, driving north along the coastal highway. Three hours later, we stopped for lunch, though after a breakfast consisting of two slices of toast, we were a little disappointed with the offering from the roadside cafe.

After 200km, we turned eastwards, and the journey became a little more interesting. The mountains rose up on either side and we climbed upto 13,000ft from sea level in the space of just two or three hours. Here the road surface had often been washed away or broken up by rock falls. A bridge had been demolished by a bus two or three days previously, necessitating a detour - through the river.

Finally, we arrived at the hotel in Huaraz in the early evening. Huaraz was at about 10,000ft, and dashing up the steps to the entrance was enough of a reminder. It was here that the first symptoms of altitude sickness became apparent, headaches being the most common, but some like Karen, were nauseous as well. The effects were probably exacerbated by fatigue from the long flight to Lima and then an eight hour bus ride. The following day was free for us to do as we wished, but the best way to acclimatize is to do nothing. So, we read and packed our gear for the trek.

Day one of the trek started early, with breakfast at 7am, followed by a three hour minibus journey to the town of Chiquian. Then, at 10:42am, we set off along a dry and dusty track, not uphill, but down into the floor of the valley where shade was a precious commodity. Both Karen and I had started with two litres of water each and quickly realised it had been a wise move. Hot and dry conditions combined with high altitude can rapidly lead to dehydration and by late afternoon I was well into the second bottle and needed to re-fill the first. After the descent in the morning, the afternoon was spent regaining the lost altitude. Most people suffered, although some more than others, from the exertion at altitude. And so, the climb upto the village of Llamac (pronounced Yamac) took much longer than the distance might suggest. Towards the top, as the sun disappeared behind the mountains, we stopped to treat some water with iodine. But the mosquitoes took the retreating sun as a cue to attack, and within two or three minutes I was the proud owner of a dozen or so bites.

The sun had long since set over the tops of the mountains and indeed, was almost dark by the time we finally arrived at approximately 6:15pm. Although the inner of our tent was erected, we still had to fiddle with the flysheet in the dark. We unpacked sleeping bags and then joined the rest of the group around the stoves for a warm drink and some food. I was tired with a headache, but Karen who had got off to a bad start in Huaraz was not well enough to eat more than a spoonful of ravioli. Given the state we were in and the plummeting temperature, a warm sleeping bag was an attractive proposition, and one which soon drew us away from the dwindling group.