In the 1991 Journal Andre Schoon wrote: “The esoteric delights of organising a small mountaineering expedition assume a different guise when small becomes large. If in the end forty Bolivia ’91 participants taxed the reserves of faith, there can only be relief the other hundred didn’t come!”
It is perhaps just as well that my attention was only drawn to this sentence after sixty-two persons, mostly members, confirmed that they would indeed be participating in the Peru 2004 National Meet. By then it was really too late to limit numbers, an unnecessary measure in the event as numbers never proved to be a problem.
We had initially booked forty seats on the plane but soon had to expand that to fifty. A further three people came from the US, five from the UK and four made their own way there. Jenny Paterson proved invaluable in arranging our flights and insurance cover. With a large bus arranged to meet us at the airport and sixty beds booked in Huaraz, we were all set.
I had decided that we should all do the five day Santa Cruz trek first, in order to orientate ourselves in the Cordillera Blanca, to acclimatise and to get to know one another. With two buses and a truck for the luggage, we set out for Cashapampa, the start of the trail. We were met by our donkey drivers with a herd of burros to carry our baggage. With Jim Head’s fluent Spanish, communication was no problem and the portaging went without a hitch.
The trail is as beautiful as it is reputed to be. We spent our extra day walking up to Alpamayo base-camp, before tackling the Punta Union Pass at 4750 metres. We were finally met by the buses at Vacqueria and taken back over the spectacular Portachuello Pass to Huaraz for a rest and a few decent meals.
Thereafter the main group went to Ishinca for a week of training and easy peaks, two climbers attempted Alpamayo and a small group trekked around the Huayhuash. Later still a group arranged formal training with Peruvian guides while eleven people attempted Copa (6122 m). A lot of minor peaks were climbed and many people gained high-mountain experience for the first time. The height record was set by Paul Fatti and Art McGarr on Huascaran North.
Many went to Cuzco for the Inca ruins, some went to Iquitos to visit the Amazon jungle while a bunch of die-hards climbed on. A few brave souls even visited Lima, revelling in the museums and cathedrals. While some felt a bit more climbing could have been done, I think it was a very successful expedition. The only remaining questions are, where to next, and when?
Greg Devine
Leader