Andean Summits have insisted that I do more high altitude acclimatization before my summit attempt on Parinacota. They recommend hiking the last few thousand feet of Mt Chacaltaya, another major peak near La Paz. We hire a taxi which embarks upon an unscheduled tour of the back streets of the capital as we wind our way up out of the valley and onto the Altiplano. The roads are atrocious, and even at this early hour they are chock-a-block with vehicles of all description and local markets that have spilled out on to the thoroughfare. Although the driving is chaotic, no-one seems to get mad; everyone respects the right of their fellow citizens to use the road (although preferably behind them). The Altiplano remains starkly beautiful and above it lies Mt. Huayna Potosi and Mt. Illimani sparkling in the morning sun, while the snowless Chacaltaya has a more brooding appearance.
Mt Chacaltaya, formerly a ski resort, provides some of the most compelling evidence that climate change and global warming is real and happening right now. Its glacier melted in 2004 and has yet to return. A treacherous, pot-holed road snakes its way up to the deserted ski lodge near the summit, although I’m dropped off some distance before that. Christi and the taxi driver continue to the top and watch me hike up. I don’t feel at all tired when I reach the ski lodge some 45 minutes later. The taxi driver is disappointed at the ease with which I completed the hike and insists on escorting me to the actual summit of Mt Chacaltaya at 5,390m (17,683 feet). The summit represents the highest point I’ve ever reached (beating Everest Base Camp in Tibet at 17,060 feet). Now my breathing is much more labored.
We return to La Paz in high spirits. I feel strong and acclimatized. Relax for the rest of the day, forcing myself to carbo-load. I’m taking Lariam (not because I’m worried about malaria-carrying mosquitoes at 20,000 feet, by the way, but because of an upcoming adventure) and Diamox (to aid with acclimatization) today – fingers crossed there’s no problems. Pack my bags and sleep remarkably well ahead of tomorrow’s big adventure.
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching tale of love and test tubes.
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