Those damn volcanos

"Mountaineering /n./ slow walking uphill while not feeling very well."

After climbing Chimborazo, I had promised never to set foot on another volcano (and just stick to normal mountains), but yet when I arrived in Arequipa, I found myself planning my next three climbs, all on those damn volcanos. In my defense, there are nothing but volcanos here, and the first two are just for acclimatization for the third, which at 6,425m, will be a new record for me if I reach the top. We started out with Misti (which I had named the devil mountain before the climb even started) at 5,822m, probably the highest mountain in the world without a glacier (which is by far the best part of climbing). We hiked four hard hours up to base camp over volcanic ash and large rocks, carrying very heavy packs (the usual tent, cloths, and food, as well as over five liters of water each because these darn volcanos never seem to have any). It was also hot, very hot, with absolutely no shade. Luckily once we got to camp it got better. Though we were still in the full sun, there was a cool wind as we were high up, so we (five climbers and two guides) sat around basking in the sun (the only fun part of this climb). As with all the other climbs, we got up in the middle of the night and climbed to the summit, a very annoying climb that alternated between ash, where every few steps up you would slide a few back down, and huge rocks, which took a ton of energy to climb. I was also freezing, shaking with cold I couldn't seem to warm up (very rare for me, especially while climbing). I felt sick and weak, so the climb was tougher (it was probably the altitude since I had lost a lot of my acclimatization in the last few weeks). Feeling no joy after reaching the top, only relief it was over, we started our descent which proved very fast as we literally went straight down an ash field. 

Our second climb, Chachani (6,075m), ended up being much easier and therefor more fun. The route we took up was not as steep, and since we slept at 5,200m (the highest I have ever slept), it didn't take as long to the top. Sadly, this volcano was also without a glacier (it use to have a bigger one, now though the route just goes around it), so it was no where near as fun or as beautiful as some of our other climbs. But hey, it still counts as my second six thousander! Leaving tomorrow, we hope (with a three day approach) to climb our tallest mountain yet. At 6,425m, it will also be the most technical. First though, we will have to take a ten hour bus ride, arrive in the closest small village to the mountain, then walk and set up camp in the middle of the night before starting a long trek to base camp the next morning.