Elevation 16,152' : Huaytapallana, Peru

Huaytapallana, Peru - August 2014

Photo recap of a beautiful afternoon off exploring the Huancayo area during the Regis University DPT / CMMB Peru trip this year. We were here for work in August and did the relatively short hike in a half-day one Sunday afternoon. Aside from the high altitude (which may or may not have made me choke on lung fluids and hallucinate snow flying on this relatively sunny day), this hike was pretty easy and offered stunning views of glaciers, mountains, lakes and valleys in all directions. The actual summit via glacier traverse has been closed for awhile, but the end point at the glacier base still offers a pretty great end point. We did a loop and stopped at several lakes on the way out, and took the steeper side back down to our starting point, encountering some local cultural ceremonies along the way.  At 16,152 feet, you may want to pop some sorochi (altitude sickness) pills - or acclimatize for a few days beforehand :-) But don't miss this one!