Companion forum thread to:

Valley Hopping in the Cordillera Huayhuash

WOW!

Great adventure and beautiful photos.

Excellent trip report and unbelievable pictures!!!!!

WOW, beautiful photos, thanks for sharing

Amazing pics. Thanks for sharing. Suila Grande sure looks awesome.

Stunning photos and beautiful report, indeed - thanks for sharing!

"Unfortunately, that meant cooking next to either a cow pie or a cactus. I chose the cactus."

Note to self: "bring bushbuddy," if I ever make it there ;)

Uh. I want to go to there.

"Therefore, I prefer to search for a campsite in the dark because then I am blissfilly unaware of how much p**p I am stepping in and sleeping on."

Loved the honesty, thanks!

That was an excellent trip report. Impressive altitude for the passes...

Those have to be some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen. Thanks

The photos are fantastic as well. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you everybody for the kind words and compliments!

We have a climbing friend who lives in Huaraz, Peru. He told us the the Huayhuash Loop is supposed to be one of the Top 10 treks in the world. I don't know how someone can come up with a list like that. However, for us personally, it was the single most amazing trek we've done.

Of course, that doesn't mean it was the most fun :)

"Uh. I want to go to there."

Ditto! And I've only looked at the pictures so far.

Amazing photos and really well written trip report. Thanks for making us all envious!

absolutely amazing.

i'm in nepal right now, and we keep meeting "world trekkers," the folks who love international trekking. without hesitation, they all seem to recommend the huayhuash loop. however, your variation on it is even more phenomenal than i imagined.

thanks for the inspiration! what time of year did you trek?

- d

Hey Dan - we have not trekked in the Himalayas yet, so we cannot make a comparison. However, I'd be interested to hear about your stories and see your photos. Do you have a travel blog? (edit - just checked your BPL profile, which has the link to your photos. Awesome stuff!)

We hiked the Huayhuash in May. This was the start of their winter, which is also their dry season. So, the days were supposed to be clearer and the night colder, as compared with their summer. May-July is supposed to be the best time to trek in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia.

Edited by dannymilks on 12/15/2010 08:08:48 MST.

Trekking in the Himalayas is best done in April-May (pre-monsoon) or else in September-October (post-monsoon). April-May is best for flowering plants and trees. You probably don't want to be there after November 1 unless you are a polar bear, but that depends in part on how high you go.

Obviously the seasons are different in the Andes.

--B.G.--

A very good report about a nice journey. Topped off with some very nice pictures.
Really Great!
jdm

Incredible images and story- thank you!