Four thousand, six hundred meters above sea level is a bright turquoise lake surrounded by snowy mountain peaks going by the name of Laguna 69. It is the popular day hike you can do from Huaraz – and one that our hostel was keen that we attempted on our first day in the Cordillera Blanca. I’m very much glad that we didn’t, instead opting to do the hike a few days later. After all, this is a destination 13,000 ft in altitude (it sounds much more impressive in feet) and is not to be sniffed at, especially if you’ve spent the previous week lounging on a beach.
So having given ourselves a few days to adjust, we signed up with the hostel organised tour. They simply provide a ride to the starting point and make sure that a driver is waiting to pick you up when you return. You can do the walk off your own back, but there was enough people signed up at the hostel to make it a reasonable price. Plus they give you a little sketched map detailing the route and a Dutchman called Rex was on hand the night before to give us a few tips for the day in a very monosyllabic fashion.
Our party of eleven set off at 6.30am (well it was more like 6.45 after some faffing) on the road to Yuncay where we were to pick up supplies from the market there, and then be driven up the bumpy switch-back road to the starting point. The driver instead tried to drop us off at a restaurant for breakfast which came with a hefty “gringo tax”. We weren’t having that (he was obviously in cahoots with the restaurant owner) and made him take us to the market as planned. I’m not sure how, but the two and a half to three hour drive took four.
The starting point was 3,900m high for the three-hour hike up to the lake and the little map came in very handy. The direction we had to take wasn’t always all that clear but we were safe in the knowledge that if we found ourselves climbing after only ten minutes, we had done something wrong – thanks, Rex. I take that back about your tonal delivery!
The walk itself is not technical (save a few jumps over a river or two) and the ascent, when we got to it, wasn’t too steep. The overriding challenge was altitude. It was best summed up by Jo when she said that it was like doing a hike whilst having the flu. It affected people in different ways and at different times. Luckily for me I didn’t feel any effects until after we reached the top, when gradually a nasty headache (I don’t get headaches so I suppose I don’t have a decent frame of reference) started and remained with me for the rest of the day.
As we climbed, the group split up and spread out with some struggling more than others. We were walking against the clock, as at this time of year there is a high probability that it will rain in the afternoon. And as I’ve learnt from climbing mountains and volcanoes before, it can be a bit of a blow when the prize at the top is obscured by rain and cloud. You need that reward at the end when your working hard and on this occasion we got it! The switchback trail ended and the beautiful lake emerged, every bit as breathtaking as the posters we’d seen in Huaraz. It is like a little peace of heaven up there.
You can swim in the lake if you feel like it, but it is about 3 degC so you wouldn’t want to be in there for long. With the sun beating down I was slightly tempted to go for a dip but glad I didn’t as when a few clouds came over the temperature dropped a somewhat drastically.
The journey back down was quick and straightforward and while there was a few spots of rain, the downpour we were expecting didn’t materialise. By the time we reached our driver, we were all suffering from headaches, but it was well worth it! My last picture shows a lake near the start of our hike. Even the less impressive lakes are pretty stunning around here.
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