[Gimpilator]

Have you seen Part 1? After the salar we drove southwest toward a very remote region near the border of Chile on the edge of the Atacama Desert. We passed one small pond where a flock of flamingos was eating something underneath the salty water. We found this new region was densely full of large volcanoes. They ranged from 16,000 to 20,000 feet and were spaced only five or ten miles apart from each other. One could really spend years climbing in this country. We were looking for a specific road. It wasn't on any maps but Rob had done and impressive bit of research using Google Earth and he was convinced that it would allow us the access we needed for the next climb. After some exciting uncertainty we found the turn off and drove up the rough side-track. The road was highly overgrown with scrubby bushes and grass. I wondered how the hell Rob had spotted it with the satellite imagery. The drivers didn't like it and tried to stop at one point but we convinced them to go a little further. We made camp at 15,300 feet among tufts of grass which I nick-named "cactus grass" because it was sharp and the tips of the grass would come off and stick in you if you brushed up against them. Our drivers informed us that this road had been made by the people of Uyuni to collect the yareta plant for tinder, which grows plentifully in the area. These plants which look like big blobs of green moss only grow above 10,500 feet have an extremely slow growth rate. In fact, some of the ones I photographed are likely to be thousands of years old. I bent down to examine one and found it to be surprisingly firm to the touch.

Flamingos

Where The Hell Are We?

I Think We're Here

Callejón Cañapa - (19,357 feet / 5900 meters)

Callejón Cañapa

Cerro Tomasamil

A Mature Yareta Plant

Cerro Caquella and Yareta

Caquella Alpenglow From Camp

It was time to start the new year the right way, by climbing the highest peak of my life. But I knew that if we were successful later in the trip, the altitude record wouldn't last long. Even so, the idea of getting a few feet higher than Kilimanjaro was exciting. The effort required to do so was a little intimidating though. From our camp we would be facing 4000 feet of elevation gain. At home in the cascades I could do twice that much in a day, but at this altitude it would be a real challenge. We began with a slowly ascending traverse over to the northern most of two east ridges. On the ridge it was steep and we found that the blocky talus was just as loose as Chorolquen if not more so. This added to the toil and we stopped just about every hour to rest. Volcán Ollagüe was now visible. It was an incredible looking peak with big white eroded slopes and continuous blooms of volcanic gas coming out of the caldera on the west side. Around this point I noticed that the little cough Adam had developed the night before sounded worse today. He was hacking away and obviously struggling to breath. He decided to stop and wait for us about half way up the ridge. It was the right choice. When your body is telling you to stop at high altitude, you better listen. Sadly, we told him we would see him in a few hours and continued our ascent.

Callejón Cañapa

The East Ridge

Loose Talus

Volcán Ollagüe

High On Cañapa

Nearing The Summit

The ridge was broken up into alternating steeper sections and then mini-plateaus. We would push through a seemingly endless steep section and then rest for awhile when we reached the next plateau. It was very slow going. I did my best to pace myself and use pressure breathing techniques but the altitude headache of a few days prior had returned with a vengeance. I felt like sh##, exhausted and demoralized. But I also felt stubborn about it. In truth, comfort has no place in high altitude climbing. And besides, it was only temporary discomfort. Some wind picked up with a serious chill near the summit and I felt like I was really getting up there. Duane and I were the last to reach the top. The other guys were sitting near what looked like an old collapsed summit cross. What a push that had been! It was definitely one of the most physically demanding days I had ever had. I made a short video clip of the surrounding volcanoes and mini salt flats and then we all sat there resting and eating. Petter checked our oxygen levels and asked us to remember our numbers until we got back to camp.

Callejón Cañapa Summit

Callejón Cañapa Summit

Callejón Cañapa Summit

On the way down I suggested the we take the scree slope between the two east ridges. Anything would be better than that lousy talus. We started down the slope and travel was much easier but it presented the problem of Adam Helman. We had told him that we would meet up with him back on the ridge and now we were going down a different face. Greg volunteered to traverse over to the ridge and see if he was still there waiting for us. We all sat down and watched Greg, trying to keep his figure in sight as he got further and further away. Eventually he disappeared over the ridge crest and finally reappeared with Adam right behind him. Our paths converged at the bottom of the scree slope next to a giant bolder. The air was noticeable thicker at 16,000 feet and I found my second wind. Feeling better, I went ahead of the group and got back to camp 20 minutes before anyone else. That evening was a happy time for me. We had completed our first high altitude climb with considerable elevation gain. The headache was a bummer but I had pushed through it. The other guys were happy because they had gotten another ultra, which under usual circumstances can be hard to find. I felt bad for Adam and hoped that his cough would improve.

Descending Scree / Talus

Cerro Tomasamil

Cerro Tomasamil

Callejón Cañapa

The following morning we packed up camp and drove across the valley to a neighboring volcano of approximately the same size, Cerro Tomasamil. We really wanted to climb Ollagüe but the Chilean Difrol permit system wouldn't allow it. We had only registered for one Chilean peak, the highest one. We were willing to poach Ollagüe but the drivers couldn't be coerced into breaking the law so Tomasamil was the next objective. The problem with Tomasamil was that there weren't any roads that went very close to it. We gave ourselves the whole day to tackle the problem and try to solve the puzzle. It was possibile to do the approach as a backpack, and set up camp the night before, but thankfully it didn't come to that. The main road is at its closest proximity to the mountain along the east side. We found the terrain there to be extremely flat and scarce of any rocks or boulders. The answer was obvious. It was time to drive cross-country. Up to this point the drivers had been sort of obstinate about going where we wanted them to go on rough roads, but here they put up no resistance. We left the road, driving straight towards the peak. It loomed larger and larger over our us until the ground became too rocky to continue. We made camp around 14,000 feet and I was dismayed to find three ticks crawling around on the ground. I crushed them, warning the others, and hoped that none of their buddies found a way onto my legs. We spent the rest of the day resting for the following day, which would surely be the biggest undertaking yet. We were facing over 5000 feet of vertical gain. I for one was not excited about another long ridge of volcanic talus, even if it was an ultra.

Tomasamil Camp

Volcán Ollagüe And Cerro Aucanquilcha

Our Driver, German

Cerro Tomasamil - (19,127 feet / 5830 meters)

Starting Out

Ollagüe Alpenglow

Knowing it would be a long day, Duane, Greg, Adam and I left before sunrise. Petter and Rob were fast so they could catch up to us. Adam's cough had worsened and at times he was seized by violent fits of hacking that shook his whole body. It did not sound good. We hiked east by southeast aiming for the north ridge. By the time we reached the north ridge the sun was coming up. Rob and Petter who had started a half hour after us had already caught up. There was a lot of talus and scree but it was not as unstable as the rock on Cañapa. I also noticed that I was feeling a lot better. The air was thin, no doubt about that, but thankfully I was free of altitude headaches. Adam found a fossilized fish which he stashed on the ridge and marked with a way-point. He also stashed a water bottle for the way down.

The North Ridge

Red Hill Looms Above

Getting Up There

Loose Rock On Red Hill

Like Cañapa, there were steep sections followed by more level areas where we took regular breaks. Adam was coughing like a habitual smoker but he seemed determined and I felt positive that we were all going to make it. We came to a sharp rib on the ridge at 17,800 feet which provided some fun easy scrambling. Beyond that we could see one final obstacle before the summit. It was a big, broad, red hump on the ridge. It looked very steep and very loose. I nicknamed it Red Hill after the song Red Hill Mining Town by U2. It turned out to be just as steep and nasty as it looked. Here the group sort of split up as everyone picked their own way up through the loose rocks. Above Red Hill, the ridge narrowed again and it was not far to the summit. Adam made it there first and the rest of us caught up a few minutes later. Estimating from his coughing, it had been a much harder climb for him than for the rest of us. I was impressed that he had made it at all. I took a group shot of everybody on the summit. After a few minutes of settling in, everyone was laying on the ground which made for another good shot. There's nothing like a little catnap at 19,000 feet, right?

Tamasamil Summit: Duane, Rob, Adam, Petter, Greg

The Catnap

For the descent we decided to take a scree slope down just like the previous climb. This would be faster and easier than coming down the loose talus on Red Hill. The shortcut presented a problem for Adam though because he had stashed his water and the fossil on the north ridge. Adam would have to descend alone to retrieve his belongings and meet the rest of us lower down. The scree slope we chose was off of the left side of the ridge and it was much steeper than anything on Cañapa had been. There were a few larger rocks mixed in with the scree. If one of them was triggered by us and started rolling, it might gain enough speed to hit someone and cause an injury. For this reason, we stayed close together so that any rolling rock triggered by someone higher on the slope, wouldn't be able to gain enough momentum to pose a real hazard to someone lower down. Near the bottom of the scree I noticed a trail leading down and to the right. It was a surprisingly well developed game trail and that made me wonder why the vicuñas would venture so high. I decided that it was likely a trail that led to a water source on the upper slopes during times when these peaks were covered with snow. We followed the trail down to where it crossed the north ridge and then retraced our previous route back down to camp. It was full day. By the time we were all down, it was early evening.

The Descent

Tomasamil would be our last peak in Bolivia, for the following day we would cross the border into Chile and begin our long drive through the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth. In the morning we made the short drive to Estación Avaroa and waited along with a few buses and truck drives until the customs buildings opened. This was one of those surreal desolate border crossings that you read about in travelogues. Located literally in the middle of nowhere, it was home to just a few random buildings and a gate across a dirt road. There were some old abandoned wooden railway cars that looked as if they had been stationed there, immobile for at least 100 years. Some women were selling soup and potatoes and mystery meat out of several large aluminum pots. After eating dehydrated food for days, I was hungry, so I used the last of my bolivianos to sample a little of everything. It was good! Cerro Ollagüe was smoking away and we had our closest view yet of the impressive volcano. The bus that was in line before us had a little trouble getting started so we helped push it, for a jump-start. Then we got our passports stamped for exiting Bolivia and entered the no-man's-land, on the salt flat between the two borders.

Estación Avaroa

Helping The Bus

The Old Train Car

The Vent On Ollagüe

Peakbagging South America / Part 3

[EastKing]

Awesome TR! Amazing to be 19000 feet and no glaciers! What an incredible experience. I am so looking forward to the last two TR's

[Matt Lemke]

[Redwic]

Awesome again! I cannot wait to read Part III! I also cannot wait to see how that beard of yours progresses as the trip continues...

[canyonwren]

These are fantastic! Amazing TRs and pics both.

[Eric]

+

[puzzlr]

Great writing -- thanks for spending the time to write these up. Quite an adventure just to get to these mountains, then more to fight your way up the loose rock. Nice going!

[Cale Hoopes]

Fantastic report Gimplilator! I loved hiking and climbing in South America... Looking forward to the next report.... keep it coming.

[Go Jo]

Excellent!

[Hikingqueen]

WOW is all I can get out

[Obi Tony Kenobi]

Beautiful and I can't stand places that are all brown like a desert! Can't wait to see part 3!

[marta]

Truly amazing photos and report. I love the yareta (or llareta as I know it). We spent a couple of days farther north than you in Putre near the Peru/Chile/Boliva border. We drove up into the Nevados de Putre at around 15,500ft and later to Lauca. We found a lot of yareta up there also. I also love the cactus in Part 1. The altitude was a killer. We haven't made it to Salar yet and your pictures have me salivating to get back there.

[ree]

Yes, Salar looked incredible. So much to see in South America. The Atacama Desert is high on my list! Okay, we're talking about high altitude and sickness... but you mention "pushing through" it. Isn't that dangerous? At what point do you know you're in serious trouble and have to retreat? Did you make travel arrangements through a guide service? Or did you just hire a driver from the village you started out at? Sensational pictures! What a great trip. Also love to vicariously enjoy a little sun these days...

[Gimpilator]

Matt Lemke - Thank for your description of the forces the Atacama. It's the first explanation I've heard about the forces behind the drought. marta - The Salar in Uyuni is definitely worth a visit. We heard that there is an island out in the middle of it with a bunch on cactus growing but of course we didn't have time for that. ree - Good question about the altitude sickness. There are a wide range of symptoms that one might experience for regular AMS including rapid pulse, fatigue, headache, dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, and inability to sleep. I have experienced all of those symptoms at various times on other trips so I have a pretty good gauge as to how I'm doing. As you probably know, altitude sickness can be a precursor to the more serious edemas so it's not something to take lightly. Fatigue, rapid pulse and headaches are fairly common for someone who is adjusting but extreme nausea and vomiting on the other hand are probably a sign that someone has pushed it too far. The two headaches I experienced on the trip were not a positive sign but I knew that we would only be spending a short time at that level. It would not be a good idea to stay at the level where your body is struggling. For instance, if the headaches had occurred at one of our camping locations, It would have been necessary for me to drive down to a lower location. As far as guides go, we didn't hire any. We found our drivers through a travel agent in La Paz call Topas Travel. I would recommend their services for anyone planning a trip like this because our driver German was excellent and his Land Rover was very nice.

[Magellan]

More good stuff Gimpy.