Llanganuco Lodge Day Hikes

Aside from playing with the kids, Magge and I were relatively inactive during our time in Trujillo, so we were looking forward to the opportunity to do some hiking in the mountains.  The Llanganuco Lodge did not let us down, as its location is perfect for a number of day trips.  We were going to hike around the nearby lake the day we arrived at the lodge, but we had barely slept the previous night on the bus from Trujillo, and a much-needed nap derailed our plans.  Over the next four days, though, we were able to get a taste of what the Cordillera Blanca has to offer.  Following Magge's marathon post about the lodge, I will try to keep my writing short and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Day 2
After breakfast, we made our way to a lake roughly ten minutes from the lodge.  The lake, which is fed by rain and runoff from the glaciers, was an aquamarine color that reminded me of the glacial lakes in the Canadian Rockies, but was still unlike anything I've seen.  I don't think the pictures we took fully capture the intensity of the color.  Around the lake are ruins that have been traced to the pre-Incan Wari culture of 1500 years ago, and may even predate the Waris by another 1500 years.  The ruins were not nearly as large or as complete as those we've seen already, but in a way they were just as interesting, if not more so, because we could explore whatever and wherever we wanted, alone and unobstructed.  After going through the ruins, we attempted to hike up to the top of the ridge to check out some waterfalls, but I ignored the path and we were soon in thick brush.  Even though thorns were tearing up my clothing, I was willing to continue, but Magge was not happy with me, as you can guess.  We made our way back to the lodge without reaching the top, and after a couple glasses of wine, Magge forgave me for my attempt at being a trailblazer.

Huascarán Mountain from the path to the lake

The lake from a distance, with the white cap of Huandoy Mountain partially obscured by clouds

Magge walking out to the lake

Checking out the entrance to an acient burial mound.  Yes, I was too scared to go inside, so what?

Admiring a flooded part of the ruins

Day 3

We were going to wake up early on Christmas to attempt a longer hike, but it was impossible to get Magge out of bed until 9am, although I didn't push the issue because the weather didn't look too accommodating.  The clouds lifted after lunch, and we attempted the climb to the ridge from the previous day, but sticking to the path this time.  Once at the top, we hiked into the Rajaguri gorge, which contains the lowest ice in the Cordillera Blanca, although we didn't make it that far because it was getting late and we didn't bring enough water.  At one point on our way back, the path split, with one way going down the ridge and the other way staying along the top of the ridge.  I pointed out to Magge that there was a way down, but she wanted to keep going up.  Given our brush incident of the previous day, I acquiesced, but we eventually ran out of path and had to make our way through the brush again.

Hiking into the gorge

The ice of Huandoy, although the view of the mountain is largely blocked by clouds

Magge taking a breather before yelling at me about walking through the brush, even though this time it wasn't my fault

Day 4

After a few days of getting acclimatized to the altitude, we were ready to take a longer hike into Huascarán National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) to see Lake Chinococha.  The lake, also beautifully colored, sits in a steep valley where the rock walls rise nearly vertically.  On our way back, we took a pre-Incan trail through the forest.  Given how low bushes and trees dominate most of the area, it was surprising to walk through vegetation that almost seemed jungly.

The view from our walk into the Llanganuco Valley

Lake Chinococha; a rare picture of the both of us

More Lake Chinococha

Pictures from the almost-jungle

Magge took so many pictures of cows, like she had never seen one before.  I'm going to oblige her by including one of her cow pictures here, taken on our way back from the lake.

Day 5

We decided to keep our last day simple, only doing a two hour walk up the dirt road that comes out from the village.  We were hoping to get a good picture of the lodge in front of Huandoy Mountain, but the clouds would not cooperate.  We walked through another set of pre-Incan ruins and made our way back to the lodge.

In front of the Cordillera Negra, Cordillera Blanca's less attractive, but still attractive, sister

The lodge and the lake, but unfortunately not Huandoy