June 8th – To Pisco Moraine Camp
Alex had a particularly bad night, not sleeping well and feeling sick from the altitude (or perhaps from our meals at rather unsanitary spots in Huaraz). But after some diamox and a few hours spent in the camp, we were off to moraine camp – three hours away.
Again, we weren’t particularly fast due to our heavy packs, but we were able to stash quite a bit of food in the refugio – a chalet-type building perched at the top of a hill by base camp. Pisco looked pretty impressive during the hike up to moraine camp, with great exposure from this side. The actual route isn’t nearly so exposed.
We chose a campsite, set up the tent and got to bed by 5pm. We would be waking up at 1:30am to climb to Pisco the following day. Most people start this early because the glacier is hard and easier to walk on with crampons. Later on in the day the snow softens up and each step takes more effort.
| Published on June 8th, 2011 | | Posted by admin |