Ultralight Backpacking in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca

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If bought in advance with some flexibility of dates, plane tickets to Lima from U.S. airports can be relatively inexpensive. For instance, I was able to buy round-trip tickets from Detroit to Lima for December 2008 for $650 through travelocity.com.

At their airport of departure, backpackers will need to check baggage containing trekking poles, gas stoves, knives, and other potentially hazardous items. I personally transport my trekking poles in a telescoping plastic poster tube, which has enough space in it for an assortment of other small items as well. If you spend a night before and after your trek in a backpacker-friendly hostel or hotel next to the Cordillera Blanca, you can usually arrange to store your protective container there for the duration of your hike.

Visas are not required to enter Peru for tourist trips of up to ninety days. Upon leaving the country, however, you will pay a $30 departure tax directly at your airline's check-in desk (in dollars or Nuevo Sol). Aside from a simple immigration form, no paperwork is required for entry or exit.

ARTICLE OUTLINE

Flying There
Lima
Getting to the Cordillera Blanca
Huaraz
When to Go
Weather Considerations
Acclimatization
Food
Fuel
Regulations
Crime
Maps and Information
Trails, Terrain, and Orienteering
Selecting a Route
Getting To and From the Trailhead
Water
Locals
Livestock
Shelter Choice and Site Selection
Conclusion

# WORDS: 4680
# PHOTOS: 10

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Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

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Jun 16, 2009 at 3:52 pm #1237125

Addie Bedford
BPL Member

@addiebedford
Locale: Montana

Companion forum thread to:

Ultralight Backpacking in Perus Cordillera Blanca

Jun 16, 2009 at 8:54 pm #1508713

Steven Evans
BPL Member

@steve_evans
Locale: Canada

Oh man, another hike added to the list! Thanks :)

Jun 17, 2009 at 1:31 pm #1508858

Patrick Miron
Member

@pmiron

wow thank to sharing with the community. I like all the detail of your text. Very appreciated. My next big trip…

Pat

Jun 17, 2009 at 5:59 pm #1508916

Jonathan Ryan
BPL Member

@jkrew81
Locale: White Mtns

great article, thanks for sharing Rick!!!

Jun 17, 2009 at 8:12 pm #1508948

Jim Colten
BPL Member

@jcolten
Locale: MN

Very nice trip report and how-to tutorial!

Being a suspension free pack fan I gotta ask:
1) How'd you like the ZPacks Blast packs?
2) 31.6lbs starting weight might be pushing the limits there? Did you perceive a tipping point as you ate your way to a lighter load?
3) The photos seem to show hip belts, did you find them useful with this pack?
4) How'd the 1.5oz Cuben stand up to the load?
5) How about the stitching?

Jun 17, 2009 at 10:24 pm #1508963

Jay Wilkerson
BPL Member

@creachen
Locale: East Bay

AWESOME and very informative trip report Rick!!! My mind was planning a trek the entire time I was reading your UL backpacking report…Such a exotic place to travel too…What type of wildlife do you see?

-Jay

Jun 17, 2009 at 11:17 pm #1508967

Ashley Brown
Member

@ashleyb

Thanks for the great trip report Rick! I'm hoping to get to Chile and Peru in the next couple of years. I doubt I'd be brave enough to do it with just a tarp, so kudos for that!

GearList:
Underwear… Victoria's Secret… Micromesh Panty

Interesting choice. And what was your partner wearing? ;-)

Generally, it is wise to carry along a bag of lemon candy or similar treats to give to locals whom you feel inclined to treat.

I'd *strongly* discourage this. In theory it's a nice thing to do, but in practice it just fosters an unhealthy relationship between foreign trekkers and the local population. As you noticed yourself, it encourages people to approach you simply for the purpose of asking for candy (or whatever). In many cases this makes it impossible to have any sort of normal interaction with them. As you noted, it's often the case that people keep asking for a sweet even after you've said no.

I find it really sad when I go trekking in places like Nepal and I meet children on the trail. Instead of saying "hello" they say "hello pen?" or "hello bonbon?". I don't think this is a good way for children to learn to interact with foreigners. Generally these children are not so poor they need to beg for food, but by handing out stuff on the trail I feel we are undermining their independence and self-respect. In other countries, such as Vietnam, it is wonderful to meet children who do not view foreigners as walking vending machines. They play and interact naturally, and are delighted to meet you and say hello or play a game. I had about 5 kids hanging off my legs in Vietnam once and it was lots of fun!

A much better alternative to giving away candy/sweets is to find a local school in the mountains and give some school supplies (books, pencils etc etc) to the school teacher. This has a much more positive and lasting impact and promotes a great relationship between visitors and the local community.

ps. Sorry if I sound like I'm preaching, but foreigners handing out candy on the trail is one of my pet hates!

Jun 17, 2009 at 11:58 pm #1508973

Dave T
Member

@davet

.

Jun 18, 2009 at 7:53 am #1509014

Devin Montgomery
BPL Member

@dsmontgomery
Locale: one snowball away from big trouble

Excellent article – like a Lonely Planet guide for backpackers.
:)

Jun 24, 2009 at 3:00 pm #1510233

Richard D.
BPL Member

@legkohod
Locale: Eastern Europe / Caucasus

Thanks everyone for the encouragement! I'm writing from the PCT and so rarely have Internet access.

About the Zpacks Blasts:

We like these packs a lot. 30+ lbs in the larger one is certainly not very comfortable, but within 3 days it's down to a comfortable weight. 25 lbs seems to be the comfort limit for any frameless pack I've tried (MLD Zip, Blast, Golite Pinnacle). The hip belts are necessary, but get the hip pockets too, which have the actual padding for the belt. 1.5 oz cuben seems like a 2 -2.5 oz silnylon in terms of strength. The stitching is good and should last about 100-150 days of backpacking.

About the candies:

That's a good point. It's a hard call. It's hard to have to disappoint the locals, but some "tough love" from foreigners would probably be a good thing.

Wildlife:

Surprisingly little. Just birds (condors, etc.) and a relative of the pica. And cattle…

Sep 10, 2009 at 12:19 pm #1526594

obx hiker
BPL Member

@obxer

Was that some version of a rain-kilt in the photo labelled "Negotiating a water-covered trail" ?

Sep 14, 2009 at 11:28 am #1527498

Richard D.
BPL Member

@legkohod
Locale: Eastern Europe / Caucasus

Yes, it was simply a piece of silnylon cut out to form an open-topped cone, with a few pieces of velcro sewn on to form the cone shape.
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