Hiking the Santa Cruz Loop in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca: Global Test Photo Essay

[Daniel Paladino]

Companion forum thread to:

Hiking the Santa Cruz Loop in Peru's Cordillera Blanca: Global Test Photo Essay

[Ron Bell / MLD]

LOVE the lichen pic!

[Jerry Adams]

You guys get around to the most interesting places

So, the Donkeys use the outhouse? How well trained

[ruben orellana]

what packs are you guys using???

[Danny Milks]

Ruben – You can find our initial gear list in our first article: The Global Test: One Gear List for Two Years and Five Continents

To answer your question: Kristin has a GoLite Jam2 (2008), womens medium. After 2 years of constant use, it has a few scratches but otherwise looks and performs like new. I have the Mountainsmith Ghost (2005). The pack was discontinued shortly after, but it is made of tough material, has a full front zip, a light frame, and comfortable padding. It weighs 2lbs 4oz.

Jerry – the pack animals hung around the outhouses, but I don't know what they were looking for!

Thank you all for the comments!

[Trevor Wilson]

Great pictures! Thanks for letting us follow around your adventures!

[Jack H.]

Nice pics Danny and Kristin! I especially like the jumping and the lichen pictures. I've often wondered if Andean trips like this one are one of the few places where our ultralight tarptents aren't a good choice. The weather can be brutal up there. And, we typically do those treks during fairly stable weather periods. What do you think? Are tarptents marginal in the Andes?

[Michael Skwarczek]

It's such fantastic timing to have your photo essays and trip journals on the heels of our family adventure to South America. We're flying to Quito this July 20th and we'll be in Peru come late Sept. We'll should also be in Patagonia come Nov/Dec. Returning, ultimately, to Ecuador June/July of 2012 for our return.

I'm combing through resources for treks in Peru and Patagonia. Do you have any recommendations in Ecuador and also north of Patagonia along the Chilean or Argentine Andes?

Beautiful, inspiring. Thanks for taking the time and effort to post these journals.

cheers,
-Michael

btw… what stove/fuel options did you bring or consider? would a wood burner Tri-Ti, in addition to a multi-fuel/white gas stove, be worth the weight and effort?

[Cam Honan]

Hey Michael,

I spent quite a few years living, working and hiking in Latin America.
In regards to trekking opportunities in Ecuador, I would recommend both the Cotopaxi Circuit and Cajas National Park. The latter is reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands – only 8000 ft. higher and without the ubiquitous pub at day's end. Can't have everything I guess! See the following link for trekking notes and photo galleries from my website:

http://www.thehikinglife.com/category/ecuador/

In regards to the northern parts of Patagonia, Lanin, Nahuel Huapi and Puyehue National Parks are all spectacular. Check the following links for details:

http://www.thehikinglife.com/category/argentina/

http://www.thehikinglife.com/category/chile/

As to the question of stoves, multi-fuel or alcohol stoves are your best bets. Kerosene (queroseno), white gas (bencina blanca) and denatured alcohol (alcohol puro) can be found everywhere.

Hope this helps. Have a fantastic trip.

Cheers,

Cam

[ruben orellana]

Thanks for the info. Danny.

[Michael Skwarczek]

Cam, that's great. I took a peek at your site, it's well laid out and documents your travels fully. It's really helpful. I'll look closer and also contact you directly through the site.

Thanks for hopping onto BPL briefly to comment and lend some great info.

cheers,
-Michael

[Danny Milks]

Hi Jack,
Thanks for the post. We often camped above 4000meters in the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Huayhuash, as well as other ranges in southern Peru and northern Bolivia. It was May and June, and your right, the weather was great. It is there winter, which is usually dry in the mountains, warm during the day and below freezing at night.

I felt like our tarptent did a fine job in the those conditions, and we weren't taking many risks. However, if we were in a different season, then I too would consider going with something more robust.

Where the tarptent was marginal was in Patagonia. The winds were constant, which means that dust came through our exposed mesh and coated our belongings inside the tent. The winds could be very strong, and the rain leaked through the sil-nylon on a few occasions. Southern Argentina (winds) and Chile (rain) are where a tarp tent is really testing your skill in tent craft, and your luck :)

What did you use in South America?

[Danny Milks]

Michael,
Cam has some great ideas in his post about locations. Thanks for chiming in Cam!

BPL has published a few photo essays about our travels, and will publish several more in the coming months. You can find more info about our other adventures on our travel blog.

To answer your question about stoves, I'd respectfully disagree with Cam's comments above. A wood-burning stove would be virtually useless in the mountains as there are very few parks that allow you to burn wood. Additionally, it would be very difficult to find trees in Patagonia or the high Andes.

Carrying two fuel burning stoves seems redundant. At the very least, go with one or the other.

My suggestion, though, is to use a canister fuel stove. You can find canister fuel for $4-7 in any tourist town and it'll be light and easy to use. The only limitation is if you plan to take a lot of flights, then you'd have to buy a new canister at each new location. Long-distance buses are relatively comfortable, cheap and frequent. That's our preferred method.

And yes, BPL is a fantastic community!

[Cam Honan]

Hey Danny,

I think you may have misread my comment in regards to stoves. To reiterate, the only two types of stoves I recommend for hiking in any part of the developing world are alcohol (best option – simple design & burns cleaner) and multi-fuel. I am in 100% agreement in regards to the non-suitability of wood burning stoves for such regions.

In addition to flight travel, the other major problem with using canister stoves in the developing world is environmental. Unfortunately countries such as Peru and Bolivia do not have the means by which to recycle empty cartridges. Using canister stoves in these areas only exacerbates the already serious waste disposal issues which exist.

Cheers,

Cam

[Tom Clark]

Stunning photos. How long were most of your backcountry trips (between bus rides)?

[Danny Milks]

Hi Cam,

You're absolutely right – I read the two posts and mashed them together in my response. I apologize.

A simple alcohol stove would be great for one person. A wood burning stove would be not be very useful, though I suppose if it is part of the alcohol stove system that you already have (like the Tri-ti) then it would add flexibility without much weight. There are some places it would be legal.

We preferred the canister stove for the two of us because we haven't found an alcohol setup that works well enough (yes, we've tried the Caldera Cone). Plus, if you puncture the canister when you're done, it is no longer dangerous and can be recycled.

Erratic Rock is a guide company and hostel in Puerto Natales, Chile, near Torres del Paine. They have initiated a canister recycling program and hope to expand it throughout backpacker areas of Patagonia. Maybe other similar programs are started or could be started in the Peruvian Andes?

[Danny Milks]

Hi Tom,
Thanks for the note. Our backpacking trips were typically 3-7 days. The longer trips were in Torres del Paine for 10 days and Los Glaciares (Fitz Roy/El Chalten) for 9 days.

[Michael Skwarczek]

Thanks a lot guys,

One more troll for advice on a nagging topic: sleeping temps. The girls both have 20F bags and Women's Thermarest Prolite Pads, they'll be OK. But I'm struggling with bringing my WM Summerlite 32F to cut a lot of weight and bulk. It can easily be buffed with the insulated layers but I'm just not sure if that will suffice. We'll be in Peru come Mid-Oct through Nov. And Patagonia in late Nov, Dec-Feb.

cheers,
-Michael

[Danny Milks]

Hi Michael,

I think you'll be fine with your bag. Kristin and I shared a 40 degree GoLite Feather, which was a zipperless hoodless bag that had been split down the back to make a two-person quilt. We had the TarpTent Double Rainbow as our shelter and the MontBell UL90 as our pads.

The night time temps in the Peruvian Andes drop below freezing during May-August, which is their winter. You'll be there in the spring, and I wouldn't expect much freezing weather. I also hear that WM bags are conservatively rated. So, unless you feel that this is not true, or that you are a particularly cold sleeper, you'll be fine in Peru.

In Patagonia, you may need to augment the bag by wearing your warm clothing in November. I suppose it'll also depend on your shelter. We had a tarptent, and so the winds came whipping through. Again, we didn't have a hooded sleeping bag, nor did we have down jackets (at the time), just our Montbell Thermawrap and some base layers.

We were in Patagonia late November and early December. I don't think it dropped below freezing in those months.

I hope this helps. Other BPL members may be able to add insight from their own experiences.

[Cam Honan]

Michael – I agree with Danny, unless you are a "cold" sleeper you should be fine temperature wise with the WM Summerlite. One factor you may want to consider in regards to your choice of shelter and outer layers is that November coincides with the beginning of the rainy season in the Peruvian Andes. Although Feb-April is generally when the rains begin in earnest, it is not uncommon for some pretty nasty storms to roll in during the spring (note: this holds true more for the Huaraz region than it does for the Cuzco or Arequipa areas).

December to February is ideal for Patagonia. If you have the time, consider heading further south to Tierra del Fuego, where there is some incredible hiking to be done around Ushuaia and Isla Navarino.

Danny – Thanks for the link to "Erratic Rock." Great programme. Hopefully they follow through with their idea to expand to other parts of Patagonia. Did you encounter other such cannister recycling programmes during your time in Latin America? By the way, fantastic photos!

Cheers,

Cam

[Scott Ireland]

Cam –

I really don't want to derail this excellent thread, but tried to send you a PM and it's not set up…so if could send me one, I have a few South American questions unrelated to the Santa Cruz loop (which is outstanding, by the way)

Thanks, and sorry Danny for stepping on the thread…

Scott

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