Hey BPL community,
I’m looking to do a high route style adventure in late May/early June this summer when I have time off. My current candidate for a mountain range is the Cordillera Blanca in Peru. May/June is a perfect time of year to go, plus it’s simply beautiful. Cam Honan documents one great example of how to traverse the whole range, clocking in at about 250 miles (http://www.thehikinglife.com/2014/10/cordillera-blanca-traverse-cbt/). I would likely try to make some variations on his itinerary in order to get off the trail a little bit more often. Would be a combination of standard trekking, plus cross-country scrambles, a few challenging off-trail passes (at least one of which is over 17,000 ft) where ice axe and microspikes would be advisable. I’m thinking the timeframe will be 2-3 weeks, depending on variables (getting in and out of the mountains, acclimatizing, and buffer days for experimenting with the route-line).
I like to hike hard, so I’m ideally looking for a strong hiker, and one who has good experience thru-hiking high routes. For me, I generally like to put in anywhere from 15-20+ miles per day on high routes. For on-trail walking, 18-20+ is usually good.
About me: I’m a 24 year-old, recently relocated from CA to Ithaca, NY, where I’m a first-year literature PhD student. My recent backpacking adventures are documented here:Â https://austinlillywhite.wordpress.com/trip-reports/
