CEDROS - ALPAMAYO ( )

Distance: 50 km one way

Altitude: 2800 to 4800 m

Rating: Difficult both coming and going

lntroduction

Nearing the upper end of the Quebrada de los Cedros ... the trail turns slightly to the right and reveals the . glorious pyramid of Nevado Alpamayo perched high atop . a broad waIl of glaciers. Although visible from other .. trails in the Cordillera, Alpamayo can be seen in its fuIl grandeur only from the Quebrada de los Cedros.

By no means is Alpamayo the only reason to make this trip. It first climbs past the dazzling Laguna Cullicocha below the three Nevados Santa Cruz, descends to the wide, green Quebrada de los Cedros, and fiaIly climbs past Alpamayo to meadows be­low the great east face ... of Nevado Santa Cruz Sur (6259).

It is a beautiful trip; it is also quite difficult. Beginning . with a bOl, dry 1900m climb, it then descends 800m before making a gentle final climb. The return trip is almost at difficult as the approach.

You may want to hire a guide and burros to carry your . gear as far as Laguna CuIlicocha (near the end of the . long climb) , then carry it on your back from there. .. Burros and guide can be obtained easily in Cashapampa, the starting point for the hike. If you are in reasonably good condition it should take no more than a dav and a . half to hike the 26 km to Laguna Cullicocha without a pack.

You muy also start this trip at Colcas, about halfway between Caraz and HuaIlanca along the Santa River, ... with a light truck until Hualcayán ( above Cholín ) from where you start the long way up to laguna Cullicocha. . This way you avoid the long and hot hike from Cashapampa to Hualcayán ( above Cholín ). It is recommended that the people making this hike should ... be extremely acclimatized.

Route Description

By Colcas – Hualcayán  

A private light truck takes you from Huaraz or Caraz, via Colcas (halfway between Caraz and HuaIlanca along the Santa River) to Hualcayán in about 2 hours. This way .. you avoid the long and hot hike from Cashapampa to Hualcayán ( above Cholín ). For the return trip you have . to make an arrangement for a private truck to wait for .. you in Hualcayán. The route description for the hike between Hualcayán and Laguna Cullicocha and .. Alpamayo is the same as is mentioned below.

By Santa Cruz Cashapampa  

The vehicle takes you from Caraz to Santa Cruz and then Cashapampa about in 2 hours. This a more commercial route. Santa Cruz is a friendly hilltop village with a fine view of Nevado Santa Cruz Sur and where you can buy some supplies. Cashapampa, down the hilI to the north and 3 km toward the Quebrada Santa Cruz, is small and has a smaller store.

The route from Cashapampa to Cholín, the village at the start of the long climb, is a bit complicated. A number of people live in this arca, and there are many paths and a couple of roads. Keep in mind that the basic idea is to traverse through the farm­land along the base of the first waIl of the Cordillera north to Cholín.

The best route is the following

FoIlow the road through Cashapamapa, not taking the . trail toward the Quebrada Santa Cruz, for about 1 km . Then turn right up a little path just beyond the house .. with an outside staircase. Take the lower of the trails where it splits. When you meet the road again, take the steep foot path down, crossing the road several times. When the foot trail ends take the road down to the left. . The road becomes impassable for vehicles at this point, and may be blocked above as well.

The road, now more a trail, crosses two creeks and . comes to the Baños Huancahuas (2800).

This trail soon meets a larger trail and reaches a tiny village, where the trail bends to the left. Take the smaIl trail to the right of the building with a big porch. This trail goes alongside a stone wall and then an irrigation ditch, still staying about parallel to the base of the mountains.

Passing a rundown village with many eucalyptus trees, . the trail crosses a ridge to the east. After a steep . descent to cross the next stream, it traverses quite low . on the steep face of the hill. Ignore a higher trail along . the wall.

Making a steep ascent to the right, the trail crosses an aque­duct just before reaching the village of Cholin . (2850 below Hualcayán). This is the last water of any . kind for 12 km .

After all that, the long climb to Laguna Cullicocha .. begins. The easily visible red dirt trail climbs steeply north from Cholín, then turns right when the grade becomes gentler, and traverses the ridge to the east before switching back over the ridge (heading northeast). Inca terraces cover the next hill, and the trail passes through the north end of these ruins ( Hualcayán ) and climbs to the top of the terraces. After passing through ... a flat area, it begins a long, long series of switchbacks.

The trail from Cholín to the start of these switchbacks is not very clear. If you lose the trail, climb to the top of .. the easily recognizable Inca terraces. From there you . can spot a large boul­der about 100m up the mountain wall. The switchbacks start perhaps 100m to the left of that boulder and then pass close by it.

The switchbacks do finally end. The trail turns to the .... leít and comes to a giant landslide, another result oí the 1970 earth­quake. A very rough trail takes you across . the slide, climbing and descending time and again. On . the far side, the trail (wide again) climbs slowly past two muddy, almost dry creeks, then comes to a meadow stop . a hill (passable campsites, water in creek to the north early in the year). From this point it is 7 km of moderate climbing to Laguna Cullicocha.

The trail begins making switchbacks again, passing a creek, and goes up a ridge where the nevados begin to come into view. As the trail climbs lo the right it comes . to a fork. The trail switch­ing back to the left goes to Laguna Cullicocha; the trail to Laguna Yuraccocha . (4600) goes straight ahead.

The Cullicocha trail climbs a little ways, rounds a ... corner, and continues near the top of the canyon below . the lake. Aíter wan­dering across the canyon wall it .. turns left to reach the lower end of Laguna Cullicocha (4650). This is the lower of two large turquoise lakes. . The upper lake, Rajucocha is difficult to reach.

The best place to camp seems to be beside little Laguna Azul­cocha, just north of Laguna Cullicocha. The trail to Alpamayo picks up again 4Om below Laguna Cullicocha, crossing the solid granite and ascending easily behind Laguna Azulcocha to the Paso de los Cedros (4800).

After crossing a ridge to the east, the trail descends for 400m and then makes a stiff ascent over the next ridge. Follow the trail; do not try to traverse across the rocky slopes.

Beyond this second ridge the real descent begins with another long series of switchbacks. Near the bottom the trail forks. The left hand trail continues down to the . village o/ Alpamayo. The main trail to the right crosses ... a stream immediately (below a small cascade) and descends to the east to meet the river at the ruinas de la quebrada de Los Cedros (4000).

The trail climbs gradually up the right side of the valley, passing several side streams and more ruins until to . reach after 7 km to the Laguna Jancarurish surroundings where we can look at the imposing Alpamayo with the . view that was nominated as the most beautiful mountain . of the world.