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Exotic but Easy...Huayna Picchu, Peru |
We had often thought about a trip to Peru to visit Machu Picchu, the
famous archaeological site. We flew to Lima and spent two days in Cuzco
before taking the train down to Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu lies on a ridge formed by a U-bend in the Urubamba river, one
of the tributaries of the Amazon. The site is at about 8,500' and consists
of a mixture of agricultural, domestic and ceremonial areas. It is one of
the few Inca sites not plundered by the Spaniards and was only rediscovered
in the early 20th century. The overgrowth has been cleared, but the site
is maintained mostly as it was found, with very little reconstruction or
restoration necessary.
Near the end of the ridge, to the south of Machu Picchu, a spire rises
nearly 1,000' above the ruins. Huayna Picchu is the sunlit peak in the
upper center part of the photo above, and the central feature of the
closer photo to the right. Amazingly, the Inca developed and farmed
this spire, as well. Huayna Picchu translates as "Young Peak", complementing
Machu Picchu, or "Old Peak."
The first afternoon we spent in Machu Picchu, we watched in fascination as
people made their way up Huayna Picchu. Our tour guide, Jaime, cautioned
us that it was steep, difficult and dangerous. That was enough to convince
me to try it the next morning.
One other couple from the tour group decided to do likewise, but the remainder
of the group either stayed down in Aguas Calientes or hiked north up the Inca
Trail with Jaime the next morning.
The morning arrived overcast and damp. Catching the first bus up to Machu Picchu
at 6:30, I wandered up to the north end of the site briefly to take a few more
photos under vastly different lighting conditions from the afternoon before. The
clouds, mist and fog that drifted over the site leant an appropriately mysterious
air to the scene. Temperatures were comfortably in the 60s (F) but the occasional
mist and drizzle lobbied for a waterproof shell. The approach to the trailhead is
visible in this photo, between the two thatch-roofed shelters in the center left,
in front of the rocky ridge leading south to Huayna Picchu.
The trailhead itself is through a gate in the fence in the lower center of the photo
to the right. A small hut is normally occupied by a worker who requires that you
sign in and out from the trail (so they can notify the next-of-kin, I suppose).
The trail opens at 7:00, and when I got there about 7:10, the gate was open but
there was no sign of a worker nor a sign-in book, so I left a business card stuck
between two boards of the counter and headed onto the trail.
About five minutes after passing through the fence, I met a British family who had
started down the trail but turned around after about ten minutes in, having been spooked
by the exposure along a knife-edge ridge that must be traversed between Machu Picchu
and the start of the climb up to Huayna Picchu.
Shortly after meeting the British family, I could appreciate why they might have
been spooked. The trail ahead dropped 100 feet and the exposure to one side was
significant, although the trail was comfortably wide and not particularly
threatening, unless you don't like looking 1,000' down to a jungle river.
Once past the ridge, the trail rises steeply up the slopes of Huayna Picchu,
alternating between switchbacks and stretches of Inca or modern steps. The
steepest pitches are provided with either rope or steel cable handrails for
stability. With the morning drizzle, the rocks were wet and a bit slick, so
the handrails were appreciated for safety's sake as well as assistance in the
climb.
Near the summit, there is a grotto formed by several house-sized boulders
leaning together. It takes a bit of hands-and-knees crawling to traverse
the grotto, and you are then left in a gap among the summit boulders. The
scramble to the summit itself involves a couple of third-class moves,
mantling up on a 20 sloping slab of granite with several hundred feet
of air under its downhill edge and then scrambling up to the perch carved
out of the summit boulder itself. It is a comfortable seat, probably carved
by the Incas so a lookout could stand there and survey the whole of Machu
Picchu and the Inca Trail leading down from the Sun Gate in the saddle
a couple of miles north of Machu Picchu.
I ran into three other intrepid souls, variously from Britain, Singapore and
Germany, at the summit, so we shared photo duties (and a hand to the least-accomplished
of the three, who was a bit overwhelmed at the thought of sliding off the
slick stones). The weather then closed in for a while, totally obscuring
Machu Picchu, so we headed back down.
Shortly after leaving the summit, you run into the only other third-class move
of the climb. A large boulder bisects the trail, and passing it requires
hanging onto the shoulder-height edge of the boulder and swinging a leg
around the corner to the continuation of the trail, with your nether parts
briefly hung out in space. Not the spot to let go, but merely a sporty
spot to overcome.
The trail then meanders around the far side of Huayna Picchu until you
reach this Inca storehouse. The view down into the Urubamba valley is
outstanding.
Just below the storehouse is the toughest pitch of the whole trail. As
evident from the two people climbing up from below in the photo to the
left, it is steep, with six-inch-wide steps having eight to ten inch
vertical spacing. There is no handrail on this pitch and I was
happy to have my hiking staff along. Descending the steps required
side-stepping because they were simply too narrow to walk straight down,
especially still wet from the occasional mists.
The steps then widen out a bit and the rest of the trail becomes
easier, but still exposed to one side. The United Nations flair to the
eclectic mix of climbers was further enhanced as I met a young man from
Kenya on his way back down from the summit.
The Kenyan outpaced me on the way back to the knife-edge ridge.
The cloud-forest nature of the area was emphasized by this moss-laden
tree and the lupines which grow at this altitude. Interestingly, the
Incas took advantage of the different microclimates at varying
altitudes and with different solar exposure. At the level of the
Urubamba river, below, it is quite tropical, making cultivation of
bananas possible. From there upwards, the crops were matched to the
changing conditions, with corn, then squash and finally potatoes
grown on the terraces at different levels.
Once again back safely to the trailhead. I had started at 7:10 and reached
the summit of Huayna Picchu at 8:05, so just under an hour on the way up.
We had waited a while on the summit for the weather to clear, but it wasn't
promising. I returned to the trailhead about 9:45 after several photo-op
stops and conversations with other folks just setting out for the summit.
One of the resident lawn mowers greeted me upon my return, posing nicely
for a photo after her(?) morning dust bath.
Respectfully submitted by
Alan Ritter, April 2002
With a handful of third-class moves to punctuate an otherwise first and
second class route, Huayna Picchu was an enjoyable first climb of the year.
If you have the opportunity to visit Machu Picchu, try to arrange an itinerary
that, like ours, includes an overnight stay at Aguas Calientes. The opportunity
to see the ruins early in the morning before the hordes of tourists invade is
worth the early wakeup call. Plus, the second day affords the opportunity
to see the site from the top of Huayna Picchu. Happy climbing!!
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