My brother told me about a mountain he climbed while he was traveling in Bolivia many years ago. The famous mountain is called Huanya Potosi and he suggested that I try and climb it while I am in La Paz. This sounded like a great idea so I hired a guide and equipment and took a two day journey to the mountain. On the first day we hiked to high camp, elevation 5200m and left for the climb at 1am. Arriving on the summit at around 5:30 am just as the sun was getting ready to rise on the horizon. I wanted to stay longer on the summit to wait for the sun to rise higher however my guide insisted that we go down after only 20 minutes on top of the peak. The views from the top were unbelievable and the climb down was visually very spectacular as you could see Lake Titicaca and the other mountains of the Cordillera Real in the distance. Summer rainy season is starting in Bloivia so we were lucky to have good weather this morning as it was very overcast the previous days before. It is a beautiful mountain and this climb has probably been the highlight of my South American trip so far. Hopefully I can spend more time climbing in the Andes in the future.
Huanya Potosi is only 25 km north of La Paz in the Cordillera Real and is the closest mountain to the city and is a very popular mountain to climb in Bolivia. The altitude is 6088m (19,974 ft) and the normal ascent route is a fairly straightforward glacier climb, with some crevasses and a steep climb to the summit. The final approach is fairly exposed on both sides and the summit is small and forms a cornice.The climb down to the high camp was very pleasant and swift and before I knew it I was back in the belly of La Paz looking back at the soaring peak in the distance.
 |
| Bolivian mt. guide |
 |
| obligatory summit photo |
 |
| French climber welcoming the sun |
 |
| waiting for the sun |
 |
| el alto lights in the background (la paz urban sprawl) |
 |
| high camp |
 |
| Huanya Potosi (not my photo-credit unknown) |
