Huayna Potosi - 6088m

Working in Loki is great. I don't spent any money on a bed and food, and drinks are cheaper. This way I can stay 'travelling' for ages. You still meet tons of people, maybe even more because everybody knows you, and you will see old friends you met before. Suddenly they are standing before the bar, ordering food or drinks.

Five days ago a dutch guy talked me into taking a hike. To one of the highest mountains in the area, called Huayna Potosí (Wiki link). It is a 2 or 3 day trakking, depending if you want to do some extra ice climbing on a glacier. We took the 3 days, so I did some vertical ice climbing with a pick axe, which I can tell you is quite hard, and very different from normal vertical climbing. You have grip everywhere, ofcourse, but you can't stand on your feet as relaxing as normal climbing. We slept that night in a tent at -5. Brrrrr.

The base camp is at 4700m, I was hoping it helped I was already used to La Paz, being at 3600m. But still you notice, not that much though, that it is high above sea level. First breakfast, then a two hour walk to to the refuge camp (5200m), arriving around 12 o'clock. There was a really nice group up there, 10 persons, all young people, trying to reach the summit of 6088m. That day we went to bed at 6, yes in the afternoon, and tried to get some sleep before waking up in the middle of the night at 12:30. I myself didn't had any trouble sleeping at that altitude, but many people do. Maybe La Paz did help out there a bit.

You get out of bed, put up your full climbing gear, everybody looked the same, red or blue suits, and from then on I couldn't recognize anybody any more. The climbing started at 1 in the morning, so it was not only the highest point of my life, the thinest air, the coldest, the most steep, and the biggest climb of my life, but also in the the darkness of the night. Turn your headlamp on, because we are going to do some serious climbing.

The start was quite heasy for me, but after 2 hours I found a very good rithme, and despite the fact we started last, and we stayed last (out of 6 groups), after the rithme discovery, we quickly were first! First to arrive at the last steep hill. 65 degrees, 150 meters, tired of the 4 hour climb before, and still in the middle of the night. We came to the top second, not bad after all. Breathing is very hard at 6088m, and so the exhausting climb, takes a lot of 'hyperventilation', that is the speed and amount of air you need for just climbing up a mountain at 6088m. Everybody of the group made it, the though climb to the top of 6088 meters, but still I am quite proud I have been at 6088m.That is probably why I repeat 6088m so many times...

The top was beautiful, the view astonishing, the cold unbearable. I have never been so cold in my entire life. My hands hurt so much, they were in pain. But reaching the summit was one of the best moments of my life. Well, no, it wasn´t, but it was pretty cool.

Going up was hard, going back harder. I was tired, but needed to pack my backpack and go down another 500m. After a very short rest in the car we arrived back at the hostel.

Huayna Potosi - Done!

1884 ..... 6088 ..... what will be next!!!

A very low number on my bank account?

wat zal je leven straks"saai"zijn!

hahahah die snor !
Doet me denken aan een ander persoon! :P
werkt je scheerapperaat nog of vind je hem wel cool?

Great explorers wear a mustache. Thats a well-known fact. (so do dictators, revolutionaries and psychopaths.. but none of those will climb 6088 m just for fun). Good story too.

nice story olaf!! the most exciting thing i can tell about my stay in brazil was the robbery.. and they didnt even use violence.. bummer..
but.. what actually was the best moment of your life? quiet curious now..

moehahah guido wacht maar, de volgende keer dat ik je zie zal ik je ff met geweld overvallen!
Jij denken wij nie durve? ik zeg jou man: ik weet waar je huis woont!!

Re.: Foto tentoonstelling Buenos Aires - Nu in Kopenhagen!

6088 - Respect!
(behalve dan voor die foute snorrrr...) ;P