We are all nervous about today & tomorrow as we are into serious Altitude Sickness territory! We leave Haraz and proceed on paved roads towards the entrance to National Park Huascaran where we will set up another bushcamp. The stage is only just under 56K but we are climbing from just over 3000 to a shade under 4200 metres. Didier sets up the lunch stop opposite to the turn off to the NP just so we don't miss it, it's a dirt track of around 13K to camp!
There is some quite nice scenery before lunch, but after lunch it changes. We are now on a gravel path across open fields with mountains all around. The progress is slow as the gravel makes following a straight line impossible, plus there are small climbs of up to 10% just to add to the pleasure! I decide to just tackle this head on and do not stop until bushcamp is reached which takes me about 1Hr 30Mins to do the 13K. I make it and set up my tent so I can get changed and have a rest while I drink my soup that is waiting for us!
I have felt alright, no signs of altitude sickness, but Francine our main cook is hit very badly! I see her not long after I have arrived and she looks so different to just a few hours before, and she retires to her tent very quickly with a serious headache and nausea. A few hours later she has to be taken back down to a village about 800 metres lower where Didier, our nurse, stays with her overnight. Altitude sickness can hit anyone at anytime, and she had been in a truck all day, we had just climbed about 1200 metres on our bikes. Scary stuff!
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| Two rivers meet! |
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| Didier meets some locals at lunch stop. |
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| A few K to go to bushcamp, taken by Geert Jan. |
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| Bushcamp at 4200 metres! |
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