hiked  Guanaco Peak (from Zopkios Rest Area)  and did 19.0Km and 820m    Mood and date:  Apr 25, 2010 Share it on Facebook Reads:2906

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With 30 cm of fresh snow in the last 48 hours, this reprise of a recon hike we did three weeks ago had much of the same elements, with the exception that visibility was much improved. Seven fit snowshoers started our trek at 9:30 am at the Zopkios rest area. We did not run into a single soul the entire day. What joy it was to have the pristine mountains all to ourselves! Team trail-breaking started just after 2 km. Snow was deep and heavy and we reached the Zupjok-Zopkios Ridge saddle at noon with a strong team. After sliding down into the valley the task of navigating optimally towards Guanaco began. With many creeks, ravines, and a thick canopy the job was not always easy. With helpful inputs from everyone we managed to find a very good route towards the Vicuna-Guanaco col, bypassing any sidehilling, most of the heavy underbrushes and avalanche hazards. The heavy slogging and continuous micro-navigations occupied most of our thoughts, and breaks for replenishments soon got lost in the shuffle, with most of us noticing a drop-off in energy as we approached the col at 3:45 pm. Malin and I decided to make the col our destination for the day. Irina, Chris, and Evgeny took a small break and pressed on for the remaining 1/2 km ridge scramble to Guanaco Peak. We took many stunning photos, mesmerized by the gorgeous vista and endless strings of aesthetic mountains around us. Turning back around 5:15, we mostly followed our uptracks but managed to optimize certain descent sections by traversing down powdery slopes that we avoided on the way up. With cumulative elevation gain pushing 1800 m for the day we finished just after 10 pm - a long and arduous day continue reading »to be sure. Most team members I spoke with agreed that this was the most demanding snowshoe they have been on. Ah, but what a joyous and satisfying day! On this trip, everyone contributed a great deal to the success of the hike. Seamless teamwork and different strengths coming together are beautiful to behold. A note of appreciation to Chris Morley for his yeoman's work and positive encouragement to everyone. And to Ahmad for his initial navigation to the saddle three weeks ago - without which this trip would have been harder to achieve. « less

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Login to add your comment at 11am Apr 28, 2010 It is the artificial construct of this site, Steve. Malin and I chose not to summit: hence the red light. Not how I would have designed it, of course. at 11am Apr 28, 2010 So i don't get it. 2 reports from the same trip. Once says "green", the other "red" - did you have different objectives? at 8pm Apr 27, 2010 All thanks to your initial navigation effort, Ahmad. This winter route is definitely physically and mentally taxing. But the rewards are surely magnificent! at 2am Apr 27, 2010 I thoroughly enjoyed the report and the pictures. Very nice effort..

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