Days 91 - 92: Cordillera Huayhuash trek (days 9-10) - Time for a pisco sour

What a difference good weather makes!
The whole of the range opens out in front of us.

The next day was perhaps the most stunning of all.  At last the sun switched from a passer-by to a resident and beamed on the whole eastern side of the Cordillera Huayhuash.  We took thousands of photos then descended to Laguna Jahuacocha which begged for a thousand more.  It was our last chance to see the mountains peering at themselves in the looking glass.  Late that evening, with tired memory cards and tired legs, we set up our final camp in a patch of native woodland.  From here we had only to dash over the pass and drop the thousand metres into the town of Llamac before the bus left at 11 the next morning.  Cordillera Huayhuash tick; we had made it.

After ten days without showers, rest, or culinary variety (those different shapes of pasta were good though!), we were ready to get back to Huaraz to embrace guacamole and warm water.  But it was also sad to leave the Cordillera Huayhuash behind.  It is one of the most stunning places we have ever visited - well up there with our past Himalayan treks.  Of all the places we have visited so far on this trip, Huaraz is most likely the one we will return to first.  The Cordillera Blanca still awaits and we have no time left to go trekking there on this trip.  But this wasn't the time to think about further mountain ventures.  First, time for a shower, a curry and a pisco sour.

The centre of the Huayhuash range with Peru's second highest mountain Yerupaja (6634m) dominating in the middle.

A close up of one of the hanging valleys with Jirishanca on the left.

Laguna Jahuacocha with Ninashanca (5610m) and Jirishanca (6094m) in the background.

Llamac finally arrives in view on our descent