Laguna 69 — Lily Of The Valley

Laguna 69: A hike through Huascaran National Park, named for the highest mountain in the chain surrounding Huaraz, concluding at an icy, unbelievably turquoise mountain lake. Probably the most popular day trek in Huaraz, it was what caught my eye and convinced me to visit this mountain town.

At 4am on my second morning in Huaraz, my alarm rang but I didn't hear it. Instead I was woken up by one of the girls I was traveling with. With my eyes still closed I pulled on the clothes I had laid out the night before, tied up my hiking boots for a second day in a row, and went down stairs. Thirty minutes later our guide for the day came to collect us from the hostel and together we walked around the corner to a van. The van was packed with gringos all going on the Laguna 69 hike. The three of us took the last seats at the very back, I pulled my beanie over my eyes and fell asleep for the three hour drive. We stopped for a quick breakfast and some coca tea before entering the national park and continuing the last hour of the drive.

We drove along a winding dirt road with insane mountains on either side until the road ended abruptly in a small parking lot. The bus parked, we got out, were reminded several times to return by 3pm, and then off we went. The trail lead through a little forest, and as we came out the other side a dreamy landscape laid out before us. The path traced along side a bustling, crystal clear river, with lush grass fields on either side where cows stood grazed. The grass looked so delicious I almost wanted to take a bite as well. We walked down the path, through a valley. We had perfect weather as well: sunshine and blue sky with big fluffy white clouds floating by. Every so often as a cloud floated along it would reveal a snow covered peak of a mountain beyond the valley. t's a good feeling to be completely surrounded by mountains.

We walked and walked, enjoying the sound of the river, stopping every so often to say hi to a baby cow. Maybe an hour in, we turned around to discover a insane view stood tall and mighty behind us, Mt. Huascaran. The mountain for which the National Park is named and its neighbor Mt. Chopicalqui had both been behind us the whole time. Between the peaks of these might mountains, standing over 6,000 meters tall, stretches an insane, very healthy looking glacier. Completely in awe, we stopped walking for a moment to just look.

As we continued farther down the path, still following along side the river, more mountains came into view. Sneaky peaks continued to present themselves to the west and east, but it was Chacraraju to the north that stole the show. This is the mountain who's glacier feeds Laguna 69, the mountain we were walking towards. The scenery was spectacular to say the least, but days of traveling and a previous hike the day before left me feeling a little work down, ill even. I walked slowly and trying to distract myself with the epic views.

That being said, if I had been feeling 100% I think the hike would have felt relatively mild, with the exception of two steep inclines. The first steep climb brings you up to a little lake with dark waters. Then, just beyond the lake lies the most amazing green field at the base of Chacraraju filled with more grazing cows. If ever reincarnated as an animal, I would like to be a cow living here eating grass all day surrounded by mountains.

From here, one must endure one more incline. But knowing the infamous Laguna 69 is so close will get you to the top no problem. It is a popular hike for a reason, the lake and the mountain feeding it is an incredible reward. Sitting by the lake, we made some avocado sandwiches for lunch and watched the occasional hiker strip down and run into its freezing waters. Lunch and a show. Though tempted by the glory of stripping down and jumping into the icy lake, I decided against it when the sun slipped behind a wall of clouds rolling in. After about an hour by the lake, enjoying the fruits of our labor, we headed back the way we had come.

Laguna 69 was another amazing hike. However, its popularity does distract a tiny, tiny bit from the nature experience. We shared the path with three or four buses worth of people, so it was somewhat busy. I did hear from two friends that there is another hike or path that you can take, one less traveled that also concludes at Laguna 69. So if you find yourselves in the area, look into that for a more secluded, tranquil trek.

This ended up being my last day in Huaraz. I would have loved to stay longer in those mountains, maybe to do one of the many multi day treks available in the area. But in the end I decided to save the money (for perhaps another summit attempt or Patagonia in the months to come) and take a night but to Lima with my friend Marloes. Hopefully I get to visit Huaraz again some day to spend more time in its incredible mountains. Always mountains.

Stay Tuned,

lil