Once we had found out, that in Bolivia, close to La Paz, there is a mountain of above 6000 m altitudes that can be climbed also by beginners, the seed was planted. We felt confident fulfilling all necessary conditions – being physically fit and well acclimatized – and were ready for our next adventure. In La Paz there are numerous agencies offering a three-day expedition to Mount Huayna Potosí. We had chosen the company “Refugio Huayna Potosí” because it has its own camps and it was the only agency that enquired about our health and level of fitness before selling the tour to us. The guides and the cook did an amazing job during our expedition and contributed significantly to this fantastic experience. The owner, however, is best to be avoided: we had an outrageously bad encounter with him and were treated disrespectfully. On the first day we collected our material (harnesses, ice axes, crampons, plastic climbing boots, gaiters, clothes, helmet, etc.) and were driven to the Base Camp at the foot of Huayna Potosí on 4700 m. After lunch, we walked up to the Potosí glacier, where our first guide Celestino, trained us on how to walk on the glacier with crampons and how to climb steep passages. As a final treat, he took us on the rope and we could climb a wall of ice. This was a lot of fun, despite the foggy conditions! The evening was at our free disposal. After dinner, we tried to light a fire in the chimney, as it was humid and freezing cold. We succeeded only partially and thus opted soon for our bunk beds to catch at least some decent sleep during the first night. On the second day, we were spoilt with an abundant and yummy breakfast (the best we have had since travelling in Bolivia, who would have expected this in this remote location!). Unfortunately, Philipp could not fully enjoy it, as his stomach was rebelling – we still don’t know whether it was the dinner or the altitude. However, after an easy and relaxing walk along the dammed lake of the hidroelectrico in the warming sun, he started to feel much better and we were confident again to tackle the ascent to the High Camp on 5300 m. After lunch, we met our guide for the summit, Esteban, and mounted together to the High Camp. It consists of three huts, which were only built a year ago. Surprisingly, it was warmer here than at the Base Camp! Esteban cooked soup for all of us and after 6 p.m. we had to try to catch some sleep until midnight. We were so happy, when we could finally get up at midnight! Due to the height and surely also due to a certain nervousness, we couldn’t sleep at all and were impatient to start the climb Huayna Potosí. After “breakfast”, we walked to the glacier and mounted our crampons. We started our climb at 1 a.m. and the ambiance was magical: the sky was clear and we were gazing at the stars while we could see the lights of La Paz in the distance. Like a lantern procession we saw the other rope teams from the lower camps of the other agencies. The ascent was steep but continuous and although we were breathing hard, we didn’t feel any complicacies due to the height. Just around 5800 m there was a steep passage to climb and the last part to the peak was technically more demanding as it sometimes lead over rocks covered with ice. After a narrow crest we were there: “el cumbre”! Esteban congratulated us (as a nice detail we were also the first rope team to reach the peak that day), it was shortly before 5 a.m. and the sun was about to rise. As the actual peak is very narrow it only allows space for a handful of people; we therefore had to start descending soon to make room for others. Scenery wise, the descent was even more rewarding: by daylight, we could now see the fairytale beauty of the glacier landscape, we had passed before in pitch darkness. We felt incredibly happy to having achieved this! It was a beautiful morning and the descent came nearly for free. At 10 a.m. we were back at the Base Camp and after lunch we were driven back to La Paz. Exhausted, but still enchanted by this experience we opted for a hot shower and long sleep!
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