San Sebastián de Huaraz, Ancash, Huaraz, Peru: The gateway to the Cordillera Blanca: the city is surrounded by a ring of snowcapped mountains. The mountains are beautiful but Huaraz itself is not a great town. The Plaza de Armas features an unfinished church.

One of the spectacular day hikes from Huaraz is to Laguna 69. About 13 miles round trip, the hike begins at 3800 meters and ends at the lagoon, which is 4600 meters above sea level. 
 

The air is very thin up there. 

  

As I said, Huaraz is in the Cordillera Blanca (white mountain range) of the Andes. As opposed to the red mountains in Bolivia and Chile and the green mountains near Cusco and Arequipa the white is quite striking. It rains almost everyday so the white peaks emerge from very green valleys. 

  

The hike started next to a beautiful lagoon at 3800m and the foot of Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru. 

  

I climbed down into a valley and followed a stream past free range cows. 

  

Then came the tough part: hiking up. It was probably only 300m but it was very slow going. All around me were small waterfalls cascading down from the glaciers. 

  
At the top of the ridge was another little lagoon and picturesque valley. As much as I enjoyed the scenery I will admit I was dismayed to learn I had to climb another few hundred meters to get to the Laguna. 

  

To go the short distance from 4100m to 4400m took me the better part of an hour. 
 
But like so many things the harder it is to do the more worthwhile it can be. The view was breathtaking. The group spent an hour next to the lake eating and listening to avalanches falling off of the glacier above. 

  

The walk back to the bus was really pleasant and I spent more time enjoying the view on the way back.