South America, Peru, Cordillera Vilcanota and Carabaya, Cordillera Carabaya

Publication Year: 1971.

Cordillera Carabaya. I spent from December 5 to 13 in the Cordillera Carabaya. On the 7th I climbed the northwest ridge of an unnamed rock peak (c. 5050 meters or 16,568 feet), north of Chichiccapac. I approached from the southwest via the Laguna Lamacana, Laguna Kolini and Jatuncocha drainage at the headwaters of the Río San Gaban, north-northeast of Macusani. The north tributary of Jatuncocha drains an amphitheatre containing several small lakes. I climbed to the lowest saddle (c. 16,000 feet) beyond the easternmost of these lakes and cut across an isolated valley to the rock peak. I descended this same isolated, northward-trending valley several kilometers to Surapata, below which it joins a major east-northeast-trending valley with four large lakes: Kulpacocha, Okeco- cha, Laguna Paskaypampa and Laguna Huiscana. About two kilometers below the last, I encountered the road from Macusani to Ayapata. Later I found the easiest route into the northern side of Allinccapac is via Laguna Cochauma (also called Taypecocha), starting from Kana. The important part of the route begins beyond Laguna Cañacota, a lake with a prominent island about two kilometers west and upstream from Cochauma. The New Zealand party of 1967 (See N.Z.A.J., 1968, p. 293 for map.) entered the region using the northern tributary of Laguna Cañacota. Their route is tenuous, difficult to follow and impossible after a way for pack animals. A more practical route is the western tributary of Cañacota Laguna, which takes one via Laguna Carhuanacota and Torococha. The main trail to Ollachea is left about one kilometer beyond Torococha and a diffuse trail is followed up a northward-flowing tributary stream to Laguna Ausangate. The only trail, passible but not good, is on the eastern side of the lake. Beyond, one must take the almost dry valley, which drains northeast into the lake, up to a pass called Jatun Apecheta or Apacheta Ausangate (c. 15,600 feet). The trail zigzags up scree slopes and this puts one into the Allinccapac basin. It is possible to descend on more scree to a series of small ponds above Laguna San Marcos, almost at the level of the main glaciers. On the New Zealand map this pass is indicated between C-2 and C-3 (P 17,164 and P 16,645). It is important to avoid the prominent eastward-flowing waterfalls which come from Guardacocha and Laguna Kallini into Laguna Ausangate as well as a northward-flowing tributary which descends from the Nevado Kallini icefield. Local names exist for points on the New Zealand map: Nevado Kallini=C-3; Nevado Mirmayani=C-2; Nevado de Azulcocha=C-l. On the north the name Allinccapac is used uncritically and to refer to almost any snow mountain, especially in the region of Kana and Escalera on the road from Ayapata and Macusani. However, on the Macusani (south) side of the range, Chichiccapac and the highest peak of Allinccapac are both prominent and clearly identified by everyone.

John Ricker