Peaks East of Pumasillo, Cordillera Vilcabamba. The Cucamonga Rambling Company Expedition spent one month, from June 25 to July 23, on the eastern side of the Pumasillo massif. Our group consisted of two women, Kathy Anderson1 and me1, and three men, Karl Collins2, Greg Foster and Ross Macfarlane. The weather during the entire month was perfect. Our camps were in good position for alpine ascents. Our first camp was directly below the eastern exposure of Pumasillo. From there the entire party climbed the south peak of Mellizos (5410 meters, 17,750 feet) via the east face on June 28 and 29, probably the 5th and 6th ascents. Camp was moved to a grassy spot below the north face of Ttituyoc. From this 14,000-foot camp the following peaks from west to east were climbed: Lasunayoc (5959 meters, 19,551 feet) via east face by Collins, Macfarlane on July 10 and by Foster, Phibbs on July 13, 7th and 8th ascents; “Yurak Punko” (5000 meters, 16,404 feet; a previously unnamed point two peaks east of Lasunayoc col) via east face by Anderson, Phibbs on July 3, 2nd ascent; Ttituyoc (5383 meters, 17,660 feet) via north ridge by entire party on July 7 and 8, 3rd and 4th ascents; “Viracocha” (5200 meters, 17,061 feet; a previously unnamed flat-topped peak northeast of Ttituyoc) via west ridge by Anderson, Phibbs on July 10, 2nd ascent; P c. 16,000 (4877 meters, east of Viracocha) via west ridge by Anderson, Collins, Macfarlane on July 13, 1st ascent. Collins, Foster and Macfarlane attempted a new route on “Apachita” (5645 meters, 18,520 feet; peak immediately east of Lasunayoc) via the steep east icefall. They were turned back by nightfall a few hundred feet from the summit. Macfarlane and I attempted two new routes, an ambitious climb on the south ridge of Mellizos and a nearly successful attempt on the north ridge of the unnamed point at the northern end of the Pumasillo massif. In August we moved to the Cordillera Real in Bolivia.

Kathy Phibbs

1 Recipients of Vera Watson-Alison Chadwick Onyszkiewicz grants.

2 Recipient of an AAC Mountaineering Fellowship grant.