FROM MEXICO TO ARGENTINA 2006 - 07
CLIMBING PICO BOLÍVAR 4985m, THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN
VENEZUELA (March 2007)
photos
After a comfortable tour, I was looking forward to something more
demanding. I bought food for 10 days and set off for the
mountains surrounding Merida. The first day it was a long,
tiring
walk uphill through a dense, green cloud forest. I camped in
a
bamboo forest and the next day arrived at Laguna Coromoto. It
was
so beautiful, I decided to spend a whole day, just walking around it
and enjoying the views. Day 3 took me to the next lake,
called
Laguna Verde. It was not as green as the name would suggest,
but
beautifully set amongst rocky mountains. I camped on the
shores
of Laguna El Suero with a group of 4 people, including 2 guides.
After the sunset it got very cold and windy. The
next day I
set off early, climbed a steep gully and traversed some rocks.
After that, it was easy walking towards the highest mountain
in
Venezuela, Pico Bolivar.
The Paramo was stunning all the way
to
the campsite, where I again camped next to the group. Early
on
day 5 they set off to climb Pico Bolivar, and I followed soon.
Their presence helped me with route finding, which is steep
rocks
and some climbing. We arrived at the top around 8am, 4985m!
On top there is a Bolivar´s monument and amazing
views all
around. The weather was great, lots of sun and no wind, so we
could stay and enjoy. Coming down was challenging as I had to
climb the rocks, while most people bring ropes and abseil.
The
others went to the top station of the longest and the highest cable car
system in the World which whisked them back to Merida in no time, and I
went to my next campsite.
The next day I climbed another mountain called La Concha, 4850m.
The clouds were filling the valley below, changing
constantly.
I had a hard time finding the route to the top as this
mountain
is rarely climbed and there is no path. It was a good
scramble up
and down, and after getting back to my tent I packed and walked back to
Laguna El Suero. Early on day 7 I packed again and climbed
the
second highest mountain in the country, Pico Humboltd. It
involved ascending steep rocks and crossing a small but crevassed
glacier. At one point my leg fell in but the crevasse was not
big.
After the final 100m of rocks I arrived at the top and then
decided to climb a nearby Pico Bonpland, 4850m. I followed
the
ridge and scrambled to the top of this difficult-looking mountain.
I came back around the other side, hopping between rocks,
boulders and stones.
The following day I walked down to the Park entrance, and on
day
9 finally I was back in Merida. Luxuries awaited, like
comfortable bed, hot shower and good food. After a few day´s rest in Merida I went back to Colombia.
I
didn´t see much of Venezuela but liked it a lot and I will
have
to come back one day...
photos