Huaraz (population 200,000) is the capital of the Ancash region, and one of the most important cities of the Peruvian Andes. Settlement in area began with the Inca Empire, but the Spanish city wasn't founded until 1574. An earthquake in the 70's practically obliterated (destroyed 95% of) the city, but Huaraz was supported by a massive international relief effort; as such, it was named capital of International Friendship.
But what Huaraz is really known for is its proximity to the Cordillera Blanca, a section of the Peruvian Andes that includes 33 peaks over 5,500 m. The Ancash region is reputed to be the second most beautiful place to trek in the world.
So yeah, Huaraz is pretty dam cool, or so I had heard, which is why a couple of friends decided to head north for a mid finals vacation. Perhaps we should have done a little more research before departing Lima, but let's get real, who actually has time for that? And besides the over prepared tend to have less adventures...
Adventure number 1: Arriving at our hostel. I had made the hostel arrangements, but somehow I had conveniently forgotten to write down the address (in my defense addresses in Peru are sometimes less useful than you might think). But through some weird combination of circumstances we bumped into the owner of the Alpes Huaraz on the street; he directed us up the hill by the church of San Fransisco to our new home.
The first day was all about napping off the over night bus ride. Although, Adrienne and I did manage to take an evening walk; we stumbled upon the "Polvos Azules" of Huaraz (a buzzing labyrinth of market streets) and watched the sun set between the wings of an angel, illuminating the Cordillera Blanca with golden afterglow as it made its rapid descent. No jokes or exaggerations.
The next day we went horseback riding in the Cordillera Negra. The goal: sit on horseback for four hours and get bad ass views. The unexpected bonus: I found my soul mate (Canyoncito-a stallion with: bad gas, a need to be in the lead, and who as yet, has not proved himself able to walk in a straight line). Yeah I know, sounds like love, but trust me-it was. I now count my noble steed as Peruvian lover number four; he had to get in line behind: Wong, la S, and la 7 litro del San Mateo.
We also learned some important lessons:
Bananas from breakfast don't have the structural integrity to survive a serious day.
Never go on vacation with pants that are already ripped. For some reason I thought that it would be ok if I went to Huaraz with a pair of jeans that were already starting to show some serious wear. Here is the thing-the situation isn't magically going to improve; in fact it is only going to get a lot worse. But all I can say is...5 months, 2 pairs of pants-what else do you expect?
Day 3-day hike to Laguna 69 in Huascarán National Park; I think my friends and I were hoping and expecting a casual and beautiful day trip, but when I heard the distance, elevation change, and altitude I had my suspicions that they were going to get a lot more than we had bargained for. Which turned out to be the case. But luckily we responded to the challenges of the hike with humor and good spirits-it was definitely an experience that makes friends, friends for life. The day was a beautiful comedy of errors. 
The thing about Peru is its a very casual country; waivers just don't exist because its a take you life in your own hands sort of place. Also, the fitness base and preperation of the average Huaraz trekker is pretty high (some might say world class); so when people say day hike, what they actually mean is: a 10 mile hike that climbs from 3,950 m to 4,600 m that you must complete in 6 hours so you can be off the unpaved roads before dark. Which, and I can say this as a very experienced outdoorswoman, is probably not something a group of college students who have been living at sea level in Lima and exercising moderately, if at all, should attempt on their second full day at altitude. But hey, you live and you learn...some of us didn't make it to the top, but that's ok, its really about the journey anyway. But for those that did, the destination vale la pena: 
An unnamed lake about 4 kilometers from the final destination, and Laguna 69,
a pristine glacial lake with views of Chacraraju.
The Summit Crew: Erin, Adrienne, Sara, and I feeling tired but accomplished in the extreme. We made it to the top for one reason and one reason alone: a king sized Milky Way shared four ways. Notice the IFSA backpacks and lack of real trekking equipment. Clearly we were slightly less than prepared for the journey.
Funny aside: Adrienne hiked the entire way in jeans, fashion sun glasses, ugly ass white tennis shoes, and a scarf. When I teased her about her attire she replied: "I don't hike mountains." Guess there's a first for everything.
We descended back to the bus in a hail storm, and practically had to run to make sure we didn't get let behind. I felt ok until we were about half way down the dirt road from the park to the town of Yungay. And then a combination of terrible pavement, dehydration, altitude sickness, and rude Israeli's (Israeli tourists are kind of a huge thing in Latin America-they complete their year of mandatory military service and spend a year traveling) joined forces to create the worse migraine I have ever suffered. The only thing that saved me was knowing my friends were suffering the same or worse. Once we got back to Huaraz we did our best to revive ourself with seven personal Fantas split between four people, but the only really answer to explosive altitude headaches is sleep. And that's what we did...
Team seroche sipping maté de coca in hopes of recovering from the previous days exertions.
We spent the final day of our mini vacation at Chavín de Huantar, a pre-Inca archaeological site occupied at least as early as 1200 BC and as late as 400-500 BC. Chavín de Huantar was a ceremonial site for the Chavín culture; major take away point: aggressive ritual drug use (Ayahuasca, San Pedro Cactus, etc). It lacks the grandeur of Machu Picchu, but the labyrinths beneath the site are off the chain! Also, I can say that if for some reason in your travels you find your way onto a Peruvian tour you've probably done something right. Our tour guide provided the perfect mix of information, dirty jokes, and social commentary. It was legit!
Two images of Erin and I finding our way through the underworld of Chavín de Huantar.
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