Jesse (Jeltown)
Google
Did a self-supported trek around the Cordillera Huayhuash May/June 2023 with one partner. Contrary to just about every single trip report I've ever read, the weather was terrible. Five days in a row of rain. Not afternoon thunderstorms, but drenching intermittent rain throughout the day and night. This was followed by three days of ferocious wind that damaged tents and pulled out tent stakes. Tons of domestic animals both on and off trail. Hundreds (thousands?) of cattle as high as 16k feet. Animal droppings everywhere. Nearly all the domestic animals are less than friendly (dogs, horses, and cows all acted aggressively at times). Many of the locals are also less than friendly including some which seemed already drunk at 9am. There are open air trash pits where human and animal waste, plastic, cans, and all other manner of waste is piled up near the campsites. The mountains are stunning and would likely be a most visited National Park in almost any other country, and yet the surrounding landscape is trashed and polluted by the grazing of the non-native cattle on the foothills.There are frequently large groups at the campgrounds who for some reason want to come to these high distant mountains to party. The mountains are beautiful for sure, perhaps some of the most beautiful in the world. I just think a lot of information about the Huayhuash sugar-coats some of the things which take away from this otherwise amazing location
