El
Cocuy – An Alpine Paradise in its Death Throws
Alien frailegon plants litter the
sub-glacier landscape, their stocks pushing soft bunny-eared leaves skyward
towards the waxing moon. Retreating glaciers relinquish century old ice in a
calming dribble, never to return. Clouds race past. Rain, ice, and snow falls.
A stray dog lies beside me, soaked to the bone, wining to the wind. Water drips
into my bivy bag, dampens my down, and cools my body, as I lay in the dark
questioning much - Why do the hills call me? What do they give me? And why
didn’t I carry the tent up the short three hour approach?
I haven’t
climbed in months, have been firmly locked in the tourist-trail-party-scene of
Central America, and am left asking the questions many climbers ask of themselves
after a period of inactivity. I soon find my answers as a chill star-studded
sky greats my 4:00am alarm. I push hard, fearful of the unstable weather of the
Amazonian wet season, and am rapidly
greeted by the familiar iron taste, and penning headache of un-acclimatised
exercitation. Keen on some rarely travelled terrain I weave crevasses,
traversing towards a mixed face I know nothing about. My body quickly remembers
the mechanical swing of an ice axe, the solid kick of a crampon, and the
desperate glove-in-mouth-crimp-mantel as adrenaline pumps, rope-less above a
crack ridden death. In 1980, during the
first ascent, the glaciers stretched over 2000 linear feet lower into the
valleys, and this face was uniform ice soaring to the summit. It is
now solid M4.
Clouds
blanket the eastern Amazon side of the range, and the sun warms the crevassed
and cornice ridge I must now traverse. I summit, weave cornices, duck under
seracs, and then summit again – a slightly higher peak this time. Alpine faces,
never to feel the swing of an axe, hear the ping of a piton, virgin and pure,
plunge into a now nearly un-accessible valley.
I have found
my peace, and have answered all the questions I was only recently asking.
Colombia has
big icy mountains, impossibly steep big walls, and beautiful remote alpine
valleys, but it is nearly too late for the world to discover one of the best
kept secrets of the Andes.
 |
that 800m snowy face seems to be unclimed |
Near the
Venezuelan border in north eastern Colombia exists the national park of El
Cocuy. Within the park there are 23 snow
covered peaks, many with steep faces and alpine couloirs waiting to be
discovered. The highest peak, Ritacub Blanco soars to 5410m.
With the
quickest glacier decay rate in the world, 25 linear meters a year, the clock is
ticking for alpine climbing in this unique park. Full glacier extinction is
predicted by 2025.
Beta
Access –
Since October, 2013 access to the bigwalls on the eastern side of the range has
become difficult. The northern and southern trails into the secluded valley are
closed because of instable relations with the local indigenous tribes. It is
still possible to climb on the faces, but the approach is more involved. Hopeful climbers must traverse over from the
western glaciers, and rappel into the valley. Local guides claim they can gain
you access to the east side via the standard, now closed hiking trails, but the
legality of their claim is questionable at best. Currently three trails allow access to the
western side of the range.
Getting
there – I drove a motorbike from Edmonton Alberta, but flying to Bogata is
probably quicker. Bus 10 hours north to the small colonial town of El Cocuy,
buses leave daily. From the town hire
private transport into the mountains, or jump a ride on the milk truck that
does the trip into the mountains every day of the year.
Food and
fuel – Basic mountain food can be purchases in El Cocuy, along with fuel
canisters, and gasoline. White gas (“bencina blanca”) can be more problematic, try searching for
paint thinner.
Gear –
Crampons, warm clothing, ice axes and basic glacier walking equipment can be
rented in town. A good topographical map is available for 10 dollars (COP$ 20
000). It shows hiking trails, camping areas, access roads, and even milk truck
times along its route. Guides and pack horses are readily available.
Season – The
dry season runs from mid December to the end of March. The rainy season settles
in pretty heavy after that and clear days are rare. This was historically the high season, but
with the closure of the once popular 6 day trek through the eastern side of the
range tourist activity is minimal, and the local economy is suffering.
Formalities
– A permit is required to climb or hike in the park, and is normally asked for
at trail heads. Purchase one in town for a fee of 25 dollars (COP$ 50 000). The permit is said to be valid for only 6
days, but like most things in Colombia the rules are fuzzy, and multiple
permits and extensions are easily accomplished.
Here are links to all the info I have been
able to find on established routes in the park, everything is very rarely
climbed with the exception of the normal route on ritacub blanco, the normal route on pan de azucar, and the
5.8 rock line up the 70m east side of pulpito del diablo
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