Laguna Churup Hike

Our main reason to come to Huaraz was to go on the infamous Santa Cruz Trail. The extreme altitude encountered on this Trail has resulted in many hikers not completing the trek, which meant that an acclimitazation trek was prudent in order to increase our chances of success. We chose Laguna Churup as a likely hike, and we were accompanied by two other fellow trekkers-Frank from Montreal and Diem from Colorado. Laguna Churup sits at an altitude of 4450m.

The hike started through rolling hills dotted by villages at a nice slow elevation gain. We were able to observe the rural locals going about their usual business, which mostly consists of back-breaking labour while wearing beautiful multi-coloured outfits.

The hike thereafter became steadily steeper, by the end requiring almost rock-climbing abilities in order to reach the very top, thereby becoming a tremendous accomplishment by our standards.

Laguna Churup sits at the base of a glacier that feeds some of the many rivers in the moutain ranges, and the vivid blue-green colour of the water contrasted with the grey rock and white snow made the daytrip more than worthwhile.





We took a moment or two at the summit lake to enjoy a quick lunch before making a quick descent. Here Patricia experienced some altitude sickness due to the incredible height we had attained in a short period of time. This second experience led her to begin taking medication in preparation for the Santa Cruz Trail, whose top elevation would exceed Laguna Churup.