This photo was shot near sunset, high in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru’s Andes mountains. On this particular climb Dave Thompson was attempting the 6,000+ metre Tocllaraju Mountain (the peak on the left of the photograph). This is the view from his tent at just over 5,000 metres. Tocllaraju in Quechua language means something akin to trap or ‘trap mountain’. Perhaps its unique and beautiful pyramid shape looked like a Quechua trap to the local people.
Parts of the Peruvian Andes in this region are massive mountains very similar in appearance to the Himalayas. Their foothills are huge incredible mounds of earth towering up to several thousand metres above deep river canyons. The city of Huaraz lies above one such canyon at 3,100 metres and is the hub for preparing a climbing trip into these great mountains.
