I had two weeks. Left on July 14th. Climbed Pisco (18,897 ft) and Tocllaraju (19,790 ft).

The original plan was to head into the Llanganuco Valley to climb Pisco and Chopicalqui. I rushed it way too much and was feeling like hell by the time we got down from Pisco, so I headed back to Huaraz for some rest.

Pisco is a beautiful, but straightforward, glacier climb. The views from the top are ridiculous. To the north you can see the Huandoy group, Artesonraju, Alpamayo and others. Never have a seen such an incredible summit view. If you’re going, I’d suggest pushing past base camp up to the morraine camp. This will cut two hours off of summit day and let you sleep in a little. The morraine is a serious pain in the butt.

After resting up for a day, I headed back into the mountains – this time to the Ishinca Valley for a climb of Tocllaraju. This climb is fabulous. Begin by trekking into base camp (you can get burrows on the way), spend the night and head up to high camp near the glacier the following day.

The climb wanders through, up and around massive crevasses and finishes by crossing a bergschrund and ascending a 70-degree summit wall for about 200 feet. One of the best climbs of my life. It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining. what a day.