Llullaillaco Day 2 - walk up to 5100m

I wake up surrounded by glory. Llullaillaco, at 6739 meters above sea level, stands in its majesty....and snow! Courtesy of the invierno altiplanico, the Bolivian winter. It is summer here, but snowfalls are a likely possibility. We have been well snowed upon on Ojos del Salado, to the point that the guide was doubting our climb. To my suggestion to change course and try Llullaillaco if Ojos was too bad, he answered: "Llullaillaco is worse, because it is closer to Bolivia."

Head and shoulders above the rest. A truly magnificent mountain.

Llullaillaco Day 1 - camping in the wild - 3600m

So here I am: on the road again. This time, with a very ambitious target: climb Llullaillaco solo, in 4 days, after 12 days of de-acclimatization. Not a small challenge, one that makes you wonder why you want to attempt it in the first place. 

But Volcan Llullaillaco is an old dream of mine, that began when waiting for treatment in a hospital. It is very simple, really: I was reading this magazine in the waiting area, and in it was an article about this far away volcano on which mummies had been discovered on the summit. Then  and there I decided that some day I would climb it. Kind of like for Ojos del Salado: an impulsive wish, that never lets go of me.

OK, now the photos:

The 4x4 I rented right at Antofagasta airport. You can't hope to reach base camp of Llullaillaco without a good 4x4. Notice the beacon on the roof. Cops reproached me to have one, as only service vehicles are allowed to have one. It fell off during the trip anyway.

The track to Llullaillaco traverses utterly barren deserts and gigantic open sky mines.

In deep shit. Five minutes after stucking the car, a passing vehicle stops and 4 mine workers help me out. The only other car I saw in the desert that day :)

The tent (thanks Fabrice!) behind the car for wind protection. Llullaillaco in clouds behind. Damn.