J: Jirishanca (Photo page)

For the letter J, we bring you Jirishanca, or the Hummingbird's Bill (20,098'), the heart of the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes. Severely carved by glaciers on all sides, what is left is a horn that is extremely difficult to climb (not catching me anywhere near there!). For what it's worth, the area on the east side of the mountain is also considered the source of the Amazon, though of course a river that vast has many, many sources in reality.

We trekked around the Huayhuash summer 2014, two days after completing the Alpamayo trek. That actually worked well--we really leveraged the fitness and altitude acclimatization we gained on the first trek! So here is...the Hummingbird's Beak.

Lake Carhaucocha, on the east side of the Cordillera. Jirishanca on the far right.

Lake Jahuacocha, looking up at Jirishanca.



From  Jahuacocha. Another glacial lake is behind the large moraine in the background.

Wave clouds forming on the peak. Check out the fluting on the faces, too!

Viscacha--a relative of the chinchilla, rather like a rabbit with a long tail.

Totally gratuitous newborn lamb. The woolies were everywhere in those mountains!

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2015