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Day 2 of Hiking in Colombia: High Passes and Heavy Breathing
Our second day of hiking in Colombia – specifically in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy – took us from our hostel – Cabana Sisuma, up and over two high passes.
There was a lot of heavy breathing happening on my part for most of the five to six hours it took me to hike to our campsite at the edge of Laguna de la Plaza, the largest lake on the six day trek.
In fact on the way up to both passes I would mentally count out ten steps at a time and on the 50th step I would sit for another count of ten. I think by day three I had acclimatized and the breathing wasn’t so much of an issue.
Heavy breathing was definitely not an issue for the little guy, Giovanni, pictured below. I can only imagine how much energy he would have at sea level. His mom looked after the hostel and cooked the delicious meals over the time we were there.
Giovanni – the cute kid at the hostel – who had boundless energy at 12000′
We hiked the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy in a counterclockwise direction beginning in Guican. Our guide Rodrigo explained to us that he preferred going in this direction for two main reasons: the sun is at your back and not in your eyes, a huge plus in my mind and on the last day it’s easy to get back to Guican by early afternoon in order to catch a bus or private transportation onto where ever your next destination happens to be.
We did meet several parties hiking the circuit in a clockwise direction. The first two guys we met were a couple of Canadians at the top of the first pass. They had not had a good week. On three mornings they had awoken to snow, they never got the views except for the day we met them and on one day they got severely lost – to the tune of having to add three hours of extra hiking time to their day. They did say their GPS had led them astray – hence the reason for always taking a compass and a map with you as a back-up.
At least their experience is better than one Rodrigo told us about. Apparently a group of four Colombian students got lost for 45 days a few years ago – despite a massive search party for them. Somehow three survived.
On a cheerier note here’s a look at the fabulous scenery that greeted us on the second day of our Colombia hike.
Scenery at the start of the trek on Day 2
Very lush vegetation at the start (elevation is about 11,000′)
Beautiful mountain reflection
Small ponds and lakes on the way to the first pass
Porters hiking the ridge
On our way up to the first pass ( and it tuns out the pass is much higher & further than it appears here)
Love this blast of colour spilling from the rock
Looks more like coral than a flower
Sign at the first pass of the hike – at 4410 meters (14,469 feet)
Looking down from the first pass into a fog filled valley
Very hardy alpine plants
The bottom of the first pass
No where to go but up
Me at the top of the Patio Bolas Pass – our second pass of the day at 4350 meters (13,850′)
Huge fog that eventually makes its way to us – and engulfs us
Rodrigo our guide heading off in the fog
Hiking through frailejones – very cool vegetation
Me – finally at the Laguna de la Plaza – the largest lake on the trek – & if I look like I’m winded it’s because I am
A foggy view out of our tent within minutes of arriving
Soup and crackers delivered to our tent
Does this look like a hike you’d be interested in doing?
For more travel inspiration check out the photos of other travel bloggers on Nancie’s Budget Travelers Sandbox website.
Other posts from the Colombia trip you might find interesting.
- Hiking in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy Range, Colombia
- Hiking in the Sierra Nevada Range in Colombia: Day 1
- Discovering Bogota, Colombia via a Bike Tour
- The Bus Ride from Hell: Bogota to Guican in 14 Hours
Leigh McAdam
HikeBikeTravel
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About Hike Bike TravelAvid world traveler. Craves adventure - & the odd wildly epic day. Gardener. Reader. Wine lover. Next big project - a book on 100 Canadian outdoor adventures.
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46 Responses to Day 2 of Hiking in Colombia: High Passes and Heavy Breathing
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I’ve been all over the world – to all continents but Antarctica and to a grand total of 53 countries. I’ve always got some sort of an adventure planned – even if it’s only a weekend. I thrive on change and travel provides that.
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leighmcadamtravels at gmail dot com
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Wow those frailejones look amazing.
Mette – Italian Notes recently posted..Italian fascist architecture
@Mette I fell in love with those plants on the trip. Reportedly there are up to 700 types of vegetation in this area.
Wow, just gorgeous. I’m glad to hear you got acclimated by Day 3. That would be my biggest worry in doing a hike like this.
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@Jennifer I never did suffer from headaches but by the third day I definitely wasn’t breathing as heavily on the uphills. The good news is that I’m in much better shape back in Calgary where the breathing is easy at 3000′.
I don’t think I’d be looking as good as you do after all of that. I’d love to do a hike like this, but would need quite a bit of conditioning beforehand for the altitude. Giovanni is such a cutie! All of your photos really show that beauty of the land.
Cathy Sweeney recently posted..Hohensalzburg Fortress: High above Salzburg
@Cathy One thing I like about these trips is that you really don’t spend anytime looking in a mirror – and it’s a bit of a rude shock when you come out to see how wild you’ve become. I would have benefited from more conditioning and less computer and desk time beforehand but by the end I’d have to say I was feeling pretty darned great.
I love the frailejones landscapes. Bet it was great to climb into your tent and have soup and biscuits delivered. I also do not like walking into the sun, so would have loved your guide’s choice.
budget jan recently posted..Barcelona Photos from the Streets
@Jan It was a shock to have the soup delivered. I think every other day the weather cooperated and we were happy to join the guys outside for our 4 pm soup. It was also a great way to get some liquids in.
I do the counting thing too! When it’s really bad I resort to ‘left’, ‘right’, ‘left’, ‘right’. Beautiful hike!
Gillian @OneGiantStep recently posted..A Day At Huay Tueng Tao Lake, Chiang Mai
@Gillian I’ve been a counter for years but I’ve never even considered Left, Right. I’ll try that next time the going gets tough.
Wow, when you say you’re going for a hike, you mean it. What a trek!
The views were beautiful. I love the pictures of all the vegetation you saw on the way and that picture looking down into the pass with all that fog is gorgeous.
Tonya @ The Traveling Praters recently posted..Travel as a Disaster Relief Volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse
@Tonya It was a trek but I knew what I was getting into. It was very reminiscent of one I’d done in the Cordillera Blanca in Peru – high, beautiful, deep blue skies but COLD the minute the sun went down.
I think if I were hiking there I would be heavy breathing too. But it would be worth it with views and vistas and photography opps like that!
Looks like an amazing trip. Have a wonderful trip and thanks for stopping by my blog today. I like Aperture priority too!
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@Jill Loved all the opportunities for photography and in hindsight I wish I’d taken even more.
Incredible! Love love love the scenery. Great pics by the way!
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@Tammy I feel very fortunate that we got the great weather we did. Without it the pictures wouldn’t have looked like much.
Great photos, as always
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Thanks Muza-chan.
This is such beautiful scenery and landscape. I love the frailejones and colorful alpine plants. I’m not sure I can do this hike at such a high altitude. I get altitude sickness at the Colorado ski resorts and this is higher.
So, I love living vicariously through your awesome hikes. Can’t wait to see more pictures of this hike.
Mary @ The World Is A Book recently posted..Wacky Seuss Landing at Universal Studios Florida
@Mary I’ve had bad altitude sickness at the Colorado ski resorts and the key is acclimatizing over time – not going too high too fast – and Diamox works like a charm for me. There is a saying, climb high and sleep low. That really helps the body acclimatize.
This looks great, Leigh. The variety of vegetation is fascinating. As mentioned on G+ I’ll definitely be in touch about these mountains as I get closer.
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@Bob If you’re making your way north in SA this is definitely a trek to consider though wonder about your timing with regards to the weather.
What amazing scenery. At least the rewards are great for the effort you have to put in! Hiking at that altitude is not easy.I take my hat off to you! Hiking through the frailejones must of been amazing
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@Jenny I loved walking through vegetation I’d never seen before. And the hiking at altitude definitely became easier day by day.
We find that a GPS isn’t even tremendously accurate where we live. I would be really leery of relying on one out in the wilderness. We get a lot of stories on the news about lost hikers and they don’t always end well. I’ve come to believe that a local guide is a really good thing. Incredible photos, as always!
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@Billie I’ve had my batteries die in cold weather so I don’t like relying on a GPS. Really I’m a map girl – maybe because of when I was born.
Its such a bummer traveling to areas known for great scenery to have weather come in and ruin it! You were lucky to have the wonderful weather you did. Great tip on always bringing a compass and map. My worry with GPS is that people will not learn how to use the non-technical tools!
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@Debbie I am so grateful to the weather gods. If I had been doing this trip on my own I would definitely carry a decent topo map and compass. I try not to leave home without those things. I don’t like trusting my life to a couple of batteries.
Such beautiful photos, Leigh! I love the one of you with the tower of rocks – reminds me of the Inukshuks that we find here in Canada!
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@Lisa There were lots of cairns on this hike – probably because when the fog rolls in it can be pretty tough route finding.
Awesome story and photos! Altitude always just hits me suddenly with the heavy breathing. It’s truly a case of putting ‘one foot in front of another.’ This year, I’m finding I’m struggling more with dehydration in the mountains. Happy trails!
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@Sonya I worked really hard at staying hydrated on this trip. If I’d gotten sick it would have been a hard place to get out of quickly.
If you felt breathless, Leigh, then I would have certainly have lost my breath! The scenes and the photographs are absolutely splendid! Nature at its pristine best.
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@Arti Thanks for that wonderful comment.
Sensational pictures of unique fauna. It looks like desert vegetation in an Alpine setting. What a beautiful area. Nothing comes easy in a landscape like this, but I can tell the hard work was worth it.
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@Ted Loved the fauna – it made it feel a bit like Arizona. And the landscape was wonderful from start to finish.
Stunning scenery and gorgeous vegetation, Leigh. I bet that was the best soup you ever ate!
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@Nancie You are so right and salty crackers really hit the spot too.
The trail reminds me of the Lares Valley in Peru and of the heavy breathing that the high altitude entails. Sounds like you acclimatized quickly. All your photos are so stunning.
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@Marisol I haven’t heard of the Lares Valley but you’ve got my attention now. I think we both did OK with the altitude – and perhaps skiing at about 8000′ a few weeks before helped too.
I am nowhere near fit enough to do this hike! Thanks for the beautiful photos.
@Denise It would have been a wee bit easier if I’d actually worked out a little more but still we did it in under the average hiking time every day.
Wow! This hike looks amazing. I especially like your closeups of the alpine flowers and that rock tower at the top of the pass. I am really enjoying this trek vicariously through you.
Michele @ Malaysian Meanders recently posted..Easy Malay for English Speakers
@Michele It was an amazing hike and two weeks later I’m still suffering withdrawal symptoms.
This is definitely some serious hiking, Leigh. Kudos to you that you did it, despite having to stop and catch your breath. I’d have to train first before I could even think of attempting it. On the plus, plus side — the views are incredible. Rugged and beautiful.
Such a sad story about the hiker who got lost. I hope Rodrigo told you that after you got back to base.
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@Marcia It was tough but it definitely got easier day by day. And Rodrigo did tell us as we were hiking but that was OK. It just made us appreciate having a guide even more.