Guest Spotlight – John Adams – WWTrek Supreme Challenge Ishinca Valley Trek
John Adams reached the summit of three peaks on the WWTrek Supreme Challenge Ishinca Valley trek. The Uris, Ishinca, and Tocllajaru peaks sit in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range in Peru.
Over nine days John trekked through the Ishinca Valley, a gradual glacial walk he got training with crampons, rappelling, and ice axes on his way to the 6,000+ meter peaks.
John was excited to trek when he wasn’t climbing on his rest days. The group finished Ishinca, the first peak, a day earlier than planned, he said it was moving to feel so prepared, it was a lot of encouragement! “Working towards Tocllajaru was my favorite day! Summit day, 19,800’!” “My favorite view was on Uris” – “We looked over base camp valley and had a view of the peak we had previously done and the peak we would do after we descended Uris.”
“It felt like home even though I was in a strange place… and I didn’t miss the mountains back home, I didn’t expect them to be so similar.” “I missed the people and the culture in Peru, they live a slower and more meaningful life, there was no rush for time. It’s a cool mountain community. Aside from my family, when I was there [Peru], I didn’t miss much from home.” John liked the slow pace lifestyle because he says mountaineering isn’t about being fast, it’s about getting to the peak alive – and back, more importantly.
John reported feeling pleasantly surprised about adjusting to the altitude so well and said the timing was very important at certain altitudes. “The [WWTrek] program is set up to help me succeed… It was everything I could have hoped for!”
