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- Jan 16, 2015
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Peak-Bagging in Colombia!
This end and begin of 2014 – 15 in Cocuy, Colombia was characterized by clear skies and very strong winds throughout the entire mountain climbing season.
Our MM group enjoyed great hiking conditions during the acclimatization hikes to the Monserrate and Pico del Aguila summits. The views were just perfect with the beautiful snow-covered peaks in the background contrasting with the green and yellow fields in the lower slopes of the mountain range.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_on_the_summit_of_Pioco_del_Aguila.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=a294c22d73fa7682d0a800efb4250838 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_on_the_summit_of_Pioco_del_Aguila.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=4533899d5b3d2195bf073458067c5f58 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_on_the_summit_of_Pioco_del_Aguila.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=ccbc899359d1b90a3528b91c8b73f699 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_on_the_summit_of_Pioco_del_Aguila.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=589bd5e4fe7a423106a9ab1798b27216 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_on_the_summit_of_Pioco_del_Aguila.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=a0368d870ab094166a8862e3a68c165f 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_on_the_summit_of_Pioco_del_Aguila.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=be612215df585241321a697d38396687 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_on_the_summit_of_Pioco_del_Aguila.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=9e55781508aa5d11958cc51fe92905de 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_on_the_summit_of_Pioco_del_Aguila.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=fb26c38164aa71383f18228626624337 1024w)
Barbara on the summit of Pico del Aguila. Juan Carlos Gonzalez’s photo
Barbara and Kathleen, our team members, enjoyed rather warm temperatures at the beginning of the trip, until we began our ascent to our base camp at Laguna Grande de la Sierra. After our nearly 900-meter ascent to base camp and setting up our tents in the busy camp (busy by Colombian standards which is nothing to compare to other countries due to the unknown nature of the destination), we decided to climb Pico Toti the next morning.
Laguna Grande de la Sierra. Mark Gunlogson photo (prior trip)
We left early in the morning and had a pleasant hike to the glacier, where we started our first major ascent of the trip. For Kat, it was her first experience with crampons and ice axe and Toti features quite a varied terrain with snow, rocks and a bit of scrambling, so it was challenge! We summited before all the other groups with a clear view to the entire east side of the range and a nice view down into the lower valleys.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_and_Kat_on_the_Totis_ridge.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=58a2427adc4b9f1792872d88923575aa 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_and_Kat_on_the_Totis_ridge.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=aa9fc753500d9a23af43b8c1db845f06 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_and_Kat_on_the_Totis_ridge.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=eb47c1c489e9ccdf8ff85b8e96fd6fd7 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_and_Kat_on_the_Totis_ridge.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=dea16e20237553a333052b9f70909bf2 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_and_Kat_on_the_Totis_ridge.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=2a2fa6b17037a233b6ead756425c8037 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_and_Kat_on_the_Totis_ridge.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=a3d84f38d3aa4ce833629288dcc8cf69 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_and_Kat_on_the_Totis_ridge.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=4b57b28fc25910fbd05112738fbf0227 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_and_Kat_on_the_Totis_ridge.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=74db7f6dbdd2d4e4b74fae82e58dbc24 1024w)
Barbara and Kat on Toti’s ridge. Juan Carlos Gonzalez’s photo
One great thing about the expedition to the Colombian Andes is the central location of our base camp. Climbers of all skill levels can find exciting objectives within a short distance and families or friends with varying skill-levels can enjoy the trip together!
The next morning, we departed with Barbara towards Pico Concavo, our next goal. We delayed our early schedule departure due to the strong winds. We climbed up from base camp to the summit in a little over 3 hours, which is a record for the MM’s groups! As the day before, the weather was windy but clear and this time the view was even clearer from lower clouds. We had an incomparable sight to the lowlands of the Orinoquia.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_close_to_the_summit_of_Concavo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=2c018cde8e3ca77753203dda23ced2e5 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_close_to_the_summit_of_Concavo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=848bf3d7cfaeb015aeec316f17925582 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_close_to_the_summit_of_Concavo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=23d17c5c1186da2ee6ed01c6f0b074a7 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_close_to_the_summit_of_Concavo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=9335c9000d09012fa57985b459556106 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_close_to_the_summit_of_Concavo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=232d4499db81f36ee6645127fac87b29 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_close_to_the_summit_of_Concavo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=d83c37a921e1950c6677cae719a0c4a1 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_close_to_the_summit_of_Concavo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=7dfd41fca983125017b627fa163bd7b7 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FBarbara_close_to_the_summit_of_Concavo.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=f9c9b69607d3a3c1415495fe12846842 1024w)
Barbara close to the summit of Concavo. Juan Carlos Gonzalez’s photo
In the mean time, Kat hiked up to the glacier at 4700 meters with assistant guide Rafa, as she had decided to take a lighter day and enjoy the scenery and landscapes. We met back at base camp for a nice lunch prepared by Rafa.
As Barbara was really keen on doing a bit more climbing, we took her out to climb Pico Pan de Azucar (5250 meters) the next morning, descending by Lagunillas Valley and hiking over the Aguila Pass down to La Esperanza mountain farm. This was a 12 hour climb, which she concluded very well. 3 summits in 3 days! A real “peak bagging,” as Kat put it.
The whole group enjoyed a well deserve rest and a great homemade meal at the family run mountain farm!
Lush farm land. Mark Gunlogson photo
The next morning we were taken to Ritacuba Blanco’s trailhead and hiked about four hours to high camp. Even though the weather was not as clear as it has been, the temperature was good for hiking. We woke up early to an incredibly still mountain adorned with a clear night sky.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FKat_on_the_way_to_Ritacubas_Summit.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=b52ca1ae2ddb18109eb4d787b0d5fcd4 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FKat_on_the_way_to_Ritacubas_Summit.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=63f0b0f287c7ed3a91352e7576e0fb47 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FKat_on_the_way_to_Ritacubas_Summit.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=bd203bbc494f16760a1d396bdf166cc9 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FKat_on_the_way_to_Ritacubas_Summit.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=f4552d76c2fb3b570c53a4ef88f8959e 800w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FKat_on_the_way_to_Ritacubas_Summit.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=612583f493f13380f4487cb18cbd585d 1000w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FKat_on_the_way_to_Ritacubas_Summit.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=c24ca3473ebb5beafe3b647afd793abd 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FKat_on_the_way_to_Ritacubas_Summit.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=42f0c07134856ff29a638724ceb7f865 1024w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FKat_on_the_way_to_Ritacubas_Summit.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=6f5e62ac135294631ef192f9b1da44c9 1024w)
Kat approaching the summit of Ritacuba Blanco. Juan Carlos Gonzalez’s photo
The temperature was well above freezing and visibility was perfect for a summit day. All the conditions were just right, the first light of the morning hit the snow peaks and the ascent was a total joy; a light breeze an comfortable temperatures along with clear skies accompanied us the whole morning. From the summit, we could see most of the western peaks as well as some of the eastern ones. The clouds were parked below us and a blue sky above. A perfect end to a very enjoyable and successful MM trip in Colombia 2015.
~ MM Guide Juan Carlos Gonzalez
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FAfter_Ritacubas_summit_Kat_and_Barbara.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=104ecf836ec0af5e84b094e37a3d4188 300w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FAfter_Ritacubas_summit_Kat_and_Barbara.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=3ed290e915198896c3d4065eec18eff6 500w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FAfter_Ritacubas_summit_Kat_and_Barbara.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=34f19ec6f8f0012f98cc1c9b47f6146f 700w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FAfter_Ritacubas_summit_Kat_and_Barbara.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=5adafb826c8240074d835b1f085fe07e 768w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FAfter_Ritacubas_summit_Kat_and_Barbara.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=0ca7da7d52e384877c406fe47acc5324 768w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FAfter_Ritacubas_summit_Kat_and_Barbara.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=05e11b3d00a6e22f49dd7efdb359573e 768w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FAfter_Ritacubas_summit_Kat_and_Barbara.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=cbdcc166b6949375273d31f955cd19ef 768w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fkraftwerk-mountain-madness.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2FAfter_Ritacubas_summit_Kat_and_Barbara.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=90baa51c1eccda9d05c21e184d6d8bb4 768w)
Kat and Barbara on the summit of Ritacuba Blanco. Juan Carlos Gonzalez’s photo