We arrived at the Pisco base camp around 15:30, and our donkeys were already there. There was only one other tent, and it was a group that had just descended. There weren't going to be any crowds this time! We made dinner and went to bed around 18:30. I slept straight through to the alarm at 1:15.

We had breakfast and tea and started shortly after 2am... the moraine really sucked, and it was tricky following the cairns in the dark. We did a good job route finding until we got to the lake... there we foolishly followed cairns down to the water, and along the shore of the lake. Instead of backtracking early on, we thought we would be able to meet back with the regular trail, but the steep moraine was impassable, and we ended up backtracking anyway - with a good 2 hours and a lot of energy wasted. By the time we made it to the snout of the glacier, it was already light and we were exhausted from the pointless detour. Around 10am, we were at 5500m and going really slowly, so we decided to turn around. The way back through the moraine sucked, but we made it down and all the way to Cebollapampa that afternoon.

	Marta and I are packing for Pisco	Coca is very important	my pack

	our arriero (donkey driver) preparing the donkey (photo by marta)	our packs being loaded onto burros	me and my donkey (photo by marta)

	me and my donkey (photo by marta)	our burros making it up the trail

	Pisco	Chopicalqui at sunrise	starting the day at 2am (photo by marta)

	uncoiling the rope at the base of the glacier (photo by marta)	Marta with the Huandoys in the background on the way up Pisco	group of peruanos that passed us

	me climbing (photo by marta)	me climbing (photo by marta)	me climbing (photo by marta)

	Marta just crossing a snowbridge		Artesonraju on the left

		returned at the base of the glacier	beginning the long walk back through the moraine

	descending	the lake that got us lost in the dark	slogging through the painful moraine

	me above to exit the crazy moraine	steep dirt on the way to exit the moraine	the moraine from hell