I referred to this in the thread about the new airport in China and flying to high-elevation airports, but I thought I'd post here as a trip report.
In July I went on a guided climbing trip in Bolivia with a small group of friends. We spent 20 days there, starting with a trek in the highlands to acclimatize. By the end we had summited Huayna Potosi (19,974') and Parinacota (20,827'). It was a real thrill for me since, having been to 19k' summits twice, I've been wanting to cross the 20k' milestone. And that we did!
We also attempted Sajama (21,463') as our final peak, but half way to the summit from high camp the conditions were such that the team had to turn around – saving that one for another time. I had minor AMS symptoms in the morning at Sajama high camp (18,600') which kept me from going higher that day. But there was no disappointment. We all ended up being very stoked about the whole experience.
For a trip report with photos, I can't top what our mountain guide and trip organizer, Joe Stock, posted on his website:
http://www.stockalpine.com/posts/bolivia.html .
One thing I really enjoy about a climbing trip like this is that it has full-on mountaineering in remote places combined with traveling in a beautiful, interesting country full of wonderful, friendly people – similar to trips others have reported on here to places like the Himalaya and Mexico.
