Dick Tough was in the Marines and a member of the Royal Navy’s Mountaineering Club at a time when the forces were conducting research into the effects of altitude sickness. This expedition was diverted from Peru’s Cordillera Blanca (rather embarrassing if it had encountered the Sendero Luminoso guerrillas), to the far less explored Cordillera Real in Bolivia. This 160km range is part of the eastern Andean chain and runs north east of La Paz. Sedimentary rocks predominate, especially Ordovician and Silurian black shales and siltstones, and are heavily mineralised. However, the peaks are composed of more resistant intrusive granodiorite and granite, and in 1989, were comparatively rarely climbed.

The first half of Dick’s engaging talk consisted of the video made of the training to simulate high altitude of and the resulting 22 member Royal Navy expedition, composed of medics, technicians, climbers and a photographer, the sole woman. It depicted super fit young men gasping and collapsing on the treadmills adjusted to simulate high altitude conditions, constantly subjected to blood sampling to test their oxygen up take and lactate accumulation, and then assembling the vast amount of paraphernalia required to test the theories on some really high mountains.

We learnt of the adjustments required for Bolivia, starting with the fact the airport is on the Altiplano at 4100m. La Paz is below it; the road between the two spans the country’s social structure, given the tiers of self built houses climbing up the canyon walls on all sides, the colonial layout in the core and the surrounding modern high rises. Bolivian acclimatisation included the ‘unofficial’ transactions required to retrieve the equipment from customs and transport it in vehicles of doubtful roadworthiness to the blissful surroundings of the Residencial in the colonial town of Sorata at the Western foot of the range. Before they became too soft, 30 herders and their 130 llamas were procured to carry the gear to Quilambaya and then on to Lakathiya, at 4000m. Scientific routine included constant weight and pulse monitoring, blood samples taken before breakfast, followed by shuttle runs and more samples, which were then centrifuged, frozen, and packed for analysis back in Britain. Lakathiya was the jumping off point for the expeditions: the climbers took in some of the Cordillera Real’s 35 peaks on the way to the highest point, Mt Ancohuma (6427m), while the trekkers following Inca roads descending to the east but involving passes over 4500m.

Judging by the video and the following slides, both were tough, though rewarding. The climbing party encountered no technical difficulties other than those caused by the weather and altitude. Dick trekked; the trail was exceedingly rough at times and the lower one went, the hotter and higher the humidity, the corresponding insect life and their irritations. Camping ground was scarce. The scenery gradually changed from the barren rock and ichu clumps, and the llamas and the rare sighting of a vizcacha (large ground burrowing hare with squirrel tail) of the high Andes to the lushness of the lower and far wetter valleys. Their adventures continued at their destination, a village with a ‘road’. The elastic sided jeeps proved more robust than their appearance suggested but even they came unstuck after driving along a riverbed and attempting to scale its gravel embankment. However, friendly and curious people materialised out of nowhere to manhandle them upright. Back at base, the herders were focused on relieving them of excess food. Then they were allowed a few days recuperation (and of the road to get them there!) in the fantastic scenery and pools at Chulumani, a picturesque market town at a mere 1700m.

This was a very enjoyable talk, delivered in a relaxed but lively style by an experienced talker, who well understood his audience. It was much appreciated by all.

Stella Lowder

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