Andes Expedition

Now that you are more familiar with some plant uses, you try to guess what certain plants might be used for. When you encounter the bluish-purple flowers of Lupinus mutabilis, you immediately guess these plants are used for dyeing. It turns out you are right-the leaves, flowers, and stems of this plant are used to dye cloth. After all you have learned, you are curious about how many of these same plants are used to produce medicine and vitamins sold in the United States. You decide to keep track of the medicinal plants and check when you get back home.

Stopping for a moment to catch your breath, you notice a large black bird soaring overhead. At about 18,000 feet, it could be protecting its nesting site, although this seems really high for a bird to nest. It resembles scavengers you have seen in the United States so maybe it is searching for animal remains to feed on. As it effortlessly glides through the air, you make some general observations: black, white marks on the neck and wings, wingspan of about 10 feet. Using your field guide you are able to identify this enormous bird as an Andean condor, the "king of the Andes." Other than the ostrich, it is the largest bird alive today. Males can grow to weigh 33 pounds! This creature must be important to the Andean people because you recall seeing its image carved into the pottery and stone sculptures in the Yungay marketplace.

You mention to Walter that you are amazed at how many useful plants there are in the mountains. He tells you this is nothing compared to the way it used to be. Most of the people you've seen collecting plants are herdsmen who travel up and down the mountainside checking on their livestock. Local collectors either use the plants themselves or sell them in the local market. Sometimes, locals sell their crafts or medicinal herbs to local middlemen who sell them to a village trader and so on until the products reach distant marketplaces, such as Lima. In this scenario, the mountain people receive only a small fraction of the market price.

Woman carrying maize (corn) stalks. These will be stored and used for animal fodder. Photo: Florencia Zapata

When the demand was local, mountain people were able to manage Huascarán's resources in a sustainable way. In recent years, though, there has been increased global demand for natural products like medicinal herbs. This has brought outside collectors to the mountain. The guide explains that these outsiders don't always know how to properly collect the plants. In order to compete with outsiders, locals have had to collect plants too early or collect more at one time. As a result, many plant populations on Huascarán are declining, and some have already become extinct. In an attempt to preserve these natural resources, the Peruvian government has banned the export of some plants and the collection of others.

Once again, as the sun begins to set, the temperature drops. Even after spending two nights on the mountain you still can't believe how quickly this happens or how quickly your body begins to cool down! You and your teammates head back to Camp 3 and begin preparing for your final day on the mountain.