Andes Expedition

When you step out of your tent, the rain-soaked landscape reminds you that a sleet storm blew through camp during the night. Huascarán's peaks are hidden in the clouds but the sun is trying to break through. Before long the rest of your teammates are awake and you gather around the fire, eating toast with butter and drinking hot tea. Now that you've met the people of Huascarán and learned a little about their natural landscape, you begin to think about the relationship between the two. Do these mountain people use the natural resources found on Huascarán to survive? Do the plants growing on the floor of the Quenual forests have a medicinal purpose? Are they edible?

Woman weaving a "sintura" (waistband) on a "telar" (loom). Photo: Florencia Zapata

Of course! You didn't even have to set foot on Huascarán to know that. It only takes a moment to conjure the image of walking through the market in Yungay. Carts were overflowing with fruit, wild edibles, and clothes made from the products of these mountain forests. There's no doubt about it, these Non-Timber Forest Products--as they are called--play a very important role in the lives of mountain people.

Over the past two days of climbing, you've been able to see where many of these products originated. Right from the beginning of the expedition, in fact. On the drive to Huascarán National Park, you saw many Puyi raimondii plants stripped of their leaves. The stems of these plants were then cut lengthwise and left in the sun to dry. Afterward, children used the dried plants for benches when they went to school.

By the time you arrived at base camp that evening, Walter had collected the blue berries of the shrub Berberis lutea for dessert. He also instructed you to add them to your water for flavoring. After dinner, he made a tea from the Satureja elliptica plant to help you digest your food.

Before the expedition you had no idea how many different plant parts people could eat. Snacking on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, surrounded by villagers eating the roots of the Valeriana rigida plant and chewing on the leaves of Oxalis to quench their thirst, you try to inventory what plant parts you eat during a normal day in the United States. This sandwich alone is made from the seeds of peanut and wheat plants and the fruit of a strawberry plant!

Woman spinning wool that will be colored using natural plant dyes. Photo: Florencia Zapata

Setting out again, you realize the people of Huascarán have a use for plants growing at every elevation. At 12,500 feet (3,800 meters), you come across Polylepis sericea again. This time, you're surprised to find women removing the bark of the Quenual trees. Walter explains that the bark is used to dye cloth. You recall the brightly clad people walking through the streets of Yungay and wonder if their clothes were dyed with plant materials. As a matter of fact, for thousands of years, the people of Peru have used plants to dye cloth. They know exactly what plant materials need to be harvested when and how they must be prepared for dyeing. You've also seen local people chewing the bark of this tree, which is supposed to prevent cavities.

Suddenly, one of your teammates begins pointing and motioning for everyone to be quiet. A pack of vicuñas is up in front of you at about 13,000 feet (4,000 meters). This is extremely exciting because for a long time the vicuña-a relative of the camel-was in danger of becoming extinct. For many years, vicuñas were hunted for their fleecy fur, which could be spun into fine wool. Since the 1970s these animals have been protected and, as you are witnessing today, they are making a comeback!

Not too much farther along you come across Buddleia incana. This tree, also called quisuar, is used as a medicinal plant in the Andes. A vendor at the Yungay market suggested you buy some water that had been used to boil parts of the tree to clean the blisters on your feet. You remember giving the vendor a skeptical look. In response, she explained that many modern medicines were made using some of the same natural ingredients being sold in the market. In fact, 40% of modern medicines still are. You thought about the aspirin you took earlier to get rid of a headache. Although it is now made from synthetic ingredients, the first aspirin was made from the bark of a willow tree. You decide to buy some of the water and give it a try. After all, your climbing boots are killing your feet!

As you are looking at the quisuar tree, Walter pulls an orange fruit off the pincushion-like cactus that you identified yesterday as Opuntia flocossa. Following his lead, you eat one. It tastes sugary and is quite refreshing. These same fruits can be spread on a bruise to reduce swelling.

At 14,000 feet (4,300 meters), you notice a large bare patch of land in the middle of a Gynoxys oleifolia stand. This upsets you because you really liked the pretty daisylike flowers. Walking away from the forest you see several women, loaded down with wood, returning to their settlement. Apparently, the wood from these trees is very powerful when used as cooking fuel. They will use it to cook their meals.