PICO BOLIVAR DE VENEZUELA DISCOVERS THIS PARADISE
It receives its name in honor of the Venezuelan Liberator Simón Bolívar. On April 19, 1951, a bronze bust of the Liberator was unveiled at the summit of the peak, the work of the painter and sculptor Marcos León Mariño.
It is one of the most important tourist attractions in Venezuela.
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The Bolívar peak is part of the Venezuelan Andes, which derive from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia at the level of El Tamá National Park and its El Cobre mountain (3,613 meters), to the south of Táchira State. This imposing mountain formation continues north-west between the Torbes and Uribante rivers at the level of El Púlpito Peak (3,942 meters) and the extensive Páramo del Batallón. At this point Merida State penetrates forming the Sierra Nevada de Mérida, separated from the Ramal del Uribante by the Nuestra Señora River. It is in the heart of the Sierra Nevada de Mérida that the Bolívar peak is located.
The mirror Peak is one of those strange places where a person can find peace and silence in this hectic world of today. This is one of the highest places in Venezuela, 4,765 meters above sea level, in the Andes mountain range of Merida.
The Espejo Peak is reached in a few minutes, and as they pass, you can see the most detailed views of the Sierra de La Culata, the city of Mérida, the Chama River Valley. The ascent by this cable car is memorable. It covers the longest journey and ascends to the highest station in the world in Pico Espejo.
The route begins at the Barinitas Station, at the Plaza de las Heroínas in Mérida, at an altitude of 1,600 meters. The ascent is done in four stages, in each of which you have to change cab, since each section works independently of the others.
The Pico Espejo is an impressive place, sometimes shrouded in haze and sometimes with a radiant sun that toasts the skin. It is a place where we can see the wind pass, making capers with the clouds, bypassing the snowy peaks. It is a place to see the horizon and think about what is beyond. It is the roof of the world in which we live.
Currently the name of La Columna is used to refer to the massif that contains the Bolívar peak, as well as other important elevations such as the León peak of 4,743 meters above sea level and the Toro peak of 4,695 meters above sea level. While the name of Concha is used to refer to another peak located in the same sierra which was previously referred to as La Garza.
Ascent: Despite being the highest summit in the country, Bolívar peak was not the main interest of hikers until the twentieth century as previously, due to the view from Merida, it was considered that the Toro Peak located in the same Sierra Nevada had a higher altitude so it meant a greater challenge.
The first attempt to climb the Bolivar peak known to date back to 1897, when José Trinidad Nieto, Víctor Moreno, Pedro Moreno, J. Eladio Altuve, Medardo Nieto and others tried to climb the peak.
The first ascent to the Bolívar peak was made by Merino pharmacist Enrique Bourgoin and the Tovarine Heriberto Márquez Molina accompanied by the guide Domingo Peña, who reached the top of the peak through the throat of the now extinct Timoncito glacier on January 5. 1935
Height: In the year 1907 the first study was carried out to determine the precise height of the peak, it is conducted by the fourth expedition of the Astronomical Commission of the Military Plan Surveying Board who, by means of indirect calculations, establishes a height of 5,002 msnm.
In 1992 Heinz Saler of the Institute für Anwendungen der Geodaesie im Bauwesen and Carlos Abad of the Venezuelan Astronomy Research Center made measurements with GPS equipment determining the height of the Bolivar Peak at 4,980.8 m with an error of + - 0.8 [msnm] ]]
In 2002, on the occasion of the declaration by the United Nations as the international year of the mountains, the Institute of Geography of Venezuela decided to verify in conjunction with the Simón Bolívar University and the University of Zulia the exact height of the peak after which its last measurement during the 1950s will determine a height of 5,007 meters above sea level. In the last years before the exact determination of the altitude by the IGVSB and the previous measurements of Saler and Abad, the peak was assigned an altitude range between 4,976 and 5,007 m. The results of the 2002 campaign resulted in a height for Pico Bolivar of 4978.4 ± 0.4m (Alturas del Pico Bolívar and other Venezuelan Andean peaks from Gps observations).
Caption: As the maximum height of the country, the Bolivar peak has not escaped mysticism and legends, the most famous legend related to the peak is about the five white eagles written by Merino Tulio Febres Cordero in which, the peak Bolivar naked He receives his snow from one of five eagles that are persecuted by an indigenous princess for their beautiful plumage.
Geology: The formation of the Bolívar peak, as well as the formation of the Mérida Mountain Range, took place thanks to the process initiated by the collision of the continental plate of South America and the plate of the Caribbean which raised the terrain until reaching the current heights.
Glaciers: Within the area of the Bolivar peak have been determined 4 glaciers that have been studied since the mid-twentieth century, however, these glaciers have been reduced due to global warming and pollution to such an extent that two of them have practically disappeared , and the other two have fallen alarmingly in size since the 70s.
1st Day
Our trek to Pico Bolívar begins in the city of Mérida (1650 m.s.), located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada National Park. After breakfast, we will travel by 4 × 4 vehicle to the snowy town at 2700 m.s. where we will spend the first night. Overnight in the snowed will give us the opportunity to acclimatize for the ascent to the pico bolívar 4980 m.s.n.m. The snowy town is about 4 hours from the city of Merida within the Sierra Nevada National Park and its inhabitants were those who participated in the 50s in the construction of the cableway of Mérida, also the immortal guide of the Andean mountains Domingo Peña Nacido in that Andean agricultural town, a town that functions as an operational base for many mountain excursions.
At the moment of arriving at the snowed ones we will do a short walk to adapt and to observe the majesty of the snowy mountain range. In the afternoon a briefing to the climbers and a delicious dinner.
2nd Day
After breakfast and very early in the morning we will go by the route that leads to the top of the cross 4200 m.s.n.m. with an approximate distance of 14 km. Which will travel in about 5 hours. Taking into account that we must save the greatest amount of energy for the second part of the ascent, it is important to note that during this journey our climbing and mountaineering team will be ported by the town's baquianos and mules.
At noon after a light lunch we will continue through the crest of the rooster to connect with the last station of the cable car, peak mirror 4800 m.s.n.m. and then descend a few meters to Timoncitos from our base camp at the foot of the Bolivar peak. After setting up camp, we will have a delicious dinner and rest for the next day.
3rd Day (climbing)
This is the most important day of the tour, because we will reach the highest geographical point of Venezuela, we will get up very early and after some hot drinks and some cereal, we will begin our climb to Pico Bolívar through the Weiss route, all our The team stays at the base camp and we will only carry our climbing equipment, first aid and some dried fruits for the march. This climb could take all day depending on weather conditions. At the end of the afternoon I return to the base camp and dinner.
4th Day
We will get up early to pick up all the base camp and have breakfast, then we will make the return to the mirror peak station, crest of the rooster, top of the cross and descend to near the aguada station, specifically to the house of Pedro Peña, where we will spend the night and we will rest from such a beautiful adventure.
5th Day
Departure after resting and having breakfast at Pedro's house, via Mucunután, it is a short walk of about 3 ½ hours. Where our vehicle will wait to take us to the city of Mérida in about 40 minutes where our trekking to Pico Bolívar ends.
I hope you enjoyed it and that you can visit this beautiful country and visit some of the exceptional tourist attractions.
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