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Our group of 7 clients ended up being a private party of 3; our 27 yr old son, and us. - At 59 yrs we often felt like Mother and Father Time, as we were rather on the 'more mature' side of the demographic. Although we had to book the trip by the 2nd week of January - we were the FIRST and only party to have completed the combined trek in the 2014 season! Perhaps the rest of the blog will explain why....
Wild begonias along the trail (upper R) and the National Flower of Peru, called "Qantuta" in Quechua (left)
2 July: Woke up to clear blue skies - after all it's 'the dry season'. Hiked alongside 800 yr old Inka-built irrigation canals, among gnarly, ancient-looking trees, saw Andean falcons - "cara-caras" soaring, hummingbirds feeding and 'singing'. Along the way, Javier shared the names of birds, plants and the history of the region.
Javier Mendoza is 35 yrs old, attended schools in Cusco, married a local woman, has a large extended family in Cusco, has been guiding for 14 years, speaks Spanish and Quechua fluently, with English 'scripts' memorized. He's a Cusqueno through and through. It didn't hurt having another Spanish speaker on the trek- our son - who quickly became the 'favorite' of the group!
After a day and a half of trekking, we got our first good look at the towering Andes. Impressive.
With a concentration of peaks over 6,000m (+20,000ft), Peru has the 2nd highest mountain range in the world; the highest being the Himalayas.
Off-trail side trip up to a high(er) alpine lake.
3 July: Billed as the 'toughest day' of our trek, we took a few long looks at the 'gap' between peaks to see what lay ahead. We hit the rack early for a 5:30 get-up. On the agenda was the 3-4 hour grind up and over Chiriaska Pass (16,208 ft). Into thin air~
Nevado Salkantay is considered the sacred 'Apu' of that region. It's size is difficult to capture on film. At 20,551 ft - it's immense and powerful, as we were lucky to witness an ice fall from a distance.
We summited the pass in 1 hr; 40 minutes :-) Felt good. Our guide adjusted the estimated hike times from that day forward. Javier gave each of us 3 coca leaves representing the Inka's sacred trilogy: The condor - for the upper world; the puma- for the present- or middle world; and the serpent - for the underworld. It wasn't hard to feel humbled in such a setting. We made our silent intentions, placing our leaves on the shrines left before us.
We descended with the pack horses a ways behind us- carrying the tents and food. (lower) We had the whole landscape to ourselves. It looked like the Alaskan tundra - without the cariboo and grizzleys!
Our last camp before joining the Inka trail was, once again, spent on an extended family's pasture with their farm animals: sheep, pigs, horses, dogs, chickens. We were getting used to side-stepping 'caca'.
Three families of relatives live in the outbuildings. No electricity, no working toilets, the children walk 2 hours one-way to school - if they even attend. An animated conversation took place between one of the families' mothers regarding our being 'invited' to camp there. Peace was restored with Javier's skill in the Quechua language.
Let's talk food, hygiene and sleep~ we followed the animals' example and used the "Inka Toilet". Any tree, hill, shrub was fair game. No showers, we had cold rushing water from trail-side streams as the bathroom sink. When we joined the Inka Trail the following day, we had flush toilets. Yippee!
Personal recommendation: the singles most important and effective exercise for the Inka Trail = SQUATS!
The food was prepared in the 2nd side of a shared dining tent. Considering the conditions, the meals were astounding! Pancakes, omelets, hot fruit juice, cocoa powder, Hot avena juice (oatmeal) spaghetti lunches, chicken, alpaca, yuca fries, potatoes prepared many ways, salads, breads. And rice. Twice a day - rice. Happy Hour was promptly served at 5:30 - every evening: popcorn and coca tea was standard fare. Two constants: Tea and coca leaves! Our cook, Palemon, was the first one up and the last one to bed for 7 days. His tip matched the guide's.
Each morning we were awakened with a tap on the tent and handed a cup of hot coca tea. (that's coca; not cocao) Each meal was shared on a small table set up in the 'dining half' of the tent' out of the wind and cold. Portions were generous to the point there WERE leftovers!! Felt pretty pampered.
How cold was it at night? Sunset was at 5:30pm sharp and the temperature plummeted immediately and steeply. In spite of down bags, silk liners, sleeping pads and long underwear, there were two nights when we woke up to ice on our tent and got very little sleep. For example - inside my bag and liner, I wore long underwear top and bottom, socks, pajamas, a neck buff, a stocking cap AND a down coat! Those mornings especially, the cup of coca tea was most welcome~
4 July: Our last day on the Salkantay portion of the trek was a descent to the small village of Hauyllabamba. We visited our first of 7 Inca Ruins - a military post at the junction of 3 valleys. It is 80% intact and the remote access meant we had it all to ourselves~
This village of few residents swells each night with an additional 500 people. Huayllabamba is the 1st camp for the 4-day Inka Trek groups. 50% of that 500 are porters. We were the only ones joining from the Salkantay Trail.
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(above) Students washing up after a recess break on the dusty futbol field. I had a pleasant chat (in Spanish) with a fellow teacher. She teaches 9 students in 2 grades, comes up to the village 5-days a week and returns 'home' on the weekends. Students speak Quechua as their primary language and aren't too keen on learning Spanish. Some things never change~
We celebrated the USA's 4th of July with a shared beer and an impressive night sky: the Milky Way, Southern Cross and a host of other constellations.
5 July: I had read about Dead Woman's Pass (Warrmihuanusca) @ 13,779 ft. in "Turn Right at Machupicchu". It was going to be a our biggest (and my toughest) day. We ate at 5:30 and began the long, steep climb, up and up and up the granite steps. Not a forgiving surface!
Most porters weigh in at around 145# and carry loads-dictated by law-not to exceed 25kg (55#) The speed with which they climb and descend and the variety of foot ware is astounding. Many in sandals. With the exception of the porters - there were only 5 of us (clients) carrying big packs. All other trekkers had water and a light jacket in day packs. What's up with that??
Listening to feeding hummingbirds and the improving vistas took the edge off the effort.
After 5 hours of climbing - we reached the 1st pass- where our son was resting comfortably.
The lunch stop was where most groups camped for the day. Our guide suggested we press on over another pass to a less congested site. We had more ruins to ourselves along the way.
6 July: Man, a hot shower would feel great! Not part of the plan...Meanwhile the changing vegetation proved to be a pleasant distraction from the sore thighs, tender feet and lack of soap. (Speaking for myself here)
Butterflies, (really) instead of hummingbirds, accompanied us as we dropped through the layers of the changing environment. It was hard to grasp that we were 'descending' toward Machupicchu~
For the 'dry season', it looked pretty lush.
Our last camp was sandwiched between multiple ruins; a small city, an agricultural ruin with terraces and irrigation systems. The settings were tranquil, quiet and moving.
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7 July: Our last day on the trek is scripted to arrive at the Sun Gate (Inti Pata) for the sunrise. So: wake up at 3:00am; eat breakfast and be on the trail by 4:15; wait at the locked entrance gate for 90 minutes where the 250 trekkers line up. RUSH for 60 min on the narrow trail (by headlamp) to the Sun Gate -----to see... clouds. Our guide shared with us that the sunrise view is seen 40% of the time. 0% after a rainfall - it had rained from 11:pm till 2:30am the night before.....The reason we had to be up and out by 3:30am was to allow the porters time to pack out the tents and cook gear and catch the locals' train back to their homes and families.
The incredible 3-Windows; representing the
"Condor; the Puma and the Serpent"
In the foreground, the Andean Cross (Chakana) with a level for each animal of the trilogy. When the sun rises on the solstices, the shadow forms the lower half of the Chakana.
The natural rocks represent the Condor's wings (above)
The combined Salkantay and Inka Treks delivered. The 7-day Pilgrimage was strenuous, scenic, spiritual and unforgettable.
A relaxing return through the Sacred Valley via train and private car. Heading back to Cusco for much needed HOT SHOWERS and pisco sours!
