Inka Trail - day 2
Campsite tonight: Pacaymayo (11,808 ft - 3,600 m)
Distance: 8 miles (12 kilometers)
Good morning Peru!Very early wake-up call - 5am. The guide gently knocked on our tent and offered us coca tea - a traditional Peruvian drink that not only wakes you up immediately but also helps with acclimatization to the altitude. The valley below was waking up as well - rosters crowing, dogs barking, from time to time you could hear a bay of a donkey. From our campsite we had a view of the the small village Wayllapampa (“Grassy Plain”) below. It’s a permanent settlement with approximately 400 inhabitants. Perfect morning to start another adventure.
After hearty breakfast of quinoa porridge and pancakes we are back on the trail. Today is gonna be a hard day - first a climb to the Dead Woman’s Pass, than steep downhill to our camp. Today we are gonna get our asses kicked by famous Inka steps. And I’m so looking forward to it!
Many hours later...
Did I say the first day wasn’t bad? Than the second was a killer! The climb up to the Dead Woman’s Pass was both heavenly and hellish. The views where spectacular. The walk through the Elfin Forest while I was listening to "Hall of the Mountain King" by Apocalyptica - was breathtaking! Hundreds of Inka’s steps - where a road to hell! We walked for several hours, all uphill, climbing steps, while the air was getting more and more thin. I made a lot of friends today since some people would pass me, than I would pass them, than they passed me again... yep, never-ending story. After several meetings like that you can’t help but become good friends. There are people here from Canada, Germany, Australia, USA, UK - and the main thing in common - lack of oxygen.Today we got introduced to Condor's Piss (the official name Agua De Florida - and that's what you should ask for at the Pharmacy) - a magical elixir that opens up your passages, and allows more oxygen into your starved lungs. You just put few drops on your hands, rub them together, clap, and inhale... deeply... And you are ready for another climb! By the end of the day I had a pretty hefty addiction to that stuff.
After several hours of climbing, finally I reached the Dead Woman’s Pass (“Warmiwañusca” in the Quechua language). No woman died in this place, and there is no horror story to be told. The name comes from the view from the valley below, where you can see a form of a woman’s supine body. What makes Dead Woman’s Pass so famous is it’s altitude. At 13,828 ft (4,215m), it’s the highest point of the Inca Trail - it’s nearly 5,905 ft (1,800m) higher than the Machu Picchu itself. As a result there are fewer trees and you pray for a good weather at the top, since you don’t have any protection from elements. As I climbed up to the Pass, the weather was getting worse and worse, with a thick, white fog rolling over the mountains. But once I reached the top, it cleared out, rewarding me with an amazing, warm, and sunny conditions.
The absolutely worst part of the day - last 200 meters (600 feet). It was the hardest thing I’v ever done in my life. You could see people at the top, you know it's very, very close... But you still have to take those final 10 steps, while your lungs are screaming and your knees are saying some very bad words to you... I arrived there by the mix of altitude-indused endorphins, condor piss, plenty of Polish stubbornness, and a lot of PMA (Positive Mental Attitude)...
The best part of the day - the end of those 200 meters at the top of the Pass...
And guess what I did at the very top? Danced salsa of course!
The rest of the day - down, down, down we went... It was a hell for my knees, that totally disagreed with my idea of fun. I really wanted to jump up and down from joy when I saw Vidal at the end of the day - he was waiting for us on the Trail to lead us to our tents. The campsites become more crowded and reminded small cities full of different groups - you needed your guide to show you the road to dinner and bed. I barely had enough energy to wash my face and hands, eat dinner and crawl into my sleeping bag at some weird hour - 8pm maybe...?
Tomorrow the longest day of the hike - 16 kilometers (almost 10 miles) - I'm not sure I'm ready...
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| Elfin forest |
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| The last 200 meters... |
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At the Dead Women's Pass |
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The other side of the Pass. Long way down... |
I wish I had read this sooner. Absolutely amazing. Be very proud of yourself. You go girl.
ReplyDeleteThis is Bob Lawrence, not Bev!
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