We were woken by our second guide, Yaneth, shouting “good morning” through our tents and asking our preference for a hot drink. Two steaming cups of hot chocolate were slipped though the door and we sat in our sleeping bags enjoying our warming and sweet wake up call. We had slept well, with only the slight distraction of a donkey munching the grass around our tents to disturb us. Today, however, we were waking up to what is well known as the most difficult day of the trek. We would be climbing from our camp at 3,000m up to 4,200m in order to pass Dead Woman’s Pass. That challenge out of the way, we would then need to drop 400m to reach our second campsite. The path we would take would be entirely uphill and often incorporating hundred of steep stone steps. And, to top things off, we would be leaving camp by 6:30am.
The map of the trail ahead of us
Our breakfast was as equally impressive as dinner the night before with offerings of toast, fresh fruit, cereal and thirteen (simultaneously served) hot pancakes. Chock full of energy-giving carbohydrates we started apprehensively on our way. On the way out of the camp we passed other groups who were only just beginning to stir themselves into liveliness. After only ten minutes of walking we passed our second checkpoint and got to add another stamp to our passports.
After our experience hiking to Laguna 69, Sam and I were nervous of pushing ourselves too fast for fear of making ourselves ill again. We set a steady, even pace right from the beginning which we stuck to all the way to the top. Not long into our walk a guide from another group pointed out the peak we were aiming for. Far into the distance and snow-capped was an apparently unattainable target. How our little legs were going to carry us that far and that high up was beyond me.
Ponchos on the Inca Trail
The rain started about half an hour into the trail. Not heavy, monsoon-like rain, but light-gets-into-every-crevice type rain. We all pulled out the brightly coloured ponchos we’d been instructed to buy (stopping for a picture opportunity, of course) and continued on our way. The number of people on the trail meant that there was an endless stream of hikers traipsing up the side of the hill. As we looked back at them, all wearing the recommended brightly coloured ponchos, we appeared to be moving as part of a giant multi-coloured caterpillar.
As a believer in technical clothing, the ponchos had, at first, seemed ridiculous to me. After all, what benefit can a large piece of plastic provide over Gore-Tex? The answer, I discovered, is consistency. Despite a newly purchased pack cover and Sea to Summit e-vac sacks protecting my clothing and sleeping gear, the rest of my backpack (the part in between the pack cover and me) was not protected. The poncho added and extra layer of protection against the rain blowing every which way.
Second Breakfast before the pass
We were aiming for a stop point, 800m up, which would be the location of our ‘second breakfast’. Despite having filled up the first time round, the concept of a hot drink and some snacks was certainly appealing. By the time we reached the temporary campsite, the novelty of looking like large-multi-coloured berries had begun to wear off and the altitude and rain were beginning to take their toll. The wind and rain blustered around us as we snacked on cheese sandwiches, popcorn and hot chocolate. The weather tried it’s best to rip our tent out of the ground, causing us to have to leap to catch flapping panels and peg them back into the tough ground.
Our Second Breakfast Tent Billowing in the wind and Dead Woman's Pass behind
On the recommendation of our guide we decided to try chewing some coca leaves to help with the altitude. I can testify that it is absolutely disgusting. Very quickly the bitter flavour begins to fill your mouth, concentrated at the nook in your cheek where you hold the leaves. The dried leaves then start to fall apart sending bitter, sharp pieces of leaf floating around your mouth and sticking to your teeth when you inevitably try to spit them out. Won’t be trying that again.
From our ‘second breakfast’ spot, we could see the path we would need to take winding up the side of the mountain. The pass seemed still impossibly distant, appearing and then disappearing behind the wall of cloud bringing yet more rain. Yet, still we set out to reach it, maintaining our steady pace and sipping on the bottle of Gatorade we had brought specifically for this section of the trail. Alan, with the leg muscles of a mountain goat, strode off ahead apparently unhindered by the entire lack of oxygen. He would go on to reach the pass half an hour before us ladies and the campsite nearly an hour before.
We, on the other hand, found the section to be tough going. The stone path laid 500 years ago became slippery when wet and, despite our pace, we had to step out of the way each time a porter ran (yes, ran!) past us carrying a ridiculous load. The poles we’d bought in Ollantaytambo were vital here and I don’t want to imagine how much harder it might have been if we’d not had them. After two hours of solid uphill struggle I finally reached the top, greeted by cheers of encouragement from some others from my group. Minutes later, it was my turn to pass on the favour as Sam and Alison fought their way the last few meters.
The top of Dead Woman's Pass
The top itself was underwhelming as the clouds prevented any sort of view and the weather continued to batter at us, sneaking dampness in at any opportunity. Rather than feeling a sense of achievement we looked over the the other side to see a steep downward path disappearing into the clouds and all we felt was dread. The wind whipping over the top very quickly had us feeling the cold and as we began to descend, I found myself near running to try and get myself warmed up. Just as I was thinking how much I could use the toilet, a wooden cabin appeared to my right offering those very facilities. Completing my task in there took nearly fifteen minutes as I tried with entirely numb fingers to peel off the layers of waterproof clothing. Trying to get them back on again was an even bigger struggle. By the time I’d gotten myself sorted again Alison and Sam had caught up and we continued down the hill together.
Descending from Dead Woman's Pass
An hour and a half later sporting very sore knees, we made it down the steep flights of stone steps leading to our campsite. Once again our porters greeted us with a round of applause and a hot drink. Whatever these guys are getting paid, it isn’t enough.
Despite the seven hours of walking it was still only lunchtime and after yet another filling meal we had the afternoon to ourselves. It was about this time that the clouds began to part and a blue sky peaked a look out at us. The beautiful mountains surrounding us were revealed; if only it had happened two hours earlier and we’d have had a wonderful view. However, the brief burst of sunshine did give us a chance to try to dry some of our soggier clothing. Thankfully, my Berghaus Gore-Tex trousers had kept me almost entirely dry and my Sea to Summit sacks had done their job and kept my sleeping bag and change of clothing dry.
Drying out our soggy clothing
We kept ourselves awake for a dinner no-one was hungry for and as the temperature rapidly dropped we climbed into our sleeping bags and fell into a fitful sleep.
Related posts:
Despite the dampness this post made me very jealous. We’re still 2 years away from making it to Peru.
Thanks for sharing your experiences! We’re booking our visit this week, and it was really reassuring to hear about your time on the trail with Peru Treks. It looks like a challenge with a promising amount of satisfaction as a reward
Bethany ~ twoOregonians\’s last post…High Sights, Diligence, and Travel Goals