Trekking the Andes, pt. 2

Thursday, June 15 -- Over the Salkantay Pass

    This was always going to be the biggest challenge: eight miles from Salkantay Lodge to our next stop, Wayra Lodge. Eight miles is a long hike to begin with, but when half of it is going up at high altitude, well, that's something else again.
    Several of the group admitted to not sleeping well when we gathered for breakfast. A couple of us were getting periodic headaches from the altitude, but otherwise we were in pretty good shape. Without doubt, the previous day's ascent to the lake had given us all a lot of confidence.
    I should say at this point that a lot of that confidence came from our guides. Eddie and Jimmy were outstanding all the way through, from our orientation meeting in Cusco to the night they dropped us off at our hotels following our exploration of Machu Picchu. Eddie is in his late 50s and has been guiding on the trails of Peru for more than thirty years. Jimmy is younger but also had a great deal of experience. Not only were they knowledgeable about their country, its history and its flora and fauna, they always had a great attitude and infused the group with much confidence. So, as we gathered outside the lodge on another crisp morning with temps in the high 30s, we were ready to go.

We were bundled up as we got ready for our ascent to the pass.

The first mile or so wasn't bad at all. Eddie said the blue clouds
indicated sunny skies were in store.

Pretty soon, the path got narrower and rockier. Here we stopped
to take in the view of hiker shelters.

    Our first rest stop came two miles from the lodge, in a narrow valley known as Salkantay Pampa. We were now at 13,625 feet, having gained 935 feet in altitude from our starting point.

A meandering mountain stream, one of many we would encounter
on the trek, added to the ambience of the Pampa.

After the Pampa, the trail got more challenging,
but our spirits remained high.

    
    Another two miles brought us to our early lunch stop, Soyrococha. Thanks to the trusty altimeters wielded by John and Jay, we knew our altitude was now at 14,730 feet, well above what we had reached above the lake the previous day. We had climbed 1,105 feet in elevation since the rest stop at the Pampa.


Jay was enjoying himself all the way.

Large boulders were a feature of Soyrococha. That's Eddie and Jimmy,
enjoying the break, with Wendy and Michael to the right.

  From Soyrococha, it was a mile to the pass, and the elevation would increase by only 482 feet. But in many ways this was the toughest part of the trek for all of us. My knees and foot were holding up well, but I was starting to really feel the altitude. Jimmy was a great help for me on this final leg, and his suggestion to take 35 steps at a time before stopping to rest for a few seconds was the best suggestion I'd received on the whole trek.

Amy got this perspective from John's sunglass lens. (Daly)

As the altitude increased on the final leg, so did the
degree of difficulty. That's Ingrid in the foreground. (Daly)

The weather had been spectacular throughout the trek so far,
and for our assault of the Pass it would be equally great.
That's Wendy on the left, and Amy up ahead.

From the rear of the formation, I was able to get some
great perspective shots as we continued the ascent.

The group soldiered on, even as the air got thinner. (Daly)

John was determined to be the first to the Pass,
enabling him to get some shots of the group on the way up. (Daly)

Vegetation was sparse at this altitude. (Daly)

    Unless you've done something like this before, it's almost impossible to describe the experience as the Pass approaches. There's fatigue, of course, but that doesn't override the emotion. John was the first to get to the sign marking the Pass, with the cheers of the rest of us urging him on. I was last, with Jimmy right next to me, and the cheers were there for me, too. The last half-mile or so was the toughest I'd experienced on the trek so far (although even more challenging terrain was to come). What carried me through, along with the advice and comradeship from Jimmy and the shouts of encouragement from the group, was that old martial arts friend of mine again, indomitable spirit. I was not going to quit. I was not going to wait for the horse and ride that up. I knew that if I gave in to that temptation, I would never forgive myself. I was going to make it to that damn sign if I had to crawl the last hundred yards. Fortunately, I was able to stay on my feet and it actually got easier as I got closer.

As the Pass got closer and the air got thinner, my determination got stronger.

Last, but not least, I was still ambulatory as the sign of the Pass got closer. (Wan)

The sign marking the Pass got a hearty slap from me when I got to the top. (Wan)

But the hug from Sue was even better. (Wan)

    For everyone, reaching the Pass was an emotional event. I made my way to the nearest rock suitable for sitting and had to fight to compose myself. Then, I was able to join in the celebration.

John's altimeter made it official. (Daly)

Michael and John felt moved to perform a sun salutation. (Daly)

John and Amy salute Salkantay. (Daly)

Sue and I got in on the celebration, too.



The Salkantay 12 at the Pass.
Front L-R: Michael, Sue, me, Bill, Stephanie, Amy, John.
Back L-R: Wendy, Kelly, Jay, Dennis, Ingrid. (Daly)

   After several minutes to enjoy the experience, Eddie broke the spell by announcing that it was time to hit the trail again. We hadn't really given it much thought on the way up to the Pass, but we still had four miles to go before we would reach Wayra Lodge. Easy chips, we thought, it's all downhill. It wasn't long before we realized it wouldn't be easy at all.

After the group photo, it was time to get ready for the descent.

It wasn't long before the change in ecosystems became
very apparent. On this side of the pass, there was
lots more vegetation, especially as we got closer to the lodge.

   It was four miles down from the pass to Wayra Lodge, our overnight stop, a descent of 2,401 feet in altitude. The trail was very challenging, with rocks and streams, and there wasn't a lot of time for photos. But when we got there, it was worth it.

Along the way, we stopped for lunch at a special spot prepared by Mountain Lodges.
Hot food and cool drinks awaited us, and we were very happy to see them. (Wan)

After lunch, Michael and I took the opportunity for a catnap. (Wan)

The view back toward Salkantay from Wayra Lodge.

From the Mountain Lodges of Peru website, the welcome sign to Wayra Lodge,
which was very welcome indeed after our 8-mile trek.

Also from the website, this shot captures the ambience of the lodge.

Amy got up close and personal with the waterfall outside the lodge. (Daly)

Inside, the lodge décor was warm and inviting.

Outside, a hot tub awaited its next batch of weary trekkers.

    For me personally, the ascent to the Pass was the culmination of months of training. For this day, I decided to wear the shirt of our local gym in Rice Lake, Olympic Fitness. Sue and I have been members for more than 25 years, and our workouts there are vital in helping us maintain a healthy lifestyle. And for me, they were especially important in training for this trek. So this photo is a salute to Dan and Laurie and Paul. Without their help, I wouldn't have made it.

    As we dined and talked and then later on retired this evening, we were all greatly satisfied that we had made it up and over the Pass. There were still three more days of trekking ahead of us before our climactic ascent to Machu Picchu. The next day, we would enter yet another ecosystem: the Cloud Forest.





Friday, June 16 -- Through the Cloud Forest to Collpapampa

    We rose on another beautiful day after a night in which nobody had trouble sleeping. Our trek today would be six miles. The good news, or so we thought at the time, was that it was almost all downhill. Wayra Lodge was at 12,812 feet, so we had already descended 2,401 feet from Salkantay Pass. Today we would lose another 3,398 feet.
   The ecosystem changed once we left the lodge. On the way up to the pass from Salkantay Lodge, we had gone through a glacial moraine. Now we would be descending into the Rupa Rupa region, the high jungle. We had moved onto the eastern side of the Andes and into the Amazon rain forest. More than 60% of Peru is covered by this rain forest; the only other South American country with more density than that is Brazil. This ecosystem is amazingly diverse and gives Peru the distinction of having the largest number of bird species in the world, and the third-largest number of mammal species. More than one-fifth of the world's butterfly species can be found here. 
    It wasn't long after leaving Wayra Lodge that we encountered one of those bird species, and perhaps Peru's most famous. Eddie, at the head of the line as always, suddenly stopped and pointed up to the top of the mountain on our left, shouting, "Condor!" 

With the half-moon still up, seeing the condor (center left) made for an even better experience. 

This photo from the American Bird Conservatory shows the condor up close.
A member of the vulture family, the Andean condor is the largest bird
in the world as measured by weight and wingspan. Its wingspan can
exceed 10 feet and a condor can live up to 70 years. 

      We continued the trek and soon came to the unofficial entrance to the Cloud Forest. After bundling up the day before in our ascent to the Pass, we now removed some layers of clothing and got ready for warmer, more humid temperatures.

At first the terrain was much like we'd experienced the day before.

The mountains were always looming, but by now we knew them better. 

After conquering the Pass, I was all-in for the descent to the Cloud Forest.

Even this high in the Andes, accessible only on foot or horseback,
there were convenience stores. 

As we got closer, the reason for the Cloud Forest's name became apparent. 

The "entrance" to the Cloud Forest really looked like a doorway,
reinforcing the very real impression that we were entering another world. From
L-R in front: Dennis, Jay and Eddie. Toward the back, Jimmy and John.

Sue got this shot of a Peruvian butterfly, one of over 2500
butterfly species in the Peruvian Amazon.

The local flowers got more interesting, too. 

Our rest stop came at what appeared to be a farmstead, although
not like any we'd seen in Wisconsin. That's Jimmy and Eddie in the foreground.

   The trek really wasn't bad at all, and we arrived at Colpa Lodge shortly after noon. We had not eaten lunch on the way because our hosts were preparing a special Peruvian barbecue for us at the lodge, and it would be unlike any barbecue we'd ever attended. 

The lodge was as inviting as the two previous lodges had been....

...both outside and in. 

At the end of the day's trek, all our boots and shoes got acquainted. (Wan)

    The staff had started preparing the barbecue early that morning by building a fire in what looked to be a cross between a fire pit and a kiln, using wood as fuel to heat the rocks. As we arrived, they began removing some of the wood from the kiln, then started placing the food directly on the rocks.

   Sue shot a video of the process as the meats, wrapped in aluminum foil, were added to the mix: Peruvian barbecue.
    Potatoes and other tubers were added, and then the pit was covered, first with cardboard, then a fireproof tarp and finally with dirt.

    Everything was left to cook for about forty minutes or so. The cooks then prepared the food and served it indoors, buffet style, and we didn't have to be asked twice to start chowing down. 

The presentation was first-rate, as was the food and service. (Daly)

On the menu: guinea pig. I'd eaten squirrel and rabbit as a kid,
so what's another furry little creature? Tasted a lot like squirrel, but Sue wouldn't touch it.

Michael couldn't resist playing with the masks. (Wan)

After the lunch, several of us repaired to the hot tub,
which afforded us an excellent view in addition
to the warm, relaxing water. (Daly)

    Yet another stupendous Peruvian day was winding down. The morning's trek and the afternoon's sumptuous barbecue had pretty much done us in, but we had enough energy left for a lively discussion during the evening's planning session for the next day's trek, which was a nightly ritual for us. The schedule called for a hike of 13 miles to a junction with the Inca Trail, and another mile up that trail to our next lodge, Lucma. There would be an overall descent of 2,411 feet. But there was an option available: zip-lining. Those who wanted to zip-line would be driven to the location of the zip-line base camp, about a 90-minute ride, and from there would spend the day in pursuit of thrills that sounded a lot more inviting to me than hiking 13 miles. My hand went up immediately when Eddie asked if anyone was interested. Sue said she was in, too, and we were joined by two other couples, John and Amy along with Bill and Stephanie. The rest of the group put up a brave front about doing the 14 miles to Lucma Lodge all on foot, but we were more than happy to wish them happy trails for that little jaunt. 
    As we retired that evening, Sue and I reflected that our time in Peru was rapidly coming to a close. In some ways we were already getting anxious to return home, but we certainly were looking forward to Machu Picchu, as well. Maybe, we thought, the zip-lining would be a welcome break from the trail.
    We were certainly right about that. 


Part 3, zip-lining across an Andean canyon and the exploration of 
Machu Picchu, is coming soon!