Peru: Classic Inca Trail Day 2

Wednesday, June 25, 2014: Inca Trail Day 2

I was very nervous about Day 2 as I heard/read on blogs and learned from our guide Freddie the day before that it was definitely the hardest day due to the long ascend. We woke up super early - I think at 5am to have breakfast and begin our hike. It was very cold in the morning and made it all the more harder to get out of "bed". When it comes to hiking, I think it is always about the lesser of two evils. Would I rather stay in this uncomfortable sleeping bag and tent or go out to start the day in the cold....hmmm? I was tired. It was hard getting up each day, but sleeping in did not seem to make anything better. After breakfast, we started our hike. It was cold so Andrew and I both wore our fleeces. I even wore my glove liners. We ascended for 5 hours straight. No doubt it was really tough. The includes were steep and the trail was rugged with lots of stones. The only saving grace was that almost the entire hike was very well shaded as we were hiking through a cloud forest. From this perspective, it was easier than Day 1. I don't think I could have done Day 2 if it was in the hot sun. The shade and cool temperature definitely made Day 2 doable. We took many breaks for taking off layers, water, snacks, and just to catch our breath. However, I realized that it was easier to just go slow and steady rather than to take many breaks. Peter was well ahead of the group throughout the entire hike. We barely saw him on the trail. Andrew always stayed behind with me because I was going at a pace I was comfortable with: slow. I knew he could be fast with the other guys in front if he didn't have to watch out for me. This hike definitely made me feel like he is really capable of taking care of me (and vice versa) and that we are really compatible. After ascending for 5 hours, we reached the highest point known as Dead Woman's Pass (~14,000 ft). At the summit, we took a well deserved break for pictures of the beautiful deep valleys.

 View from summit at Dead Woman's Pass

Breaking in the SRL

After this short break after a long morning, we continued on to our descend for 2 hours until we reached camp at Pacaymayo where we were going to have lunch, rest/chill for the rest of the afternoon until dinner. It was encouraging to know that we will be finishing our day early and have the rest of the day to relax. However, the descend, to our surprise, was really tough. Almost as hard as the ascend. Andrew's knees got really swollen and I think he had a lot of pain because we had to stop at one point to take Advil. As for me, I was going slow as the decline was definitely tricky. My toes and feet were killing me from the constant pressure of my foot sliding forward with every declining step. We were the last ones to reach camp, I think it took us longer than average to descend. I was a bit surprised but Andrew's knees really gave him a hard time. He was trying to figure out which way was best/easiest on his knees on the decline - bouncing down or going slow zigzagging. Once we reached camp, we had lunch.

Descending after a short break at the summit

Looking back from where we were at summit - can you see the profile of a woman laying down? Hence the name Dead Woman's Pass

Our guide Freddie

Typical path on the beginning of Day 2 - mostly shaded and cool though much steeper than what is pictured here. The shaded path definitely helped make Day 2 more manageable. We were hiking through the world's highest cloud forest on this day

The porters have it so much harder - they are all carrying around ~40lbs on their back (regulations have limited the weight to 20kg which is about ~44lbs)

After lunch, we were introduced to the our team/family of porters and chefs that took very good take of us throughout the hike. Studying 10+ non-English names was very hard!

After lunch, Peter, Andrew, and I went to another nearby stream to dip our feet again, especially after having a positive experience the day before and realizing the benefits of resting your feet in ice cold water to reduce the swelling. After that, I ended up passing out for a nap in our tent. I didn't intend to sleep but I guess I was just so tired. I napped for about 2 hours and woke up with a throbbing headache. I took some Excedrin which normally fixes all my headaches but it didn't work. I took Advil after and it made my headache go away. Thank god! At dinner, I learned that we were camping at the highest altitude (~12,000 ft) on the trip which explained the headache and loss of appetite. Another guy in our group also got sick from altitude and seemed to have just dropped off since then for the rest of the trip. Guess I made out pretty good! After dinner, Peter came over to our tent and we played cards for a while. It was fun to just chill and hang out after long days of hiking. Unfortunately, he realized that his tent mate, also Peter, had gotten sick and vomited all over the tent while he was hanging out with us and had to sleep through the smell. I felt so bad for the both of them!

Rise and shine! View from our camp at Pacaymayo the next morning bright and early

Daily routine - gathering all of our gear to prepare for the hike ahead day and refilling all of our water bottles

Peru: Classic Inca Trail Day 1

Tuesday, June 24, 2014: Inca Trail Day 1

Woke up to a mini panic after a rough night. I couldn't even eat breakfast - I think between the loss of appetite from the altitude and harsh third world and rural conditions really got to me (don't mean to sound like a princess but it's seriously insane). I forced myself to eat some because I knew we had a long day ahead of hiking ahead. As we packed up our bags, and the porters helped packed up our tent, we realized that our Surefire was missing. We dwelled on it for a while since we purchased it specifically for this trip and realized how useful it was based on last night's experience. What really upset us was not losing it, but knowing that one of the porters stole it (and we know which one...). I exited the tent in the morning knowing it was still in there, but after they packed our tent, it was no where to be found. Shady. This is not setting the right tone when we are supposed to "bond" with our tour "family" for the next 4 days.

We got on the van, met the rest of the tour group that did not sign up for the PV and headed to the Inca Trail. It was a short ride and we made a stop at Ollantaytambo for the last toilet bathroom and picking up last minute items. Based on last night's experience, we panicked and bought more hand sanitizer, sunscreen, and coca candy. I wanted coffee so badly to give me that extra boost of energy I desperately needed but didn't want to risk having to use the bathroom later on. 

We stopped at another location to gather all of our gear, apply sunscreen, and prep for the hike. Our tour group was originally 9 people total, however, 2 people ended up not beginning the hike due to altitude sickness and one from food poisoning in Cusco. 2 down already and it hasn't even begun!! 

We arrived at the entrance, got our stamps, snapped a few pictures at the entrance and were on our way in a jiffy.

At the entrance about to embark on our adventure!

The very beginning of the hike

The views were stunning even just in the beginning of the hike. The trail was relatively flat, but I still struggled on the small inclines as the day was hot and sunny, and the altitude just made everything a little harder. There were locals herding animals along the trail which explained the massive amount of animal dung we saw on the trail. 

Beautiful scenery everywhere we look

Llaqtapata

Can you spot the tiny llama up on the hill? So we learned that llama can climb steep hills easily but tend to carry light loads (~20lbs) but horses can carry much heavier loads (~40lbs) but cannot climb steep hills (mainly on flats)

Break time

Typical path on the first day - mainly flat, but with no shade

After hiking for about 2 hours we stopped for lunch, and while we waited for the food to be prepared, we dipped our feet on a stream nearby and it felt so good to give our feet a refresh. It definitely helped a lot with the swelling. Lunch was good - very impressive dished given the circumstances.

After lunch, we hiked some more and finally reached Wayllabamba where we camped for the night. We had dinner and when we were all returning to our tents, the sky was lit up so brightly and we saw so many stars. It was so beautiful. We didn't dwell too long outside to watch the stars because we had to prep for bed which seemed to take us at least 45 mins a night. I was smarter the 2nd night - I made sure I did not drink much liquids at dinner, peed before sleeping, and wore about 10 layers. I slept much better the 2nd night.

I look like I'm dead here, but this was basically how I slept every night - easily 6-7 layers with 2 hoods and scarf. It was really cold at night!

Peru: Porter's Village

Monday, June 23, 2014: Porter's Village (Wayki Experience)

We had a long list of errands to run prior to beginning our 5 day journey in unknown conditions (unknown to me and Andrew that is). I needed to make sure I can take care and find a solution to my contacts situation and we needed to go to the Wayki office for our Inca Trail briefing at 10am. After having breakfast at the hotel, we headed straight to the briefing with our packed backpacks and gear. The briefing was helpful, we paid the remaining balance due for the hike/tour, met most of the people we would be hiking with, and discussed our itinerary in detail, managed expectations, and had our last minute questions answered. After the briefing, we had time to get lunch and run errands before heading out for the porter's village ("PV"). Not everyone in our tour signed up for this -- this was when I started to question whether we should have signed up for this!

Luckily, I was able to find an optical store that sold my Acuvue Oasys contact lenses - though I had to pay a fortune for them: $145USD for 2 boxes! Sigh. Oh well! It was worth it because I had no doubt I needed them. It took us a while to do this, but we still had some time to grab a bite. Andrew and I had these great pork sandwiches (spicy!) sold in small deli/restaurants near the Wayki office (we were being extra cautious about what we were eating) while Peter opted for street fare, where he had the most amazing fried chicken. I had a bite and it was heavenly, but I was worried my stomach could not handle the grease and questionable handling of the food since I was already feeling slightly off the past few days from altitude. The streets were super crowded with festivals and parades going on everywhere - we were visiting Cusco at a good time; it was the winter solstice and tons of celebrations were going on in the streets. Andrew and I even had time to quickly browse the street stands for a few quick souvenirs.

We met at the Wayki office, packed our duffel bag for the extra porter we hired, and hopped into our van en route to PV. The ride wasn't long - we made a stop where we were highly encouraged (hence the stop!) to purchase gifts for the porters' families. We picked up some groceries and toys as gifts. Upon arriving to PV, we had to hike up to the porter's home from the road on this super steep hill. I thought I was going to die - I had such a hard time climbing up which made me panic about the days ahead of me.

We slept around the corner from them in tents

Stunning view of rural Peru from porter's village

After settling in a bit, we were sent into the fields to help the farmers harvest corn. After all, this is what we signed up for -- experiencing what it's like to live like them! This was my favorite part of the PV experience - being on the field and harvesting crops. We had a great time and learned a lot from our kind guide. The farmers also offered us Chicha (corn beer) which was delicious! I really enjoyed it but did not take more than one sip given the sanitary conditions. We were also offered a variety of corn, beans, and potatoes in a bag with a spicy dipping (cheese?) sauce. I had a few pieces but was worried sick that I would get sick from eating with my dirty farming hands and food coming out of a rice bag. It was fun nonetheless doing and trying new things! Our work was done and we headed back to the house to have dinner in the kitchen.

Passing by donkeys in the fields

The girls are so comfortable with their animals and vice versa. So cute!

Harvesting corn on the fields

Having a great time :)

The produce from our harvest!

Corn fields and porter's village

Animals grazing about the land

Our mid-day snack of corn, potatoes, and beans

Sunset sky

[Left] Chickens hanging out in the porter's yard [Right] Peter helping porter's wife prepare dinner

The porter's wife made us a big dinner of cheese, potatoes, and other things I've never had before. It was a humble dinner, but truly authentic. After dinner, we moved from the kitchen to the "living room" where we met with the village's kids - they sang for us and we danced to some Peruvian music. It was very awkward in that it definitely felt forced but what did we expect lol. Afterwards, we distributed the gifts we brought - I wish we had more to share, we didn't know the whole village was going to show up! It was a long night and most of us were ready for bed. The tents were ready for us and we got acquainted with sleeping outdoors next to the outhouse for the night on a hill (mind you, it was on an incline so it felt as if we were sliding the whole night) with a range of animals surrounding us. It was intense. The night was really cold. I woke up in the middle of the night between freezing and having to pee really bad. I tried to hold it in but I could not hold it in. I woke up Andrew so he could help me navigate how to piss in the great outdoors. I knew the outhouse was quite harsh so I opted to just pee on the grass out in the open since it was pitch dark and no one was around (thank god for our headlamps and Andrew's Surefire - more on that later). Before going back to bed, I took all the clothes I brought with me and layered on at least 6 more layers to get warm so I could sleep. It was a rough night to say the least. I almost cracked. If anyone suggested returning home that night, I would have happily followed. This made me extremely nervous for the Inca Trail. We had to do this for 3 more nights and I seriously started to doubt whether I could make it.