We woke early on Day 2 to a beautiful sunrise and clouds hovering just above the peaks of snow capped mountains. This vista (and the triple strength coffee) just about took the edge off being woken so early. We were expertly coaxed out of our warmish sleeping bags by our guide with the promise of a hot breakfast. No sooner was a tent vacated than the porters descended on it in a storm of efficiency that reduced it to a small bag in under a minute. We did worry that one of the group hadn’t got out in time but luckily she had escaped at the last second.
Over breakfast Manny clarified that we were indeed heading up the steep valley to the top of the pass that was level with the snow capped peaks that had just been the focus of our attention. The overall plan for the day was a 1200m ascent to 4200m then a rapid descent to 3600m. By the time Manny has explained this (3 minutes) everything except the stools we were sitting on had been packed and most of the porters were yellow spots far up the valley. Confident in our inability to match their pace we gathered our much smaller bags and set of after them.
The first stop was of course to get our Inca trail day 2 passport stamps! After this we began the climb, quickly splitting into speed defined groups. Lauren and I were happy to take things slow and enjoy the views.
The climb followed a fairly consistent gradient that saw us passing through some beautiful forest before emerging above the tree line. On a couple of occasions we had to make way for llamas coming the other way. It was perfectly clear from their faces that they weren’t going to make way for us.
A brief stop in a clearing for lunch after a few hours, was a welcome respite and gave people a chance to wrap up against the lowering temperatures of altitude. From here the path to the top was visible, as were the yellow pixels of our porters at the top of the pass. With the goal in site we pushed on for the summit. The views were well worth the climb with mountains behind and ruins down the valley ahead.
We regrouped at the top of the pass to appreciate the views together. The rest of the day would be a short but steep descent down to the campsite, we could already see some yellow dots assembling tents! With relatively good weather overhead we all felt pretty good at being able to literally see our tents ahead.
The campsite was on an Inca farming terrace, just wide enough for a tent, they are common for campsites along the Inca trail. Just wide enough for a tent, of course meant that you had to be careful getting in or out. Tripping over a rope at this point would send you through the top of a tent on the terrace below.
The rest of the afternoon was free for relaxing as the next day would be the hardest and longest.
Day 3 coming soon…
JUST RAMBLE ON 