In the Footsteps of the Incas: From Mountains to Jungle to Ancient Ruins About This Page:

[Colexis Mom]

Wow Douglas, that is some serious hiking! Beautiful pictures though! Glad you're feeling better!

[pamcarey]

Gorgeous scenery! Hope the liquid diet helped you to feel better.

[PrincessSharon]

Glad you were feeling better this day! What beautiful scenery. That sounds like a tough hike!

[Jillybean]

You definitely looked as if you were feeling better -- practically glowing!

What an accomplishment!!!

Jill

[DouglasE]

During the part of the Trek that we were climbing the mountain, one of our group, Angelique, had to ride one of the horses. She just was not able to climb the mountains. No one could blame her. We all knew how difficult this was. They specifically had one horse available for just this purpose. Although, I don’t know what would have happened if eight of us were having the difficulties that Angelique was having.

After lunch was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. We began our descent from up in the mountains! At this point I was like a mountain goat walking briskly and hopping among the rocks. This part of the trek had oodles and oodles of rocks. Big rocks, little rocks, giant rocks all over the place. I had a wonderful time making my way. At first I was walking at the head of the pack with Eddison. Joining us was one of the Llama Path porters. Eventually, we had gotten so far ahead of everyone else that Eddison decided he needed to stop to let everyone catch up. The porter and I kept on ahead. That was such a kick for me to be able to keep up with the porter who does this hike multiple times each and every month. It was so nice to hike with him because he was able to go at the pace that I wanted. Most of the rest of the trekkers were way behind. We couldn’t even see them. I had no idea where they all were. I think they were taking a leisurely pace. The only ones that were remotely close to me were Eddison and Craig. It was great crossing the rocks and the streams heading down to the jungle. Eventually, I had been ahead for so long and no one else was in sight that the porter and I stopped to see if anyone would catch up. The porter and I had a few good laughs as we tried to communicate with my few words of Spanish and his few words of English and a lot of pantomime. Finally, the porter could wait no more and he went on his way. I decided I would wait for the next person of my group because it would be just ridiculous to be literally miles ahead of everyone else. Eddison joined me with Craig not too far behind.

Here is another moment when I wished there were electrical outlets in the rocks. I was really trying to conserve my picture taking. I didn’t want to end up at Machu Picchu and have absolutely no battery power left in my camera. I took hardly any pictures this afternoon. Soon after Eddison joining me we reach Mordor. That’s what it looked like to me, like a scene out of the Lord of the Rings. The rocks were all jet black. Huge black rocks surrounded us as we were engulfed in mist. The mist was thick and hung all around us. Imagine a cloud down at your level. This is what it was like. It was very atmospheric and quiet. I do remember remarking to Craig about how this part of the Trek looked like a scene out of the Lord of the Rings and he totally got that. I just wish I had at least one picture; but I don’t.

As we journeyed I really came to understand what a spiritual place this all was and how the journey itself was a spiritual one for the Quechua. Looking back it just amazes me that this path that I was taking was created by the Quechua centuries ago and not by the local tourism bureau.

Craig and I hiking along the trail




Eddison makes us wait after emerging through Mordor for the rest of the group to arrive. I don’t know what the rest of this group was doing. I don’t think I was moving incredibly fast. I thought I was just going at a normal pace. The group reconvenes and we hike on going on more of a decline.

Even though I had not been eating all day, I still had to make multiple toilet breaks because my body was still liquefying everything. I was very good at finding spots that would hide me but were fairly accessible from the path. At one point, I climbed down a ravine to get to a place where I could take care of business. I was at the beginning of the pack as usual and when we stopped to wait for the others I went to do my thing. When I was emerging up from the ravine, all that the group saw was my hand holding a roll of toilet paper gradually rising up along with the sound of me grunting. It was hard trying to climb back up with only one hand free! I didn’t realize how steep the incline/decline was as I descended. When I reached the plateau where everyone was waiting, I was greeted by lots of laughter. They thought it was hysterical just seeing this roll of toilet paper emerge. I could appreciate the humor in the situation and just was ready to plod on.

Our group takes a brief rest




As the path descended we saw more and more greenery. We were getting closer to the jungle. One spot in which we rested had wonderful wildflowers. Eventually, it became clear, at least to Craig and I, that we were fighting the clock. We had asked Marco how much time did we have left until we got to camp. He didn’t want to commit to a time because it all depended on how quickly the group could progress. But we got a sense of how much further we had. I looked at my watch and realized what time sunset was. Craig and I were concerned about whether or not we would make it to camp by dark.


Another rest area as we descend to the jungle








During this section of the hike I hung back and tried to talk to members of the group that were straggling at the end. I had a nice conversation with Angelique. We discussed things that she could do to show her appreciation of her boyfriend while they traveled together. I tried to make a point during the entire Trek to try to get to know all of the travelers. I would purposefully position myself to walk with different people so I would get to know them.

I'm sorry, do you hear dwarves whistling a song?



We hiked and hiked and the group proved rather slow and didn’t seem to get the sense of urgency that Craig and I were experiencing. I really don’t believe that they were having difficulty with the terrain and physically couldn’t handle a quicker pace. After some time it became clear to Craig and I that we would not make camp before dark. We were in beautiful territory with all sorts of vegetation and flowers. The sunset provided wonderful scenery. Then we had to pull out our flashlights because it just became difficult to see.

Sunset in the Andes




At this point I stayed behind with some of the slower members of our group. Craig was towards the head of the pack. The path became quite narrow and on the edge of a ledge of a mountain. Rocks were scattered across our path. I found it a treacherous journey in the dark. It would have been fine in daylight, but when you are having difficulty seeing it wasn’t the greatest experience. We eventually made it to camp in the dark. When I rejoined Craig, he was rather pissed. I think he had a minor accident falling because he couldn’t see all that well in the dark (who can?). Craig was just fine, but a bit pissed off about the whole situation. If Craig and I had our way we would have had the guides be more direct and tell the group they really need to pick up the pace after lunch because we have “x” km to reach camp and “y” hours in which to do it. We must reach camp before dark as it is a dangerous path to do in the dark. I think if the group knew this then they would have had a greater sense of urgency and would have behaved differently.

It's getting dark! Get out those flashlights!




NEXT: The jungle, waterfalls, butterflies, and a landslide.

[ccmom]

What a difficult choice, having to decide how many pictures to take in order to conserve your battery. The ones you did take were gorgeous. It sounds like this was a really good day in spite of your troubles. Again, I'm glad to be doing this trip vicariously, I wouldn't even be able to do it on horseback.

[chezp]

Oh wow, what stunning scenery - what a nightmare trying to conserve your camera batteries. Not a problem I'd like to be faced with in such a beautiful place. :

[Colexis Mom]

More great pictures! Sorry Craig stumbled in the darkness. That doesn't sound safe at all!

[wheatenwalker]

What an adventure!!

[goofysdtr]

I'm just glad nobody got seriously hurt walking in the darkness!

[pamcarey]

Oh, I would have been pissed too that the guides didn't impart a stronger sense of urgency. What a pain (no pun intended!) to have to finish that trail in the dark!

[DouglasE]

Before getting to our camp I spotted off in the distance a large black bird and asked Marco if that was a condor. He got all excited and said yes I had spotted a condor. It was a nice moment that the two of us shared watching the condor circle above as we waited for the rest of the pack to catch up to our position.

Dinner was wonderful. Marco asked if anyone wanted any of the special tea. I immediately hollered, “YES!” Everyone laughed. Any help I’ll take at this point. There was a grilled chicken dish that was so yummy. Oddly enough there was only enough for everyone to have only one piece or so. At the end there was only one piece of chicken left and everyone agreed that I should have the piece of chicken because I hadn’t eaten all day. Don’t worry about everyone else. There were all sorts of other dishes from which to select. The end of the dinner was an incredible flambé dessert. The chef came to our dinner tent and prepared this flaming custard in front of us. What a treat!

During dinner Marco presented our group with a choice. We had the opportunity to do one of two things. We could continue hiking for the next two days. On the second day we have the potential to possibly see Machu Picchu in the distance. Of course, that is very weather dependent. It is totally possible rain or mist might totally obscure our vision. The second option is that we would spend the evening of the following day at a natural hot spring. We could stay at the natural hot spring through the late morning. From there we would take a bus to a hydroelectric plant. From this plant we would hike our way to Aguas Calientes. The natural hot spring option required an additional outlay of money. A lot of ideas were tossed out. Our entire group was in consensus that we wanted to go to the natural hot springs. We also discussed getting up in the wee hours of the morning to hike from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu as opposed to taking a bus. Once again we all were up for the early morning hike. Privately, Craig said that he actually would have preferred the bus because we had already paid for the bus and a breakfast at a hotel that morning as part of the cost of the Adventure Trek. However, he didn’t feel it that big a deal to ruin things for everyone else. Marco made it clear that for both of these options we needed to be unanimous in our decision making.

After dinner one of the girls who also was experiencing similar difficulties, but not nearly to the degree that I was, gave me some Immodium capsules. I took a dose, crossed my fingers, and prayed.

I was able to eat again because I had access to a nearby toilet, if you could call it a toilet. Basically, it was a room constructed with three walls. The fourth wall was totally exposed. Yep, that’s right. While the exposed “fourth wall” was facing away from the camp, it still meant that if someone were to go to the toilet they could potentially see you doing your business. It would not be pretty either because it was just a tiny hole in the ground with a place for a foot to be placed on either side so that you are straddling the hole. The hole was so small your aim had to be darn good. While this situation seems less than ideal I was truly grateful just to have someplace to go.

Once again we had an early rise to look forward to and fell asleep soon after having dinner.

Flam-bay! I love me some sugah!





Thursday, October 15, 2009

“Shut up! Shut up!” That’s what I said to myself when I hear the rooster crowing. The sun isn’t even up yet and I hear the stupid rooster crowing. It’s something like 4:00-4:30 am. Ugh! Thankfully, I am well rested. This hiking business allows for really good night’s sleep. Also, I did not need to visit the toilet the entire night. That Immodium stuff really seems to work.

Since the Immodium was in effect I took the chance of actually eating some breakfast. I had no idea how pretty our camp site was since I entered it in the dark. It was verdant with flowers. When we started under way it was a little chilly and I was dressed appropriately. After only 20 minutes I realized that it was getting quite warm. Whew! Off go the warmer clothes.

Our morning ritual of filling up with water




Everyone sorts out the money to give as tips for our horsemen. After lunch the horses will not be used for the rest of the trek.




Camp Colcapampa




Llama Path did a good job at letting its hikers know they should use appropriate clothing. I am a poor guy. I didn’t have a lot of money to spend on specialty clothing. I figured pants is pants. How wrong I was. Everyone else on my Trek was appropriately attired. They wore quick drying new fangled fabrics that wick the moisture away from the body. I thought I would be ok. I just did not expect to sweat as much as I did. Even when it was chilly and cold the exertion caused me to sweat a good deal. Almost all of my clothes were cotton. Not the best choice. I did purchase one t-shirt that was designed for hiking. This morning I wore that solid black t-shirt. What a difference that made! Even though it didn’t rain causing my clothes to become wet, I was so much more comfortable with my fancy new t-shirt.

I did mention how everyone else was attired. I can say that there was a big divide between Craig and myself and the rest of our group. It was very clear that the other trekkers came from greater means than us. Nothing wrong with that, but it did make group decision making more interesting. At one point we were discussing how to handle tipping the staff. I had to pipe up and announce that Craig and I had only budgeted so much and didn’t know if we would be able to tip appropriately. It turned out that we actually had more than enough money because with the large number in our group the tip amount got decreased per person. Also, there were several members of our group who were willing to fill the gap if we couldn’t afford to pay “our share”. It was nice to have them be so generous. I was just happy that it didn’t turn into an issue and we could pay our fair share. Craig was highly tense about the whole thing until we discovered that we had plenty of money to tip the staff.

The other trekkers while all English-speaking came from various places around the globe. We had Australians, English, Canadians, and us ugly Americans. One of the Englishmen was married to a Brazilian. By the end of the Trek I got to know her better and really liked her. Her name was Toya.

After breakfast at 6:30 am at Camp Colcapampa we start our descent into the jungle. As our initial walk began we ran into another small group doing the same hike from some other company. Marco and Eddison went ahead and scouted the area. After consulting with the leaders of this second group, they informed us that the way we were supposed to go had been wiped out by a landslide. We needed to go another way. Thank goodness the Incas had so many paths leading to Machu Picchu. We just took another way that they had cleared centuries before. As we went our way we crossed the Lluskamayo River and a variety of little brooks and streams. We would be traveling six hours hiking for twelve kilometers. Today we passed through valleys and had wonderful views of waterfalls, tropical fruits and plants. Anytime we approached water we would find a plethora of butterflies. For some reason after crossing a stream on the opposite side we would find a bunch of butterflies that had died on the ground. Don’t know why. But butterflies seemed to fly around us as we walked through the jungle throughout the day.

Day Three begins with crossing a bridge




Couldn't resist dancin' my way across the river!




Resting and figuring out our next step after discovering the landslide





If you look real close, you can see on the left hand side of the picture a group making their way. Soon that will be me on that path and later I'll be crossing the river down below.









I did make the mistake of eating breakfast I discovered. I ended up having to make some pit stops. Eddison and Marco weren’t worried they knew that I could catch up to the rest of the pack with little problem.






It’s official – we are in the jungle. All of us were attacked by these itty bitty little insects that would take out a chunk of flesh. None of us knew what they were called. They were rather persistent. Craig and I were fortunate to get a dosing of 100% DEET from some fellow hikers. Even with the bug repellent we were still subject to bites. Jungles also meant that we got to pass by the edge of a number of banana plantations.

Along the way there were occasional little markets set up for groups just like us. At one point Marco bought a bag of passion fruit for our group. The passion fruit is round to oval with a yellow skin and a soft to firm, juicy interior filled with numerous seeds. It was quite sweet. Personally, I wouldn’t seek it out under ordinary circumstances. But during this hike it was welcome. Craig really liked the fruit. He went and purchased a bag himself.



Our group has entered the jungle. No sign of George of the Jungle or Tarzan.












Dipti and I cool ourselves off at the base of a waterfall








Marco trusted me enough that he let me lead the group to the next market stand. He wanted to wait for the stragglers of our group that found a contraption that could cart them across the river that we were walking along. Poor Eddison was following them from behind. Marco waited for the lollygaggers to show up with Eddison. Meanwhile I led about eight of us to our next rest stop.

As we approached our lunch site, part of our group got in a van. About six of us decided we would just hike the rest of the way to lunch. It was hot. I did not relish being in a van stuck with a bunch of smelly people in the heat. We passed through a little village that obviously is used to having tourists trek through because we saw all sorts of shops set up to service travelers. There were also a number of families with children running around as we made our way. The girls that were hiking with us made friendly overtures as we marched our way to our destination.

[DouglasE]

Our group gathers before a waterfall



I learned my lesson and did not eat much at lunch. I had run through my supply of Immodium and needed to be careful. I do remember we had this yummy fruit juice. Once again the rain sprinkled but not for long.

Craig loved the sign at this market that read, "Best Place Shopping Center". He thought it was hysterical that one little shack would be considered a shopping center.




Lunch with Pradeep, Marco, and Eddison





Vans pulled up and the crew began to load it up with all of the Llama Path gear. We were on our way to the natural hot springs of Peru!





NEXT: Crash! Vehicles collide on the way to Santa Teresa hot springs

[Colexis Mom]

Great updates Douglas! Amazing pictures!!

[chezp]

More wonderful updates Douglas - your hike is really turning out to be the most amazing adventure, a true once-in-a-lifetime thing.