As we were packing up our damp gear that was along the side of the tent in preparation for breakfast, I looked over the campsite and soaked in the marvelous scenery. Snow capped mountain peaks in the distance; a meandering river flowing into a small waterfall provided a tranquil backdrop to the ambient noises of the forest and fellow trekkers; and wild horses earnestly grazing not more than 10 ft away. Our group consisted of a fun mix of tourists from around the world and included a group of six 20 year old students from England, a couple from Toronto on part of their honeymoon, and a 60 year old mother from North Carolina among others.
The food was extremely plentiful and quite good considering the cooking circumstances. The chef even made a cake for the last meal. We had an extensive array of food options from pancakes to fruit to oatmeal. We usually have two to three meat / vegetable dishes and a starch or two to go along with a soup or appetizer. After breakfast, we prepared for the hardest day of the trek. A 16km stretch with an ascension of over 800km up to Dead Woman’s Pass and then back down another 500km to our camp site.
The hike up to Dead Woman’s Pass was tough and exhausting, but I had a couple advantages versus some other trekkers such as Matt. Most people drop into Lima and then fly over to Cusco for their trek, spending 2 days in Cusco to get acclimatized to the altitude which can render walking up a flight of stairs a monumental task. While two days helps a lot, Matt and others were obviously facing the battle versus the altitude and often losing. Having been in Bolivia for the last couple weeks or so at high elevations, allowed me to handle the altitude with ease. A girl on our trek marveled that I was able to walk and not have to hunch over to catch my breath every 5 minutes and that my breathing was not labored.
The second advantage that I had was that I packed light. A change of shirts and socks with the minimal toiletries, sleeping bag, and foam mattress were given to a porter to carry. In my small bag, I carried my jacket when I wasn’t using it, bug spray, and water. Others, I have no idea how they managed, carried all their stuff with them on their backs in large backpacks. They were able to keep up, and I applaud them. While I considered carrying my stuff myself, I knew that I wanted to enjoy the scenery and trek; and while I definitely could have done the trek with my big bag, I know that it would have impaired my ability to enjoy nature. Without the additional bulk and weight, I was able to easily handle the tough rocky spots of the trail which were sometimes slick with rain, climb up the side of the mountain to look at an interesting flower, and run up the last 100meters of Dead Woman’s Pass. Yes I sprinted up the hill on a bet. I wanted to see if I could run at this altitude up a steep incline. The porters have a yearly marathon over the entire trail which is the same distances as the NYC one just with altitude and extremely difficult terrain. The fastest guy completed the 25 mile course in a little more than three hours. I found that the main issue was lung capacity at that altitude as I had to stop half way up to catch my breath. When I got to the top, I thought my head and lungs would explode but my legs did not really hurt at all.
The third advantage is that I’ve been doing a lot of trekking through Argentina and Chile and walking around exploring new cities over the last couple months so that extra exercise probably prepared me for the trek a bit more than a person who is normally sitting at a desk for most of the day.
But one can do the trek and survive without any of these “so called” advantages. The 60 year old mother carried her huge bag by herself.
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