Inca Trail day 2

The porters wake us up at 5:00 on day 2 - they come to each tent, rattle the poles and we are expected to open up and receive our coca tea. We then have half an hour to pack everything up and have it outside the tent before breakfast. Breakfast is bread, jam, coffee, tea, and omlettes. We brush our teeth, receive our water for the day in our camelbaks, and get ready to go. We find out that Lorna and Brendon have gone ahead to get a head start, and that sadly Mike and Sandy are going back to Ollantaytambo, as Sandy is really not well. The second guide, Ever, will walk back with them. 

Before we say our goodbyes and head off, Jonathan would like to introduce us to the porters. We all stand around in a huge circle, and each porter introduces himself in Spanish and Jonathan translates. They tell us their names, ages, where they are from, and how long they have been working the Inca trail, as well as some info on their families. The oldest guys are 58, they look quite good for their age, and the youngest 25. Most have children, but not all are married - some say they are "living with a woman" :) The cook also introduces himself, he is so cutely dressed in his white apron and chef's hat. We clap for each guy after his introduction. I must admit I questioned whether it was necessary to use our time with this on the morning of our hardest day, but the smiles on the guy's faces as we clapped made it worthwhile.

Next we introduce ourselves as well, and then get ready. The trail heads steeply upwards immediately, and we are already out of breath in minutes. We have to start our day by tackling the dreaded "Dead Woman's pass" - Warmi wanusca, at a staggering 4200m. There are stone Inca steps most of the way - they are incredibly high to climb up, which is tough on the legs! We rest frequently on the way, and we have spread out considerably, with the Danes leading the way as usual. We spot beautiful snow-capped mountains, and stop for pics. Eventually we catch up with Lorna and Brendon, and continue onwards and upwards. 

After almost 4 hours we finally reach the top of the pass, and Jonathan high fives everyone as we arrive. We take a good rest, get group photos and congratulate each other for making it. Hopefully the worst is over...

Unfortunately every up is followed by a down, and every down is followed by an up. The way down to lunch is incredibly steep - we have to descend 700m in 1 1/2 hours or so. I find it very difficult, and tough on the knees and feet. The hiking poles we rented for US$6 per pole are proving to be absolutely invaluable here, as they are spring loaded and cushion the impact of each step. They also stop Wendy and I from falling on a few occasions, as it is pretty slippery.

Finally we reach lunch at Pacaymayu at 3500m, feeling thoroughly exhausted. This is the largest camp on the Inca trail, and some hikers are resting here already, done for the day. The porters have laid out plastic sheets for our bags, but we all use them to lie down for naps while we wait for the last people to arrive. The group has never been so quiet! We then have some lunch, feeling ravenous after all the energy we have expended.

Our challenge for the afternoon is going to be similar to the morning - climbing the second pass at 4000m, and then back down to 3680m for camp. Luckily, along the way we come across an Inca site, Runkurakay, and Jonathan gathers us to explain it.

He also explains why deads womans pass is so called: if you have a look at the profile of the pass from below, in the photo below,starting for the right hand side, you see the head through to the feet...

Towards the pass we spot beautiful small lakes. Another two hours after the inca site, we summit the second pass, and have a rest at the top, admiring the views.

Then it's downhill again, and along the way we come across two Inca sites: Sayaqmarka, a well preserved Inca town, and Concha Marka, a small site. A few people including Van climb the steep stairs about ten minutes to get to Sayaqmarka, but Wendy, Dad and I are too tired, and we push on. The second site is right on the side of the trail.

Finally we reach our campsite for the day, just before dark again. This time we are at Chaquiqocha, at 3680m. We grab the hand washing basins and use them for a good wash, and then have a rest while everyone else arrives, clapping and cheering. Our second day was really hard, but somehow still not quite as bad as we had imagined, I guess we had psyched ourselves up enough for it! We have tea time, and the snack this time is quite funny - the freshly fried nachos with sausage inside, and dolce de leche (caramel) on top! Dinner is delicious and filling, and some of us are not quite tired enough for bed yet. But the second we vacate the dining tent the porters are wanting to go in there, they use it to sleep, and I guess they must be more tired than us! So we head to bed. It's really cold up here and we are grateful for our good sleeping bags!