Not Justawalkinthepark – the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu
Avalanches, Rock Slides, and Dynamite!
It all began last Saturday night when a group of 6 enthusiastic trekkers met at the SAS Travel Agency in Cusco, Peru for our debriefing on the Salkantay 5-day Trek to Machu Picchu. Fred was already exhibiting symptoms of a cold/fever but hoped his fever would break that night, before the 5:30 a.m. departure the following morning.
DAY 1 – “The Popsicles”
Unfortunately Sunday morning, Fred was still feeling ill, but was hopeful his symptoms would soon pass. The other 2 couples arrived and we set off in a small van (@ 3 hours) for Mollepata at 2900 metres above sea level. Luckily for Fred and I, we had already acclimatized, having spent 5 days in Cusco. The others had only recently arrived, having had only 1-2 nights in Cusco city.
It wasn’t long before we had to have a quick pit-stop at the side of the road for Stephanie, (an economist from Washington, DC) who was struck by food poisoning from her dinner the night before (perhaps the egg or mayonnaise in the salad). Adam, (a real estate broker from NYC), was also feeling under the weather, skeptical of his meal the evening before and also suffering from possibly HAS (High Altitude Sickness) (note – they ate at different restaurants).
After arriving at Mollepata for breakfast, Stephanie’s husband, Art (a.k.a. Arturrooooooooo) also began exhibiting signs of food poisoning (he ate the salad, too). So, before long, we had 3 feeling ill of food poisoning and Fred ill with a cold/fever, so that left Jennifer (in her final year of Law School and Adam’s significant other) and I, the only two healthy ones.
After breakfast, we were then advised that we were being transferred to the back of a pickup truck! For the next hour and a half, we either stood or sat in the back of a rickety-‘ol pickup truck with side brackets, with all our gear, backpacks, tents, the porters, guide, cook, etc crammed into the back. I felt like we were characters in the Beverly Hillbillies! Since Steph suffers from motion sickness, she had an interesting ride in the front. The scenery was beautiful though, with high peaks and valleys, rivers, snow-capped mountains, and a few Andean communities and their livestock.
Needless to say, the combination of diesel fumes, a rocky gravel road, and several switchbacks, was enough for Art, (the Manager of Training for a Telecommunications Company and Steph’s husband) to hail the driver to stop for a sudden, quick departure over the railing to get sick, roadside. Despite the load in the back of the pickup, the driver even picked up a lady and her daughter hitchhiking! To get the truck started up again, Steph advised the driver had to hot-wire it!
At about 10 a.m., we arrived at our trailhead at Cruzpata at 3200 metres where we picked up our horses and mules to carry the supplies and backpacks. All of us paid the $45 extra to have 9 kg each carried for us, leaving us with only a small knapsack on our backs. We walked for almost 3 hours, basically along a gravel road in warm weather conditions. At 1 p.m., we arrived at our lunch spot – Challacancha. By this point, Art had taken a real turn for the worse. He had vomitted already a few times and he and Steph opted out of lunch to rest on a tarp on the ground. Fred, Adam, Jennifer, and myself also took advantage of a rest break in the warm sun before the next leg.
At 2 p.m., we set off again. What was supposed to be a 2 hour walk, ended up being 4 hours. Art, who was so weak, was given a horse in order to be able to make it up the mountain. For 4 hours, four ill trekkers hiked up to Soraypampa at 3,800 m (about 12,000′). A challenging walk even when healthy, the group managed to arrive slightly before dark. We drank coca tea to help with the HAS, but we were in no mood for dinner – we all just wanted to pass out in the tents. Our guide, Johann, had asked us earlier in the day to think of a group name. At dinner, Art suggested “The Popsicles” – because by the time we reached the mountain, the temperature had dipped below freezing. The wind had picked up, and none of us had realized how cold it was going to be. Our winter hats, mits, extra pants, etc., were packed and had gone ahead with the mules. So we had arrived to the top of the mountain in spring-like attire. By 8 p.m., we all dove into our tents – frozen, exhausted, and dreading spending 10 hours on the cold, wet, ground. Nobody bothered to change, instead, we added more layers to what we were already wearing. I even slept with my gloves on, my ROOTS toque on, plus my winter jacket with hood up! Fred was so cold and sick, I even had to help him add clothes and open and close his sleeping bag.
DAY 2 – “The Soggy Bottom Gang”
At 6 a.m., our guide tapped at our tent delivering cups of coca tea to help alleviate any HAS. I awoke to a very sore neck, since I never had a pillow to sleep on and hadn’t prepared a pile of clothes to rest my head on, like the others. I think the last time I slept in a tent was about 25 years ago, maybe more! And I think the next time I sleep in a tent will be . . . never!
When we opened the tent to head over to the “dining tent”, I couldn’t believe my eyes . . . SNOW! That’s right, it had snowed during the night. We were at the base of Humantay Mountain (5,780 metres, @ 17,000′). The setting was spectacular, but I had a hard time taking it all in and appreciating the remoteness, especially when I had to use the snow-covered port-a-poddy.
Thankfully, Art and Steph were feeling somewhat better and were able to put a little breakfast in their stomachs. Fred and Adam were still a little under the weather, but the Popsicles began their 23 km trek to Chaullay. It was a gruelling ascent for about 3 hours to the Apacheta Pass at 4590 metres. For the whole ascent, it snowed and there was significant cloud cover. At one point, we heard a few avalanches, but unfortunately, couldn’t see them due to the clouds. Jennifer and Fred had difficulty breathing in the high altitude – one never knows how it will affect them. The views from the top, however, were breathtaking and we took a moment for a group photo with Mt. Salkantay (6264 metres), the second highest peak in Cusco’s region, in the near distance.
We then began a six hour descent through moraines, and valleys. Once we got over the top of the mountain, the snow soon changed to rain, and the trail was full of rocks, stones, mud, and water. Our feet got soaked and it felt like we were lifting bricks as we trudged along. The descent was equally challenging as the ascent, given the trail and weather conditions.
We arrived at our second camp at about 5:30 p.m., just before dark again. Art suggested we change our group name to the “Soggy Bottom Gang” since we were all soaked, and our butts muddy and dirty from sitting on moss-covered rocks whenever we were able to take a break along the trail. Needless to say, we weren’t too enthusiastic to another night in the tent – this time, in wet clothes. Our “campsite” was a farmer’s field, complete with mules, chickens, turkeys, and pigs. There was almost as much animal fecas in the porta-poddy tent as there was in the field! The rain started up again that evening, and we awoke the next morning to wet sleeping bags, duffel bags, and clothes.
DAY 3 – “Broken In or Broken?”
We began our 15 km trek with cloudy skies and a theraputic refuge in the Hot Springs for about an hour (temperature was at least 30 degrees C). We trekked through a high jungle niche called Ceja de Selva where we saw different kinds of plants, fruits, flowers, birds, etc. We crossed some spectacular wooden bridges, capable of collapsing at any moment, with the river raging underneath. Apart from a steep climb at the beginning, the trail was mostly downhill on rough terrain and it followed the river. The trail was no more than 2 feet wide at many locations – it wouldn’t be a surprise if they lost a few pack mules every year due to erosion. As we were walking along the trail, Fred and I were about 10 minutes ahead of the rest of the group when a couple of Peruvians told us to hurry past. We didn’t know what was up, but noticed some sort of construction across the river. Just as we reached the top of the hill, that’s when we heard, and saw, several explosions from dynamite, with the rocks landing across the river on the trail we just passed.
As we continued on, there was a hut selling refreshments and snacks. As we sat on the rock bench, enjoying our gatorade and lay’s potato chips waiting for the rest of the group to catch up, we heard a loud, crashing rock slide across the river. This was followed by several smaller rock slides. Unfortunately, some of the locals are cutting the trees and burning the landscape to plant crops. This will not be good for the future of the trails if left unchecked.
Our group continued our trek, arriving in the Andean village of La Playa (meaning – the Beach – some beach!) around 3:30 p.m. Just as we hung out all our wet clothes, sleeping bags, shoes, and mattresses to dry, the clouds came over us and the rain set in once more. We immediately became deflated with the thoughts of sleeping yet another night in wet clothes on wet ground. Well, at least we were at much lower altitude and it was almost warm. We stayed at “Valentine’s”, the owner of the property. Unfortunately, it left much to be desired. We had our dinner on a mud floor, underneath an overhang, with the resident animals (chickens, pigs, turkeys, and dogs) sniffing around for food. We had an early night (bed by 8:45) knowing that we had to get up early (5:30 a.m.) for the next day’s trek.
DAY 4 – Bugs n Bites, Blisters n Bandaids
Thanks to the resident rooster, we were awoken prior to the crack of dawn. (Art and I took turns clocking the first crowing of the roosters). This morning, it was 4:10 a.m. Needless to say, we were all set to go at 6:30 a.m., prepared for our 4 hour ascent to Llactapata at 2700 metres. I have never seen Fred take off so fast, he was so disgusted by that camp location (he could write a whole blog about his experience that morning using their “Turkish Toilet” hahaha).
We trekked through coffee, banana, and passion fruit plantations and once the clouds lifted, we enjoyed a spectacular view of the Santa Teresa Valley. I discovered some interesting bug bites on my hands, arms, elbows, and ear from the night before – despite having applied mosquito repellent. We were fortunate to spot a couple of Toucans and a flock of parrots in the cloud forest on our ascent. We continued along the trail through some amazing forest – full of creeping vines, moss, and ferns like we had never seen before.
I also developed a huge blister on my left foot (probably from the combination of wet socks and soaked shoes), so luckily, Steph came to the rescue with an alcohol swab and large bandaid. Between Steph and Jennifer, they had every manageable prescription cure for anything we may encounter along the trail. Fred’s n my limited supply went with his knapsack.
Continuing on, we finally came to a clearing where we were able to see the backside of the famous Machu Picchu Inca city. After a short rest, more bug bites, and some photo opts, we continued another 4 hours downhill, finally ending up at they hydroelectric plant where we had our lunch, then boarded the train for a 45 minute ride to the town of Aguas Calientes (2000 metres). We were so excited to get on that train, knowing that within an hour, we would have our first hot shower in 4 days. We all smelled like a pack of wet dogs.
Our arrival at the train station was more than chaotic, but we managed to get to the Hostal Viageros where we all enjoyed a scalding, hot shower. We then opted out of the hostal food for a restaurant downtown and all the group downed pizza and beer like it was escargot and champagne. It was another early night since we had a 4:30 a.m. wake up.
DAY 5 – The Motley Crew at Machu Picchu
After a 25 minute bus ride up switchbacks, we finally arrived at our destination, “Machu Picchu”. It was definitely worth the journey, and all the hardships of the past 4 days. We strolled around the ancient city for hours, taking many photographs. I have subscribed to flickr.com and uploaded some photos, and will soon try and figure out the link so you can see them! After some time in the market (I bought a beautiful pendant with Machu Picchu on it to remember the journey, and Mom – a beautiful cat pendant), we took the train with Jennifer and Adam to Ollyantambo where we transferred to a SAS van. We enjoyed looking out the windows at the night sky – highlighted by an almost full moon, bright stars, snow-capped mountains, and the Big Dipper.
Overall, it was quite an experience, not to be missed. I am sure it would have been a completely different adventure had we had more favourable weather. The group showed great intestinal fortitude, especially Jennifer, whose joints were really bothering her. Art kept the group upbeat with his keen sense of humour and wit, songs and stories. Fred endured 5 days without coffee, and it’ll be a long time before I drink anymore coca tea (tastes and smells like hay) and Art lasted 5 days without his “crackberry”. I am sure Art and Steph enjoyed celebrating their 10th Anniversary staying at a very upscale hotel in Aguas Calientes for a couple more days, complete with sauna (I read all about it in the guidebook!)
Art, Steph, Adam, and Jennifer – feel free to add any comments to the blog!
Had we had it to do over again, we probably would have splurged and stayed at the “Mountain Lodges”. Trekking for 8 – 10 hours a day wouldn’t have been as bad if we knew there was a hot shower and hot tub waiting for us! And a room we could stand up in (not the 6 x 6 tents we stayed in and couldn’t stand up and stretch in).
First thing I did Friday, after taking ALL our clothes to the laundromat (only $6 for all of Fred’s n’ my clothes), was to go for a massage. Only $13 for 1.5 hours – I had gone before we left, too. Marisol was great, I almost sprung off the table though when she pressed on my calf muscles! Fred and I then enjoyed a fantastic breakfast at Jack’s Cafe (french toast with strawberries, banana, whipped cream and maple syrup, a side order of crispy bacon, and caffe lattes for only under $10) then a dinner at Papillon’s (Fred had herbal chicken n’ fries and salad and I had spaghetti alla carbonnara just like I make it and a few beers – for about $20).
Now, we are off 9 p.m. to Copacabana, Bolivia ($25 each) arriving around 10 a.m. Saturday morning. They say we are on a bus with reclining seats – hope so.
Until the next time,
Lisa n Fred
Tags: Salkantay Trek, SAS Travel Agency, Travel
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