After a half hour of wondering if anyone was going to meet with us, our guide Edwin arrived and led us to our bus for the journey to Mollepata, “just in the next square” equated to a 1Km walk to a set of crossroads. The bus was of the basic standard we had become use to over the last couple of day treks. After throwing our rucksacs onto the roof of the bus we got our seats at the back and waited for the journey to begin. Like any journey, the vehicle was packed to the rim with people and kit with bags of chickens and corn all across the floor. It wasnt the most comfortable of bus journeys, the custom vetilation in the back (holes in the flooring) was a bit uneeded with the cool morning temperatures, but standing for the following 4 hours (the fate of some of the Peruvians) would have been far from amusing.
After a rather cold journey, slipping in and out of sleep with the cold, we arrived in Mollepata glad to get out of the fridge of a bus and get moving to warm up. Before entering the village we stopped on the outskirts while our guide bartered with the guards over the price of our entry, nothing in Peru seems to have a fixed price, even thigs with fixed prices. Breakfast was taken in a restraunt off the village square. Top tip; get the largest breakfast availible, “Grande Americano” I believe, as the larger portions are definately worth the extra couple of Sol. After breakfast, we had a quick brief from our guide a couple of photo’s and then set off on the trek, leaving our bags for Edwin’s mate and his horses to (hopefully) pick up.
Unlike the majority of other groups we started off in Mollepata, most others got driven up a further couple of K’s in the back of a flatbed, On leaving the village we passed a couple more shops, from which, you could get any last minute items of food that you needed, all be it for an increased price. After an hour’s walking it became clear that our route was to lead us up the inside of the valley, on a road that had been cut into the hillside to access the higher villages. Another hour and we stopped for a break, where we were very surprised to find a shop selling a variety of food and drinks. As you would expect the prices were again more expesive than in the Mollepata, but thats to be expected when you’re on a hill!!
The further up the valley we travelled the greater the views were. The snow capped peaks of watched over us, where as across the valley we could see tracks once used be the inca’s to run messages to the outer villages of the empire, perfectly horizontal and cut into the hill, very much unlike what we were travelling upon. Another couple hours up the hill and we arrived at out lunch stop, a well received rest for the feet. A straw roof gave us good shade from the sun and the lack of walls gave us great views across the valley. It was at this time that we realised that our rucksacs had been brought thus far via a minibus, and the horses were just getting loaded up with our bags, not that they didn’t try to run away before getting loaded up. I think after the morning’s walk everyone was very glad of the decision to get horses to carry our house, as I think everyone would have been struggling with the combination of heat, altitude and weight (especially the extra 4 Litres of water in each pack!)
Compared to the Inca trail the amount of availible literature for the Sant Teresa trek is very much limited. Prior to beginning the trek we had thought that we would walking across the scrub anddoing a lot of nav, however the realisation on the ground was that we were following well walked traks, used by around 100 people a day and a good couple of mule trains. Maps were pretty much left in the daysack for the majority of the walking, except for points of interest, i.e names of sowpeaked moutains, distance to campsite and the like.
As we closed in upon the campsite for the night the size of the moutains either side of us on the valley floor became apparent, huge lumps of rock with small amounts of vegetation and snow covered peaks. With another 700metres to our finish for the day we passed what looked to be a 5 star thatched roof cabin with outdoor hot tub, nothing like 5 star accomidation to make you wish you weren’t camping!! Unfortunately they were fully booked and only served those that had booked prior to starting the trek in Cusco, there loss didnt want to jump into the hot tub anyways.
When we arrived at our campsite we found it all quite amicable. Pitching our terra novas and getting our site sorted before a quick exploration of the surrounding area. I was shocked to find a high class lodging at this height however was again surprised to find a concise shop at the campsite, selling everything and anything; wine, beer, rice, crisps, chocolate. A couple of beers with a dinner of pasta sauce and sausage was just the ticket. It was becoming apparent that you could complete the trek without carrying any food or water, jush purchasing on the way, even if at a rather inflated price. Definately bring a down/insulated jacket for the evenings as they are bitterly cold!!
The second day was started with a hearty breakfast, 2 cereal bar’s and some chocolate nut’s, not the fried sausages I’d usually start the day off with on a multiday trek! This morning we were walking to the highest altitude of the trek(4600m a.s.l), and also the highest I’d been since in the
Aberdares mountain ranges in Kenya. The previous day was pretty hard going with the altitude, however getting up to the pass is probably the most physical experience of my life.
The altitude really kicks the shit out of you, everybody handle’s it differently, but everyone in our group found it tough going, and all of us are far from unfit. Every couple hundred metres we had to stop and take a breather. It was here that the trekking pole’s came into their own removeing some effort from your legs and slowing the speed at which your legs would tire. Stopping nearly 150metres below the pass, we took our morning elevenses and enjoyed the great 360 degree views.
yes that’s right, hawain shorts at 4300m (a.s.l)
It was easily another half hour walking before we reached the pass and were very much relieved to get there. Here we stopped for another half hour or so and enjoyed the views of Nevado Salkantay and Nevado Tacarhuay and got plenty of photo’s including a Semi-naked one with “our wee country” flags, god was that cold, that photo wasn’t taken fast enough for my liking!!
From the highest altitude we were going to reach on the trip, we descended 1500m to our lunch stop.Climbing the last 800 metres had taken us nearly the complete morning, and descenting twice that took only 45 minutes. We really flew down the mountain, with the help and stability given to us by the trekking pole’s, I would have been on my ass countless time’s without there help. After dropping over a K in altitude we stopped for lunch and it was far easier to move without feeling ike you had sat on the couch for the last year!!! A nice spot of rain led us to enjoy a longer a longer lunch break than planned, and then it was on with the downward journey to the nights camp.
Peru defo aint all sun!!
While descending it was hard not to notice the change in the landscape, it was visible to everyone that this side of the mountain was getting all the rain, compared to the spartan vegetation on the other side of the hill, this side was lush and tropical. Again some of us pretty much ran down the hill to our campsite for the night, using the trekking poles as a rescue system when the fooring was less sound than expected, or when an unexpected turn came up. With nearly an hour of sunlight remaining we bedded down in our camp for the night vith glorious views of the sunset, and the last of the sunlight entering the valley. With high mountains on all sides of our camp and a stream trickling a few metres from our tents it was an idylic camp.
fading light at the end of day 2
