Day 55 – Trek day 1

5am start to be ready for our departure. First a little background on what we’re about to embark on. For the next four days and three nights we shall be trekking the longest of the Inca trails, The Salkantay. The fourth night shall be spent in Agues Calientes before visiting Machu Picchu on the fifth and final day. We chose this trail over “The Inca trail” partly in ignorance but mainly because from the four treks we preferred the itinerary of this one.

An introduction to our group:

• José – our guide
• Percy – our cook
• Flavio – helper
• Fernando – the horseman
• Katherine – an Australian woman from Darwin

A change of plans meant breakfast at the hostel. Sitting next door to our room, and feeling weary, I nearly went back to bed. After loading the minibus we set off into the mountains; main roads at first but then tracks. I’m amazed at the skill of the driver who managed to get the minibus up a narrow and rutted road that I wouldn’t take a 4×4 on. At some of the hairpin bends I found my nerves being stretched for fear of tipping over the edge.

First stop was a small village where we picked up supplies, including coco leaves. José, our guide, showed us how to roll the leaves, containing mild amounts of cocaine, with an aniseed type substance. You then chew the leaves for a minute before placing them on one side, between your teeth and gum. The leaves can be used in tea too and are supposed to relieve all sorts of ailments, including altitude sickness. One other supply that we picked up was the all important walking sticks. For S/6 we cot a trimmed branch capped with a patterned woven cloth handle.

The lunch stop was in a beautiful valley; lush valley vegetation marked where we had come from and snow capped mountains showed the way forward. The only thing to spoil the view of this remote location was a modern looking hotel.

After a more formal introduction to our group we were fed with a gourmet lunch. I’m not kidding, this food was some of the best I’ve had on the whole trip and I was amazed at how Percy, our chef, could prepare such a feast in our current location.

After a short siesta we began the days walking. We climbed, sometimes steady and sometimes steeply, following the valley. After only and hour or so we were overtaken by the support team and horses that carried our equipment. They are seriously fit!

It took us three hours in total to reach the first nights camp site. At 3400 meters I could feel the altitude in the form of a migraine like headache. Thankfully the clear view of the Salkantay mountain, its summit some 2000 meters higher than us, kept me distracted.

Food for the evening was one again mind blowing. You really need to get a picture in your mind of the campsite to understand how good this food was. We were pitched up on a gentle slope on peaty ground with only a stream for an amenity. I was cold, very cold and not far away from us was the snow line. Now the first, yes first, round of food we had was happy hour; a mixture of crackers, fresh popcorn, fresh wantons with cheese and hot drinks. For diner we had a two course meal served in storm like conditions. We’d watched the lightning and seen an avalanche before we fought off the rain from our diner tent. Percy and Flavio we amazing, carrying us food from the kitchen tent to ours through those horrid conditions. I couldn’t believe it when José later said they would be sleeping in the very same tents.

After making myself Vegas buffet full we made a dash for the tents. It was a dark and snowy night that make going to the toilet a big debate. In the end I couldn’t wait and ran out in boxers and boots. Was a cold night on that mountain.