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| None of the horses are “wild,” they all come when gathered fire either riders or packing. |
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| Wide succulent selection at about 12,200’! |
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| These brilliant little guys growing right at ground level, with few leaves exposed to freezing. |
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| Every plant in this photo was edible or medicinal per Julio |
Julio gave us a detailed history of the Quechuans that lived in the area, including their mountain horses, alpacas, fishing techniques, and water uses. Maybe it was just a chance to catch our breaths at 13,780’, but it was welcomed info!
Headed back down to Sky Camp in light rains, but the sky cleared at sunset for an awesome view of our Day 2 destination, Salkantay Peak…
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| Education session…gasp, gasp. |
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| Beautiful rainbow in the valley we ascended |
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| Salkantay (Savage in Quechua) Mountain 20,574’ from Sky Domes |
Day One = 2,110’ 🔺, 985’ 🔻, 6.6 miles
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| Tired Sophia in her Sky Dome |
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| NOTHING in the mountains is set up for six-footers! Doors like these make one reeeaallyy mad to have to get up and pee in the middle if the night! |
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| The “long grass” used for thatch roofs and alpaca feed |
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| Medicinal tea for stomach ailments |
The Incas were actually only the individual emperors over the empire that spanned a huge territory and just a couple centuries before being destroyed by the Spanish. There were 14 Incas prior to the Spaniards and 4 after, so only 18 total Incas.
But the victors write the history, so they just called the entire civilization Incas for convenience.
Julio is proudly Quechuan (ketch-wan) and finding us willing, avid and non-judgemental listeners to his descriptions of their culture, lifestyles, language, spiritual beliefs, and existence in harmony with the land, he shared too much to possibly convey. Along our trek he would jump off the trail, pick some herbs or pull some grass, give us the Quechuan and Spanish names, then describe its uses.
Julio has been guiding in these mountains and jungles for over 22 years and his love of the environment and his people permeates everything he says and does. He grew up in a mountain village of about 30 people, but his parents decided to move the family to Cusco when he was 8, where Julio had to learn Spanish to get by in school. Then he decided the best way to return to the mountains and his people was as a guide so he learned English and attended university four years to get his license. He’s kind, intelligent, funny, and a real team leader…when he noticed the huffing and gasping were getting pronounced, he’d make an unscheduled stop to describe some tree, or flower or tell some story, while we replenished our O2 levels so we could ask questions.
The trail is clearly defined and easily followed without a guide. But, the risks of an significant error are magnified by the elevation and terrain. And oxygen-depleted brains often can’t even remember in which daypack pocket the snacks are stored, so having someone to gently and informatively leads us along was invaluable.
Julio will come up over and over again. Since we did our best to communicate in Quechuan and tried to incorporate everything he told us into our adventure, a real friendship was forged, with joking, jibes, laughter and beers, deeper than any client relationship, as the unfolding posts will reveal.
Haven’t seen Julio in several days now and can honestly say I miss him, but we’ll stay in touch and we just know he’s going to do well for himself, his family, and his people up on the mountain that he’s never forgotten
The Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu was such an intense, complex, challenging, and beautiful undertaking that even the logistics of its description are daunting. Thinking will go day-by-day, beginning with some stats on distance & elevation, then trail description, followed up by people, flora, and fauna or other unique aspects.
Will be in fits and starts as today is our return travel day, so will catch as catch can and Wi-Fi allows…
Challacancha (11,670’) the van ride began at 04:00 in Cusco where we were picked up by our guide Julio Choque, then picked up the chef, asst. chef, and food/gear. Then up a winding narrow road in the dark for several hours to the trailhead where we dismounted and prepped for the ascent.
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| Friendly kitty at the send off |
Daypacks loaded with rain gear and water we began the trip. Julio made the first rest stop at 12,462’ for a snack and air. There’ll be an entire post about Julio to come!
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| First of many steps |
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| All smiles with about 1,000’ and 6 km behind us! |
At 7km and 12,795’ we reached out first base camp, the Sky Camp domes at Soraypampa.
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| The covers are removed in the evening for some star gazing, weather permitting. |
After a quick lunch we made the 3 km round-trip hike to Humantay Lake at 13,780’, but since these posts are cumbersome on a phartsmone, will make that a separate story, which it really is…
My wandering just happened to take me by a few local craft breweries. I know, shocking…
When I open my Google maps, the first search item that volunteers is “brewery near me” 😎
Cerveceria del Valle Salgrado, Sacred Valley Brewery Inki Pucku IPA on a balcony overlooking a plaza while enjoying puffed corn! Always room to splash beer around a full belly!
Stopped into another balcony for a Willkamayu IPA served in a chilled tumbler (great idea!) overlooking the Plaza. Watched some school kids playing futbol on the cobblestone street and having a great time until the policia came and scattered them like quail😠
Our guide was Reynaldo, who attended culinary school and worked in Australian restaurants before returning to Peru. We began in the San Pedro Mercado, which is a mecca for anything related to food, clothing, spices, and gifts. The covered space spans several blocks and is bustling with activity. Incidentally, the roof design was done by Gustave Eiffel of tower fame, and the steel work is intricate.
We began with fresh squeezed “jugos” or juices from local fruits grown in the Sacred Valley around Cusco, an incredibly fertile area.
Cusco sits in an Andean valley at about 11,000’ so it’sa great place to acclimate before a trek into the mountains. Very hilly, lotsa steps and stairs, and not much air, so hydration and regulated breathing are necessary. All part of the training!
The city has definitely maintained its historic architecture and feel, but there’s also all of the vendors, stores, restaurants, and hustle-bustle of a large tourist destination. Actually, the noise level just outside the windows of the cute boutique hotel Daphne found rivals London or NYC! It’s readily apparent that every vehicle has a horn…even when the police are directing traffic at intersections!
Many of the hotels we’ve seen are incorporated into old buildings, with courtyards off the street and restaurants attrached along a balcony or through an arched doorway.
We’re always about the local food and beverage, so first meal was a traditional as we could find…
Pisco Sour (basically a brandy sour)
Then there’s the guinea pig…actually raised like livestock around here (don’t tell PETA). Similar to soft shell turtle in that each piece has a slightly different flavor, somewhere between pork and venison…
Frankly, the alpaca was better!
Doing a food tour this afternoon, so looking forward to trying more interesting dishes…
Everyone drinks and recommends the coca leaf tea to aid with digestion and oxygenation…what the heck, suppose it can’t hurt…
We’ve set off on our first adventure south of the Equator, visiting Cusco (koo-koh, not kooz-koh or koos-koh per the locals) Peru before doing the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu.
Took 23 hours to get here, including trying to nap on the cold floor of the Lima airport and a return to Lima for fuel when Cusco was socked in by clouds. But, everything happens for a reason and with the later flight was able to glimpse some of the Andes Mountains and their glaciers from the plane…
Kinda cool flying at 30,000’ and only being 10,000’ above the peaks!
Cusco is an ancient city, the imperial capital of the Incan Empire. Read enough history on the flight to know that the Incas had a huge empire that they maintained control over by assimilating neighboring tribes and letting them keep their local leaders and customs, provided the conquered paid their taxes, sent men for the imperial army, and, oh yes, many of their prettiest young women to the imperial palace. Incas also found it very effective to steal the mummies of past tribal leaders and hold the remains as ransom.
Most of the emperors only lasted about 30 years, usually being killed by a rival sibling for the throne. Some were about building the city, others about conquest. But the viaducts, temples and other structures they built are still very evident. Even after the Spanish took control, they tended to just build on top of Incan work…in this Temple of the Gods photo you can see the smooth, slightly angled (for earthquake stability) Inca foundation and then the Spanish church constructed above…
Even though the Incan army had tens of thousands of troops, they were mostly farmers doing their time, and their maces and other wooden weapons were no match for Spanish Toledo steel, metal armor, cavalry, and of course, small pox. The Incas had also just emerged from a brutal civil war that weakened and divided their forces.
Pizarro only had 168 seasoned soldiers, but they moved quick, captured the emperor, then held him captive, until the entire empire submitted. Lotsa looting, pillaging, and sacking before they let the Catholic priests move in to tame the civilization.
Difficult to get a detailed picture since the Incas, despite all their technological progress, never developed a written language, so verbal history is all that remains.
