Hello from Peru! When I asked Mark what our blog should say, his response was, “ We almost died.” Let me just say that we didn’t quite know what we were getting into, such as hiking across 15,900 foot mountain passes. But don’t worry, Mom and Dad, we made it!
Mark and I don’t camp. We’re just friends with people who do, and generally find ways to be active outdoors while landing at a four-star hotel at night. Plus perhaps a massage on particularly taxing days. I hope my camping friends read this and laugh (because the only other appropriate reaction would be crying). And this wasn’t even real camping, it was glamping! More on that later.
Our trip began in Cuzco, which is an adorable town, fun to walk around, with spectacular food. The entire town is declared a UNESCO world heritage site – it’s that good-looking, and it is also the oldest consistently inhabited city in the Americas. The people are so friendly and we felt super safe walking around everywhere.
The main square, Plaza de Armas, is surrounded by a stunning cathedral, a church, as well as Patagonia/ North Face stores. That basically sums up Peru – history combined with outdoor adventure.
We had one of the best meals of our lives at Morena. We chowed on causa (a traditional layered potato dish), lomo saltado (a beef/potato/vegetable stir fry), salted corn kernels that we initially weren’t sure if they were edible but turn out to be a favorite snack, and a pisco sour (pisco is a liquor made from grapes, also a Peruvian must). Peru, particularly Lima, has become one of the best cities in the world for foodies, and believe me – it’s true.
We love how nobody is rushed in this country. Everyone is calm, smiling, and says “buenos dias!” like we’re already pals. You know how people are generally stressed and rushed at airports? Not in Lima. I love the mindset of “why be stressed?”
Our first inkling that maybe we weren’t prepared for this trip came during our pre-trip meeting. Prior to the meeting, we had no idea who we’d hike with during our four-day trek, and were really glad to meet a sweet family of four and Juan Carlos, our guide. But, all six of us headed back to the camping/adventure stores after learning that we weren’t 100% prepared. Sunhats and rain pants are not optional, we discovered. The other family was sent to purchase walking poles and winter hats and gloves. Uh oh.
Day 1 of the hike was very challenging. We started at 11,500 ft and ended at the base of a glacier at 14,000 ft. We were instructed to “acclimatize” to the altitude by staying in Cuzco for a day or two prior to the trip. However, in classic Mark-and-Melissa squeeze-it-all-in style, we landed at the Cuzco airport at noon and started hiking first thing the next day. A van picked us up at our hotel at 4 am (not joking) and we rolled out into the brisk mountain air a few hours later. At that point, Mark started panicking that he didn’t bring a winter jacket. I mean, we could see our breath and shivered, and instantly wondered how we were going to make it through several nights of sleeping outside. We both thought it was going to be a brutal four days in the cold.
But! The views and the experience of hiking up to a mountain pass were incredible. We hiked for seven hours on the first day, all uphill (and by that I mean up-mountain). The altitude itself was very difficult to handle. The family that we were hiking with had to use “the emergency horse” to escort both of their teenage children who got migraines and nausea from altitude sickness. Thankfully, after not really dedicating much time at all to get used to the altitude, Mark and I did great. I really don’t think that if we weren’t in triathlon shape, this would’ve been possible. I am so glad we did this trip now, when we’re in the best shape of our lives! The weirdest reaction that I had to the altitude is that my heart would be racing, even at laying in bed at night in the hotel at Cuzco. Hiking up for even a few seconds immediately made us huff and puff like I couldn’t believe. I have convinced myself that it’s just what needs to happen for me to get enough oxygen and that I’m not dying 🙂 I would say that the pictures speak for themselves, but they don’t. Take your reaction to the photos and multiply it by ten, and maybe that would resemble the scale and awe-striking visuals of the Andes mountains.
Unbelievably, the Andes dwarf the Rockies by 8,400 feet (22,800 versus 14,400 ft). Even the Alps don’t compare at 15,600 feet. This is as intense as mountains get.
And yes, we made it through the night. We slept in almost every layer that we had, but ended up peeling them off in the super-duper sleeping bags that were provided.
Did I mention that eight people are taking care of us? For our group of six, we have a guide (the marvelous Juan Carlos), three porters, and four chefs. Plus eight horses who carry all our stuff – tents, food, sleeping bags, and gear. We hiked with our giant backpacks for the first day, and we were amazingly relieved of them for the rest of the trip as the horses had less food to carry. This was a service that is typically offered for a fee, but all they said to us is “we’re friends.” And that was that.
The food has been outstanding. Did I mention that we have four chefs? Mango pancakes were my favorite breakfast, and the homemade soups at every lunch and dinner are outstanding. They make local favorites like quinoa (yes, originated in Peru), lomo saltado, lots of varieties of corn, and dishes with the chili peppers and the small sweet avocados that are native to Peru. How the chefs make these meals over a camping stove is beyond my imagination. Nothing comes from a powder or can. Not to mention they’ve hauled all of the food from Cuzco without stopping to buy anything along the way (since that’s not at all an option out here). They should write a book on how to make fresh gourmet camping meals.
Day 2 started out even more intense. We woke up to the view of the sun rising over snow-covered mountains. The view from our tent was simply majestic.
Our first mission was to climb to 15,900 feet, the highest point of the entire trip. Looking at this mountain pass, it seemed like we were going to be climbing straight up a cliff face. Expecting the worst, we got to the peak in only 45 minutes! The best news is that the rest of the hike for the next three days is downhill. I have to say that being up close and personal with a glacier, and earning our way there, was quite an accomplishment. The other treks that lead to Machu Picchu don’t include any run-ins with glaciers, and we are so glad we chose this one.
Along the way, we saw lots of animals roaming the mountains including llamas (!), horses, sheep, and cows. Herds of all of these animals were owned by someone, but we never saw a single fence penning them in. We’re still on the lookout for condors and chinchillas.
Quickly, the snowy mountains drifted away behind us and were replaced by this awesome golden yellow/brown/green mountain landscape with glacial creeks and waterfalls running through it. We agreed as a group that it would be impossible to describe this or any of the sights of this trip. The best I can do is compare it to the fjords in Norway or New Zealand, but we hiked through them instead of boated. I have hundreds of photos of mountains and selfies with them that just don’t come close.
We’ve really enjoyed getting to know the family that we’re hiking with. While we certainly are friends with each one of them I realize we didn’t have much choice, since things like needing to take a quick jaunt off the trail to pee happen in the first few hours of hiking. The adults are from Argentina and have raised their kids in the US. I’ve actually been to their hometown of Córdoba in Argentina, and we all have fun travel stories to swap. Both are doctors/ surgeons so I’ve gotten to talk shop with them, and they give solid advice about how much ibuprofen to take.
We’ve learned a lot about local culture and history, particularly about the Incas. I tend to pick Juan Carlos’ brain about these topics while we hike (which really isn’t fair because he has to do all the talking). I was surprised that three languages exist in Peru. One existed before writing came about, so it actually can’t be written down. Spanish is just a second language to many people in Peru. All of our chefs and horseman only speak Quechua, and it’s Juan Carlos’ native language as well.
Say a prayer that the hiking goes well for the next two days! We’re halfway to Machu Picchu. More to come!!
Love,
Melissa & Mark
