July 18th - Day 1 of the Trek

Today we are up early. We have to be downstairs in the lobby at 5:40 ready to board the bus. Of course, that's Peruvian time so they showed up about 6:15. It was really cold (below freezing) and I felt sorry for the ones who were waiting outside. We took the bus to Mollepata, a 3 hour drive with a stop along the way so the cook could pick up some fresh bread for the trip. We went to the market which was enough to make me not want to eat anything that came from there.

Fresh meat???

The market. We walked inside and they were slaughtering chickens. UGH!

Our bus in front of the market

We stopped again for a photo opportunity and our first glimpse of the Mountain of Salkantay. This is where we are headed and we will hike through the pass to the left of the mountain.

The snow covered peak in the background is Salkantay

A closer view

Our next stop and final destination for the bus is Mollepata. We are offered a banana and "sandwich" for breakfast. The sandwich is mostly bread with a thin slice of some kind of meat and cheese. I opted for a protein bar. There is a toilet (of sorts) that will be better than anything else we experience once we leave here. After we have all taken advantage of this opportunity, we load up in the back of a truck to continue our journey to the trail head.

Loading up. I feel like a worker headed to the fields.

The guide wants all the "girls" to sit down but we can't see the scenery sitting so we all stand up again.

This was quite an adventure. The guide compared it to class 5 white water rafting. We ducked tree branches and avoided prickly shrubs.

Off we go

The views are breathtaking

I'm not sure this truck is going to fit on this road

Never fear, we made it.

No more bus, no more truck. From now on it's all by foot.

The pictures just don't do it justice. We can see spectacular views of the snow capped Vilcabamba.

This was our lunch stop the first day. It is a huge tent that is there for trekkers. They have tour groups coming through every day, which is how they make their living.

This is where we meet our Arrieros (horsemen) and trekking staff (cook and assistants). The horses take a break too.

After a short rest we are on the trail again and getting closer to the mountain.

We've climbed from 11,000' to over 14,000' today and will camp at over 15,000'.

Taking a breather. What a climb!

Finally, after several hours and almost 10 miles we arrive at camp.

Taking pictures of where we'll be tomorrow.

It's so cold dinner is eaten in full gear.

Room (tent) with a view.

The sky is clear and the stars seem close enough to touch. The constellations are clearly identifiable and I am reminded of the Psalm: "He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names." It is very cold with a strong wind. We are all so tired that we expect to sleep like the dead but only one or two of the group gets any sleep. The tents are not on level ground and the wind blows so hard it sounds like sheets popping in the wind. We were warned not to leave our water outside because it would be frozen solid in the morning. My sleeping bag is rated to 20 deg. and I sleep in my clothes as well. It's the first time I've ever slept in a wool cap.