Inca Trail Day 2

We always knew that day two would be tough. Almost from the outset we were heading uphill, for four hours, as we ascended to 4200m, the highest point of the Inca Trail, known as Warmiwanusca or Dead Woman´s Pass. Mick, Richard and I found our pace at the front, but we were never really that far ahead, we were only really gaining about 5 minutes per hour over the rest of the group; until the last twenty minutes or so up to the first pass, when David and super-fit Mina overtook us, as Mick and I found it really hard going over about 3500m, stopping almost every ten paces to catch our breath.

The views of the countryside were magnificent throughout the hike, with steep valleys surrounding us, and snow-topped peaks in the distance. When we finally reached the top of the pass, exhausted, there were friends and strangers alike clapping and encouraging us over the last few metres.

As soon as we had finished climbing, it was unbelievably cold. Our shirts were saturated with sweat, and there was a strong wind blowing up over the mountain. Even so, it was a massive relief to have finished what we knew to be the hardest part of the four days. Nevertheless, going downhill on the other side of the pass was no easy walk. The large and often slippery steps really took their toll on our knees and calves, and it felt like a hell of a lot more than two hours til lunchtime!

As we continued up to the second pass, at 3950m, we passed more Incan remains, Runkurukay, thought to have been a lookout and rest stop for messengers. In comparison, the rest of day 2 wasn´t too bad, although it was an enormous relief to get to the campsite nonetheless. That evening, we were all introduced to the porters, giving our names, ages and marital status - alot of the porters were surprisingly old, several were approaching 60, and all of them had kids. Nevertheless, they were all absolutely delighted that most of the gringo girls were singhle, cheering each one and one of the porters, Sabino, actually jumped for joy when he heard Vikki was single!