garyandpearl

Tuesday August 16, 2016

There was a bit more climbing today, so off we went heading for Runcu Racay pass at 12956 feet.

Ernesto called this the Unforgettable Day, and so it was. We enjoyed tunnels and staircases, flora and fauna, and climates from arid to rainforest.

Ron and Rhonda

Bill and Tania

Willie and Denise

Phil and Anita

Feng

Allan

Gary and Pearl

Once we reached the second pass, we were excited to see the village of Aguas Calientes, our final destination after completing the hike.

Phil

We had to descend three thousand stairs today, and this was a beautiful spiral staircase in the midst of them.

Our hike was 11.1 km today, and we had to hurry to get to our camp before sunset. It took us just under 11 hours including breaks, and we were 2972 feet lower than last night. The temperature change was quite noticeable. We said goodbye to our porters tonight as we will be up at 0345h tomorrow to finish the last leg of the trek, and they will carry our bags down to the village before they head home on the train.

Tonight was the least pleasant bathroom experience that we have encountered. There was not enough room to set up our latrine tents, so we had to use the squat toilet facilities. Our thighs were a bit sore from the hike, so it was touch and go to see if we could get back up from the squat position. The facilities were far from clean…ask me if you want more details!

However, we did see a dead poisonous snake today along with various birds including a toucan, and a fox just before sunset. All in all, it was a great day!

Argentinian Pampa Grass