Alpamayo Trek - How I Ruined My Legs (and my Morale)

When I realized our grueling adventure was all but over, all the adrenaline that fueled my surge to the finish line drained from my body, leaving me a shell of who I was. I suddenly became aware of the cold in my bones and the exhaustion in every single muscle.

On the contrary to my own dwindling condition, upon arriving in the remote mountain village of Jancapampa, my friend Hanga excitedly approached the Quechua people, communicating in Spanish, in search of some kindness. It didn't take long - the first home took us in.

The family of this Quechua lady took us in, gave us shelter from the rain

And so ended what felt like a never ending saga - six grueling days in the Cordillera Blanca (White Mountains) of Peru, where by the end of the day, every step felt like my last.

Flickr photo album here

In our post trek chat, Hanga and I still aren't completely sure what went wrong. What we do know is there was not a whole lot of information out there on the Alpamayo Trek. And what information was available wasn't extremely reliable. But somehow the trek felt doable to us anyway.

In the end, the difference maker was in the weight we carried. Hanga and I each carried somewhere in the neighbourhood of 20 kg on our backs - tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, food and extras all.

Unfortunately, none of the blogs we read from people who did the trek suggested how much weight they carried, so it was hard to make comparisons. We underestimated the impact all that weight would have on our speed and endurance.

The first day on the itinerary we followed was supposed to be relatively short - 5 km distance with around 500 m elevation gain, and around 5 hours to complete the journey. It ended up taking us over 6 hours, and we arrived at camp completely gassed! And it was only Day 1!

Sunset on Day 1

Day 2 and Day 3 were even longer, more testing days, again arriving at camp completely gassed very late in the day after a 10+ hr grind with too much weight on my back. At the end of each subsequent day we arrived more baffled and confused - the information didn't seem to line up with how difficult it actually was for us.

At this point altitude was also becoming an issue. We reached as high as 4,800 m elevation, and here were starting to feel short of breath and a bit nauseous. We were finishing each day a little more tired and sore all over, and beginning to question if we would be able to finish the trek at all. We were too tired to even enjoy the increasingly awesome scenery. Fortunately, our sleeping bags were sufficiently warm - some nights dropped to below zero.

End of Day 3, we encountered a trek group with guide and donkeys. We were very jealous of their big tent

By the end of Day 4, I huffed and puffed my way into camp, feeling so worn down physically and emotionally, I didn't think I would be able to walk the next day. I was dealing with a variety of pains and dry or chaffing skin or bug bites, affecting my legs, feet, hips, shoulders, back, elbows, fingernails, lips and eyes.

Day 4 camp

Somehow, almost miraculously, things started to change for me on Day 5.

We were slowly eating and reducing weight in our packs. Plus, that morning we threw out a bunch of this high density cake we made. It was packed with energy and nutrients, but it was so sugary we ate it half as quickly as planned. I immediately felt my pack getting lighter and easier to carry.

This sight on Day 5 gave us inspiration to move forward

Hanga was also feeling somehow energized, and both of us were suddenly hiking with vigour. We were making pretty good pace on Day 5 when we suddenly encountered a charming Quechua lady in a remote valley. She invited us to stay with her family in the valley and offered to cook us food. We had to think twice about it because we were finally hiking so well, but in the end, we took her up on her unique offer.

The Quechua lady's husband, son and daughter (half hiding)

Giving my body some much needed stretching, in front of the room the Quechua family gave us

That evening it rained and hailed like crazy, and we were grateful for the Quechua family's shelter. They cooked us fried pork innards, rice, and soup with pasta. It was revitalizing for the tired soul.

On the morning of Day 6 I took off with determination, feeling rested and inspired by our encounter with the Quechua family. But the day ahead would prove to put us back in our place.

The day started off with a difficult climb over a pass which looked like a big evil tooth. Once over the pass, a steep drop took us into a stunning valley. However, just when I was thinking we were getting over the hump, some new frustrations hit us.

We hit a forested patch in the trail filled with many different paths, obscuring the main trail. The steep terrain of the area combined with continuously losing the main trail really slowed progress and caused frustration to set in, causing me to curse like a sailor.

Then the rain hit. And it hit hard.

After a few hours, the rain was starting to soak through our jackets, and there was no sign of it stopping. We were worried that it would soon infiltrate our rain covers and soak into our backpacks.

It had already soaked into our consciousness, eroding our endurance and motivation. At some point during the rain, overcome by cold and exhaustion, we knew we were at the end of our rope. We knew there was a village ahead where we could exit the hike early. So we put our heads down and marched on through the relentless rain.

We eventually found the village

Hanga with the daughter of the Quechua family.

Guinea pigs the family keeps as pets and, later, dinner.

And so takes me back to the start of the blog. A shot of adrenaline surged me to the village where one family gave us refuge from the rain. By then I was shaking so much I thought I might be coming down with hypothermia. I was glad to have a shelter where I could change out of my drenched gear into dry clothes and sleep in a warm bed. The Quechua family even lent me one of their traditional wool ponchos to warm up in.

The next morning we found some local combis (micro buses) to take us out of the village, where we found a day bus back to the city and back to the warm safety of our hostel. We completed six days of hiking, and we took two days to complete one long day on the itinerary, so technically we only completed 5 out of 9 days of the Alpamayo trek.

A scenic pee break on the bus ride back to our hostel in Huaraz

While we definitely feel bad about not being able to finish the trek, we know we put in an amazing effort to get as far as we did. We pushed ourselves to our physical limits and learned not only how much pain and suffering our bodies are able to endure, but how able our bodies were able to adapt to the conditions. For example, our bodies eventually adapted to the high altitudes.

The Alpamayo Trek is filled with some truly beautiful and unique mountain views, and my encounters with the Quechua were also amazing. Despite this, I am honestly still not sure if it was worth the pain and suffering. I am still reeling and feeling quite traumatized by the experience, and surely do not want to go through such an experience again.

Moving forward, we have more treks planned, including an alternative trek to the Inca Trail to get to the Macchu Picchu. And we are taking steps to better prepare for it, specifically cutting as much weight as possible from our packs.

Flickr photo album here

PS. For readers who are actually thinking about doing this trek, I will write a technical version soon filled with detailed information and trek logistics.

Living Large at Casa de Carlos!

After spending a week in Lima, I felt ready to get out and escape towards a smaller city. I found refuge in Trujillo, another coastal city which, at 1 million or so people, is much smaller than Lima. I came here to check out some ancient ruins, but it was Carlos who stole the show and made Trujillo worth the visit.


This blog is part travel blog, and part biopic on Carlos!

Carlos and his charming dog Fritz!

I found Carlos on Couchsurfing. He kindly came to pick me up at the bus station. Immediately, he treated me to a classic local dish at one of the nicest restaurants in town.

Trujillo's famous pork chop breakfast!

There he happily talked away, sharing his life story. He grew up in Lima but spent most of his life in Los Angeles in the States. There he was able to establish himself through a home renovation project with a good friend who he calls his adopted father in LA.

From that work, he earned himself a portion of the home which he operated as a bed and breakfast and, later on, let out through AirBnB. His 500+ references on AirBnb combined with his impressive profile on Couchsurfing means that accommodating people is not only a joy for him, but it is a part of his life.

Carlos is also a freelance photographer, and an activist back in LA, speaking out on behalf of Spanish minorities in support of their struggle. But in his spare time, he really lived the LA dream. He met musicians and actors and partied in style and glamour. At some point I forget where we switched from him telling stories and me listening with fascination, to vice versa, but I wish I had asked him more questions, or saw more of his photos.

The main reason Carlos is back in Peru is because he hates Donald Trump! It's not as if he is directly threatened by the president in any way. He simply feels such strong anger and shame about him that he decided not to be in the country until 2020 when he gets voted out of office (ugh! Three more years).

A "procession" shuts down the main street in Trujillo, Peru

I took one day in Trujillo to rest my ankle, and the other to walk excessively. The walking day included a visit to the Chan Chan ruins, my original reason for coming to Trujillo. Carlos, in his electric blue ocean themed van, dropped me off in the city centre, and I took a bus to reach the ruins. Call me snobby or over travelled, but the ruins were slightly underwhelming. There was very little information on the history, which is what I care about just as much as the artifacts.

ChanChan ruins of Trujillo, Peru

Back home, we combined culinary forces, as his dad cooked a wonderful rice dish with pork intestines, and I cooked my family's traditional dish of cauliflower stir fried with tomatoes.

Carlos's home in Moche near Trujillo; also available on AirBnB

Cooking and eating dinner at Casa de Carlos

When Carlos and I weren't doing something, I was playing with his charming dog Fritz. I'm usually a cat person more than a dog person, but I absolutely fell in love with his dog. Apparently, Fritz was left to Carlos by an ex-girlfriend. But he certainly treats him as if it were his own.

Carlos's driver. *Ahem*, dog

Carlos's friendliness and enthusiasm for life was the highlight of my visit to Trujillo. We shared lots of laughs and jokes, and beyond that, he kindly shared his space. His generous hospitality and gregariousness was a joy to have, and his apartment, situated just outside of Trujillo, in a town called Moche, was cozy.

Carlos validates why Couchsurfing is awesome. Unfortunately it's getting commercialized and attracting too many users who don't embody the spirit of Couchsurfing, ultimately diminishing its spirit.

A short exposee on a half finished Peruvian district

While this has given rise to alternative free accommodation websites, Couchsurfing can still be rewarding to use by following this simple rule - take your time; make it personal! Take your time to write a thorough profile - look for hosts who have done the same. Write considerate requests to your potential hosts - look for the same from requesting surfers.

Happy surfing!

Spirituality Through Practicality

Religion is a touchy subject. So I hope you don't mind if I touch on it a little bit!

Personally, I have a fairly broad definition of what constitutes a religion - basically, if something is important enough to an individual, takes up enough of their time, or if it largely shapes their lives, how they live it, or how they view it, it becomes, again, in a very, very broad sense, their religion.

The traditional more concrete definition of religion paints a picture of a devoted follower spending time attending church, practicing rituals to assert one's faith, and taking part in their community.

Church in Trujillo, Peru

Devoted followers can belong to non-religious entities as well. Have you ever heard of rabid sports fans described as following their teams with "religious fervour"? The Toronto Maple Leafs are known to have a "religious fan base."

Indeed, I was once myself a religious follower of the Toronto Raptors. And, strange to say now, my life was centred around the Raptors. I watched all their games, talked about it with friends, played basketball in my spare time. The Raptors encompassed such a large part of my life that, in my broad sense of religion, that's what it was for me.

Religious faith can also be placed in external objects, notably in nature. One of my good friends who I met in the Canadian Rocky Mountains told me that the mountains were her religion. I understand this too. Having spent a lot of time in those mountains, I can say that they changed my life, instilling in me humility towards nature. Sometimes I look up to those mountains and I see cathedrals.

Aside from such dabblings though, I was never part of any traditional religion. And it seems many of my colleagues in the modern developed society are also non-religious.

Why is this?

The connection I've made is that, moreso than in traditional societies, mine and my colleagues' lives were largely shaped by science (and technology). Some of us would describe themselves as atheist, others simply unsure or without faith. But based on my loose definition of religion, it seems to me that many of us "modern people" have, if subconsciously, placed our faith in science.

Why? Because science has shaped our lives in a big way, given us comforts that we cannot live without, and because scientific discoveries have largely displaced the teachings of ancient faiths. Hence the ongoing arguments such as does god exist? Or creation vs. evolution.

Science and Technology has enabled me to fly to far flung places, and keep in touch with loved ones

So while traditional religions offer explanations to life's most universal questions and requires unwavering devotion and faith, science proffers to have all the answers to the same questions based on objective inquiry. But there is a growing population raised in modern society that is becoming more disenchanted with having no faith, or having science as their faith.

There are still many questions about our universe that science has not come close to answering, such as the question of consciousness. Quantum physics is finding answers at the subatomic level that are matching the ancient wisdom of Eastern mysticism. And science is flooding our minds with so much misinformation to the point where we don't know which scientists to trust.

My Own Spirituality

I, among them, having at some point pondered these questions for far too long from behind a desk, decided to quit my job, renounce my devotion to the Toronto Raptors, slacken the restraints of my own previously unwavering belief in science, and head out into the world, seeking answers the only way I knew how - by gaining wisdom through direct experience, and finding solitude to think.

Through my travels, I joined a large stream of disenchanted individuals looking for the same answers. And together with such individuals I trundled down the "New Age" path, trying out meditation and yoga, observing exotic cultures and religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism.

Getting my spiritual on in India, 2014

While some individuals get stuck along the New Age path, finding and sticking with a community of "pilgrims" like them, I eventually constructed a faith that worked for me, what most people would label spirituality. I learned that I did not need to follow any single dogma, and that individuals such as myself can have their own spirituality, one worldview composed of parts integrated from different wholes; different wisdom and teachings learned along one's path.

If my spirituality was a venn diagram, it would intersect with circles of science, mountains, Buddhism, Taoism, the thoughts of friends and travelers, my own thoughts, and... the Toronto Raptors (I'm now just a casual follower).

Farther down this path, I realized that I had accumulated enough answers and it was time for grounding, and gaining practical life skills. I thought hard about how to make a living, about the possibility of growing food, or learning carpentry. Fortune favored me, and I found work this summer helping to build an off grid house. I also found in the job a wonderful teacher of both carpentry and life, and ripe conditions for interaction and learning in both aspects.

Through this job I found the grounding I was looking for, and learned an important lesson - that spirituality can come through practicality. Using one's hands to create something tangible and useful can invoke a connection with earthly materials and, thus, the earth itself. Building simple shelters invokes feelings of community through cooperation with neighbours and friends.

I've mentioned community on numerous occasions, and it's because everyone is in search of community, other like-minded individuals to form human connection, and reinforce their own paths.

Learning about the fascinating properties of wood invokes humility in the same grain that spending time in nature does - an awe of the beauty and impossibility of nature itself - a knowing of how little we know about nature, a realization of how science could never come close to having all the answers for it.

You only find a saw this big in timber framing!

Same as this hammer!

Humans were born to create, and to consume only as much as we need, and not more. Creating music is another strong spiritual activator. Thus, I spent time during the summer learning guitar. I have a long way to go, but I can just say it's a great way to channel one's emotions, and to communicate without spoken language with other human beings.

Moving forward, I feel comfort knowing I have gained a valuable skill that puts me closer to my ultimate tangible goals, as well as providing me spiritual nourishment.

A Lovely Landing in Lima

Approaching the day of the flight I felt an eerie sense of calm, any sign of excitement or nerves dampened by experience. That sense of calm almost got me a little worried - shouldn't I be more excited for this trip?

I guess I've really learned to stay present, and not worry about past or future. Thus, flying to another continent was as routine as a daily commute to work for me.

Goodbye mom and dad! Shoutout to them for supporting me as I continue my wanderings 

A surreal cloudscape from 16,000 ft

As I start my next adventure, I considered how hypocritical I felt as I hopped on a plane. In my life, I have tried to keep flying to a minimum, and when I do fly, I cover as many miles over as long a travel duration as I can. Hence, I won't be flying within South America until I fly home for Christmas.

While road transportation is undergoing a slow but sure conversion to electric engines, electric alone simply cannot come close to powering flight. Flying is a massive source of carbon emissions with no green alternative coming anytime soon. Sorry guys, but someone has to say it!

Anyway, I digress.

I arrived in Lima with no plans for the first 10 days, which turned out in my favor, because I had a slightly gimpy ankle to deal with from the building job I just finished. We went to a medical centre which took the form of an outdoor covered shopping mall, so I could get x-rays.

The medical centre in suburban Lima was an outdoor covered mall

It was honestly a bit of a crazy experience, as the centre was confusing and disorganized, but the short of it is I was glad for having friends helping me with their translation and persistence. In the end I only paid around $15 CAD for the x-ray, and was feeling both grateful and a little guilty for my overpowering currency.

Back home, I spent time with Emily and another Couchsurfing guest, David, an Israeli who had been travelling for two years straight. I also spent lots of time learning Spanish using Duolingo, conversation, and observation of my surroundings.

Emily's large family spoiled me with good food from their ground floor restaurant. They lived outside the bustling centre and gave me a genuine local family experience.

My first awesome Couchsurfing host - Emily!

Emily, David, Emily's cousin and brother

During my week stay in Lima, I took a side trip to a town a few hours south to visit my friend Hanga where she has been volunteering as a doctor for five weeks at an orphanage called Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (Our Little Brothers). We picked up our rants as if we never stopped 3 years ago the last time we travelled together in India.

There are some rules around pictures of kids, so... here are their shoes

Met in Spain 2012, traveled India & Nepal 2014, reunited in Peru 2017 

Back in Lima, I realized that it is a really big city, 10 million or so people! Amazing, considering it's set in an arid climate surrounded by large desert like hills, void of vegetation. I wonder how there is enough water to supply such a thirsty city. And despite being a coast city, apparently it's almost always cloudy and almost never rains. I saw the sun for just two afternoons out of the entire week.

Getting around wasn't easy either. So I decided to change from Emily to a new Couchsurfing host to get closer to the centre - and that alone took 2 hours! But when I arrived, I was welcomed warmly by Steph (USA) and Christian (Austria) in their beautiful home, along with their baby daughter Mila and cat U'qi.

Fun and friendly expat couple Christian & Steph! And daughter Mila

U'qi the cat

My style of travelling has drifted away from the "bucket list" style of checking off popular landmarks, to exploring and learning about the people, as well as nature. Unfortunately, I was warned not to enter outlying neighbourhoods of Lima with my camera, due to stories about theft and crime.

Nevertheless I got to walk along Lima's beautiful coastline, check out a museum, and watch an important football match in the main square. I also started a random conversation with some local boys, where I asked to play their guitar, and then we hung out for the afternoon.

Excitement builds for the football match!

Street food - cow hearts!

Lovely street art - Barranco district

First impressions of the Peruvian culture are good. I especially enjoyed the raw fish dish called ceviche. In terms of raw backpacking difficulty level, I would say it's "India lite" which is not to say it's better or worse, just different. People are definitely friendly and happy, and generally are not bothersome or all trying to sell you something, as much as in India. Cleanliness varies, but is generally better too.

Ceviche - a common raw fish dish in Lima

By the end of one week though I was honestly ready to get out of Lima. The city was too big and frustrating to get around, and I walked around more than I should have, considering my bum ankle. But I can't complain about any of it - I had some cool experiences and met some very genuine people!