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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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| The family of this Quechua lady took us in, gave us shelter from the rain |
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 |
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 |
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| 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.
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| The Quechua lady's husband, son and daughter (half hiding) |
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| Giving my body some much needed stretching, in front of the room the Quechua family gave us |
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 |
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| Hanga with the daughter of the Quechua family. |
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| Guinea pigs the family keeps as pets and, later, dinner. |
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.
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| 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
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.
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