Day 2 – Soraypampa to Chaullay
July 19, 2019
We were awoken by Carlos knocking on our door bearing hot coca tea. Today was our first big day of hiking and it was the most intimidating day as we would be crossing over Salkantay Pass at 15,200 ft. We were all nervous about the elevation. After breakfast and getting our duffle bags to the horsemen, we gathered for a pep talk for today’s trek. We also had to choose a name for our group. Considering how cold it was that morning, we became known as the Sexy Frozen Asses. We were the first group ever to have that name!
Everything is slower when you are at such high altitudes. The skies were mostly overcast and the scenery was spectacular! Heading uphill towards the snow-covered Salkantay Mountain, the scale between the looming mountains and ant-sized people was mind-boggling. After 3 hours, we reached Salkantay Pass! We were in the clouds so the views were obstructed but we celebrated with the hot tea our chef had waiting for us.
With renewed energy, we started the long descent down into the jungles. There was a hot lunch waiting for us before making our way to our camp for the night. I must say, we were totally spoiled on this trek. From having our personal belongings transported for us and having fresh-cooked meals three times a day, I can’t say we were roughing it. The chef even made vegetarian meals just for me.
This night we would stay in Andean Huts which also had two platform beds inside. My hut was next to a creek so I got to hear running water all night and the roosters crowing started at 4 AM. This campsite also had a shower and was much warmer since we were at a lower elevation.
Photos
Click on photo to enlarge.
