Salktantay Trek - Day 2
If you followed by Kilimanjaro journey here on the blog, you already know that on that trek the trails were covered in heart rocks leaving me feeling guided and safe the entire way. Well, here in Peru the heart rocks continue. 24 lined the trail yesterday and today, 37. It seems the higher I go and the more challenging things get, my spiritual team reminds me I am safe, I am loved, and I am guided and THAT feels really good.
After a long night one in my tent filled with tossing and turning and feeling the cold in my bones, I awoke today so grateful for sunrise, not to mention the views from my tent. Overnight, the Diamox kicked in as usual sending me to the bathroom, but the view of the stars above served as my reward for exiting my tent in the pitch black dark of night. At one point, I found myself just standing still, frozen in time, watching my breath in the light of my headlamp, staring up in complete awe at the beauty of the night sky, feeling warm for just a moment because my mind was so distracted by it all. What. A. View.
We wake to our guides greeting us one by one from outside our tent doors offering us our choice of tea or coffee. “Black coffee por favor”, I say in my poor, broken Spanish. I’ve never been so happy to drink a cup of hot black coffee as I am this morning. I take the first sip and feel its warmth travel all the way through my body and slowly thaw me from the inside out.
Shortly after our morning beverage of choice is served, we are gifted a bucket of warm water to wash with. As I unzip my tent to pull my bucket quickly inside before the water cools, I laugh to myself as I think for a moment that only a prisoner would be so happy to receive a warm bucket of water to wash with, yet here I am, by choice and in fact smiling as I dip my wipes in one by one, wash my face and body, brush my teeth, and get ready for a full day of trekking ahead. This shit is crazy and I am so here for it!
After a five star breakfast, we get the chance to meet our full crew of 14. This does not include our 4 guides - Nep, Harry, Uri, and Elena. Each crew member shares their name, age, where they are from, and how many kids they have if any. Then, each of us gets a chance to share as well. After each person speaks and some translating is done where needed, we all clap and celebrate. As I look around our circle and into the eyes of each crew member, I think about the time away from family and friends they have given to be here and the physical labor they will endure to keep us comfortable given the conditions. This meet and greet opportunity marks the beginning of true connection between us trekkers the this crew. Without us being here, our crew may not have work or be earning income over the next week as evidenced by the prior two groups of trekkers that cancelled their journey last minute due to the state of things in Peru. Without each and every crew member here to support us, there is no way in hell any one of us could make this journey on our own. We are a team now. Putting names and faces to the amazing humans that are carrying our gear the entire trek, making us five star meals, putting up and breaking down our campsites, mess tents, and toilets, caring for the animals that are supporting us along the way, and so much more is quite awesome. I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude and my heart warmed. THIS is community.
Before we depart for our trek today, I step away from the group to have words with the Universe and to offer a piece of stone collected from the trails in Tanzania to Pachamama, Mother Earth. As my hands touch the earth below and sand sifts through my fingers, I give thanks to her as well as the mountains and spirits all around us for allowing us to explore this land, for welcoming us, and for keeping us safe. I will practice this same offering on my own each morning before beginning our trek for the day.
Today was much more challenging than yesterday. We started in a rare type of Andean cloud forest that exists in less than 0.02% of Peru. This conservation land, made official in 2021, was filled with ancient moss covered trees, lichen, air plants, a variety of flowers, muddy grounds, and so much beauty. I couldn’t help but reach my hands out to touch and feel the bark of the ancient trees and the cold, massive rocks as we passed by. I was reminded that everything in this Universe is connected. I was filled with gratitude and wonder as we explored the space. If only I could stay long enough to listen and hear this cloud forest speak, oh the stories it would have to tell. Simply amazing.
After exiting the sacred forest area, we began quickly and rapidly ascending via uphill switchbacks on repeat. It was hot and humid. I was covered in sweat. My lungs felt the initial weight, the tightening and burning, as we began climbing and so did my body but, as I’ve come to learn, that weight, that tight burning sensation eventually gives way to a sense of ease and a steady pace for both the breath and the body. I manage to keep stepping forward and up and to keep pace with the group. Every time we take a brief break and then begin again, so does the burn, only to eventually fade away. This becomes a theme for me. Burn, push, ease, break. Repeat.
Another theme for today that would prove to follow me along this entire journey was this…there is massive mental power in reminding ourselves that we just need to take one step at a time.
Somewhere between three to four hours into our trek, we had made our way above the tree line and the landscape had completely changed to high grass. We arrived to our lunch spot with prominent and spectacular views of Salkantay Mountain. “Salkantay” is a Quechua word meaning “savage mountain” and savage she was! Standing at over 20,000 feet high in the sky in all her glory, peaks capped with snow and ice. There were two mess tents that had been set up for us complete with tables, traditional Peruvian table runners, tea, and a full meal. Our crew had passed us a while back on our hike and our head Chef and his assistants had already been hard at work preparing the food. I was famished after burning lord knows how many calories and desperately needed to refuel. Getting to do so with these ridiculously awesome views in the middle of the Peruvian Andes eating another phenomenal three course meal was unbelievable!
After lunch and some time to rest, we trekked on and finally arrived at Acopia Camp, our home for the night ahead. Our pace was steady and quick. We arrived early to all of our breakpoints and arrived to camp a full hour ahead of schedule. The group I am now a part of is full of badass, fit, and fierce humans. None of us are letting anything stand in our way and at one point or another on this trek, all of us will be required to push our own limits. These are my people. The never give up, push the edges, work hard play harder, great sense of humor, support others, kind type of people. It feels so fucking good to do hard things with them.
Camp was set in the most beautiful valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. As usual, our tents were all set up and ready to go thanks to our amazing crew who had arrived ahead of us and worked to set things up. I was in need of some solo time, so I retreated to my tent, got out of my boots, and cleaned myself up a bit. I laid down to relax and do some self Reiki and the next things I knew, it was tea time, a daily afternoon event on this journey.
We gathered together in the mess tents for hot tea and snacks which today turned into hot tea and several games of Telephone. Yes! The childhood game Telephone! As we played, I thought of my kiddos at home and our silly games of Telephone together. I found it hilarious that here we were, a group of grown adults on the side of a mountain playing this simple game and I also found that my face hurt from laughing so hard as we did. The phrases were mostly butchered as they were passed from one ear to the next around the table, a few of them lost in literal translation with our guides along the way. It’s the simple things in life though, like this game and these moments filled with laughter, that really fill me up.
After tea, I snuck back to my tent for a bit before dinner to begin writing about todays adventures. Time flies for me when I write and so, the next thing I knew it was dark outside, there was music playing, laughter in the air, and a what sounded like a full dance party going on just outside my tent. I grabbed my headlamp, got myself geared up for the cold, and headed out to take part. There we sat cuddled together for warmth, belting out tunes, Chris having a dance party for one, all under the night sky above filled with billions of shining stars. As I belted out Prince’s Kiss in an off-key, high pitched voice, I smiled huge feeling lucky to be right here, right now.
After another three course dinner complete with chocolate pudding, I got my “water baby” (aka hot water bottle) and headed back to my tent to settle in for the night. After being so cold the first night, Lisa, who runs hot, had kindly offered to let me use her sleeping bag liner for the remainder of the trip so I made my way inside of it and my mummy bag and then, for an added insurance policy, I stuck heated foot warmers on the soles of my socks and my water baby up under my shirt for warmth.
If this plan doesn’t work, I don’t know what will.
The vastness of space today in all directions was a reminder of how small we all truly are in this giant Universe of beings and at the same time, how connected we all are. Taking in the views was breathtaking and equally as humbling. Experience really is the greatest teacher. To live and breathe something. To be there. To be in it, a part of it. THAT is how I choose to live this life. Experiences with family and friends, this particular experience with new friends, being present, creating life long memories, sharing stories, all of it is priceless. When we exit this meat suit we are riding in, it’s not the material bullshit that matters. We take none of it and what we leave behind, most of it nobody even wants. I don’t know about you, but I’m choosing experience and memories and stories every damn time.
6.6 miles in total today and another 2,800’ of elevation gain.
Wishing you goodnight from 13,700’. I’m heading off to sleep hoping for a smooth night ahead filled with some wild dreams to keep me company.
