Our Great Adventure: Inca Trail Day 271 16/06/2015

As expected it was a cold and long night. We had an early start with day three on the trail being the longest and having the most ascent. It was still dark as we were served our morning tea but the sun was soon starting to appear across the mountain tops, although not yet on our campsite. We packed up and enjoyed scrambled eggs and bacon before finally setting off, still chilly and wrapped up in our thermals and down jackets. From camp the path continues up hill on the left hand side of the valley to reach the highest point of the trail at Warmiwanusca (4198m), known as Dead Woman's Pass due to the hillside above the pass resembling the outline of a women. The sun had reached the pass and we stripped off our jackets and thermals and sat in the sunshine with Ann and Ted enjoying the wonderful panorama whilst we waited for the rest of group to arrive. From the pass the trail heads steeply downhill on knee jarring steps to the river and the camp site at Paq'amayo (3500m). Mary-Kate, Karen, Peter and Wilfrado were some way behind the others and we waited for well over an hour before Nick (assistant guide) decided to head back up hill to see how far behind they were. After another c20 minutes he returned and informed us that Karen had fallen, twisting her knee and whilst she was mobile the pace was very slow. He'd collected our trail permits from Wilfrado, which we needed to pass through the various checkpoints along with our passports, and suggested we set off to avoid a further wait. He'd also brought Karen's rucksack which Simon carried given Nick already had a large full pack. From Paq'amayo the trail crosses the river and climbs up to Runkurakay, a round ruin with wonderful views. Lisa was flagging a little bit on the way up so Diane took her rucksack to help lighten her load. From Runkurakay the trail continues to climb passed a false summit before passing two small lakes to the top of the second pass at 3950m from where you get wonderful views of the snow capped peak of Cordillera Vilcabamba. From the pass the trail heads downhill to the ruin of Sayaqmarka perched on a small mountain spur. After another downhill section the trail levels out for a short distance and then climbs again, through an Inca tunnel to reach the third pass at 3670m. We stopped for lunch, hot in the mess tent, nearby at Chaquicocha campground. From the campground the trail contours through the cloud forest, clinging to the rock with a huge drop to the left of the path. The cloud had started to form which made for an even more atmospheric feel to the place. The vegetation had changed completely in a relatively short time. As we walked along we passed a number of our porters heading back up the trail taking food and water to Mary-Kate, Karen and Peter. We eventually reached Phuyupatamarca, our campsite for the evening, a superb spot with views out to Machu Picchu mountain and the surrounding peaks. After drinks and snacks we played cards with Courtney, Lisa, William and Nick, chess with William and read whilst we waited for the others to arrive. It had been dark for several hours and Nick decided to head back on the trail to see if he could see them, accompanied by Simon. They'd just left camp when the group came into sight, nearly four hours after we'd arrived. Dinner was served very soon after their arrival and it wasn't long before we headed off to our tent, looking forward to another cold night!