Lares Trail – February 15-17, 2011

Well, this may be one of my shorter blogs but you never know. We left early in the morning, 5:15 a.m. to be precise, and drove for a couple of hours to get from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo. There we had a quick break while they picked up supplies for the trail. We then drove another half hour or hour to get to our starting point. The scenery on both of the drives was beautiful.

We had to go through the Sacred Valley on the first part and it is one of the main agricultural areas in Peru. The fields were very green and planted with various crops. The rolling hills in the background also had crops on them. There were small rivers and streams and waterfalls along the way and lots of small towns. The homes in the country and in town were larger than those we’d seen before and most were two storeys high and many with tiled roofs. There were not a lot of people out in the fields working but there were also some folks around the streets of the towns in the early morning hours.

The road for the final portion of the trip was pretty narrow and just a dirt road. Several times there were streams across the road but we had no trouble getting through. Then there was the one rather large pond that covered the road and on that one we definitely had trouble. The crew members who were with us got out to push and I personally would just as soon have been on the outside. Every time the driver hit the gas the back end of the van got closer to the edge of the road and there was a rather large drop down into the valley. Luckily we did make it out eventually but it was rather like driving on Canadian snow but with a big drop on the one side of the road. After that, the rest of the trip seemed uneventful.

When we got to the start of our trek of course we all had to go to the bathroom so we had to go borrow someone’s bathroom and pay them a couple soles (50 cents each) to use the bathroom. The people in this area are very poor and very much stick to the way things have always been. It was a surprise to see an actual toilet, albeit without the seat, in such an outhouse. Once the gear was all removed from the van and the horses and donkeys and people were all loaded up, we were off on our adventure. Well, actually if the truth were told I’d have to say that we took off on our adventure even before the crew was ready to go. But they were definitely faster than us so that was no problem. There were four of us hiking plus our guide and there was a seven person crew to look after us: a cook and his helper, two herdsmen and their helpers plus our guide. It seemed like a bit much when we started out but they all worked hard along the way and they had to walk every bit of the trail as well. They obviously knew some shortcuts though because we seldom saw them from our route and they always beat us to camp and had everything set up and ready for us when we arrived.

I knew within the first half hour, or perhaps the first ten minutes, that I was way out of my league. There were only the four of us hiking with our guide, and I was way at the end. I spent more time with another group than with my group. I’m sure it was an easy walk but it was going up all the time and I just couldn’t do it without stopping every 20 or 30 steps and that definitely slowed me down. The rest of the group had long rests while they waited for me to catch up but I got little more than just my quick breaks to catch my breath. We only walked for three or four hours before lunch on the first day but I was totally exhausted by the time we got there. I’ll talk about the food later but it was at lunch when Jose, our guide, informed me that I would get to ride a horse in the afternoon. Well, in fact I rode that horse most of the way up the trail and then walked down to give him a rest. Pedro was his name and he became my new best friend. However, at times even he got tired so I had to get off and walk for a while. On day two we climbed over 1,000 metres in the morning alone and Pedro decided I should walk the final stretch to the top, which I did. I felt so sorry for Pedro. He was working hard with all that weight (me!) on his back. I’m just glad we both made it. I also had one of the junior herdsmen leading Pedro so all I had to do was sit there and hang on, but that was actually harder than one might think because of the terrain we were traversing.

The trail was not well marked in places. At times we were just walking down river beds. Now keep in mind that it’s the rainy season and river beds are rather full at this time of year. My hiking boots didn’t do too badly but those with running shoes had wet feet for three days straight. I definitely couldn’t have handled that. At other times we had to cross rivers and streams. Sometimes there were just a few stones to step on as we crossed. Other steams had narrow little stone bridges built across them for foot traffic. But sometimes we had to build our own route and that was always interesting. As Jose would start gathering stones and throwing them into the river or stream, he would test their stability. It didn’t seem to bother him that some of the rocks were not exactly stable. He obviously had good balance. I can’t say the same for the rest of us, especially me. When I step on something I want to know that it is very solid and stable and then I might be able to balance on it. And keep in mind that most of the time the water was rushing over the top of the stones we were standing on. At one stage we actually had to cross a river at the top of a waterfall. Now that was a bit too scary for me. Falling into really cold water is one thing. Falling into really cold water and landing on stones is another thing, but falling down twenty feet into really cold water and stones did not sound like a great idea at all. We did all make it across but Jose was kept busy telling us where to step and giving us a hand for stability along the way. For some reason I though the “Lares Trail” would be more of a defined trail.

No one fell into any of the streams but I did fall at one point. Throughout the trek we would find very boggy sections of land and have to cross them without totally sinking into the mud. At one stage we were crossing a boggy section that got really wet and the stone I went to step on as I crossed the last section was just a bit too slippery and unstable and down I went. I almost took Katie out too but she caught herself by putting her hands down in the mud. Jose, on the other hand, saw that I was about to go over so he tried to catch me and instead we both went down. The group referred to this as my two pointer as I managed to almost take two others out with me. I think Jose got the worst of it but I was very grateful to him for being there to catch me. Really I should just say to break my fall as we both ended up on the ground. He ended up on the bottom and I was sprawled on top of him. I think there were several good pictures taken by the others who were watching. They all seemed to think it was quite funny. Luckily Jose was laughing as well when it was over. I will just note here that cream coloured knit gloves that get soaking wet in the mud do not come clean afterwards. I had three pairs of gloves with me and all three pairs are now in pretty rough shape. However, I’m hanging on to them as I just may need them again down in Patagonia.

Okay, back to the Lares Trail. We spent two nights out on the trail and that involved a lot of sitting in a small tent because it was raining outside and there weren’t many places to get dry. We had three-person crawl-in tents that were shared by two people – way too small for my liking but then I don’t like camping so what can I say. No matter what you did, everything you owned was wet. And I had taken my sleeping bag with me while the others rented theirs. Their bags were definitely warmer than mine so I was quite cool at night while they all slept warmly. And we were all sleeping with wool hats and socks and long underwear and winter fleeces on to start with. With both the cold and the wet, this camping adventure did nothing to convince me that I should take up camping seriously. It perhaps convinced me that I had to do more walking and hiking and get in better shape, but camping doesn’t have to be part of that.

The food on the trail was great. The cook had to carry everything with him and when they set up camp the kitchen was the first thing set up. It was divided in half with his cooking area on one end and our eating area on the other end with table and stools to seat five. For lunch we had a huge bowl of soup that was always delicious and filling. Then we had a full meal. For dinner we had the same thing plus dessert. The meals were always rice and/or potatoes plus chicken or fish and some cooked vegetables. Everything was delicious but most of us just couldn’t eat everything put in front of us. Breakfasts varied from porridge to pancakes. The latter came with the Lares Trail written on top in a thick syrup. Happy hour before dinner was often hot chocolate and sometimes popcorn. Each morning they woke us up in our tents by bringing us hot water and several things to add to it. I always had coca leaves hoping they would help me with the high altitude. And every day we got snacks as well: sandwiches, apples, chocolate bars, etc. to take on the trail with us. We definitely weren’t hungry at any point, except for me on the first morning because I was so busy trying to keep up with everyone that I didn’t take time to have a snack. By the time we broke for lunch I was feeling pretty weak and wobbly as well as totally tired out.

The crew was incredible and looked after us really well. When we arrived I camp they’d have water out in basins for us to clean up in. The bano was also already set up for our use. It was a tent about four feet by four feet square with a port-a-potty in it and it worked quite well for our purposes. If we left anything out and it started to rain they would take it in for us. They waited on us continually except for when we were walking and at that point we were on our own with our guide while the crew packed up all the tents and supplies and moved them (walked them) to the next location. They were incredibly efficient and knew exactly what they were doing. I can’t imagine doing that walk over and over again but I guess they get used to it.

The scenery was absolutely beautiful along the route. I couldn’t stop to take any pictures while I was walking because I was so far behind everyone, and while I was riding Pedro I didn’t trust myself to let go long enough to take a picture. And besides it was raining most of the time so my camera really wasn’t liking the weather. We were in valleys and then on hill tops. We were looking at snow peaked mountains and then we were walking through patches of snow. We started and ended in small villages but in between we saw very few homes or people. Sometimes the locals would have some of their handicrafts set up for us to look at an buy, but I was couldn’t take any time for that. The children always came out to visit us and the guide was good at asking them questions and talking to them. They were never in school but it is the regular Peruvian school break so perhaps they are in school at other times of the year. We never saw a school so I’m not sure how far they would have to travel to get to school.

Their homes varied from mud brick to rock to grass but almost always had a thatched roof. On our second night out we camped beside a large homestead and there were large rocks piled up in rows all around the place to mark of farmland, corrals, etc. From the road above coming into the valley it was an amazing sight so I’m hoping someone got a picture of it. I think our guide told us that night that these were really only seasonal homes and the people only stay here for part of the year. The rest of the year they are probably on higher and drier ground. It is just the start of rainy season so I guess the rivers and streams get a whole lot worse before they get better.

A lot of the mountains seemed to be loose rock and skree. That of course made the walking even more interesting. Some of the mountains were high enough to be just rock peaks and some had snow at the top. Some of them were jagged and some were smooth. Sometimes, of course, we couldn’t see the tops due to the clouds and the rain but when we did they were quite spectacular. And the fields and valleys were such wonderful shades of green. I can’t say that I was a big fan of the rain and wet but it certainly made for beautiful scenery. And the animals certainly liked it. I think it was our second night out again where our campsite was within a rock fenced area but there were some very large cows and bulls in the same area. Luckily they seemed to disappear before we went to bed. They may have just disappeared into the mists but as long as I couldn’t see them that was okay.

On the descent on the final day we came through a forest of gnarled trees that looked like something right out of the movies. Think legend of sleepy hollow or the headless horseman or something. They were amazing and apparently they are found nowhere else in the world. I would tell you what the name of the tree is but I have forgotten. They are hundreds of years old and have the most twisted trunks and branches you can imagine. Their bark is also very strange and I think our guide told us it was to help them retain water from the wet season through the dry season.

I haven’t said anything about our camping spot for the first night. It was on a bit of a slope and seemed to be between two rock fences. It was pouring rain when they set everything up so everything was a bit wet. And the bano tent was set up over in one of the fields so you had to go through a hole in one of the rock fences to get to the bathroom. I was very glad I had my head lamp with me as well as a flashlight. It’s a lot easier undoing tent zippers and putting on your hiking boots and finding your way to the bano when your hands are free.

I guess I should back up yet again and explain why we are on the Lares Trail and not the Inca Trail. Once a year during the month of February the Inca Trail is closed for repairs. The alternative is to skip the walk and just spend more time in Cuzco or to do the Lares Trail. The regular Lares Trail is about 34 kilometers long and goes from Lares Town to Ollantaytambo. However, due to a mud slide and some work on one of the roads, we couldn’t get into Lares Town so we did a loop starting and ending near Ollantaytambo. We started about 3,400 meters and climbed to over 4,450 and then back down to 4,000 for the first night. The next day we climbed up to 4,600 metres and then back down to camp at 4,100. The final day was basically all downhill to about 2,900 metres. But in between all of these levels there were a lot of ups and downs. I don’t know the exact distance in our revised route but I believe it was between 30 and 35 kilometers. The places and passes we crossed included: Willoq, Trank Punku, Pata Cancha, Ipsayqocha Lake and Pass, Ranrayoq (?), Caqchapata, Sondor, Paso Wakay Wasi Casa, Aroraycocha, Mantanay, Misky Unu and Yanahwara.

The whole trek was a great experience but it really was not for me. I should have stayed behind in Cuzco and then the others could have moved more quickly and Pedro would have been saved his ordeal as well. However, the scenery was spectacular and I did get to enjoy that. I’d still recommend the Lares Trail or the Inca Trail to anyone, but do make sure you’re fit before you do it. And walking 10 km on the flat doesn’t make you fit enough for either of these trails. You need to practice on some real hills, which I didn’t even though I had lots around me. Oh well, maybe next time.