Friday, October 22, 2010

7 Days of Trekking





How can I sum up 7 days and 90kms of trekking with 12 amazing women in Peru? I can't. When you spend 7 days camping, trekking, eating, sleeping, laughing, crying and celebrating between 3600 and 5000 metres above sea level you make a life full of memories. Here are a few photos to give you a taste...

HURRAY. Champagne, tears and an amazing sense of accomplishment when we reached the 'Sun Gate' entrance to the 'lost city of Machu Picchu'.

Typical landscape on the Salkantay trek - 'Peruvian Plains' look like Saskatchewan- only vertical. Here we are after summitting our highest point of the trek 4900metres Salkantay pass.

Typical campsite on the Salkantay trail. Valley floor, river running by, last rays of sunlight at days end. Days went from crazy windburn and sunburn hot to sub-zero nights in the mummy bags.


A rare ridge walk on the Salkantay trail - which really wasn't a trail at all. This 'route' was extremely off the beaten track with only about 4 groups visiting it each year. We simply followed herding paths and terrain features through the massive valleys leading to Machu Picchu. We were in for a shock when we hit the busy 'streets' of the Inca trail.


5 star dining? Nope- this is what we came to expect from our camp cooks! School trained chefs shocked us with their nutritious and beautifully prepared dishes during our trek. Some of the best food we had in Peru was created on a 2 burner propane stove under a canvas tent. These guys were amazing and somedays it was their food that kept our feet moving up and over mountains.

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