The Start of the Hike

Friday August 21:

Another early start - 5:30 am. We caught the bus to Ollantaytambo to buy any last minute gear for the trail, and then we were off to Piskacucho for the start of the hike. About 500 people start the hike every day. Our group consisted of the 17 Venturers and leaders plus 3 guides, 2 cooks and 21 porters. We looked like a small army on the move. Our head guide is Miguel and his assistants are Tina and Berta. They were great throughout the trip answering questions and dealing with all of the issues.

The porters had their packs weighed as they are not allowed to carry more than 25 kg. Each of us carried a day pack with rain gear, cameras, water, etc which probably weighed about 8 kg. The porters passed us about one hour into the trip - they either run or walk very fast. They get ahead of us so that they can set up the cooking and eating tents for lunch or the whole camp for the end of the day. It is nice to get to camp and have everything set up, including warm wash water.

The first day of hiking follows the Urubamba River for a while and then swings up a side valley. There are some interesting ruins along the way and a few small villages. At each village they sell gatorade and other snacks to hikers, so the boys are never at a loss for something familiar. The further from the start of the trail, the higher the price.

The hiking was generally fairly flat. We covered about 10 km today and gained about 400 metres in elevation - at the end we were at about 10,000 feet. No complaints from the boys. It was quite hot today - probably in the mid to high 70´s.

We camped at Wayllabamba at a campsite located in a farm. We had a nice grassy area with a few chickens wandering about. Had to ensure the tents were kept closed or the chickens would wander in. The food at the camp was just great - today we had corn chowder, rice, potatoes , curried chicken with vegetables and a kind of pudding.

The sun goes down at 6:00 pm, so after dinner the boys retire to their tents to chat, play chess and just talk. The sky is clear so the stars are really bright. We got to see the Southern Cross.