We conquered the Lares hike!

Yesterday was a LONG day, but it was also one of the most fun days I have had here so far. We met up with Miguel and the rest of the group at 6am in the Plaza. We started off around 6:20 or so. The road was muddy almost the whole way up to Patacancha, however we were about an hour or so in when we finally got stuck in the mud. It is definitely a bit terrifying to feel the vans wheels sliding back and forth when the edge of a cliff is only about a foot from the tires. Where we got stuck though, we were a good three or four feet from the edge so we weren´t too worried. We all got out and helped push the van out of the mud. There had been a landslide. Miguel talked to some locals who were walking down the road and supposedly a crew from the municipality was going to be coming by in 30 minutes to clear out the road. So we waited...and waited...and waited. Finally the crew came and within 15 minutes, we were through the muck and on our way!

We arrived in Patacancha and started the hike around 8:40am. The first three and a half hours are up and over. The straight up parts were hard, but luckily just as you thought you couldn´t go any further, there would be a flat part to the trail. We took a break after about an hour and half and then keep going. The path was muddy and there were lots of water crossings that were made a bit more treacherous due to the rain, but we formed a human chain and everyone always made it across okay. We were very lucky with the weather and only got rained on for a couple brief stints. The last uphill part was definitely the hardest. I just gave myself little markers to get to to have a 30 second rest and then kept going all the way up for 30 straight minutes. The highest point of the hike was 4300 meters or about 14,100 feet.

I was definitely feeling the altitude in that I was breathing extremely heavy for pretty much the whole 3 and half hours (except for the breaks). At times my legs felt like they were made of lead and I just couldn´t lift them. However, as soon as we started the downhill part, my energy came surging back and my legs felt great. It really is amazing what the altitude can do to you. We all had coca leaves tucked into our cheeks for the first part of the hike. Miguel was a great guide because he always seemed to know when we needed a quick couple minutes break. There were so many alpaca and llamas running around. The mountain sides are beautiful but they are covered in this strange grass that almost is like astroturf but looks much different. I wish I had a picture. It is hard but bouncy at the same time. We were all a wet, muddy mess by the time we made our way down the major downhill portion of the hike.

I think we went straight down for a good 2 hours and then the last 2 and a half or so hours were more flat and slightly downhill. The last hour was on a road that led us to Lares. We made it to the thermal baths around 4:30pm. We were all extremely excited to see those thermal pools. Our legs and feet were aching after 8 hours of hiking. Miguel was very impressed with our speed and stamina. He said that we left late because of the road problems but still finished early. The last group of volunteers he took up there left Patacancha and hour before we did and finished an hour afterwards. So that made us (and me in particular since I feel like the slow kid all the time) feel good.

The thermal baths were definitely just what the doctor ordered. There were various pools of different temperatures to soak in. The water is naturally heated by volcanic springs. There were lots of moans and groans of pleasure as we soaked in the heated waters. It was a little disturbing to be in the larger swimming pool because the water was mustard colored and you couldn´t see the bottom so you had this feeling like anything could be swimming around you. However, it was definitely worth the creepiness.

After the baths, we walked the last 20 minutes into town. We dropped our stuff at the hostal and headed to dinner. The town of Lares is really cute. It is very small but the people were finishing the carnivales celebrations so there was a band and people dancing. We enjoyed a beer to celebrate our successful hike.

All 6 of us stayed in the same room at the hostal. Will and Jessica had originally been given the double room while Hallie, Michelle, Keri and I were going to share the big room with 6 beds. Once Will and Jessica found out we had six beds, they told us we had "couplefied" them and they wanted to be with us. So we had a blast telling stories, playing games and just joking around until it was time to sleep. We were in bed with the lights out by 9:30pm. None of us slept well (except for Michelle, she had ear plugs). I got three bug bites on my face so I wasn´t thrilled about that. At about 6:15, the 8 school children and their chaperones who were staying in the rooms above us woke up and started yelling and playing. One of the women had to have been wearing high heels b/c she was thumping around on the wood floor overhead. The roosters were crowing, the dogs were barking, trucks were backing up with their beepers going. Needless to say, not much sleep happened after all of that. We ate breakfast and loaded in the van for the 3 hour drive home.

There were quite a few scary water crossings and someone needs to get some guard rails up on these mountain roads. It really is freaky to look straight down the side of a cliff and hope your van doesn´t go over. Luckily we made it home safely.

Keri and I took long, hot showers at home and then went into town for lunch. Our host family had to go to Cusco for Ana´s last doctor´s appointment. She is due in just about 4 weeks now.

I was so nervous about doing this hike, and believe me, it was exhausting, but it actually was a bit easier than the previous one because the uphills were interspersed with flat areas. Hallie says that by the time we do the Inca Trail to Macchu Piccu, we will think it is absolutely a walk in the park. I wouldn´t go that far, but I will continue to hike to prepare for it.

I will upload the hiking photos tomorrow. I don´t have time to wait for the slow upload right now.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!