 Llanganuco trek, Peru |
Trekking.
The word sounds so romantic, evoking images of intrepid backcountry explorers wandering through remote pristine virgin wildernesses taking in beautiful vistas and generally having a good time.
This is, in fact, quite possible -- if you hire a guide who loads 500 kilos of equipment onto 50 burros and his (underpaid) employees rush along the trail to set up your camp and cook your dinner hours before you arrive, leaving you to amble about at a leisurely pace and basically just show up and have everything taken care of.
Then, you get things like freshly killed chicken for dinner cooked on a propane tank (yes -- just like the one in your backyard grill), while sitting in actual chairs at an actual table while drinking tea (with extended pinky finger, of course).
If that is the case, then trekking is EASY and FUN.
 Llanganuco trek, Peru |
Needless to say, Cara and I did not enjoy such luxuries on our trek, as we had 0 guides and 0 burros and 0 employees to carry our stuff. So we brought along what we could fit into our backpacks for a 4 day exercise in altitude, slogging, and malnutrition.
The circuit we chose is named the Llanganuco to Santa Cruz trail, and is described as an "easy beginner's route". Ha! Let me repeat: ha!
Whoever wrote that description must have had the first style of trekking in mind. Carrying 40 lb. packs at 4000m is NOT an easy endeavor. Especially while eating only 800 calories a day.
We managed to make a slight error in food management, in that we brought enough for two meals per person per day. Normally, that would be enough food for us, but those meals were mostly freeze-dried things that didn't have nearly enough calories to sustain four concecutive 8 hour days of hiking.
By the last day, while looking enviously at the guided trekkers with 4 course spreads, I was ready to start begging or trading for food. The ramen noodles and soup mixes we brought along were pathetic in comparison.
 Punta Union, 4750m, Peru |
Another interesting thing to note is that high altitude really sucks. We camped at 4400m on our second night, and woke up to miserably persistent headaches and nausea. The type of headache was on par with the worst wine or whiskey hangover you've ever had, with none of the fun the previous night. The racing pulse and general feeling of malaise basically make you wish that you were dead, so that your body doesn't hurt anymore.
But aside from all that, the trek was somewhat enjoyable. The views were actually worth it, surprisingly enough, and on our last night of camping, we were treated to a view of Alpamayo (once described as the most beautiful mountain in the world) as it was lit up eerily by the moon all night long.
Next time, though, I'm getting a burro.
/Alex
