Lares Trek Day 2


A very hard day. 5am wakeup with Coca Tea. They bring hot water to the tent as well. It's pretty light by that time. 5:45am breakfast with Quinoa porridge and crepes stuffed with stirfried  vegetables and chicken. We head out about 6:20am. Cool this morning with a breeze. Some clouds on the mountains but looks like a nice day. The "Sexy Llamas" as they have dubbed themselves, are very fast, but I just go slow. We are going up to 4800 meters today. The trail is mainly up, not too steep to start. There often seem to be local women sitting spinning and selling a few goods beside the trail. I mainly walk with the assistant guide Jonathan who is bring up the rear. When a group is over 8 they have 2 guides which is nice. Part way through the day one of the crew insisted on taking my daypack. I felt bad then found out I wasn't the only one. Some very impressive mountain peaks, and we pass lots of Alpaca, llama and sheep. Also lots of dogs.
I keep taking lots of short breaks, and drink plenty of water. There are some steep bits and breathing gets harder the higher you go. I got to the top about noon and enjoyed the fantastic view. Then of course we start down.There are lots of loose rocks and it's dry crumbly bits so very slippery. Thank goodness for the poles. We descend quickly with lots of switchbacks. As we get lower there are meadows and trees. Finally get to the lunch spot about 2:30pm. The crew have set up a tent with tables and stools and there is even a little tent with a portapotty. There is a lovely spread for lunch but I can't eat much.
We continue down the pretty valley, crossing the stream several times. Again there are  some steep sections, and my knees are feeling it! The last hour seemed endless, but I finally arrive in camp about 5:30pm. This camp is a farmer's field and there is a toilet building for us, just finished. I felt all in, so lay down until dinner at 7pm. Again I just feel like having soup. I went to bed right after dinner, but woke up a few hours later feeling nauseous. Apparently another affect of altitude. It passes after a short while. It's certainly tricky getting up in the night, what with all the zippers getting out of the sleeping bag and tent, finding the way through tents, mules etc.










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