The Inka Trail - Day 2

For the second day, we woke up around 5am to get an early start. It was said to be the toughest day and after breakfast, we set off starting with a straight incline. The goal was to reach the Dead Woman's Pass - the Inka Trail's highest point at 4215m - at around 12pm. In other words, we had to ascend quite a few hundred meters right after breakfast with almost no flat section in between.

With the sun shining, us ascending and the high altitude in the mix, we were soon all out of breath. That said, me and a few others actually managed to arrive at the top of the pass around 1h earlier than planned and it did feel like a bit of an achievement - even if it was a pointless one.

Once we arrived at the top, the views were absolutely gorgeous and well worth the ordeal. We could see the point from which we started in the morning (yay!), but also the point to which we still had to go today, which seemed miles away - even if all downhill (uff!).

After resting a little bit at the top and taking pictures, it was now time to leave the pass and descend for around 1h and a bit to our campsite. That down section dragged on for what felt like a lifetime and was really annoying on the body, as the steps were pretty much all uneven.

That said, once we arrived at our camp, the porters welcomed us again with claps and a nice drink before we all sat down for lunch. We had the afternoon mostly free, so we just chilled out, had a few chats, the coldest shower I think I have had in my life (it was actually warm stepping out of the shower), read a little and then listened to our guide telling us interesting info about the life of the porters but also about the history of the Inkas, the Inka Trail and other historical facts and tales.

By the time the sun went down and we finished dinner, there was nothing else to do really. Plus, since we were still quite high up, it was starting to get cold, so pretty much all of us went into the tents and by 8pm almost everyone had their lights out and was ready to fall asleep.

It was an exhausting day, even if it wasn't the longest. But the early start, the long incline and the annoying descent were tiring. But we managed to complete the toughest day with wonderful views of the Inka Trail and with a high spirit. And that felt like a solid achievement. Bring on Day 3.Read more