Inca Trail Day 2

Monday 6/17 (Madelena/Molly)

On this day, we climbed Dead Woman’s Pass named for the woman who died there trying to climb up (Not actually, it’s really called that because the mountain looks like a dead woman laying down). It was horrible, and we almost died as well. Though we all completed the hike under the expected time, the hike was mentally exhausting and physically challenging. We would have had an amazing view following the multitude of uneven stone steps hiked, however the thick fog not only consumed the entire sky, but also froze us to the very bone. That day, we encountered a handful of groups hiking the same trail. There was a purple group that was “really annoying.” And a group from Costa Rica that was friendly and cheered for us (we cheered for them in return) as we reached the summit of Dead Woman’s Pass. The two were an excellent juxtaposition of the pleasant and unpleasantness that can be found in groups of strangers. In all, we hiked 3 miles up the stairs and 2 miles down, and passed through cloud forest and alpine tundra. Upon finishing our hike, we arrived at the definitively best campsite. However, Audrey and Ms. Hamilton saw someone peeing in the beautiful, nearby river which was a deep disappointment. Yet again, the food exceeded our expectations, and also there was a small waterfall.

 Taking a break at the valley. Next stop, Dead Woman's Pass !😲

                                                                       Beautiful Andean Valley

             Snow capped Pumasillo Mountains were some of the background views on our hike today

                                                                                       Inca steps

 Quotes:

“My legs were going to fall off.”

“I don’t remember what happened.”

“It was kind of pretty”

“Ow” and “Oof”

“[The downhill] was better than uphill.”

“I ate a tomato. I thought it was a peach, but it was a tomato.”