Journey Return

Monday, May 19
Start: Llulluchapampa 12,407′ (3781m)
Via: Warmiwañusca Dead Woman’s Pass 13,898′ (4236m)
Via: Runquraqay Pass 13,025′ (3970m)
Stop: Phuyupatamarca 12,040′ (3670m)
6.82 miles
3,398′ ascent
3,868′ descent
O2 average 87%
46% acclimated to 12,038′ and fully acclimated to 6889′

I drift off to sleep just before 9 pm. I do my usual tossing and turning but sleep pretty well until about 2 am when I can no longer deny that I need to pee. I crawl out of my tent and consider finding somewhere nearby to pee. But I’m afraid it will be too loud given my close proximity to the team, so I make the trek to the bathroom. I set my headlamp to its brightest level and keep my eyes open for any pumas. There’s a porter sleeping on the large tiled area outside the bathrooms. I make it back without incident and sleep until 4:30 am when my watch alarm goes off.

It’s still dark out when we start breakfast. Dawn starts to break which reveals a cloud blanket sitting atop the peaks. Elizabeth and I hit the trail at 6:15 am and start to work our way up the rock stairs. There’s a park employee that comes up behind us and Elizabeth chats with him. I climb slow but steady and have to stop to remove a layer. I don’t go very much farther before I realize that I’m not wearing my earrings. I know I had put them on top of my backpack last night which was laying along my side in the tent. Maybe they are in the tent somewhere? I tell Elizabeth and she radios back to the crew. I have the thought to check the large mesh pocket on the outside of my backpack and sure enough, the tiny earrings are there in the bottom. How lucky!

The Inca Trail climbs up the side of the Llullucha Canyon, away from the headwaters of the Llullucha River. On the other side of the creeklet, there are llamas and alpacas foraging and nursing. There are also lots of flowers to stop and observe which gives me time to catch my breath too. The bright blue Perezia pops in stark contrast to the dried grass.

Above: Barberry, Siphocampylus?, Wahlenbergia? growing up through the grass
Below: Siphocampylus?

During the nearly 1,500 ft. climb to Warmiwañusca Pass, there are several false summits. But as we approach the cloud layer, I can feel the familiar tug of wind that means we are almost there.

Just after 8 am, Elizabeth and I crest Dead Woman’s Pass and there are only a few other porters already here. I find a spot to pee before sitting down for a snack break. The misty clouds disperse a bit as the sun peeks through. I look back down Llullucha Canyon and can see all the porters and groups headed our direction. To have this time on the pass practically to ourselves, is the reward of camping at Llulluchapampa and then getting up early. Below is the view from the top of the Warmiwañusca Pass looking forward into the next canyon.

At 13,898 ft., Dead Woman’s Pass or in Quechua, Warmiwañusca, is the highest point on the Inca Trail. It gets its name because the mountain range’s silhouette looks like a woman lying down. The Mountain Gods Peru team comes steaming up the mountain and arrives only about 15 minutes after us.

The crew was busting ass to catch up with Elizabeth and I and they immediately change out of their sweaty shirts. Joel digs into his pack and surprises me with a cool bottle of Cusqueña Dorada beer, which he has carried since our lunch stop yesterday at Huayllabamba. During lunch, Elizabeth and I had been talking about Warmiwañusca and I suggested that a beer would be a good celebration. While not the highest pass of our trek, Warmiwañusca is the highest point on the Inca Trail. I pull out my bottle opener and crack open the top. Cusqueña sounds pretty good at nearly 14,000 feet. Following Elizabeth’s lead, we all take turns pouring some on the ground for Pachamama and then taking a sip for ourselves.

Above: Meet the new additions to the team! L-R: Elizabeth, Damian, Joel, Juvenal, Victor
Below: With the clouds clearing a bit and looking back down Llullucha Canyon, many porters are now gathering at Warmiwañusca Pass.

Just before 9 am we start the long descent to Paqaymayu. Not only are there endless stairs, but we’re treated to another flower parade.

I spot some Ribes currant as I look back at a porter descending the stairs. The stone trail flattens out a bit which gives me a welcome break from the steep steps. Decorating the edge of the trail is the high altitude Saracha punctata shrub soaking up this moist biome. Their purple flowers look like small lanterns.

Above: Embothrium or fire bush, Oxalis, Senecio or butterweed and Lupine
Below: Down, down we go past bright yellow coreopsis

Above: flowering succulent, fern with yellow spores, Calceolaria slipper plant, Neobartsia, Lobelia.
Below: Some kind of tassle shrub making a tunnel over the Inca Trail. Unknown white flower.

Above: Several varieties of Aster, Epacris flowering shrub, waterfall crossing
Below: Desfontainia, Lobelia

We descend 2,100 feet to Paqaymayu Alto, elevation 11,798 feet (3596m) in just over an hour. I make use of the restroom while Elizabeth heads off to check-in with the ranger.

Look closely for the water flowing out of the rock wall, through channels around the bathroom and across the trail below the bathroom. I sit on the bench and have a mini break before we are on our way again. I look back towards Warmiwañusca which still has moody clouds. Elizabeth returns and now it’s time to climb.

Above: Natural spring pouring across the Inca Trail with tall red Salvia dombeyi or Giant Bolivian Sage towering above.
Below: Solanum Chilean potato tree

The Inca Trail stairs climb steeply up the mountainside away from Paqaymayu. If you are afraid of heights, this terrain might present some challenges for your equilibrium. I risk a look behind me and see a porter approaching who is definitely moving faster than me.

We climb for 45 minutes to reach the Runqurakay Ruins, 12,336 feet. The Runqurakay archaeological site is noted for its unique semi-circular structure and was used for food storage and lodging. It is perched high with good visibility back towards Warmiwañusca Pass and down the Paqaymayu Canyon.

Looking back at Warmiwañusca Pass, I can see the obvious trace of the Inca Trail slicing down the mountain. The whole length of the waterfall that we crossed over an hour ago is now visible. Plus Paqaymayu Camp and ancient terraces sit over 500 feet below us.

The Runqurakay Ruins are best observed from above!

Above: Vaccinium growing in the rocks, wild buckwheat?
Below: black fruticose lichen + other lichens, Halenia or spurred gentian

From our low point at Paqaymayu, we ascend 1,227 ft. to Runqurakay Pass, 13,025 feet. We top out at about noon and are greeted by a ruby-collared sparrow. Runqurakay Pass is a sacred space where religious ceremonies were conducted honoring Apus, mountain gods and spirits.

You know it – time to descend again. We pass through gnarled Polylepis trees and more flowers. Yarrow, Loasa, and Puya just starting to bloom.

All stop quick quiet! There’s a colorful bird flitting back and forth and we spin around trying to get a clear view of it. Some other trek clients chatter past us, unaware of what they’re missing. Patience rewards me with a clear enough picture to identify that it’s a Golden-collared tanager sitting in a Epacris shrub. These striking birds are found on the Eastern slopes of the Andes in elfin forests foraging for insects and berries.

We descend 1,132 ft. to the Sayaqmarca Ruins, 11,893 feet. There’s a group starting to ascend the stairs to Sayaqmarca and their guide says “Ok muchachos, be back in 20 minutes.” Elizabeth and I chat with the guide about biological diversity and some of the research he has done. We opt to continue our descent and skip the climb to Sayaqmarca. See if you can find the client in the red jacket in the below right picture.

Above: Oncidium? orchid, succulent, Viola
Above: Hypanartia lindingii or mapwing butterfly
Below: Chusquea bamboo

We hike through jungle arches and past Inca ruins before rolling into Chakiqocha about 1:30 pm. After I emerge from the bathroom, the group behind us rolls in and “ok muchachos” rings out from their guide. I don’t know why, but the way he says muchachos absolutely cracks me up. Elizabeth and I start referring to the guide as Señor Muchachos. The Mountain Gods Peru team has prepared a massive spread of beautiful and delectable food. The hiker hunger is really starting to kick in and I happily devour an extra serving.

Another quick stop at the squat toilets and we are back on trail within an hour. Looks like the other group is spending the night here. My stomach is definitely full, so luckily the incline leaving camp is more gradual. A quick distraction is the overflowing life from the verdant cloud forest.

Above: Looking back at Chakiqocha Camp.
Above: Collection of moss and lichens, Pilea, Sphagnum moss whose pigment protects it from UV radiation.
Below: Vanessa braziliensis or painted lady butterfly.
Below: Clubmoss, Buddleja tree ready to bloom, tree fern

I step on a stone that jiggles under my foot and I realize that it might be the very first loose stone that I have felt. Mad respect to the Inca engineers. After 500+ years, the high level of accuracy and precision prevails. The clouds float in and out as we hike past more Buddleja that is starting to bloom it’s bright yellow, Miconia, and a large mass of Sphagnum moss, lichens, Elaphoglossum fern and other small plants.

Above left: pink-colored Spagnum violascens, an interesting collection of colors and plants
Below: Epidendrum orchid, Bromelia

Build the Inca Trail straight onto a stone outcrop? No problem! At the end of this short, flat area, the trail tunnels into and down through the rock. Easier to go through than around.

The gradual cloud forest hike continues as we pass purplish-blue Monnina and pink Epacris. The clouds part briefly and deep canyons appear.

On the hillside above me, the blue blooms of Puya clava-herculis? are just starting to open. The dainty Epipactis orchid sticks up in a sea of other plants. I pause for a moment and look back at the trail that we’ve just ascended.

We pass yellow Senecio tephrosioides and Epidendrum orchids. Elizabeth is on the hunt for orchids and forges off trail searching for more beauties. I’m content to watch and admire from the trail because the jungle bushwhack is no joke.

The jungle botany wonderland continues as I notice the steep drop off next to the trail. No mistakes!

Elizabeth must have a compass for orchids because she decides to climb up a steep bank at the trail’s edge that looks virtually impossible to scale. She shrieks with excitement and helps me climb up the bank as well. We are met with the most spectacular cluster of Maxillaria floribunda orchids. Our heads poke up through the top of the jungle into a hole in the swirling clouds. There’s green and flowers in every direction. It was just luck that I decided to travel to Peru in May. What a gift to see all these flowers starting their blooming season. We shuffle back down the incline to the trail and hike another 20 minutes. We pass Cora fungus with several lichens, Bromelia, and Puya? plants as we arrive at camp.

We roll into Phuyupatamarka at 5 pm. The ripple of clouds are starting to light up with sunset glow. Because we are a small group, we squeeze into a very compact spot, campsite #6. Campsites are jammed together and our tents are wall to wall with adjacent groups. Elizabeth’s orange tent is virtually in the entry of our mess/cook tent. The rest of the crew will sleep inside the mess/cook tent. After trimming a few wayward branches, my excessively large and luxurious tent is crammed into my very own private penthouse terrace.

My yellow tent, enveloped by trees and perched on what might be a small terrace, is just a stone’s throw above the Phuyupatamarka ruins. The below panorama shows our proximity to other campers. Look for Elizabeth with her blanket and the Mountain Gods Peru setup on the right side of the picture. My yellow tent is to the far right.

The clouds are closing in around us but Elizabeth and I climb up the hillside through and around camps. Behind all those clouds must certainly be a spectacular view, but the cloud forest is doing her thang. Elizabeth poses with her blanket that she made as a child in her Chinchero community. Mountain peaks play hide and seek with the clouds as little pockets of sunset glow flash through. Many campsites dot the hillside below us. There are so many people at this camp tonight!

We return to camp about 5:45 pm and I get a unique view of my tent and the Phuyupatamarka Ruins just below me.

I crawl into my tent and change clothes quickly. I can hear the popcorn popping for happy hour and I’m ready to chow down. After enjoying popcorn, cookies and several cups of hot chocolate, platters full of dinner entrees arrive. The blanket Elizabeth had around her shoulders earlier does double duty as our table cloth. She explains to me how the blankets are made and how the person chooses the colors based on how they feel. Each woven pattern has a specific meaning and it can take several months to complete the whole blanket. We open the mess tent doors to find that the low clouds have dispersed and the last ribbons of light are fading into black.