Hello Everyone,
Today we woke up to beautiful views and of the surrounding mountains around the lodge, including the prominent Mt Salkantay (over 20,000). We started our hike early because we had our longest day of trekking today. The first couple of hours was a moderate incline and cool until the sun hit us as we crossed an open valley leading up to Salkantay. After that we started the ascent to Salkantay pass finishing at 15,200ft with a total gain of over 2,500ft at the top of the pass. After a few pictures we continued down the pass to lower elevations to another beautiful valley where we stopped for lunch. At lunch we had tents set up and a great meal waiting for us to relax and get out of the sun. After lunch we continued on to Wayra lodge (12,700ft) which we could see in the distance. In total we hiked about 7 hours. A few of the Pilgrims are still feeling the effects of the high altitude but tomorrow we will lose about 3,000ft of elevation ending at just over 9,000ft.
Once we arrived at Wayra lodge we were again greeted by hot towels, tea, and the smiling faces of the lodge staff. This lodge we are all by ourselves and it is beautiful. The lodge is warm, nicely decorated, and serve up delicious meals. Tonight we had steak, potatoes, and veggies for dinner, with the option of wine, beer or coke after a long day on the trail.
Tomorrow we will head down into the forest and are looking forward to the thicker air. We’ll check in tomorrow!
Buenos Noches,
Ben
