Today, our recently named team ‘Pampas Pumas’ left the beautiful Salkantay Lodge and made our way up and over Salkantay pass! It was a chilly morning, but we had clear skies and a expansive view of the mountain in front of us to encourage us as we hike up a few thousand feet to 15,213 ft./4,638 m! Everyone did a great job pacing on their way up (shout out to Irene!) and we were rewarded with incredible views of Salkantay Peak. This is the 2nd most sacred mountain for the Inca and a very important peak for many still.
After taking it all in we made our way down 1,000 feet to lunch on the roadside, expedition tent style, and after 7 hours on the trail, it felt good to sit down and enjoy some soup and noodles. After lunch we continued on to our next Lodge where we settled in for a restful evening, a nice dinner and the full moon shine down on the surrounding peaks. Quite a beautiful setting to rest after a long day on the trail.
Tomorrow we start our descent into the cloud forest…
-Anna Zajicek
