The Salkantay Pass loomed about 2500 vertical feet above us and was the topic of our conversation. There was no turning back as Aurelio had already departed, and our emergency horse was turned back at the top of the pass with his own problems.
Since people don't have horse or llama trailers the handlers must walk to the trailhead coming from as much as two days away just to begin the trek. Or sometimes they live at the start of the trip and then walk back home after the trek is finished. We just don't think of those things here.
With the efforts of Cachiccata behind us, we all fared well going up to the pass. Jill continued to tease Juan, asking for the reading on his altimeter watch. When we got to 15,200 we had a cheer. We knew we were going to make it. There were no other trekkers in sight, and we were alone on the mountain. It was going to happen. The crescendo of the symphony was in our ears as we heard an avalanche thunder down the cloud enshrouded mountain. Suddenly our boots got lighter and our pace increased. We could see a sign and a post ahead in the mist and all doubts disappeared. We had arrived!
The pass was magical. The abrochecas, small rock structures that we call cairns, celebrated others who had passed this point. Melissa stacked one rock on top of the other until I took her photo. I added another for a picture and put the rock in my pocket as a souvenir. We three posed for a number of photos and didn't even notice the rain. It was glorious.
We were aware of the remainder of our day:9 miles and 6000 vertical feet of descent. From the pass we would drop into a jungle of beautiful flowers and probably some other trekkers. We had had our moment alone and another dream bloomed.
We were fascinated as the terrain changed before our eyes. Soon we were filming incredible flowers as we hiked along a stream that was dropping elevation as we were and making music all of the world could hear. Some of the trekkers we had seen the day before passed us with youthful buoyancy wearing gym shoes and blue jeans.
To be honest, this distance and elevation was difficult. However Juan had arranged a wonderful camping spot at Colpapampa. Augusto prepared and served another fabulous dinner. The next morning we said our good byes to Francisco and Jesus.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.