The trek itself started last Thursday morning and in many ways was so different from the Choquequirao Trek. The trek was run by local farm people instead of full time guides from Cusco. The route climbed up through high Andean hills, up to and passed the base of Ausangate (At 6384m, the highest peak in southern Peru). The high hills were filled with alpaca and llama in high densities that are hard to believe. They obviously thrive in those conditions and on the low vegetation. With little adherence to contour paths, our guides led us straight up and over steep hills, and it was tough walking at the higher altitudes. The trek also went at the pace of the horses, and our guides had little patience if either of us fell behind, encouraging us to ride almost immediately. The experience though was exceptional and they took good care of us. On the third night they set up nets in a couple of the high altitiude lagoons and streams. Early the next morning the excited guides woke us to show us their catch, a number of small fish and a larger probably ten pound trout - they were very proud of themselves. We shared the fish later in the day for lunch. The views were just awesome (I have to use that word again), and at times, it felt like we were on top of the world, with views of hundreds of kilometres. Our campsites had spectacular locations. By sunset, the temperatures dropped considerably, and we escaped to our tent to snuggle into our sleeping bags.Monday, June 9, 2008
Ausangate Trek
The trek itself started last Thursday morning and in many ways was so different from the Choquequirao Trek. The trek was run by local farm people instead of full time guides from Cusco. The route climbed up through high Andean hills, up to and passed the base of Ausangate (At 6384m, the highest peak in southern Peru). The high hills were filled with alpaca and llama in high densities that are hard to believe. They obviously thrive in those conditions and on the low vegetation. With little adherence to contour paths, our guides led us straight up and over steep hills, and it was tough walking at the higher altitudes. The trek also went at the pace of the horses, and our guides had little patience if either of us fell behind, encouraging us to ride almost immediately. The experience though was exceptional and they took good care of us. On the third night they set up nets in a couple of the high altitiude lagoons and streams. Early the next morning the excited guides woke us to show us their catch, a number of small fish and a larger probably ten pound trout - they were very proud of themselves. We shared the fish later in the day for lunch. The views were just awesome (I have to use that word again), and at times, it felt like we were on top of the world, with views of hundreds of kilometres. Our campsites had spectacular locations. By sunset, the temperatures dropped considerably, and we escaped to our tent to snuggle into our sleeping bags.