Lares Pass – Day 3


“Wow, I was so much warmer last night!” said Katina as she opened the zipper to the tent and watched the frost flake away.  I guess the investment in the hat, scarf and gloves really paid off!

Our second night’s sleep had been quite restful and we were certainly warmer.  After a nice hot cup of cocoa leaf tea and a filling breakfast, it was time to strike camp and head for the hills.

Elvis gave us a pep-talk that went something like this:

“Chicos…today we are going to do some more climbing for the first part of the hike.  It is going to be more challenging than yesterday.”

Um…what?!  I thought yesterday was challenging!

“That will be for about 3 hours.  Almost straight up.  Then we will be going downhill all the way to the end.”

Hmmm…

“But chicos…I know you can do this.  You have done great so far.  I need all of your positive energy so you can finish the trek strong today.”

On that note, we headed out and found the path that started a long, steady climb up above the village where we had spent the night.  Before long our camp was well below us and just a pleasant memory!

Looking back to where our camp used to be!
Looking back to where our camp used to be!

The way grew steep quickly.  Our months of walking tours, as well as the time we spent in Cusco getting used to the altitude was really paying off for us.  While the way was difficult, our girls continued to lead the pack.  Elvis and Rony were excellent – gauging the group and resting whenever it was necessary.

Looks like this animal didn't do well on the hike!
Looks like this animal didn’t do well on the hike!

Not sure what kind of skull that was…but clearly that animal didn’t fare too well on this hike!

This area was much more populated than others we had encountered thus far.  We saw lots of llamas, alpacas and sheep out grazing.

Llamas and alpacas grazing.
Llamas and alpacas grazing.
Mamasita bringing her llamas and alpacas to their pasture.
Mamasita bringing her llamas and alpacas to their pasture.

Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, we would come across small one-room cottages like this one, cooking fires burning within.

Cooking fire out of control?
Cooking fire out of control?

I don’t think this man was intentionally smoking out his house!

Soon afterwards we came to a very interesting sign…

A private conservation area?
A private conservation area?

Let’s say you lived in a city near an unprotected, natural area with trees, flowers and excellent habitat for animals.  What would happen if a land developer wanted to destroy this area and put in houses or apartment buildings and you decided to put up a sign saying that the land was a private conservation area?!  Surely the builder would acknowledge the sign and stop building, right?

In Peru, we were told that communities are trying to protect the land, particularly from mining companies.  The fear is that once resources are found, money outweighs the good of the people in the area since the area is so sparsely populated.  Ground water gets polluted, animals and crops cannot survive on the dirty water so the villages need to move, disrupting the way of life of the people who have lived here for generations.

All I can say is that they are doing a great job conserving the land…

A beautiful late way up in the mountains.
A beautiful late way up in the mountains.

That’s my current computer desktop picture by the way! LOVE this picture!

Onward, ever onward, we hiked until the lake was behind us.

Onward!
Onward!

Soon, Elvis told us that just ahead was our highest point for our hike today.  Zoe had to be the first one to crest the hill…so off she went, racing to the top.

Race to the summit!  Zoe wins!  Again!
Race to the summit! Zoe wins! Again!

Zoe was the first one to see the truly awe inspiring view on the other side…

Lares Pass - from the crest.
Lares Pass and the Valley of the Five Lakes – from the crest.

Eventually the rest of us caught up with her…and we took a short rest.

Resting on the Lares Pass
Resting on the Lares Pass

Ok, Zoe needed to rest, too..

Zoe resting in a rock crevice!
Zoe resting in a rock crevice!

Here’s what the pass looked like from a 360 degree view…

It was all downhill from here!

Follow the dirt-gravel path...
Follow the dirt-gravel path…where’s the rest of the group?

Again, I saw the connection between homes…

A stone house in the mountains.
A stone house in the mountains.

and running water…

IMG_1368

Soon we began to see the outskirts of the village at the Lares Pass.  These boys were collecting money for something.  I thought maybe this was a toll path…

Pay the toll...
Pay the toll…

And then it was confirmed…

Alpaca-jam!
Alpaca-jam!

Pay the toll to get past the alpacas! 🙂

Rony was very good with the animals…he was able to calm this baby alpaca so we could all pet it…

Here was something I’d never seen before…this llama had what appeared to be red wool on its ears.  These tags are put on the llamas’ ears in order to identify which family owns the animals.

Llama with ear markings.
Llama with ear tags.

This village was bigger than most…and they had electricity.

The local utility box.
The local utility box.

I’m not sure that this would pass inspection in Canada!

We were almost there.  Just have to go down this small hill to where the buildings are…

Just a short walk down the hill!
Just a short walk down the hill!

This village was quite large…they even had quite a large school.

We had arrived!  We had a few minutes to wait for our bus to pick us up…and out of nowhere (it seemed) a “convenience store” appeared right there in the parking area!

Instant convenience store!

WE DID IT!  After 3 days and 32 km, we made it to the end of the Lares Pass!  As you can see from the photo below, the whole team was feeling pretty happy with our accomplishment!  Kudos to everyone for completing the trek!

Next stop…?

You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see what Zoe has to say!


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Comments

16 responses to “Lares Pass – Day 3”

  1. Congrats to you all! Quite an achievement. The vistas were amazing and credit to the people for their efforts to keep the land so natural. I wonder if some of those rudimentary electrics were the type learned at the ‘Barefoot University’ ? Wasn’t it you guys who told us about that when you were in India?
    How do these rural folk survive? Do they live on their goats and llamas? And are the rural kids bussed to the schools?
    As always…. Beautiful photos !!!

    1. Hi Herta,

      Thanks for your congrats! We loved every minute of it!
      From what I could tell, the rudimentary electrics were definitely not the same good quality as Barefoot College! They were basically fuse panels slapped into a mud wall…hopefully they hadn’t turned on the electricity while they were building it! Water and electricity… As for their survival, the people farm and trade. Potato farmers trade for meat and vice versa. Fresh fruits and veggies come from the market – which could be a 1-day walk away. There are schools in the mountains, but no buses – there aren’t any roads where we were. When the kids do go to school, they’re walking a couple of km’s to get to the closest school (if there isn’t one in their village). I’m not sure how many rural kids do go to school…

  2. Hi Oliver,
    Once again, a great blog! The photos tell it all–a house in the middle of nowhere. How often do these people go shopping? As for the instant convenience stores, how do they get their supplies to the villages? Great scenery! Congratulations to all 0f you on completing an amazing trek! Love, Mom P.

  3. Sandra Campbell Avatar
    Sandra Campbell

    What a great post! Thank you!!!
    Sandra

  4. Doreen laird Avatar
    Doreen laird

    What an amazing accomplishment and being led by Zoe too…well done! Loved the photos..just how do the people survive in their climate and with so few resources..we are truly spoiled! Can’t wait to read Zoe’s blog…Doreen

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