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While we had been walking through an off and on mist most of the morning, by the time
we were halfway down to the Pacamayo camp from the Pass the rain was coming down steadily.
And while this didn't stop me from once again taking my time to try and get some pictures,
it mainly reinforced the need for a good slicker!... <<< Plenty of rain... good for the flowers, bad for the hikers! >>> |
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Pacamayo |
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There are some impressive views along this part of the trail although the rain pretty
much precluded getting any pictures. There are some cascades that must be hundreds and
hundreds of meters in total drop. And while the steady uphill grades that you will have seen by now are strenuous, the extended downhill grades can be rough on your knees as well. In this case, the descent from the Dead Woman's Pass to the Pacamayo campsite is around 800 meters in less than a mile and a half. THAT's a pretty significant descent... |
| This is a long view from one of the overlooks as you approach Runcu Raccay. You can
see the cascades I referred to above, and the terraces in the lower right of the picture
are part of the Pacamayo campsite. It is large (which makes it popular with big groups)
and has proper toilets but in weather like this, those terraces where you would pitch your
tent are a sea of mud (which would make any crowds even that much MORE unpleasant). You can also see some traces of the trail as it goes from the left center to the bottom center of the picture. |
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Runcu Raccay |
| After the descent through the Pacamayo valley, you begin to head up toward the second
pass. Past the campsite the stone path turns uphill and eventually turns into steps. And,
in our case, getting closer to Runcu Raccay the last couple hundred meters the steps
seemed more like walking up a waterfall. I reached the ruins around 11:30 or so and was
once again grateful to the porters who had a tent set up for us to eat lunch in. So, while still being soaked to the skin (including socks and feet) hot food and drink does wonders for the outlook. |
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By the time we finished with lunch and Mauro had given us some background on the site
it had finished raining and conditions improved for the rest of the day. We were even able
to take a better look around the ruins here - unusual and in a spectacular setting. From
the location and layout of the site, this was most likely a 'tambo' or waystation on the
road to Machu Picchu. It wasn’t so far to the next pass and we had patches of sunlight on the way up. At this pass there is a legend/tradition that you should stack a rock on top of another and make a wish - so there are hundreds of little rock piles all around the rocky terrain at the highest point of the pass. Of course we added our own before moving on. (I suspect many of the wishes had to do with having no more rain!) |
| Going down the other side we went through more clouds which obscured the
high altitude lake that you pass but as we got near the bottom of the valley the clouds
lifted and gave a great view of Sayac Marca and our
campsite across on the other side of the valley.
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The Trail down from the Second Pass...
- Inca Trail
Day Two