Lares Trek - Day 3 - Patacancha to Pumamarco

We woke up to a cold, 13,000’ morning at our camp in Patacancha. Though we were scheduled for a 6:30 am wake up, we were both awake earlier, having not slept too well at the high elevation. We were dressed and ready when the tea and coffee arrived, still marveling at the journey we had the day before (see that blog post here).

Breakfast was a warm fava bean porridge, French toast, and pancakes. The pancakes were customized for each of us, with a different Andean animal prescribed to us.

After breakfast and packing up, we got on the trail around 7:30 am. Most of the kids were already in the schoolyard by then, but we did manage to catch a few and distribute more treats.

Scott had awakened not feeling too well. His stomach was a bit upset, and he was a little dizzy. Like the trooper he is, he didn’t mention it to anyone, and we started on our way.

On our way through Patacancha, we saw some villagers constructing a new home, with a quarry of bricks at the ready. The bricks were made of local soil, mixed with grass, and then hardened by drying in the sun. They were harvesting the soil from the earth wall behind the site, and making the bricks in the vacant lot next door. No extra transportation costs for these bricks!

We walked through the village and then headed down the road towards the next village of Willoq. Both of these villages are known for their preservation of Andean culture, and we saw that over and over along the route. Even with the old traditions, there are still modern conveniences present. We had to get out of the road when this family passed us on a motorcycle. The baby was wrapped in traditional style…in a blanket and on its mama’s back.

The route was heavy with the smell of eucalyptus, a scent we’d smelled often on this trek, and one we had grown quite fond of. Although it’s not a native plant in Peru, the government planted it many years ago for soil stabilization, and it has thrived

By the time our van picked us up in Willoq, Scott was feeling quite sick with headache, dizziness, stomachache, fever, and all over body aches. Saul had eucalyptus oil in his pack, and he had Scott rub it under his nose to help his symptoms.

Scott continued to just forge ahead, but it was clear by now that he was suffering from Late-Onset Altitude Sickness, also called Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), which is a reaction to lower oxygen levels at high elevation. While symptoms usually appear 6-24 hours after arriving at altitude, late-onset cases can develop more slowly, even after extended periods at high altitude. Our time at altitude, plus more coffee consumption than normal, were the likely culprits in Scott’s case.

Our next stop was the Pumamarco Ruins, which typically involved a climb up a long set of steps. However, a government construction project that has been underway for two years has rendered the parking area and access road unusable, so the only way to the ruins was a long hike through the farmlands and up to the mountain where the ruins sat.

The hike up the mountain was long and steep. It seemed every time we thought we had reached the top there was another switchback. Scott was such a trooper, he just continued to move forward, but he felt really bad.

When we finally reached the ruins, we were the only people at the site. The silence was almost sacred as we stood alone among the towering stone walls of the ancient Incan site. There were no crowds, no voices—just the whisper of the wind threading through the ruins and the surrounding mountains.

Gayle explored solo at the site while Scott took a much needed break in the grass. In one particular courtyard, Gayle had a strong urge to sit on a stone in the grounds and meditate. Saul told us later that this was a site where Shamans came to meditate. Maybe the Incan energy still flows here.

Due to the construction projects below the ruins, our lunch crew had to set up far below the site, and we would have to hike to them. Scott continued in soldier mode, but was pretty wiped out by the time we reached our crew. He passed on lunch, and we were both ready to load up in the van and head to our scheduled hotel for the night after the lunch break.

Before we left, Saul the chef spotted an Andean deer that had come down from the mountain to graze on the terrace above us. The deer was tiny compared to the deer in Arizona and Colorado, standing about 24” high.

After lunch, we all loaded into the van for the 45 minute drive to the Del Pilar Ollantaytambo Hotel (which is at a lower, 9,000 foot elevation). We got checked in at 2:30 pm and Scott went immediately to bed for a well-deserved rest. Although he still had no appetite, we ordered room service for dinner. Gayle had talked to the wonderful staff, and they sent a jar of tea made with herbs that would help settle his stomach. In researching altitude sickness, the most important things to do when suffering the effects are:

1) Descend to lower elevations

2) Hydrate

3) Eat

4) Use ibuprofen for headache

5) Rest

The hotel staff also accommodated a late request for laundry service from Gayle, and managed to get her clothes done by that evening. She hadn’t done laundry yet on the trip, and appreciated the efforts by the staff to get it done.

Tomorrow, we were scheduled for a 6-7 mile hike up the Inca Trail to reach the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu. We agreed to make a “game time” decision on Scott’s status at our 6:30 am departure time.

To get the details of how our hike to the Sun Gate, go here.