Inca Trail: Dead Woman's Pass

 Temperatures continued to drop as we climbed higher and higher.  It was time to put on the additional layers of clothing from our day packs.

Dead Woman's Pass has that name because the rocks resemble a dead woman in a reclining position.  As we climbed, all of us took turns looking for the dead woman, which also signified the end of the climbing.  So, of course, we saw dead women where there were none--at least not the official dead woman.

Dead woman?  Nope

Stairway to Dead Woman

Keep climbing

Keep climbing

Just a little more

Finally, we made it to the top, where we found the Dead Woman.

There were two guys on the top who had been watching us ascend for the last thirty minutes.  They were waiting for their friend (the guy with the food poisoning) who was behind us and hiking alongside  Freddy, P, and G.  We had been told to expect rain, wind, cold, and maybe snow at the pass, but the views and weather were actually spectacular for about thirty minutes.

Eventually, the rest of our party made it to the top for a group photo.

P told us that he was feeling much better.  Ain't nothing going to stop us now.  

Inca Trail: Ascent to Dead Woman's Pass

I woke the next morning to a flat inflatable sleeping pad, which isn't ideal, but I had a good night's rest. Our alarm clock was one of the pack animals braying just behind our tent.  A few minutes later, a porter came by with a tub of hot water for washing, soap, and cups of steaming coca tea.

We had a quick breakfast and  started hiking just before 7 a.m.  Julia and I were excited for the big day.  Our camp was at 3100 meters (10,170 feet).  Dead Woman's Pass tops out at 4215 meters (13,828 feet).  P still wasn't eating but was determined to power through.  

All smiles on the way up

Within the first hour, we entered high altitude jungle--full of mossy trees and vegetation that you would normally expect at much lower elevation.

Porters

On flat ground or downhill, the porters easily outpaced us.  But this day was all up and steep.  The porters frequently took breaks and we took turns passing each other.

The guy in the above photo was hiking very slowly and deliberately--never taking a break.  We learned from his friends that he was still getting over an extreme case of food poisoning, but there was no "quit" in him.  

Taking a break

Julia re-hydrating

When we stopped at 9:30 a.m. for for the last Gatorade stand on the trail, it was about half-way to the summit.  Temperatures were cooling quickly, and the views were opening up.