Today was the day of reckoning. After all the months and months of training Annalisa and I had done this year, today was the time when we really saw the results.
Our group of eager Pink Lady trekkers (minus Chloe who was really sick with a throat infection), group leader Kate and guides Jose and Enrique set off in the mini bus for a drive through the Sacred Valley to our starting point 90 minutes away from Cusco.
We started gently, walking through a village and past a school (all the kids waved madly) and then followed the river up into the Andes in the sun. Both Annalisa and I were struggling as we got higher and the air thinned (Annalisa's chest was really tight and painful and I was feeling dizzy and almost passed out).
Despite this we were still able to appreciate the incredible beauty of this remote region. The further we walked, the less signs of civilisation we saw until it was just us and the odd llama and alpaca. The mountains were so imposing, leading me to feel as insignificant as a speck on the path. We crossed the river to our lunch setting, jumping from stepping stone to stepping stone. It was at this location that we got our first taste of 'The Rocket', the portable toilet that we would come to know well in the coming days.
After lunch we walked back down the mountain through an eerie mist, but this time the sun was not on our backs and the wet weather gear made an appearance. This was very similar to the Scottish Highlands and Hebridean islands, so much so that it almost felt like we were walking through a mystical realm and would come out the other side in a different place or time.
Annalisa and I felt a great sense of achievement when we walked the final steps towards the bus and knew the first day of real trekking was done. All of us were tired and wet, but happy for the drive to our camp site for the night within a walled yard in a tiny village. The mist had turned into a cold and damp night, which saw all of scrambling for hats, scarves and gloves. Those of us who were not prepared for this level of cold bought extra layers from the villagers who set up a mini market outside our tents.
I wasn't looking forward to the camping side of this adventure and this first night proved a real test for all of us as it got down to -2 degrees. I don't think many of us slept as much as our exhaustion should have let us.
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