Day 1: Lares Trail #TrekTowardsACurePeru

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.

Acclimatisation Trek: No way Jose, we're calling it day 1 of trekking!

As I shared in the last post, we were scheduled for a three-hour acclimatisation trek the day after we arrived in Cusco to see how we coped at higher altitude and a longer time frame.

We all secretly thought our guide Jose wanted to test us so he could see what we were really made of. This team of 13 Aussie girls and their team leader showed him!

We started with a look out over Peru's very fertile Sacred Valley and saw the town Pisaq, which Jose announced we'd be walking in to. What we didn't realise at the time was that the walk was through some amazing Inca temple sites and then down near-vertical steps through Incan agricultural terraces built in the 14th and 15th centuries.

It was a long, slow 7km walk down the side of the mountain and we all got sunburnt (event though we were wearing 30+, 50+ and even 100+ sun screen!) but there was a gorgeous old Peruvian woman selling freshly squeezed orange juice at the bottom of the hill so that made everything worthwhile.

As Annalisa said, "This was a true test of my strength and endurance and how I feel I'm going to go on this four day trek starting tomorrow. With the hot sun beating down on us, I was physically and mentally challenged, wondering numerous times what I had gotten myself into! I'm so proud that I got through it and I know I can do this". Hear hear Annalisa!

After shopping for jewellery and souvenirs in the Pisaq markets we started on our way back to Cusco, via an al fresco lunch with our chef for the trek and a stop off at another popular Inca site, Saqsaywaman (or as Jose puts it "sexy woman" - try saying that to a bus full of women without laughing).

Since today involved lots of steps and much mental and physical energy we decided it should be the first day of the trek, rather than a practice run. Annalisa and I are so grateful to be able to share this trek with you and to have raised so much for breast cancer research. We'd like to thank our Gold Llama sponsors for making this trek and our fundraising possible: Gillian Adams Salon & Spa, Bush Legend, JCPT Health & Fitness, Strawberry Communications and The Transcription People.