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Runkurakay – “Pile of Ruins”
This Inca building is thought to have been a tambo or inn, a stopping point for couriers on their way to Machu Picchu. For us, it marked our second pass in a long, hard day of walking the Inca Trail.
The Inca Trail is a 45 km (26 miles) trek from Piscacucho, a locality 82 km (51 miles) from Cusco, to Machu Picchu. The path follows a small part of the larger UNESCO-listed Qhapaq Ñan, the Inca-built network of roads and tracks through the Andes Mountains. The classic walk is usually done over four days, coming down into the 15th-century Inca citadel through the Sun Gate on day four.
Unfortunately, during the rainy season in 2006 – the year we walked it – part of the trail to the Sun Gate was washed away. This meant that we had to detour down to the town of Aguas Calientes and climb up to Machu Picchu from there.
This made our Day Two – the dreaded day that takes in two mountain passes – even longer than normal.
Our group of six trekkers, thirteen porters, and two guides had survived a rainy 14 km (8.7 m) walk the day before (see: The Inca Trail Day 1), but Day Two was going to be the test. We agreed to break camp at Wayllabamba (2943 m / 9655 ft) in the dark and walk two hours to Llulluchapampa (3800 m / 12,500 ft) before breakfast so that we could start the assault on our first high pass early.
It was a beautiful morning. The rains had washed the countryside clean.
From Llulluchapampa, it was a steep climb to the top of Warmiwanusca Pass (aka Abra de Huarmihuañusca or Dead Woman’s Pass), which was our highest point (4270 m/14,000 ft ) and where the winds wrapped cold, wet clouds around us. We picked our way carefully down steep stone steps to the Pacamayo River (3600 m / 11,811 ft) and lunched where we were originally meant to have camped the night. I was grateful we weren’t staying there – as pretty as the campsite was, reaching the toilet block meant winding through the bushes and crossing two small creeks, using a single-plank wooden bridge in one case, and slippery rock stepping-stones in another. I couldn’t imagine making the trip safely at night, even with a head-lamp flashlight!
Instead of staying at the Pacamayo campsite, we pushed past the one at Runkoruoay (3760 m / 12,335 ft) and through to Sayacmarca (3625 m / 11893 ft).
As the day wore on, the rains and the ups and downs took their toll. The gap between the fastest walkers and the slowest widened dramatically. This was in the days before mobile phones, and at the agreed end point, most of our group waited in the dark campsite, cold, tired, and hungry, and wondering what had become of our second guide and remaining trekkers. Eventually they staggered into the evening camp by torch light, as the rest of us breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, dinner, when we finally got it, was superb. Our crew of kitchen staff and porters could not be faulted, and we all went to sleep exhausted, but warm and with full bellies.
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Morning has Broken
It is still cold and dark in our campsite at Wayllabamba as the dawn sneaks into the skies over the surrounding Andes.
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The Huayruro River at our Feet
The pre-dawn forest is noisy with the sounds of rushing water as we start to climb.
Locals and Porters
The track rises steeply, …
The River Below
… and before long, we have left the little river behind.
Tangled Vegetation
The sub-tropical jungle is dense, and I am grateful for the well-constructed Inca pathways.
Andes in the Clouds
We get glimpses of mountain peaks disappearing into the hovering clouds.
Inca Steps
The stone steps seem to rise forever!
Gabe and Elvis wait for us slower folks.
Run-Off Channel
The Inca understood water – they built runoff channels into the pathway.
Peruvian Mother and Child
At our breakfast stop at Llullucha, a Quechua woman and child greet us.
Our Staff
In addition to our guides, we have kitchen staff and a crew of porters. They generally get to our stopping-places before us to set up our meal tables and/or tents.
Llulluchapampa
The little village nestles in the lee of the steep mountains.
Llamas Grazing
On the hills around us the llamas graze on the puna, the grasslands.
Quico – Bidens Andicola Asteraceae
There are wildflowers all around us; …
Seed Pods
… most of the plants are unknown to me.
Quechua Woman
Many years ago, the Peruvian Government rolled out restrictions on numbers along the trail.
Quechua Guide
Only licenced guides can operate; it was nice to meet one who was a female!
Dead Woman’s Pass (4215 m)
It’s a 1215 m ascent to the Abra de Warnmi Wanusca – Dead Woman’s Pass. When we finally made it, we were enveloped in cold swirling clouds and buffeted by winds. They claim the name is because that’s what the mountain looks like – not because that’s how you feel once you get there!
Down
After conquering the ascent, we start on the descent. The steps down might be easier on the lungs, but the knees get a work-out!
A Welcome Toilet
This was not in the guide book! We were all very excited to see this little toilet in the middle of nowhere – it was the first one that we had seen in 2+ days that wasn’t a squat, and it was actually clean!
Waters Flowing Down
After a wetter-than-usual rainy season, it is not uncommon to see rivulets flowing down the mountainside.
Wild Plants against the Mist
The mountain clouds are settling in all around us.
Wild Bush
More Wildflowers
Lunch Tent
Finally we reach the Pacamayo River (3600 m) where our tent is set up for lunch. This was meant to have been our campsite for the night, but because of the early start, we were pushing on over the next pass.
Raining Again
In spite of the rain, we start climbing again through more grasslands, …
Runkurakay
… this time, up pass at Runkurakay (3950 m).
Runkurakay
We pushed past the campsite next to the ruins of this ancient Inca inn, into the mists and …
Sayacmarca – Sayaqmarka
… down the darkening mountain towards our campsite near Sayacmarca (3625 m / 11893 ft).
Sayacmarca is Quechua for inaccessible – place you can’t enter.
Certainly – arriving there after dark, and after a very long and arduous day, we weren’t even going to try! Time enough to explore this sacred area dedicated to the mountains in the morning.
Until then,
Happy Walking!
Photos: 08April2006
