Dead Woman's Pass, Inca trail, Day 31

The hike to Dead Woman’s Pass is Death by Stairmaster…

I endure a cold and uncomfortable night under canvass. And not once did those damn porters come by with a hot water bottle. I say night, but the porters woke Christi and me at 5.30am, admittedly with hot tea and hot water for washing. Breakfast is waiting for us, and while we eat, our tents miraculously disappear into the porter’s packs. Honestly the luxury we’re experiencing at the expense of these guys is embarrassing.

Flavio, our guide, reminds us that we have two passes to climb today. The first is Dead Women’s Pass (DWP) at 4,200m (13,799 feet) which is followed by a steep descent and then another ascent to Runkuraqay pass at 4,000m (13,123 feet). And while it’s only 3 km from our campsite to the top of DWP, there’s a 900m elevation gain – so it’s steep; real steep. I hike slow and steady, but my rhythm is continuously interrupted by the irregularly cut Inca steps, which are tough on the knees. I stagger to the top after 2.5 hours of lung-busting, heart-pumping hiking and while the tourists all stop to celebrate this major mountaineering achievement, the porters continue on to our lunch stop, barely pausing for breath. Christi and I enjoy the spectacular views, until a cool, goose-bump inducing mist envelops us. It reminds me of the movie, The Fog, but fortunately, nothing supernatural materializes and we start the downhill section, losing 600m in elevation over the next 5 km. Each downward step causes my joints to shudder.

Lunch is a blessing and a curse. I’m starving, of course, but once I stop hiking, my irascible muscles seize up and only very reluctantly do they start working again. By this point, my body is drawing energy away from my limbs to digest the fried chicken, quinoa, vegetables, and soup I ate at lunch, while I’m forcing those same energy-starved limbs to get me to the top of the second pass. After 90 minutes of seriously strenuous exertion, I’m there.

Flavio breaks up the afternoon trek with stops at various Inca ruins. My favorite is the guard post, Qoncharmarca, nestled deep in the cloud forest. Christi and I are relieved to finally reach our camp site, Chaquicocha (3,600m), at 5.30pm after 16 grueling kms. I gorge myself at dinner and I’m fast asleep by 8.30pm, sure in the knowledge that the most arduous part of the hike is behind me.