Santa Cruz Trek - Day 1 - Cashapampa to Llamacorral Campsite

We got picked up at 7:30 and drove two hours to the trail head in the village of Cashapampa. The first half was on a much appreciated paved road before we downgraded back to dirt. Fortunately for my stomach it wasn’t quite as bad as the journey to the Lazy Dog Inn. When we reached the end of the road, we were at the trail head. Besides the small guard shack and mules loading up, you could barely tell we were at the at the entry point for a grand adventure. Worried that we would be harassed about my camera equipment, but we sailed by without a hitch.

Having trekked considerably in Nepal I was used to seeing many Buddhist prayer wheels and stones. To our surprise as soon as we hit the trail there was a small Catholic prayer alter. Not being Catholic, but not wanting to take chances on the mountain, we made a small offering of a flower and continued on the trail. It was steep, but well defined. There were tons of flowers and bromeliads on all sides. To our left the river snaked quietly.

Our guide was Yessica, a 24 year old woman. This was the first time I was guided by a woman and proved to be a wonderful experience. She was great with a boundless knowledge of each plant we passed. She informed us of their names and uses for both clinical and practical purposes. The lessons were great, but so were the convenient rests that they provided. We were not quite acclimatized just yet and were breathing quite heavily as we climbed.

Although I started the day with a light pack, I was unaware we were being given three “lunch boxes” for the day. Both Jennifer and Ben’s packs were not large enough to hold them, so guess whose pack filled up quick? When we finished the majority of our climb for the day, having climbed 500-600m we parked by an opening in the trail for lunch. The spot had a gorgeous view of the river and was a welcome spot to recharge. As it turned out, hefty as they were, the "lunch boxes" were merely snack boxes. Instead we were serve hot chicken wrapped in a banana leaf along with some warm cocoa tea to help with the altitude. Importanly we watched as our cook and guide took great care to wash their hands with alcohol and ensure that everything we ate was clean.

Shortly after lunch came one of the many subtle highlights of the trail. A large black hummingbird darted in and out of the orange blossoms. Sadly, we weren’t fast enough to get a photo. While we did capture some of the larger birds, the elusive and quick hummingbirds evaded our reach.

Shortly down the trail from lunch we passed a man pouring water into tree saplings. He was replanting the forrest with the native trees as part of a project for the Peace Corps.

The trail continued up, but at a very gradual pitch. The relaxed incline led to a jovial mood and we all paced along comfortably. We arrived at the Llamacorral campsite (3,750m / 12,303 ft) ahead of schedule less than 4 ½ hours from the start. Although advertised as very crowded the campsites were not bad at all. There were a few groups of 3 – 8 people, but were fairly spread out. The biggest issue was the cow poop. It was everywhere.  In the distance, were the mountains, just peering over the horizon. Tomorrow would bring much closer views. We did however share our campsite with dogs, roosters, and of course the wandering cow.

The tents were top notch. Ours was very spacious with plenty of room for our stuff. In addition, there was a cooking tent, eating tent, and a pooping tent. I have to say, I prefer a private pooping tent, with a freshly dug hole, to a dirty outhouse or even dirtier flush toilet.

The night got cold, somewhere around 20 degrees. Jen put her mittens on her feet to keep them toasty.

The story continues...