Santa Cruz Trek - Day 5 - Back to Civilization

The next morning we headed out to the trail head in Vaqueria. We were warned we would be harassed to give the kids presents of candy when we reached the villages. We passed a few houses and a few kids approached. The houses were of all levels from dirt poor to having solar panels and satellite dishes.  

Before we knew it we were climbing out of the valley having passed the villages. I didn’t even realize we were in the villages, I thought it was just the outskirts. All the people we passed were generally very friendly and not asking for donations or “gifts.”

The last bit of the trail was steep, but we quickly were at the end where we had to wait for the van to take us back to Hauraz. While we waited one boy sat and standing patiently. Staring at Ben as he ate a few crackers. Never asking, never begging, just looking. Ok maybe begging with his eyes as only a Labrador retriever can. When Ben gave him the remaining ones, he took them happily and then skipped off as if Santa Claus had given all his bounty to the young boy.

Once we caught our bus home we thought our adventure was over, but it was far from it. We ascended back over 15,000 feet and then wound down a very unsettling steep road with uncounted switch backs.

Part of the way down we stopped for a brief lunch and then headed back to Huaraz and the comfort of the Olazas guesthouse.

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