Peru 2009
Adventures with Renee and Jane
Day 3 goes from kilometer 104 to kilometer 120. Relatively speaking the elevation changes aren't too bad, from 3600m/11,800' start, some fairly rugged (but not like yesterday's!) ups and downs, to a long descent into the last camp at Winay Wayna, roughly 2700m/8800'. The main issues remain climbing up and down, with a lovely climb up to Runkurakay right after a pancake breakfast (ouch) in the rain, and the slight details that you are above 10,000' for much of the hike. 16km/10 miles might not bother many of us at sea level... but 10,000'+ is another story.
The variety of environments we pass through is very varied, from skirting the edge of the treeline, back to cloud rain forests, into straight up rainforests. Descending below 10,000' to the last camp after lunch brought back unpleasant levels of humidity and warm temperatures, it almost made us wish for higher elevations again. Thankfully there was beer...