Trekking in the Peruvian Andes
by Rob Wrate
The Andes are the most distinctive region of Peru and travellers are particularly drawn to them because of the many Inca remains still visible. So going up in the mountains is not just breathtaking because of the altitude. Whether on mountain tops, hill sides, or in the valleys, many of the Inca sites are, if not intact, still monumental in design and construction. Add to that the size of the snow capped mountain ranges that dwarf the Inca sites and associated terracing and canals. A trekking holiday also offers the colourful culture of the local people, whose way of life has changed comparatively little over the centuries since horses and mules were first introduced (together with wheels and metal tools) by the conquering Spanish 400 years ago.
Reflecting back upon a month in the Peruvian Andes, I wondered how much high alpine walking in Europe had prepared me for trekking at 3000-5000m in Peru. I found that I had to draw on many of the same skills with physical resilience far more important than strength and climbing techniques. A head for heights was only necessary to traverse optional, vertiginous Inca trails. Otherwise a boundless capacity to take in huge views and patient walking to avoid over-exertion, adequate warmth at night and good boots proved all that were necessary for a memorable trek. The experience brought home many unexpected similarities as well as interesting comparisons.
Among the similarities were the excitement and pleasure of being among the high mountains, the im-portance of local climate knowledge, and listening at night to the creak of glaciers and the tinkle of falling ice. The Ausangate Range, one of two sacred mountain ranges during Inca times, is so called as the ‘maker of clouds’, in our case a glorious blue sky over the previous fortnight being overtaken by a prolonged snow storm. There are no waymarks, instead the mountain trails are visible as worn paths, some paved by the Incas, and best followed with the support of a guide. Maps indicate archaeological sites but rarely the hundreds of trails that connect them. Long distances can be covered by carrying everything with you, but as there are no systems of huts for overnight stays, camping is required and the problems of exertion at altitude are best avoided by letting mules and horses carry the load.
Their winter is the best time to trek because it is dry and clear, after the mist and rain of summer. Days may still be hot, 20-25°C, but it is pitch black before 6pm, with overnight temperatures falling to –10°C under a completely unfamiliar Milky Way. During the day, trekking is mainly well above the tree line, with memorable views of mountains and lakes of varied colour, green, blue and red, reflecting the rich mineral deposits the Incas had celebrated and the conquistadores plundered.
Encountering the mountain culture of those who sustain a living at high altitudes proved the unexpected pleasure of the trek, just as life in the alms of Austria represents a memorable feature of any holiday there. There is the same reserved disposition accompanied by kindness and cheerfulness, adaptation to environment and the same importance attached to cultural traditions. Even in the most remote and poor region of the Ausangate every woman wore traditional dress. As alpaca and llama can graze where no crop can survive, their wool rather than their meat is prized and artistic expression of culture largely transmitted by weaving. Herds are brought up the mountains and taken down to the lower slopes in an annual cycle just as in the Alps, but unlike Europeans who spend summers on the alm, in Peru many families remain remote year long. They depend on an exchange economy, for example, wool for potatoes (their staple food), which can grow lower down. For many, selling textiles to passing trekkers or providing horses to a trekking group is their only source of money.
Higher up the mountains, grossly restricted diets and rough thatched single room stone cottages with dirt floors make a striking contrast to the diets and housing of Alpine families. Far from any other fuel source, warmth is provided by a small fire of dried animal dung kept alight throughout the year. Light is restricted to a single candle; guinea pigs living in recesses are their vacuum cleaner.
Whilst the finest buildings in alpine valleys may be private or a hotel, here the best are school buildings. Education of children is widely seen as important, and rural schools are proudly supported. Children walk many miles to attend and teachers travel in weekly from distant cities for a working week that is without electricity or a colleague to share their task. As in Austria, education and child health service provision are free, but the logistics are hugely different. A poignant sight on our descent from the range was a cemetery below, almost lost in the huge landscape, which proved to consist of heaps of glittering white stones, marking many small graves of young children.
Our guide, Xavier Bello, fluent in the native language, Quechan, and highly regarded by local people provided an equally valued introduction to the children and families we met, and to the remote schools he and others at Tambo Treks support.
Respect for difference and cultural sensitivity is as important as any preparation for a trek in Peru’s remoter mountains. Apart from vaccinations, the most vital anticipatory task is to get fit before you leave home, so the only worry you are left when you arrive concerns altitude acclimatisation; the anoxia hits you as you step off the plane in Cuzco. But it need not be a problem if you are prepared to start slowly for the first week and keep hydrated. Coca leaves, by infusion or chewing, are traditionally used to ward off altitude sickness and may be placed as an offering under stone cairns that mark safe passage at the top of a pass, a new variant of an otherwise familiar Alpine tradition.
On Incachiriasca (‘chilly Inca pass’), we built a cairn to mark the passing of an old friend, Donald Douglas. Incas believed the condors completed the task by carrying their spirits heavenward.
[Return to Index of Meet Reports]
[home], [benefits], [activities], [membership], [AAC(UK) shop], [links], [contact us]
Last updated: 04 December 2007