4 day trek to Machu Picchu Day 2

---

So day 2 is supposed to be the toughest part of this trek, since we ascend from Waylabamba up to Dead Woman's Pass which is at 14,000 feet (the highest point in the trek) and then down some steps that have been dubbed 'gringo killer' steps, according to our guide. The day started off nice enough, we got up at 5"30 a.m, and were on the trail by 7 a.m. We stopped at around 10 a.m for a nice snack of cheese sandwiches, popcorn and the everpresent coca tea, then headed on to Dead Woman's pass. We went by a nice green valley with LLamas greeting us, and started the climb, while listening to horror stories of why it was called Dead woman's passed. (you don't want to know.) Anyway, it was all going pretty well, untl about 11,000 feet, when Xavier started developing a headache that made me a little worried. Freddy (our guide) cranked out his home remedy of alcohol, crushed mint leaves, and I'm not sure what else, and made Xavier sniff it, as he walked. I could tell he was having a rough time, and those last 500 feet took us about 1/2 an hour. Jeannette hiked up without any problem. We assembled at the top of Dead Womans' pass for a quick cheer, and a 'Pachamama' ceremony involving making wishes and imbibing rum, and then started down the 'gringo killers' on the other side of the pass. Personally, I think going down is easier than going up, and was having an ok time. However, I should say that the steps were all tall, jagged pieces of mismatched rock, and more than one person fell. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and we made it to camp on Day 2. Our campsite, located in a place called pocamayo, was super cold, and wet. Mercifully, it rained at night, and not on us while hiking! All night we could hear the frogs calling out to each other. Our guide told us scary stories involving vampires and Chupacabras.

---