Quarry Trail - Day 1

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Linda and I have packed our duffel bags that the packhorses will carry and our own backpacks and are picked up at 5:40am to begin our 32km three day trek on the Quarry Trail. It is fair to say I am a bit apprehensive. I have heard plenty of stories but I have not been affected very much but altitude so far - a few tingly fingers and toes and that is all.

After a short bus trip up a road under construction we get underway. The first day will be about 6km and will rise from about 2,800m to 3750m. Linda and I are joined by 5 others from a Gecko tour which follows the same itinerary but is for 18-29 year olds! We walk up a valley on a dirt track which is wide and pretty easy going. We have plenty of stops and Marcia and Adrian, our guides, look after us well. There are explanations of the history and of the local farming practices as we go. We stop at the local village of Socma for ‘morning tea’ and are introduced to the Inca toilet - any convenient bush or rock!

We then start climbing and the track become more difficult. I am glad I have hired a second walking pole. It is hot while we are walking but the wind is cool so stopping is a mixed blessing. The next point of special interest is a waterfall which appears out of the steep red rock face. The vegetation changes quickly and around the waterfall it is very lush.

By this stage, the packhorses have gone on well ahead but the old fellow (69) with the emergency horse and his cute little dog walk along with us. The rule is to always keep mountain side when you meet traffic coming the other way. This can include sheep, goats, or locals. The drop of the side is quite some way down in parts.

We reach an ancient site of Q’orimarca high above the waterfall. It has been partially reconstructed and is our first real introduction to an Incan ruin. It is incredible how - and why - these remarkable buildings were made. They have lasted well in a harsh environment. Many of the locals have adobe, or clay brick, homes with thatched roofs.

Our camp for the night is only another 30-40 minutes up a relatively gentle climb. However I stop every few minutes to catch my breath. The camp is at 3,750m which is 25m higher than Mt Cook. It snows very rarely and people live and farm here. Sheep are most common, llamas and alpaca do not live this high.

The crew of 7 have the camp set up with tents pitched. We are on a little plateau near 2-3 houses. There is a dining tent, cooking tent and the toilet tent in addition to our sleeping tents. The toilet tent has two seats - one for no.1s and another for no.2s. As with everywhere else in Peru, toilet paper goes in the bin beside the toilet. Everyone uses the Inca toilet for no.1s as much as possible - but enough of this.

The meals are great, usually a soup followed by rice and fish, chicken or beef. Tea, coffee, cocoa tea, water are all on hand. For dinner we have a dessert of flambé bananas!

For the rest of the day we lie about our tents, go for a gentle explore and then late in the day Marcia takes us to visit our neighbours. Mum, Dad, grandma and young daughter all live in a one room adobe house about 15sqm. The guinea pigs also live there. They had just killed some of them to take to the planting down at the start of the valley the next day. Grandma was washing out the intestines. They are added to the stuffing to enhance the flavour...

One of the girls has a Polaroid camera so takes a photo of the family and presents it to them. Apparently they were pretty stoked by this!

It is hard to know how to feel about the way people live. It is simple and rough but they are warm and seem to be well feed. The villagers get paid for the inconvenience of foreigners camping on their terrace. The kids have free schooling but the secondary school is a long way from home. They have electricity, they see to have a strong community structure. Should we feel sorry for them? Is having a bunch of tourists with all the toys turning up a good thing or not?

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