Salkantay Trek Walkthrough: Day 1 (Mollepata – Soraypampa – Salkantay Pass)
Getting to the start – Cusco 3400m – Mollepata 2800m (Car)
4am was when our alarm went off. We woke up (reluctantly) and had previously arranged for a ride with a cab driver from our hotel to Mollepata. (Note that you could choose to take a bus from Avenida Arcopata in Cuzco.) We wanted more certainty and a comfortable ride before our hike. Our driver offered to drive us there for 120 Soles.
Our cab left at 5am, with most of the journey through regular highways. The roads soon became really windy through the mountain areas. At 6.30am, we passed Limatambo on the way to Mollepata.
We arrived at Mollepata at 7am and it seemed like the town was pretty much deserted at that time.
Mollepata 2800m – Soraypampa 3850m (Car)
Most tour companies may offer buses from Mollepata to Soraypampa, or you can hike your way there. However we initially decided to skip this part of the hike to make sure we had enough time to get to Abra Salkantay (or Salkantay Pass)on the first day. At that point, we had NOT arranged a transport from Mollepata to Soraypampa – we were advised that usually drivers are not willing to drive to Soraypampa as the roads are rocky/difficult to drive through. Bummer.
Luckily, our driver (who was fluent in Quechua) was kind enough to help us ask for someone to take us to to Soraypampa. We were really fortunate that a minivan driver (who was cleaning out his van at that time) decided to take both of us (without anyone else on the van) to Soraypampa for 120 Soles. Indeed, it was another splurge, but we didn’t really have much of a choice.
The ride there was extremely bumpy, and we saw that we were constantly on the edge of the mountain road (EEP). We passed by various herds of sheep / cows. Within an hour, we were dropped off at the trail to start our Salkantay hike.
Start of the Hike: Soraypampa 3800m – Abra Salkantay / Salkantay pass 4800m
We started the hike at a quarter past 8am. The start boasts a lovely view of the mountains. It was cold at that time – so we had on a thermal layer, a fleece/thicker long sleeve + down jacket. I secretly wished I brought my gloves. The packs felt heavy. We were also greeted with a wobbly wooden bridge not far from where we started. (This was not the only one during the hike!)
There were a few huts with mules at the start, which I assumed people paid for to have their packs carried up to the pass. We brushed off our shoulders, not knowing what we were about to go through 🙂 Whatever, we did it for bragging rights!
The incline was definitely steep as we started to envy hikers behind groups of mules carrying their heavy packs up the mountain. We took a break at Salkantaypampa which is a really nice camping area. On the way through the elevation there were wonderful views from higher ground. To me, this day offered the BEST views.
At 12pm (after 4 hours of hiking), we walking at a snail speed thanks to the incline and our heavy packs. We took breaks whenever we needed them. At some of the steepest inclines, we were literally shuffling our feet. At this point it started snowing, lightly. Later we realized this was just the beginning of a shit snow storm.
We had asked locals that passed by with their mules, how long it took to get to the pass. Time and time again we felt like we were lied to – the answer was always “1 hour”, but at 1pm, we were not yet at the pass.
Then it stated snowing, HARD. This is where if you had waterproof covers for your packs and rain jackets + waterproof pants become REAL HANDY. Mark had it, I didn’t. I shivered as I cursed my poor decision making skills. What am I doing here? I just want to go home..
We FINALLY reached the pass at 3pm (7 hours since the start of the hike). By then we were shivering so bad and could barely feel our extremities. I could barely take photos because I couldn’t even feel my fingers turning the camera switch on. The wind was strong and the snow was more like hail (The ice flew into our faces and really hurt).
Being drenched, cold and having difficulty breathing was NOT a good combination. I thought about the photos I saw online prior to the hike (with folks smiling with thumbs-up), and I felt absolutely DECEIVED. The worst part is knowing the next campsite was about an hour – an hour half away.
By the way, I cried about 3 times during the hike up in the storm (see below)
We were absolutely exhausted, and decided to take a chance and camped near an empty ground beside the trail. We camped at 4350m altitude which probably wasn’t ideal. By then, the visibility was so poor, we decided to take a breather and ended Day 1’s hike.
The sky went dark at about 5.40pm. Our tent, air pads and sleeping bags did a good job at keeping us warm. We hid in our tents, chewed our Clif bars in silence. At first we really thought we made a huge mistake thinking we could conquer this hike as first-time hikers. But knowing it was a descent from this point on definitely gave us a morale boost.
I was shivering through the night thanks to my drenched clothing, though Mark did get some sleep. Though he did have a slight panic attack in the middle of the night due to shortness of breath. We were at 13K feet above sea level at that time.
Thankfully, we felt ok the next morning, ready to take on the next hike.
Kids, moral of the story, Waterproof gear = everything.
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