hiking with diarrhea is not fun

So Terra and I left the next afternoon on a foggy, but beautiful bus ride to Huari. There is a tunnel at the pass to get to the otherside of the Cordilleras Blancas (the Andes covered in snow) that has the largest statue of Jesus I have ever seen. Massive. Anyways, the bus journey was interesting in that we had to stop for a flat tire (not much new there) AND randomly my window shattered (followed by a girly scream coming from my mouth). We couldn}t figure out what hit it - a strap from the roof perhaps? - but at least I got away with only a small cut on my hand. Huari wasn{t all that exciting, but we were able to pick up some last minute camping supplies. The hike we planned was 1-2 nights, but we were ready for 3 incase we wanted to take it slow and do some side trips. It was different from many other common hikes in that it wasn{t through snow-capped peaks, but it was still supposed to be great.

The hike was fantastic. Day 1 was just 3 hours up to a lake, where we managed to create a campsite on a nearby hill and enjoy the view. We got a bit paranoid by fireflies (or some sort of glowy bug) as at first I thought someone was spying at us from a distance.

Day 2 was a solid 8 hours - up a big hill with some great views over the lake, then a long hike up a lush green valley, complete with LOTS of cows. No matter how remote you think you are, there are always cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, and mules, and local people moving their cows, sheep, horses, donkeys, and mules. It may be a strenuous hike for us, but its just a day in the life for them. It}s really amazing how far away from a village people can work and live. Day 2 brought with it some hail, which was quite exciting. Finding a place to camp was a bit iffy, as we were boiling and purifying stream water, and with all the cows around, along with came lots of cow manure EVERYWHERE. We joked about how the water we drank contained cow poo babies. I had lost a bit of my appetite at dinner. It was cold (we were at about 4300m), and we were eating in the dark and had moths and weird beetles attracted to our head lamps.

Day 3 started with everything covered in ice and frost, and with 4 curious mules hanging out with us over breakfast and our take down. At first they kept their distance, sniffing out some left over asparagus soup and instant noodles we had dumped out. Then they got a bit friendly - trying to eat our plastic bags, searching out packs. We contemplated trying to rope them up to carry our packs over the upcoming pass, but wimped out. Day 3 also started with me feeling ill. Diarrhea. It lasted all day. Terra had suggested that we hike all the way out that day (which I thought impossible as I was really lacking energy due to all food and water entering my body coming straight back out in liquid form). We ran out of toilet paper on day 3 because of me. Terra was a rock. Day 1 and 2 our pack weights were about equal. By the end of day 3 Terra was carrying the tent, 2 sleeping bags, the cooking equipment, and the rest of the food. I just had 1 sleeping bag. Luckily the day was beautiful. Getting over the pass took forever. Terra got to the top and then came halfway down to walk my bag up for me. Again, Terra the rock. She lives at altitude in California, and has worked as a firefighter. A great cow poo baby water companion to have. At the pass, I picked up my bag again, and enjoyed the views as most of the rest of the way was down (although having to stop for washroom breaks much more frequently than I desired to). More beauty. This day the snow capped peaks came into view in the distance. It hailed when we stopped for lunch. By this time we thought it might actually be possible to hike all the way out, and eventually we did, just before sundown. The hike ended in the quaint village of Chacas, which is kind of an italian colony. Everyone speaks spanish though. No fewer than 3 drunk men greeted us on our path into town, shaking our hands a bit harder than a sober person might, welcoming us, and asking if we spoke italian. The town had a great sense of humour. As we were approaching out hostal, we heard a man call out ¨taxi¨. He had a wheelbarrow, and was giggling. I was able to get most of my dinner down after barely eating all day. The only thing I had an appetite for was pancakes, and I wasn{t getting them until I got back to Huaraz the next day.