I was as prepared for this day as I could’ve been, and it still felt like my heart was going to explode. The 17-person group all talked to each other about which day we heard was the most difficult, and we all landed on Day 2.
This day was13.5 miles(22kms), and took us up and over the Salkantay Pass, which is the highest elevation I've ever been to. After that 4-hour hike, we then went down into the jungle, over rivers and rock fields for the next 6 hours until we were able sleep for the night. Our two guides, ‘Big Willy’ and ‘Sexy Willy’, made sure that every single one of us was well taken care of. They supplied us with steady supplies of Cocoa leaves and made sure that whoever lagged behind (which was usually me) stayed motivated. I have no words to describe just how difficult this was on my body. Trying to catch a breath at this elevation was a luxury that was never to be granted. As I approached the pass, I counted 15 steps, then rested for 30 seconds for no less than 45 minutes, because I was unable to walk any longer than that without becoming completely winded. But I had two options. To quit and turn around and walk the many miles back to the trailhead, or to continue and walk the many miles to the next campsite. This was no option really, because no matter what, I still had to keep walking. So, I told myself to keep going even if I collapsed from exhaustion. If I was going to fall, I was at least going to fall forward.
After 9 hours of mind over matter, we finally reached our destination. 2 days down, 3 more to go.
