At the end of May 2008 I participated in a marvelous 16 day adventure in Peru, joining seven other trekkers on a Geographic Expeditions journey to little known Inca ruins at Choquequirao and on to Machu Picchu. We went over spectacular mountain passes, camped for eight nights, trekked up and down, and up and down repeatedly, passing only Quechua villagers (no tourists on this … [Read more...] about Peru 2008
Trek
Trek Day Four
Route: Choquequirao to Maizal This was the hardest day of the trek in terms of physical challenge. First a hike out of the Choquequirao campground to the pass at 10,824′, followed by a descent of 5,592′ to the San Juan River where we had lunch. Then a steep trek up 3,500′ to our spectacular campground on the grounds of a family’s farm. It was a trek of ten miles. … [Read more...] about Trek Day Four
Trek Day Three
Choquequirao and Elizabeth’s 81st Birthday Beautiful clouds swirling over the mountains when we woke up to celebrate Elizabeth Burn’s 81st Birthday. This was our day to really spend time in Choquequirao “Cradle of Gold” in the Quechua language. This site remains 70% buried under cloud forest, a huge challenge to archaeologists. It is far more extensive than its sister … [Read more...] about Trek Day Three
Trek Day Two
Route: Santa Rosa to Choquequirao Rising early we trekked along a rising zigzag trail to the hamlet of Marampata for a snack stop. From there onwards, we saw the ruins of Choquequirao ever more clearly, especially the cascading terraces. Our campground was a mile and a half from the ruins at 10,020′. … [Read more...] about Trek Day Two
Trek Day One
Route: Cachora to Capuliyoc Pass down to Apurimac River Gorge, up other side to campground at Santa Rosa We started out at our campground in Cachora 9,495,’ headed to the Capuliyoc lookout, descended steeply 4,000′ through a forest of differing vegetation to the Apurimac (“Oracle of the Gods” in the local Quechua language) River, back up the other side to our campground amid … [Read more...] about Trek Day One