We can’t conclude the story of this trip without discussing the food, along with the people and logistics that made it possible. Our chef Victor and sous-chef Rene served meals on white tablecloths while dressed in chef’s whites. We were greeted before each meal with a refreshing wet towel to wipe off the dust of the trail. Each meal consisted of multiple courses – a rich soup or delicate salad followed by a main course with a balance of sides, plus dessert and tea/hot chocolate. Even when we woke at 4 AM, which we did the last day to hike before the sun grew strong, a hot breakfast was ready half an hour later.

Even more impressive than the gourmet food cooked over camp stoves was the fact that after each meal, the chefs and the horsemen would clean and pack up camp, load everything back onto the horses, and make their way along the same trail we were hiking (passing us on the way), to arrive at the next camp in time to set everything back up again before we got there. Magic!

Speaking of the horse handlers, Rossel and Chino (also helped by his son Edwin) took care of not only the horses but myriad other tasks in setting up and breaking down camp. They became particularly important on the last day when Rowan needed to ride one of the horses in lieu of hiking due to her increasingly painful blisters. She was delighted, since she had been hoping for a horse ride anyway, and travelled out of the canyon as part of a train with several other visitors from another party. The other three of us hiked out with Fermin, taking our last views and saying goodbye to the beautiful Apurimac valley.

A four-hour drive brought us back to Cusco, exhausted, very satisfied, and ready for showers! All in all, an incredible trek that we will remember for a very long time!