Down Hill All the Way

We woke up this morning to a beautiful blue sky and spectacular views of the snow-capped mountains It rained last night so the trail was very muddy but the good news was that the sun was shining and the weather was warmer, not to mention that we would be going downhill all day. That sounds easy, but at the end of the day, the old knees were screaming.

The trek took about 4-1/2 hours. We either walked in a dry or shallow creek bed with loose rocks under our feet, or slopped through 2-3 inches of mud and mule poop for most of the walk. After four days of hiking, I’ve noticed that everyone has stopped trying to step around the poop and instead are just walking right through it.

Because it was so slippery, trekking poles were absolutely necessary today. (So far, I’m the only one from the Alabama clan that hasn’t taken a fall!) I certainly don’t want to jinx it by saying that and luckily nobody was hurt (other than maybe their feelings). We came across several landslides that had partially or totally blocked the trail. Our trusty guides did an excellent job of maneuvering us over obstacles. We arrived at our 3rd lodge, which was perched on a plateau overlooking beautiful mountain streams and only accessible by foot, around 1:30 p.m. and had the rest of the afternoon to relax and recuperate. We are lucky enough to live in a town that has four distinct seasons. On this journey, we’ve been lucky enough to experience all four seasons in four days!

The staff at this lodge was busy preparing lunch for us and Antonio, our guide, called it a "meat orgy".   They had prepared an underground bbq pit and cooked chicken, pork, lamb, and guinea pig, along with potatoes and root vegetables. 

The guinea pig was displayed for us and then returned to the kitchen to be sliced so that we could all get a taste of it.