The Moonstone Trek: Part 4 - Into the Sacred Valley

After crossing the Accoccassa Pass in early-afternoon, our party headed down into the Chancachuco Valley to make camp. As the condor flies, we had only advanced 5 miles today. But we’d traveled up and down thousands of feet in elevation, back and forth along countless switchbacks, all the while gasping for oxygen in the thin air. This certainly wasn’t the most difficult climb of my life, but it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, either. (Click HERE to read Part 3).

The several hours I spent crossing the Chancachuco Valley rank among my favorite during the Moonstone Trek through southern Peru. Falling back from the rest of my team, I found myself alone in a vast and breathtaking landscape of glacier-topped mountains, colorful alpine slopes, clear running streams, and the occasional herd of llama and alpaca.

The Moonstone Trek: Part 3 - Heading for the Pass

Morning broke in the small hamlet of Chillipahua to the tune of whinnying horses and canvas flapping in a gentle breeze. I stepped out of my tent into the cold air to survey my surroundings. As the shadows retreated from the rising sun, our cooks began preparing what I knew would be another amazing meal, thus giving me time to collect my gear and my thoughts for the upcoming day.

This was day two of my Moonstone Trek through southern Peru, which began near Huaracondo and would end at the mountaintop citadel of Machu Picchu. During the previous day,