Day Three - The long day...

Another early start for us today. A 5.30 'room service' cup of tea meant that we could be on the move for 7am as a group. The toilets were disgusting, as most squat toilets seem to be. And using squat toilets is not a lot of fun when your muscles feel like they're about to cave in!

We had a 2 hour climb as a start. I struggled. It was only after the first Inca stop that I managed to find my pace. It was a steep and long climb to the pass. Every time I thought we'd gotten close to the summit, we'd turn a corner and lo and behold, there was more of the trail to climb. We went hard and fast. Pick a point and power to it. It really worked, and we weren't the last ones to the peak.

After a quick peak stop we had to climb down the other side towards lunch. It started peeing down. The rain was more sleet as we were still at altitude, and only started to warm up slightly as we descended. It took a long time to descend - the steep steps were incredibly difficult, and coupled with my oversized poncho and foggy glasses, it was slow going. The rocks were slippery, my shoes were wet, my hands were stinging from the sleet - I was at breaking point.

The rain let up after about a half hour, and we finally reached a toilet stop. It was good to have a bit of a break and I desperately needed food. I felt a lot better after some crackers. The walk from that campsite to our lunch break was actually mostly enjoyable. Jeremy, Sarah and myself took it at a reasonable pace and made good time. Lunch was lovely (as usual) and for once I ate most of it. We also met all of the porters afterwards. It was lovely to hear their names and where they were from, and some of them were so shy and nervous it was actually really sweet. Seeing them run past you carrying 25kgs on their backs while you struggle is just amazing...
After lunch we headed for what's called the 'Gringo Killer'. Depending on who counts, there's anywhere between 3-4000 steps, taking around 2.5 hours. This was my absolute least favourite part of the entire trek. It was long, unrelenting and so hard on my body. So many times I wanted to give up, sit down and just refuse to move. But I didn't have a choice. Walking 1km straight down in steps was possibly the most draining thing I've ever done, and I don't want to do it again. Ever. It was difficult to get a stride as none of the steps were the same. Most of it was wet from the rain in the morning, and a lot of it was so steep that you'd almost get vertigo if you looked down them. The name was well deserved, but I managed to stay on my feet the whole time. We completed the walk in about 3 hours, finally making it to the campsite for around 5.30pm. It was over a 10 hour day and I've never felt so exhausted, both mentally and physically. But tomorrow is the big day, so I'm keeping everything crossed for nice weather, and moderate temperatures. I know it's going go be worth it and that I'm going to feel so satisfied that I've completed the trail (with pretty much no training I might add!! Oops) but for now all I can think about is the fact that every single part of me aches. I'm mentally drained. I stink and need a shower and I have blisters on my feet from my wet shoes...

It better not rain tomorrow!! I'm going to be up at 3.40am William tells me. Hmm.