Pinan Lakes, part 2

The next morning we woke to the sound of thundering hoofbeats, as young local boys maybe 10 years old, riding bareback, rounded up their herd of horses and led them by our camp.

Day 2 was much easier and much shorter, following various (as always muddy) tracks up though the grassy, wide open hills of the lake country. After only about 3 hours or so we crested a hill and the view opened up and presented us with Lago Pinan itself, spread out and filling a gorgeous valley below, high green and tan hills framing the opposite shore.

Lago Pinan, seen from camp (click for larger image)

We bushwhacked down the long, clumpy hillside to the eastern side of the lake, then followed its shore a bit before making camp in the early afternoon. We were fortunate to make camp when we did, because not long after the skies opened up with some serious rain, and we retreated into our tents to ride it out, raindrops thundering off our tentflies.

Have I mentioned that this is a truly outstanding group of kids? Nothing seems to phase them. They were out after the storm, in some off and on drizzle, cooking snacks and fooling around and learning to juggle and playing a sort of improvized volleyball with our caballeros and trying to teach them, with hilarious effects, to throw a frisbee.

Follow this with camp food, and a chilly wet night, hunkered down by about 7:30. Before bed our guides made & shared some truly delicious tea from their cooktent, which was a perfect end to another excellent day on the trail.

Days three and four brought us through more remote, open hill country as we climbed up and away from the lake basin. Cold mornings and afternoon rains that came late enough to spare us from having to hike or make camp in any serious rain. At one point we crossed a substantial river in a two-person tarabita, which is basically a hand-powered little metal basket thing suspended on a cable. Much fun, as Colin G.(who we have taken to calling Tex) pulled us across.

Crystal & Alysia ride the tirabita (click for larger image)

Our third camp was tucked into an S-shaped branch of some nameless river, down about 30 meters of a basically vertical slope from the dirt track we had been hiking at the end of our 6 hour trekking day. A magical feeling place, with flat wide cedarlike trees overhanging the river in places, making little shaded coves and grottos. Tenting with the sound of rushing water over rocks in the shallow riverbed. Fantastic.

River camp, seen from the road above (click for larger image)

Day four brought us up to the high point of the trek, at about 4100 meters (13,500 feet) as we hiked through absolutley beautiful open hill country dotted with little kettlehole lakes, steep rocky mountain peaks surrounding us, gigantic puffywhite clouds floating over us and occasionally reaching down to touch us on the trail.

High lake country, about 12,000 feet ASL

At one point we climbed pretty streadily for almost three hours, working our way up two gigantic hillsides, up to the peak of our trek. Was it hard? Pretty much so. Did these kids complain or kvetch in any way? Not once. They just strapped it on and huffed it up the hill.

climbing up towards 4100 meters on day 4 (click for larger image)

Finally we crested that big ridge and started working our way down towards a small lake (Lago San Pablo, I think?) where we could see our horses and crew, way, way off in the distance. We made camp there on the sodden lakeshore, again just in time to beat the afternoon rain, then emerged in the sweet sunshine of the late afternoon to cook and play and enjoy our well earned rest.

the last camp, seen from a distance (click for larger image)

OK, more later. Off for almuerza.

SL