We were woken up by our assistant guide and a porter, who gave us hot tea in our tents! A few minutes later, they came by with a bucket with warm water so we could wash our faces. We got dressed, packed up our duffel bags, then headed to the meal tent (where the porters sleep) for a not so good breakfast of porridge. This ended up being the only meal on the trek that I didn't like. At breakfast, one of the older Norwegian ladies told us that she thought she should go back - her chest was hurting a bit and she had tingling in her left arm ... not what you want before climbing up a mountain pass! We took a couple pictures with our guides, cooks, and porters, and then our group split up - the lady went down the way we had come the day before with the assistant guide and one of the porters.
Most of today's hike was climbing up - we started with a climb up the steep-sided Llullucha valley past a rushing stream and through enchanted native polylepis woodland. After crossing the rim of a small plateau, we found ourselves in the puna, the treeless grasslands of the high Andes. The trail traversed an open slope opposite mighty mountain crags as we ascend to the first and highest pass, Warmiwañusca (13,776ft). Here we encountered spectacular views of the trail ahead to the second pass, and could look back to the sweeping snowpeaks and valleys of the Huayanay massif. The trail then went down to the floor of the forested Pacaymayo valley, where we made camp. 
Resting while waiting for lunch. 
Like on day one, R and I were usually at the back of the pack, resting and taking pictures (well, I was taking pictures!). We had lunch part way up the pass which allowed us some much needed rest for a couple hours. The last part of the climb, R and I actually passed the two Norwegians and the Brits, making it to the top just after C and D - I guess taking it easy for most of the day paid off in the end! The view from the top was amazing and we stayed up there for close to half an hour before starting down the other side fuelled by the lollipops that our guide gave us. I was definitely the slowest going down. I had sprained my ankle really badly two months before leaving on the trip and it still wasn't completely healed, so I didn't want to wreck it any more than it already was. I found that for the large steps, I had to go one at a time, making me take at least twice as long as everyone else! But I made it without hurting myself too much! 
Our campground for the night was a terraced dirt area with everyone camping close together. The bathrooms were up a bunch of uneven rock steps (not something you want to do in the pitch black night by yourself) and the group behind us was pretty noisy, so this was my least favourite of the campsites we stayed at.
Most of today's hike was climbing up - we started with a climb up the steep-sided Llullucha valley past a rushing stream and through enchanted native polylepis woodland. After crossing the rim of a small plateau, we found ourselves in the puna, the treeless grasslands of the high Andes. The trail traversed an open slope opposite mighty mountain crags as we ascend to the first and highest pass, Warmiwañusca (13,776ft). Here we encountered spectacular views of the trail ahead to the second pass, and could look back to the sweeping snowpeaks and valleys of the Huayanay massif. The trail then went down to the floor of the forested Pacaymayo valley, where we made camp.Resting while waiting for lunch.Like on day one, R and I were usually at the back of the pack, resting and taking pictures (well, I was taking pictures!). We had lunch part way up the pass which allowed us some much needed rest for a couple hours. The last part of the climb, R and I actually passed the two Norwegians and the Brits, making it to the top just after C and D - I guess taking it easy for most of the day paid off in the end! The view from the top was amazing and we stayed up there for close to half an hour before starting down the other side fuelled by the lollipops that our guide gave us. I was definitely the slowest going down. I had sprained my ankle really badly two months before leaving on the trip and it still wasn't completely healed, so I didn't want to wreck it any more than it already was. I found that for the large steps, I had to go one at a time, making me take at least twice as long as everyone else! But I made it without hurting myself too much!Our campground for the night was a terraced dirt area with everyone camping close together. The bathrooms were up a bunch of uneven rock steps (not something you want to do in the pitch black night by yourself) and the group behind us was pretty noisy, so this was my least favourite of the campsites we stayed at.
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