Takesi Trek
Well we have returned from the Takesi Trek safe and sound, with lots of fun and games to report. The trek was fantastic with us crossing a 4650m pass on day one before camping at 4300m. On the second day we planned to ascend the mountain again to view some lakes before returning to our high camp. Days 3 and 4 involved us descending from the high mountains down into the Yungas (jungle type terrain) before arranging transport back to La Paz.
That was the plan anyway. The first day (Sunday) went well with us meeting the mules and muleteers (people in charge of the mules) in the Cordillera Real Mountain Range at 10am in the morning. It was beautiful high mountain terrain with glaciers and some of the highest peaks in Bolivia visible. We set out on the trek and ascended to the pass. Some of the trail was made up of pre-Inca paving which was over 3000 years old. It was awe inspiring to walk across this and think about the effort that must have gone into creating it and how many thousands of feet have walked across it over the years. That was for Maz and I, it was all a bit lost on the group to be honest.
We made the pass by 4pm and headed down to our high camp which we reached just before dark. Tents were pitched and food cooked and eaten before we all turned in for a very cold night
Day 2 dawned bright and clear, as have all days in Bolivia. We planned to ascend to some lakes but many of the group were suffering from fatigue and one of the members started to suffer from High Altitude Cerebral Oedema (HACE) and serious form of mountain sickness. The decision was taken to medicate the casualty and descend as quickly as possible. The guide and I carried him for 2km down the track until we reached the village of Takesi, 400m lower than our previous camp. At this point the casualty had made a full recovery, the group caught us up and we made camp for the night.
On day 3 we started to descend into the Yunga´s a tropical area of vegetation similar to jungle and the temperature started to rise considerably. The team member from the previous day who had suffered from HACE started to feel faint again and it was unclear as to whether this was HACE of the affects of the heat. To be on the safe side the guide and I again moved the team member quickly down the track where a full recovery was made in the shade while waiting for the rest of the team.
The scenery was truly beautiful and all enjoyed the view from high on the mountain side. It was a long hot trek to the camp which we completed just before 5pm. Unfortunately, shortly before camp one of our mules had taken a stumble and fallen over a 100ft cliff. Fortunately the cliff was covered in trees and using our climbing rope, the muleteers were able to lower the mule safely to the river below. This was especially pleasing as the mule in question was carrying my expedition pack The mule was unscathed and just a little shocked from the incident.
The final day was a planned to be a 4 hour walk to a mining town where we could catch a bus back to La Paz. Our guide Caesar rushed ahead to arrange transport. On joining him he told us that he had made a special arrangement for the public bus to take us after its usual run at 1600.
At 1800 it finally arrived from La Paz and we all got on. The road out from the Yungas was nothing more than a dirt track which ran along the mountain side with sometimes a 400m sheer drop to the valley floor. The driver seemed to be intent to do the journey as quickly as possible which was very worrying. By now it was dark and although the team were enjoying the exhilarating ride, neither Maz or I were happy. Unlike the mule, no amount of trees were going to stop our fall if we left the road. Suddenly the driver stopped and got out with his mate. After much commotion I got off to discover that they were changing the tyre with us still on the bus parked on the edge of a cliff. That was it. I got all the team off the bus ASAP and we paid off the driver and walked the 3km back up the road in the dark to the mining town where we spent the night.
Another bus was summoned from La Paz the next day and we had a nice slow drive back enjoying the view and the 4800m pass we drove over before dropping into La Paz
All in all a very enjoyable trek, if a little stressful for the leaders
Still not able to upload photos but I think I may have found a solution, watch this space next week!
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