So here I am in Cusco Peru after completing the Larez trek with g adventures.
This was my first trek and just wanted to share a brief overview of my personal experiences related to the side effects ,I experienced on this trek. We landed in Cusco on day 1 and stayed there 24 hrs to help acclimatize to the 11500 ft. Or 3400mtrs. Initially we and the group were short of breath. Some handling it better than others so we walked around Cusco getting used to the elevation. The following day we bused it to Ollyantaytambo 2790 mtrs and stayed 1 night before heading to Larez to begin the hike.
Day 1 Larez to base camp a short hike with 6kg backpack from 3200 to 3600mtrs
Slept one night then started day 2 ( of 3)
Day 2 base camp to the peek which on my gps showed approx 4800 mtrs.
I was the last in my group to get to the peak and experienced the following:
- dizziness
- inability to move legs or arms at speed. I wanted to but it wasn't happening.
- high heart rate 170+ per 10-25 steps upwards in the final steep section over approx 1 hour.
- at the peak an infrequent loss of emotion approx 4 times until we continued to decent of below 4600mtrs.
After descending to approx 3700 mtrs to our next base camp my energy levels, mental alertness and emotional stability had returned to almost normal levels with some minor fatigue.
The hike continued on day 3 arriving back to Ollyantaytambo.
I had some questions regarding this schedule and events.
-Is this safe to ascend from 3600 mtrs to 4800 within 6 hours ?
- are the symptoms I was showing normal for the scent distance and time?
Many of the team members arrived about 40 mins before me and only complained of shortness of breath, nothing else.
Any feedback appreciated
Cheers
C