I awoke with a jolt. Awful noise was everywhere. It was pitch black. My phone’s alarm was ringing. Sam’s phone alarm was ringing. The bedside telephone was ringing. It was 1:51 AM in Cusco, Peru, and our ride was already downstairs, waiting. We were headed to Vinicunca Mountain—or, Rainbow Mountain, if you prefer the recent marketing-minded Western rebrand—just as soon as we wrapped our minds around what was happening.
Three hours later, just as the sun began to peak over the surrounding mountains, our oversized cargo van pulled to a halt. The road in was windy, and rocky, and perched on endless hillsides that made the internal roll cage a bit too real of a necessity.
At the trailhead we stretched legs, craned necks, and marveled at the surrounding beauty, and at the heard of alpacas. With just under a handful of hours of rough sleep and a cold empanada in our system we readied ourselves for ~10 miles of hiking at well above 15,000 feet elevation (4500m).