Hike to the Ollanta Quarries

Photographers and BLOG authors: Stefano and Samantha

              The center plaza at Ollantaytambo unfolded before us in the dawn. At five in the morning, fourteen of us—sleepy, cold, and clutching bags of bread and eggs prepared for us by our host families—gathered in preparation for a hike to the famed quarries of the Andes Mountains. From the center of the town, the mountain that we were about to ascend was a towering black silhouette that stood out against the dark blue of the morning sky. We started towards the trail amongst a mingled chorus of complaints about our early start and whispers of excitement about the day to come. When we reached the beginning of the trail, our guide pointed towards a towering peak with clouds gathered around its summit and told us that our final destination would be at its base. Armed with water bottles, sunscreen, hiking boots, and layers upon layers of clothing, we set off into the Peruvian sunrise.

                As the light climbed over the seemingly insurmountable peak, the dusty lunar landscape of the Andean mountainside came into view. As we ascended, the air grew thin and the sun grew hot. Peeling off jackets and fleeces and dawning caps and sunglasses, we slowly made our way to the top. After a few hours of heat and exertion with our end goal still out of sight, some of us began to feel like Sisyphus—laboring in vain over an impossible task. The uphill climb up rocks and through clouds of dust took its toll on us and we had to take frequent breaks to escape dehydration and over-exertion.  We half-heartedly snapped smiling photographs and sucked of toffee candies as we trudged our way to the destination that was only described to us as “the quarries.”

                Finally, after nearly five hours of uphill hiking, we reached the top at nearly ten o’clock. While some of us stopped to admire and exclaim praises about the amazing view, some simply collapsed onto the dust and devoured the boxed lunch that was provided for us. When we were fed and watered, we looked around at the boulders that littered the top of the mountain--impossibly huge and strangely beautiful, the rocks were placed in a formation that was clearly deliberate. Carved into rectangles and unfinished—the boulders stood waiting for the ghostly hands of the Incas to carry them to their home in the Sun Temple—a location situated miles away. Our guide and Vicky explained to us that the Incans had most probably carried them down the mountain themselves (after hearing this, many of us felt woozy imagining ourselves hiking the trail we had just done with boulders strapped to our backs.

                After nearly an hour of exploring the top, we slowly made our way down. By then, the sun was shining brightly and beads of sweat gathered on our skin. Being careful not to slip and fall on the dusty slopes, we took small steps downhill and finally made it to the bottom. Tired, exhausted, and with faint pink sunburns blooming on our cheeks, we parted ways and joined our host families for lunch.

Dear Mom and Dad—

I’m having lots of fun in the Southern Hemisphere. Lima was amazing Ollantaytambo is beautiful and getting better and better every day. I love, love you (and Ketu). Good luck on your trip, Dad. I love you and I know you leave tomorrow and you’re going to have a fantastic time. Mom—l love you and miss you.

Love,

Sam

A view of Veronica

Ollantaytambo - granaries can be seen in the distance

An unfinished carving of an Incan building block to be  used in the sun temple in Ollantaytambo