After being thrilled by the condors, it was time for our group to descend into the canyon to the village of San Juan de Chuccho where we will eat and spend our first night.

 The hike down was a three hour endurance exercise of quadricep mushing punishment . My legs were definitely not used to this and at the end of the day, I felt more like a boneless chicken than a happy human (and this was the downhill part!!!) However, cold beers prevailed and our guide Luis did all the cooking, allowing us time to start recovering for tomorrow. But after a 4000 vertical foot descent, you have to ask...who the hell decided this was a good place to live??? And who's the unlucky bastard that has to haul all the beer down here?

As it turns out, the rice terraces and gardens they are using today pre-date the Incas. So someone has been farming the canyon sides for more than six centuries. And as far as coming up and down the trail, the locals are built for it and do it with ease. All the gringos I saw had nice backpacks, modern well made hiking boots, a large supply of water, and a relatively slow pace. The locals wear a cheap pair of sandals, perhaps made from a truck tire and twine, carry almost no water, and literally run up and down the canyon . And with the help of mules and donkeys, heavy supplies come and go daily. During the climb back out of the canyon, I was passed by a friendly old man who I am guessing was about 65 years old. He was leading his pack of mules to the town of Cabanaconde to get supplies for the canyon villages. He stopped to chat in his first language of Quechua of which I understood nothing. He finally switched to spanish and we actually had a conversation. When all the mules passed by, he was off with them...leaving me behind no matter how hard I tried to keep up. He was carrying no water, wore simple sandals, and ran up the mountain. Afterward, I sat down, had a chocolate bar and some water, and began contemplating my lung capacity at this altitude and how it's possible that a 65 year old man can be faster than me.

This is not the deepest part of Colca Canyon. That section would be 10,530 feet deep(3191m) and twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in Arizona. And they recently discovered that the deepest canyon in the world is actually the gorge next door...making this one the world's 2nd deepest. However, this part of the canyon is plenty deep when you are stuck climbing out of it. Day 3 took us to the hot springs of Chivay and then the final bus journey back to Arequipa. Excellent little trip!!!!