Day 2 - The toughest day .. Climb Dead woman pass ... then down 800m, up 600 m and then down 600 m

Day 2 - We are told that this is going to be the toughest day of the trail. The overnight rain had bathed the trees and drenched the surrounding mountains. It was a spectacular sight in the morning as fresh snow could be seen on the high slopes. The sounds of the waterfalls ans streams echoed through the mountains. The beautiful Victoria peak appeared all day long showing its beauty in various forms .. sometimes shy and covering itself with clouds and sometimes glaring its beauty. After a healthy breakfast, we started our 2nd day bright and early. We slowly paced our way and we could clearly see the bold and young sprinting forward and with gasping breadth, we reach the grasslands (i forget the name of this place). This is a perfect place to relax and an ideal photo shooting opportunity. Virgilio being a master guide and knowing our spirits, took us in a special path along the grassland. We passed grazing llamas and alpaca and we were also lucky to see the Andean deer. I need pictures of the deer (please). We could now see the "Dead Woman Pass" high up there and we were all ready. It was surely a challenge as we slowly and steadily climbed the "Dead Woman's pass" ... 4215 m the highest point of the trail. Comment: Day 2, with the summit of dead woman's pass seemingly only meters away Andy initiates the 40 club. 40 steps and a rest. I know it sure helped us  to the top ..... It was a moment of achievement, a moment of triumph and a moment of reflection. A time to relax and get ready for our grueling downhill journey (the knee torture). We drop down 800m and come to our lunch site. After lunch, we hike the high jungles up 600m and then down another 600m to reach our campsite. The Irish and the Aussie lads started the game of .... (please help me with the name of the game). I joined in but sucked big time. Those guys had a record of 28 (before i joined). The porters and the cooks were introduced this evening and so did we introduce ourselves. It was night to give our tired legs a rest. A bottle of Peruvian rum arrived and we had a refreshing cocktail before dinner. It started raining during dinner and we had to hurry. It rained cats and dogs at night. We were so lucky that it rains at night and the day is bright and blue. I think we all had a good nights sleep.