Day 2 of walking would take us up to our second camp site, Casa de Piedra at 3200m.  It was a much longer day’s walk but again very pleasant and at a comfortable pace.  At these early stages we were able to converse with ease as we walked and as yet were not feeling affected by the altitude.   It was good to spend some time getting to know our fellow group members and to enjoy the banter while we still had the breath to do so!  

One of the entertaining factors that the lower camps had in common was the toilets!  In fairness, we hadn’t expected there to be toilets at all, and there weren’t higher up.  However, each of the lower camps would have an elevated cabin on stilts similar in size to that of a Portaloo.  However, there was no toilet in this cabin, but a simple hole cut out of its base.  You would do the business through said hole and watch as it’s plummeted down to a large container dug into the ground.  Therefore, should you be in the vicinity of the toilet you could see exactly what everyone was doing as you could see and hear it drop through the base of the cabin before it disappeared into the increasingly stinky hole below.  And without going into too much detail, there was quite a lot to see as a result of all those oversized steaks!  Not somewhere to hang around for long!  

Day 3 of walking would take us up through the Ameghino Valleys to Base Camp, Plaza d’Argentina at 4370m.   We had been a bit nervous about this section as it involved 1000m of elevation and we had been told to expect a tough day.  We were also told to bring alternative footwear for the river crossing and we weren’t too sure what to expect.  We were imagining a freezing cold raging torrent that would threaten to sweep us all the way back down the valley if we took one false move.  However, it having been a particularly dry season in the Andes the river was more of a babbling stream and it was crossed with ease.  It was actually quite pleasant to wash the feet following a couple of days of hiking in the heat!  

The terrain was quite steep, but we maintained a slow pace which meant we did not tire too much.  It was quite an experience to watch the mules belt it up the mountain with all our enormous bags strapped to their backs.  We had wondered the previous night how our duffels had got so battered but today it became quite clear!  Occasionally one would fall off and the mule would make its bid for freedom before being herded up by the muleteers and sent back on his way.  I secretly hoped one of them would be successful in it’s bid for freedom away from a hard life of lugging bags up and down the high dessert – as long as it wasn’t the one with my bags of course!

Some of the group were beginning to feel the effects of the altitude on arrival at Base Camp.  I had a slight headache but no other symptoms; a couple of the others were feeling quite sick and struggled to eat dinner.  However, this was to be expected and the following day we had a rest day to help us acclimatise.  And as expected the following morning everyone was feeling better and appetites were restored to normal.  In fact, we often forgot we were at altitude and would walk quickly to the toilet only to find we were soon out of breath and having to take a break – or maybe it was the smell….!  Whilst it had been fairly easy going so far, this occasional breathlessness or the odd headache made us ponder about what was to come.  The mules would not be coming any further with us, so we would have to start carrying heavy packs.  And the air was only going to get thinner and thinner…