5.00 a.m. We depart early from Cusco in a private vehicle that will take us to the town of Cachora, and then continue on to Punta Carretera. There, our muleteers and mules will be waiting to load our backpacks. We walk for approximately 4 hours, descending steeply through the Apurímac Canyon to Chiquisca at 1,800 meters, where we will have lunch. Afterward, we continue walking to the Apurímac River for about 1 more hour, cross the bridge, and begin a steep ascent of approximately 3 hours to the small village of Santa Rosa Baja, where we will camp. Total distance: 12 km Walking time: 7 hours Maximum altitude: 3,006 m Camp altitude: 2,000 m