Kaitlin, her Olie friend Allyson and I did the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! They arrived in Lima from their study abroad trip in Quito, Ecuador, and spent the night in my apartment. Their study abroad friends Chris and Andrew joined us that night for some festivities at Mama Batatas. The next morning we left very early and flew to Cusco, where we spent the day and night resting up because of the high elevation, met some friends for dinner, and had an orientation to the trail from our guide, Juan Carlos.
The next morning, at 6am, we boarded the bus that would take us to the start of the trail. Predictably, our bus got a flat tire, but the unexpected hour and a half sit in the Andean countryside was actually a nice start to the trip. Our driver labored to get the spare tire on, while cows meandered past the bus followed by leisurely walking Peruvian campesinos.
We spent a half hour in the town where I will have my internship, Ollantaytambo, which was both exciting and surreal (to think I will spend 4 months in this tiny town!). At the start of the trail, the porters prepared the first of many delicious meals for us, complete with coca tea, the elixir of life for those in the Andes. These porters were unreal. Each approximately 5 feet, 0 inches tall, wearing shoes made from tires, and carrying 80-pound packs, they RAN up the trail. They would sheepishly peer up at us from under alpaca hats as they passed, while we couldn't help but stop and stare that the physical feat that they had been performing for years. Much later in the trip, we would ask our guide how fast a porter could do the entire four-day trail. He would recount the latest porter race, the winner completing the entire trail in ONLY 3 hours and 42 MINUTES!!! Holy cow!!!
Day One
The first day of hiking was a piece of cake. Only one short uphill portion to whet our appetites for Day Two, the "challenging" day. Along the trail were several archeological sites, one of which was the second biggest ruin after Machu Picchu.
We learned that the Inca Trail was a pilgrimage trail, with Machu Picchu being the retreat center of sorts at the end. It was really cool to think that we were walking in the footsteps of countless Quechua people. After less than three hours, we reached our campsite where our tents were already set up and a snack of popcorn and hot chocolate was waiting. Luxury camping, indeed! After a long dinner, we went right to sleep, having not a lot to do in the dark.
(this was our view in the 5am morning -- so beautiful!)
Day Two
The guides told us that the second day on the trail was the "challenging day," when we would climb to the highest point on the trail called Dead Woman's Pass. Little did I know that I would nearly BE a dead woman by the time the day was through! It was SO HARD!!! Starting with the first step of the day, for five hours, six miles, straight, we climbed. And I'm not talking a gentle sloping uphill. I'm talking stairs. For five hours. In high elevation.
We climbed this mountain.
We were walking at a pace of about 1 mile per hour up the side of the mountain. The view was beautiful! Being able to see the hikers up ahead of us, up the mountain, miles from us, made the hike much harder, however. Kaitlin nearly fainted at one point because of the elevation, but we made it to the top! And we've never felt so good. :)
At the top, looking down.
(Don't get us wrong, it was totally worth it.)
Kaitlin and I at the top!
After the grueling uphill, we had two hours of straight downhill, which was quite refreshing, but made difficult by our exhausted now-wobbly knees. We arrived to the campsite in the early afternoon, and being famished (they didn't want us to eat during the ascent), sat down to another delicious lunch, complete with apple pie! We had the afternoon to rest and after dinner, fell fast asleep.
Day Three
AM view from our tent, start of Day Three
Day Three was definitely the longest, but most enjoyable day on the trail. One shorter uphill in the beginning, followed by almost entirely downhill for the rest of the day, about 8 hours worth. We passed through seven or eight archeological sites, each more amazing than the next. The Incas were undoubtedly a very advanced culture. Each ruin was built at a strategic location in the mountains, built to mirror constellations and follow the Milky Way. Most of the ruins channeled streams through the buildings, creating indoor plumbing! All of the buildings were also built to withstand the many earthquakes in the mountains, and the fact that all the buildings are still standing after hundreds of years is proof of their success.
This day was also exhausting, but more because of how long the day was. When we rolled in to the lodge/camp at the end of the day, the bar and hot showers that greeted us were more than welcome.
That night we went to bed really early because we had to wake up at 3:45am in order to get to Machu Picchu right when it opened. We hardly noticed the hiking that morning because we were so excited to get to our final destination. Walking through the Sun Gate, the trail's entrance to Machu Picchu, was incredible and I would be lying if I said there weren't tears in my eyes.
Kaitlin and I at the Puerta del Sol:
Machu Picchu lay in the distance, perched on top of the mountain like the pedestal in a flower. The city was a center for astrology, government, but they also think was a more of a retreat center for rulers and their families. The terraces cut out of the steep mountainside were to grow crops to support its people, and its buildings were of stones from the same mountain. The sacred buildings were built with perfectly carved stones placed together, using no mortar to hold them together. Now just the raw stone, they were at one time painted in many colors.
The feeling at Machu Picchu was incredible, but I have to say, it wouldn't have been the same without taking the Trail there. Once 11am rolled around, the ruins were swarming with fat American tourists, and some of the magic had seemed to disappear with the morning fog.
Exhausted, we took the bus to the nearest town, Aguas Calientes, where we spent a few hours before taking the train to Ollantaytambo, and then the bus back to Cusco. A few short hours of sleep later, we were flying back to Lima, and shortly thereafter, back to the US. This was an adventure in itself, but that's another story.
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