You Go Nate!

THE INCA TRAIL

Day 1:

It began on Tuesday morning. The bus came and picked me up outside of my apartment around 6:45AM. I had my backpack packed and I was ready to go. I was the last to be picked up of the group and there were nine others already in the van. After getting me they picked up our guide and the eight porters and we headed off to the town of Ollantaytambo. It was a beautiful day.

In Ollantaytambo we made a brief pit stop and most of us bought walking sticks and other things useful for our trek. We then hopped back in the bus and headed for Kilometer 82 - our starting point.

At kilometer 82 we unloaded from the bus and while we exchanged introductions, the porters cooked our lunch. In our group was me from the USA, Neil from England, Enna and Josie from The Netherlands, Cecilia, Livia, Patricia and Giovanni from Brazil and Marc and Fatia from France. Everyone but the French were 20-somethings and everyone spoke English very well except for the French who spoke well enough to get by. So we all got along really well. Since Neil and I were both solo on the trek we shared a tent.

After lunch we went through the control checkpoint and began the Inca Trail. The weather was cloudy and it began to rain as we went on but we were all prepared with our ponchos, rain jackets and back pack covers.

Along the way we saw some Inca ruins.

The camp was about 7 miles away but the hike wasn´t too strenous and we all arrived in good spirits that evening as the weather began to clear.

The porters already had our tents set up and dinner was cooking away as we arrived. Our campsite was beautifully situated with a view of Mount Veronica down the canyon.

At 5pm we had ¨Tea Time¨which consisted of various kinds of tea or hot chocolate, popcorn and crackers. Then at 6:30pm we had a wonderful trout dinner with plenty to eat. We then sat around after dinner where more hot chocolate and tea was available and talked and got to know each other better. (I didn´t drink it, but apparently this tea helps keep one perky. )We also found this in the sugar bowl. Then we went to bed.

Day 2:

The next day we were awaken at 5:30AM to a hot cup of Coca Tea (it´s herbal so it´s ok) we had pancakes and porridge for breakfast then we packed up again and headed off up the trail. It was a beautiful day.

With every group there are native porters who haul the food, tents, tables, chairs and the other things necessary for a comfortable trek. They usually just strap whatever they need to carry together with cloth, throw a tarp over it and hunch over as they make the long trek with the tourists. While the tourists are all decked out in the latest and greatest hiking boots, most porters wore sandals or very flimsy shoes. It was amazing to see them trudge up the hills and then run down them to get the camp ready for their group.

The second day is considered the most difficult because it is 6.6 miles almost completely uphill with an elevation gain of 1,200 meters. It was tiring but the views were spectacular.

As I approached the top of the pass (elevation: almost 4,000 meters) there was a thick mass of fog hanging about and it was kind of cool (in both senses of the word) to hike right into it. The top of the pass quite cold and windy.

After spending a moment at the top to catch my breath and rest I headed down the other side of the mountain where our campsite was waiting several kilometers away. We were all going at our own pace that day so I was by myself at the top and on the descent. It made it rather spooky descending these wet steep steps in the thick fog without a soul around me.

I continued my descent and soon left the fog. Finally around 11:30AM I arrived at our campsite. It was situated on terraces in a narrow gulch that looked down into an enormous valley. It was known as the Cloud Forest because about every thirty minutes or so the clouds would build at the bottom of the gulch and rather quickly creep up to engulf it. It would then disappear for a while leaving us with a clear view of the other side of the canyon.

The rest of the day was spent resting, eating and getting ready for the third day.

Day 3:

We woke up around 7:30 and headed uphill to one of two passes we would cross that day. It was sprinkling as we arrived at some Inca ruins that served as a waypoint and security station for the Inca Trail on the way to Machu Picchu.

After making our descent from the second pass we encounter several other ruins. There was one up high on a cliff and one below in the valley. We briefly stopped at the higher one and then crossed through the valley to the other side of the canyon where we had lunch.

After lunch as we headed up to the third and final pass it began pouring rain. Luckily I was prepared with my rain jacket and backpack covers and my quick-dry pants. When we finally reached the top of the pass the clouds began to clear and we got a spectacular view of the valley ahead.

All along the trail there were curious plants, beautiful flowers, birds in all their varieties, creeping things and all forms of animal life.

There were some ruins just below the pass that sparkled wet in the sunlight as we approached. We stopped there briefly and then headed down the long and ancient stairway of the Incas. Many times the stairs were so steep it reminded me of the stairs of Cirith Ungol from The Lord of the Rings (luckily there was no giant spider.) It was nearly 4,000 feet down down down into the high jungle. It was beautiful but after several hours of constant downhill my knee began to give me some problems. I put my brace on and carried on for an hour before finally reaching our last campsite. In total we hiked over 9 miles that day.

This campsite was more crowded then the rest and it had a restaurant, hot showers (for a price) and other modern features. Our tents were waiting for us and I took a brief rest in my tent which was located on a terrace with a wonderful view. We went to bed early that night.

Day 4:

We woke up the next day at 4AM while it was still dark. We packed our things and ate a quick breakfast then waited in line for the checkpoint to open at 5:30AM. (It gets light in Peru at about 5AM and dark around 6pm.) After crossing the checkpoint we headed out on the final stretch to Machu Picchu. It was a beautiful last 2 miles, but I was worried because as we approached the Sun Gate, the first place to see Machu Picchu, a thick fog was rolling in and I was afraid we wouldn´t see anything.

We climbed the steps to get to the Sun Gate and there it was, Machu Picchu, covered with only a light veil of fog but surrounded on each side by the low clouds. A moment later they swallowed Machu Picchu and it was gone.

After a brief rest we headed towards the ruins. When we finally reached the first farming terraces of Machu Picchu the clouds were clearing again and we got a magical mystery view of the famous site.

After getting several pictures and absorbing the view we headed down to the main entrance checkpoint for the ruins. We went in and listened as our tour guide explained about the history, function and mysteries of Machu Picchu. We then had time to go and explore the ruins for ourselves.

One of the things I didn´t realize about Machu Picchu is how big it is. It´s a massive city when compared to any other ruins I`ve visited. You can go almost anywhere exploring the temples, the homes, the storehouses, the terraces and the narrow streets of the ancient city. Another thing that surprised me was how drammatically stunning the landscape around Machu Picchu is.

After I had explored for a while and got my pictures I found a quiet little place to just sit and absorb the setting. It was great.

Our only deadline was to all meet in the town of Aguas Calientes (about 1 1/2 hours walk down the mountain and along the Urubamba River) around 2pm. It was around 11:30 and bus load after bus load of tourists were arriving en masse. It also began to rain a bit. So after seeing all I wanted to see and taking the pictures I wanted to take I headed down the mountain getting an interesting side glimpse of Machu Picchu and over to Aguas Calientes. I had lunch, browsed the town for a bit (it´s rediculously touristy) and with Neil and the Dutch girls we boarded the train back to Ollantaytambo.

It was a beautiful train ride through the Urubamba River Valley and after arriving at Ollantaytambo we took a bus back to Cusco. We said our goodbyes and I went home, finished watching Sense & Sensibility and slept.