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Published: November 10th 2008
I am flippin tired. right now i'm in the town of aguas calientes, relaxing after a long three days journey. excuse me. epic journey. amazing. wicked hard. beautiful. magnificent. painful.
i'll start at the beginning. in cusco we woke up at 4 am and left at 4 30 with the bare necessities. we piled into a van and left to begin our journey. we drove for about 2 hours and then stopped for breakfast. we had bread with butter and jam, tea, juice, and eggs. then we all bought bamboo walking sticks for 4 soles each and piled back in the van. we drove on a narrow dirt road on the side of a mountain. it was terrifying. at one point we almost fell off the cliff. i freaked out. but i'm alive now, so it's ok. we got dropped off in a beautiful valley and started our trek. some of us had our big packs, some had little daypacks. i have my big pack because it's more comfortable for my shoulders. we were all allowed 5 kilos worth of stuff to put on the horses that would be taken directly to the campsite. with our guide manuel leading the way, we were off. we started at about 12,000 feet, so we were all pretty out of breath and going really slowly. i was in the back with a bunch of people. i had a hard time adjusting to the altitude. in front of us were snowcapped mountains and behind us was a beautiful valley. we hiked up to a pasture where we stopped and had a snack. then we did the hardest part of the entire trek. taylor was feeling weak from his bread and water diet, so he took the emergency horse (which we named mohammed) up the steep part. the plan was to climb 2000 feet in 2 hours and stop for lunch. maya and i brought up the rear because we couldn't breathe all that well. it was a giant zigzag uphill and we had to stop every half zigzag. then we got better and took a break every turn. eventually i got to ride mohammed for about 5 minutes. it was a nice break. as soon as i got off, it started hailing. now, at this point, we are almost 14,000 feet up and are walking next to a snowcapped mountain. the hail was the size of bebes and pelting down on me. i stopped walking and sat on the cliff protecting my neck until i was able to open my backpack and get my raincoat. at this point i was wearing my t shirt, long sleeve, raincoat, pants, mittens, and a hat. it was freezing cold. and hailing. i walked in the hail for about 10 minutes until it stopped. when i looked behind me, all the mountains were covered in snow and ice from the hailstorm. it was absolutely gorgeous. the mountain i was hiking was also covered. we went up through the snow and ice until we reached the lunch tent. i put my bag under a tarp and went inside the tent. it was still freezing cold, but there were 11 of us, so it was a little warmer. it was also out of the wind. at this point we were at 14,000 feet. lunch was amazing. we had cooks with us who cooked us soup, meat, vegetables, french fries, rice, and coca tea. outside it was pouring and hailing and we had to keep pushing water out of the top of the tent. after our wonderful lunch, i put on my sweater under my raincoat and we went back out. it had stopped raining and hailing, but it was still cold. the next meeting point was at 15,000 feet. corinne was having altitude issues, so she hung back with maya and i. janiva was with us too. we hiked and hiked and as we were on the last stretch, we all got really really weak. maya took the emergency horse for a little bit and then the horse came back for corinne. she had a migraine on top of altitude sickness, so mohammed took her all the way to camp. i was left with janiva. we were about 100 feet from a snow-capped mountain and it was one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen. my lips were blue and i had to take a break every 2 steps. then a british guy in his 60s stopped and told me 'slow and steady beats the hare every time. go really slow and focus on your breath rather than your speed.' it was the best piece of advice i had gotten. janiva gave me some altitude medicine and i finally made it to the top. 15,000 feet. when i got up, the brits we had met, as well as max, hanna, miguel, and chris were waiting for us. they applauded. it was kind of funny. there were piles of small stones. apparently most people who hike the trail bring a stone to rebuild the mountain since we errode it by hiking it. snowcaps were everywhere and it was absolutely incredible. then the best part of the day came. we hiked down for about 3 hours. we were in snow and rocks and waterfalls and meadows and mountains. chris kept throwing snowballs at max and miguel. i kept up with them for a while, and then janiva had a hotspot, so miguel and i stopped with her. the british guy caught up with us again and he and i talked about the gambia for a little bit and traveling. he leads a scout group that goes to the gambia, which is pretty cool. then we went again. at one point we were in a giant meadow in the mountains and janiva and i started singing sound of music. finally, around 6 we arrived at camp. maya and i shared a tent. we changed into long underwear and pants and sweaters and then crawled into max and kyle's tent and snuggled for about 2 hours. it was so cold outside and so warm in the tent and we all fell asleep. we got woken up at 8 for dinner, although i wasn't hungry. dinner was soup, fish, rice, and veggies. i had tea. then they brought in a flaming pan and fed us flaming bananas. it was so cool. it was 2 bananas on fire, although they were extinguished by the time we got them. we tried a bite and grimaced. it was full of alcohol. but janiva and chris okayed it, so we ate. they were really good. as soon as dinner was over i went to sleep. because it was so cold, i slept in my sleeping bag and cocoon with only a sports bra and underwear. i had all my clothes, including my shoes tucked into my sleeping bag with me. it was surprisingly warm. in the morning we woke up at 5 to coca tea being brought to us in our tents. i put on my warm clothes, packed, and went to breakfast. breakfast was bread, jam, butter, and tea. then they brought us pancakes stuffed with apples, raisins, strawberries, and honey. it was coated with dulce de leche and had bananas on the side. it was absolutely incredible. we all stuffed our faces, took group pictures with snowcaps in the background, and were off by 7. we hiked for 9 hours yesterday. most of it was downhill. we were camped at 12,000 feet and hiked down to 6,000 feet. i was on the back because i'm a slow hiker. i take lots of breaks just to appreciate the scenery, so i'm ok with being in the back. on the way were red and black butterflies everywhere as well as other beautiful butterflies. we passed waterfalls, rivers, more mountains, the cloud forest, and amazing views. it was an absolutely beautiful hike. we learned about the incas and really saw where they lived. for lunch we stopped in a pasture where we met up with the brits again. it was HOT. we slept in the sun for about an hour and then ate. when i got up, i could barely move. my hips were so sore and stiff from all the walking. we all had hotspots and were all walking really stiffly. it was funny to see. for lunch we had porkchops, rice, veggies, and mashed potatoes. we also had tang and tea. then we left again and hiked for a few more hours to a town. on the way, i was in the back with janiva and manuel. we saw a really cute tiny puppy that we named koala. once we got through the town, i was able to catch up with everyone. by this point, we all had a ton of bug bites on us from the cloud forest. we walked to the end of the town and saw the brits again! i got skittles at a tienda and we rested. then all of us, including the brits, stood in the back of a truck, like cattle, and rode for 40 minutes to the hot springs. for most of the ride i was fearing for my life. we were on narrow roads on cliffs again and the truck kept taking the turns fast and stalling. however, i'm still alive. we got to the hot springs and it was AMAZING. it was a giant hot tub that was up to my neck and the size of a soccer field. we all just relaxed for about 2 hours in the hot water trading massages and being in euphoric states. it was a warm night and for dinner we had soup, spaghetti and tea. there were pears with wine sauce for dessert. then we went to bed. i was able to sleep outside my sleeping bag and our tents were literally right next to the hotspring. it was wonderful.
this morning we got up and it was HOT. we had a breakfast of bread, crackers, jam, butter, and veggie omelets. for drinks we had tea and hot rice milk that was AMAZING. then we did movement and headed out. we took a 40 minute van ride to some train tracks. i chose to close my eyes for the ride, which was a good idea because apparently we almost got into an accident with a truck. we arrived at the tracks and walked. i kept thinking of the movie 'stand by me.' it was a nice walk though. we were all EXTREMELY sore, so it was good to walk on flat ground. we went over a bridge at one point and i kept saying 'this is the part where the train comes.' however, it didn't. janiva and i played the celebrity game and the going on a picnic game in english and spanish. it was hilarious. we took breaks for snacks and lunch. during our lunch break 3 trains came by. finally after 3 hours of walking we reached aguas calientes. tomorrow morning we are going to wake up really early and go to machu pichu!!!!!!!!!! we have a 2 1/2 hour tour and then we take a train and bus back to cusco. argentina on wednesday! more then
love you all and miss you all
love,
kate
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mom
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To YFA: Lobsters are not in the least bit cute. They look like giant bugs. Alpaca are soft and sweet and have large, brown, caring eyes, and very warm fur that knits up beautifully. Lobsters are good for meat and tommale, and that's it. To Katie: Wow, what a hike!!! I am so impressed by your descriptions, your willingness to keep going even though you didn't feel great, and your determination to make the whole climb there and back. The food sounds delicious, and your descriptions of it as well as the hike are quite evocative. Why were you walking on train tracks? And were you wearing your heavy packs while doing so? Some things a mother would rather not know perhaps! love, mom