Inca trail : day 1

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Blogger Dougo

The day had finally arrived. Since running out of cash last year and having to head home straight after the Cricket World Cup, bypassing Peru, we have been building up to this moment. The day we start to trek the Inca Trail. We had an early start this morning, our bus picking us up at 6 am. It was freezing cold and the bus had never known heating. We drove for an hour through what is known as the Sacred Valley for its abundance of Inca sites. Most of us snuggled into our fleeces and tried to catch up on some sleep. Being the science geek that I am, I was constantly amazed at how much the changes in altitude squeezed my half empty drink bottle. Made me realise just how amazing our bodies are to not be affected in a similar way!

An hour out of Cusco we arrived in Ollantaytambo, a town built around a very impressive Incan outpost. It was here that we made our last stop before beginning the trail. Some had an extra breakfast, others used the bathroom (it was supposedly the last civilised one we would see for four days), whilst our guide collected our porters and gear. There was seven of us including the guide which meant we had 11 porters and a cook. Upon boarding the bus again and seeing how these men were kitted out amazed me. Most had just finished a trek the previous day, hadn't showered and were wearing nothing more than shorts, a t-shirt, jacket and sandals. Sandals!! For all the high-tech, sophisticated equipment that us gringos bring to ensure we can walk safely, it is humbling that's for sure.

Travelling along the narrow road running next to the train tracks and the river was a little hairy to say the least. Very little space to overtake and with all the gringo buses shipping groups to Km82, the starting point of the Inca Trail, I wondered if we were going to make it there in one piece. When we got to the launching point for the trail, there was about 6 other groups unloading their bus and packing up their porters. It wasn't until I saw all the equipment set out on tarpaulins that I realised just how much they carry. In addition to tents, sleeping mats and bags and a 5 kg duffle bag for each person, the porters carry the following: fold up tables, plastic chairs, a kitchen tent, a dining tent, stoves, cutlery, plates, pans, cups, water and food for 7 for 4 days. Unbelievable. I was relieved when our guide told us that by law they were only allowed to carry a maximum of 22 kg. They must pass through a weigh station to make sure they are not being overburdened.

Finally checks complete we were ready to go. Yay! We made our way down to the bridge that crosses the river and handed over our passports and permits. No permit, no trail. Wrong passport number or name on permit, no trail. No excuses, no resolution. You just don't get to go. Apparently this has happened before, where a typo on the permit has meant people have been kicked of the trail before they even step on it. We checked and triple checked to make sure the details on the two documents matched before we got to Km82.

And then we were off! It was actually a pretty easy start. Low incline, nice blue sky day. We didn't really have any troubles getting to lunch. It was a weird kind of climate. Hot because you are closer to the sun and there was little cloud, but cold coz we were so high up in the mountains. We saw some cool Inca sites along the way and learnt that there was and still is actually six or seven different Inca trails that all converge on Macchu Picchu from different sides.

Lunch on the first day was nothing short of incredible. An hour or so before when we had stopped for a toilet and drinks break, we had seen our porters run past carrying all our stuff. Arriving at our lunch site, we were welcomed with a drink and dining tent set up for us in which to eat three courses. Three! We were all hungry, but unsure what the consequences of walking on such a full stomach would be. I was a little too eager and would later pay for my gluttony with an early morning stumble to the squats to evacuate all the food from both ends. Not good.

After lunch, we began our first up hill climb. It wasn't super tough or long, but a good warmup for the coming days. The final push into camp was through some low lying scrub, a beautiful change from the barren landscape earlier in the day. As soon as the sun went behind the mountain peaks it got cold. It got cold real fast. We all whipped of our sweaty tops and pulled on our thermals, jackets and beanies and sat down for our first dinner. Three courses - again! We couldn't possibly eat it all (which I think was the point as the porters gladly finished off our left overs).

By 9pm we were all tucked away in our sleeping bags, happy and a little sore from day one of a dream come true.

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Photos

Ollyantambo
On the way to Km 82, we stopped to pick up our porters and last minute supplies in the town of Ollyantambo. This was a major Incan city.

Final check
Arriving at Km82, all the tour groups lay out their gear for the porters to pack.

Porters pack
Tents, food, chairs, tables, cookery, cutlery, water....

The Inca Trail begins
Our trail group ready to begin our trek.

The weigh in
All the porters need to weigh their packs before they begin the trail. A 22kg maximum weight is law.

On our way
Passports stamped, permits checked, we cross the river to walk in the footsteps of the Incas.

Our heros
What this blokes carry up and down the trail in nothing but sandals is humbling to say the least.

Regrowth
A cactus growing from the remains of a trunk.

The dining tent
The porters run ahead of us to set up and cook our three course lunch.

Our intrepid leader
Gaspar took a back seat for the next four days as Martin was our guide for the trail.

The Snack Bar
At regular intervals on Day 1, there were small shops run by locals selling drinks and snacks.