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Published: March 20th 2008
First glimpse at Machu Picchu
We waited for the clouds to clear off and on all day, but even through the mist you could see the beautiful ruins and surrounding mountains.Machu Picchu can be seen a number of ways. For the tough and adventurous: a 4-day trek over the Inca Trail...many times in the pouring rain, insects and bug bites, hiking at 7,000-9000 ft. elevation, with the pain and sweat, all so you can see Machu Picchu as the sun breaks over the mountians as the Inca did 600 years ago.
For those of us who are a little more lazy: a beautiful train ride, an air-conditioned bus, and a two minute hike. You can guess which one we chose.
We woke at 5:15 am so we could catch our bus at 5:45...we too wanted to see the sunrise at Macchu Picchu.
The weather was cloudy but not rainy, the site is always breathtaking. We were assigned to a tour guide by the name of Cosmo Cuba, who happened to be the author of one of the premeir books on Macchu Picchu --- what great luck we have had! After a two hour tour with one of the best guides I had ever had, we had the rest of the day to ourselves, and boy did we take advantage of our time on the mountain.
After grabbing
Larry in front of Waynapicchu
Waynapicchu is the tall mountain in the background. It serves as an incredible backdrop to the ruins and is a really steep hike!! a quick bite to eat we headed to the Inca trail and hiked back up the trail to the Inca Gate that sits high above Machu Picchu. This hike was well worth it, with stunning photos of the ruins and the amazing scenery surrounding the site.
If you do take the lazy way up to MP, we would strongly recommend hiking back up the trail to this location...it is worth the 1-2 hours round trip (with time at the top) to get the view.
We got back down to the main square of MP at about 12:30 pm. At this point we should have gone back to get water, as we were both very dehydrated...but time was running out on the granddaddy of all MP hikes: climbing Waynapicchu, the huge rock that you see in every picture of MP.
Here is the deal: That rock is WAY bigger than it loks in the photos, the path is literally straight-up, and you better not have any fear of heights as the drop-off is 1500 ft straight down to the river. Did I mention that it gets very, very slick when it rains, and it started rainy half way
Larry on the Inca Trail...
...at least the last hour of it anyway :-) up. Also, once you are at the top, you are so high up it is hard to get your camera to take a decent picture of MP if the weather is not perfect...it doesnt seem that big in the photos, but believe me it is, and we have pictures to prove it.
The views we stunning from the top, and they only let a few hundred people per day attempt it. Be in good health, TAKE WATER, and be careful, but you will be rewarded by views that you will never forget. One more thing, near the top there is a veiw area where most people stop --- that is not the real top of Waynapicchu. You must squeeze through a little cave, then hike up some final steps to the very top....it is really worth it to go to the very, very top. By the looks of it, most people do not go above the viewing area, but I strongly suggest it....it was worth it to be at the top with a 360 degree view. Literally there are no guard rails and the drop is straight-down...so do not be afraid of heights.
We had no intention of
View from the top of Waynapicchu
It was a tough, steep, wet climb, but the views from the top of the peak were worth it. It's hard to see through the clouds in the picture, but just behind us (and quite a ways below us) are the ruins of Machu Picchu. doing so much hiking while at MP...but those views are memories that you cannot replace.
We took a bus back down the mountian, got our luggage at the hotel, and had dinner at a resturant that was positioned over the roaring river (the river is very impressive during the rainy season). We caught our train, then our bus back to Cusco. We got back to our wonderful little hotel at around 10:30 pm, very tired, but feeling like we had a near perfect day....
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Tim Trickey
non-member comment
Machu Piccu
You guys did the 4-day hike right? : ) It sounds like you are off to a good start. Watch your step as you climb those ruins!