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Published: June 20th 2007
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Urumbamba River
We had to cross this by suspension bridge to get to the Inca Trail Today we woke up at 4 a.m. for our first day on the Inca Trail. Only a hot shower can truly wake you up that early, but we quickly found out that there was no hot water this early in the morning at our hotel. After our tepid showers and a quick half-breakfast (the hotel hadn't gotten everything ready by 5 a.m.) we were picked up by Peru Treks at 5:15. Our bus traveled around Cuzco, picking up our fellow trekkers and the headed out to Ollyantantambo for a quick breakfast.
We had breakfast in a small cafe in downtown Ollyantantambo. This provided both some tasty pancakes and an opportunity to meet our 12 new family members: Dave, Melinda, Duncan, Heidi, Mark, Julia, Nina, Sorah, Tim, Claudia, Lucia, and Sebastian. We quickly bonded through confusion over how to flush the toilets and being constantly accosted by street venders trying to sell us last minute items for our trek (hiking sticks, hats, coca leaves, etc).
Leaving Ollyantantambo, we took the bus off-road to "get a little mud on the tires". An hour of bumpy, narrow dirt roads took us to Kilometer 82- the official start of the Inca Trail.
There are no roads that lead directly to Macchu Picchu-so basically you have the option of hiking the Inca Trail to the Ruins or taking an expensive and plush train ride. Hiking is definitely the more exciting option in my opinion.
After strapping on our gear, our first task was to pass through the Inca Trail Immigration checkpoint which required a ticket, our passports, and an inordinate amount of time. Finally we made it through immigration and crossed the Urumbama River by suspension bridge to begin our hike around 10:00 a.m.
The first day was described by our guides Marcelo and Percy as an "easy" hike. The elevation was supposed to be fairly level (with a few steep climbs) and had a combined distance of 12 km (about 7 miles).
We were immediately passed by porters moving easily uphill with huge packs on their backs. It was amazing to see some of the items that the porters could manage to tie on their backs with only tarps and ropes. We saw one porter carrying what appeared to be around 6 dozen eggs (tied in cartons to his back). We also saw a porter with a stove strapped
Sarah and Chris on Day #1
Still clean and fresh (mostly) to his back, and several carrying kerosene tanks. For our group of 14 trekkers, Peru Treks provided 19 porters, one head guide, one assistant guide, and one cook. The porters outnumbered the hikers- pretty pathetic huh?. The porters carry all of our sleeping tents, meal tents, food, and other supplies. It is amazing how strong these young me are. Sarah opted to hire an extra personal porter to carry her sleeping bag, mat, and clothes. This was the best $35 that could ever be spent. Most all porters carry around 50lbs (this is the maximum allowable weight) on their backs and manage to run past us to have lunch and dinner prepared before we even arrive at camp. The porters are truly amazing!
There was much wildlife on the trail, including: wild pigs, sheep, horses, donkeys, dogs, and chickens. After climbing up an initial steep hill we were greeted by the visage of the enormous ruins of Huillcaraccay. They were impressive, even from far above.
There were several more short steep hills before we arrived at our beautiful lunch spot next to a fast moving river. When we got there, the porters had already set up a dining
Snow Capped "Veronica" peak
Apparently named after the first person to climb the peak tent and a cooking tent and were handing us tin cups of refreshing pineapple juice. We all washed our hands in basins that they provided outside the meal tent and then entered the tent for lunch. We never could have expected the feast that was coming- avocado salad, mushroom and egg drop soup, garlic bread, caramelized trout, rice, vegetables, and potatoes with cheese were all passed around. And the presentation rivaled any fancy restaurant. After the meal we were offered an assortment of teas (including coca tea) and a little time to rest and digest before we hit the trail again.
The trail after lunch was relatively flat at first but got pretty steep towards the end. After a tough last burst uphill, we arrived at our campsite in Wallabamba around 4:30, just before the sun dipped behind the snow peaked "Veronica" mountain. We had a wonderful view of the mountain looking out of our tent. Apparently our camp was located right next to a remote farm because there were wild roosters and mules waundering around our tents.
Since dinner wasn't until 7:00, we had time for a nap and relaxation. We also had time to investigate the
Suspension bridge
Start of Inca Trail at KM 82 scary camp chemical toilets, which had what we can only hope was mud smeared all over the floors (and smelled like death warmed over).
Dinner was a cheery affair, with pumpkin and egg soup, fried chicken patties (we swore they had gotten fresh from the trail), tartilla (quiche-like but made with potatoes), blue corn pudding, chocolate liquor, and coca tea. Our bellies full, we all retired to our tents in anticipation of the rough day ahead. Tomorrow we cross dead-women’s pass which is a notoriously tough climb up to 14,000 feet altitude.
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