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Published: January 22nd 2008
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The Inca Trail
On our return to Cusco we met with our inca trail guide. who had nothing but bad news on how hard it was going to be. I found out later we had one of the original tour guides, who was about to walk the trail for his 424th time. At least he was honest about it.
Day 1. Bus to 82km post, traditional start point. 10km walk today, started off flat, then a short hard climb out of the valley. At the top we found out this was the test hill. If somone couldn't make it in a certain time they send you back with a guide. We all made it. Apparently there is a 3%!f(MISSING)ailure, and as we had 28, the odds were one was going back.
After the test the track kept going up. by the end of the day I had had it. At the campsite we wede given the pleasant nes that tomorrow we would go over the first pass. His briefing was like this, ¨We will climb for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs then have morning tea. We will then climb another 1 1/2 hrs to lunch, then we will climb
another 1 1/2 hrs to the pass, which will be 4215 metres high. We will then go down 1200 rough stone steps to our campsite. This will take about 2 hrs.¨ Two of the group asked about paying an addiional local porter for their daypack, and were told it was possible. Another bloke had a 3kg camera lens, and asked me if I wanrted to share a porter. I agreed quickly, before someone else took up his offer.
Day 2. After packing my day pack I put it aside with the other 2 who were getting porters. Just before we set off I was looking for it, and there was my backpack, being worn by a 10yr old girl, my personal porter. It cost $8 for the day to hire her. She just strolled ahead of me, waiting every now and again while I struggled up the hill. I found out at the lunch stop, when I asked our head porter if I could give her some of our left over lunch, of which there was plenty, that she was having lunch with her mother, who was at a stand selling trekkers bottles of drink. If I had not
hired her she would have made the climb with a bucket full of drink bottles, as she did every day. Carrying a backpack was probably an easy day for her. I did not regret hiring her for a second, despite all the jibes about child labour. The climb took 5 hrs, not including morning and lunch stops. I did the climb very slowly, the last 2 hrs 20 steps at a time then a break. My legs didnt have time to get sore, just not enough oxygen to breathe, so had to rest to breathe.
The remarkable thing was watching the porters running past carrying 25kg packs. There were 28 of us, and we had 30 porters, not counting our local ones for the day 2 climb. I recovered my pack at the pass summit, aptly named dead womans pass. I found the downhill easy. discovering my knees are strong. At least part of me is.
Day 3 was more of the same. Up and over the 2nd pass, now carrying my backpack, was a torment. We then leveled out somewhat, and I sort of hit my stride and we were at the lunch stop by 9.15am. A
couple of us did avoid the 2 hr side trip
to an Inca ruin, as we knew our limits. It is the rainy season in Peru, and it is renowned for raining on the Inca Trail. Our luck had held over the passes, but now it let loose. The main effort on day 3 is the 1800 step descent in the afternoon after the 3rd pass. The reward at the campsite is a pub. Yes, a pub, selling beer, wine and giving free warmth to all.
The trekking companies all have a deal with the hotel, and we had our area, and when our porters cooked dinner it was brought to us inside at our tables. All very civilised.
Day 4. 5am start to get to the entrance gate for the 5.30am opening to Manchu Picchu. It is still a 3 km walk to the Sungate, high in a pass, where it is everyones dream to arrive to see the first rays of the sun hit Manchu Picchu. Its like a race. There are 200 trekkers allowed on the Inca Trail each day, and we are all at the entrance waiting for the starters gun. Then we´re off. Me
and a couple of other oldies stretched it out, keeping pace. Our guide had said it was 3km ¨Peruvian flat¨then 50 steps so steep we would be on hands and feet, like spiders, then 10 minutes up to the Sungate. We kept up for the 3 km , everyone walking at about 6km-h or more, and then we hit the stairs, and again the guide was right. Up we went on all fours, and then at the top it just kept going up, steps and paths. A 2yr old could have thrown me off the cliff by then, but the race was on, and we got to the Sungate with nothing to spare. The mist was just clearing off Manchu Picchu far below us, and the rays of the sun hit it. I can´t say I really stood there in awe, as I was doubled over trying to breathe for 5 minutes.
We descended the 1000 odd stairs to Manchu Picchu in a dream. We had made it. The sun came out for a glorious day, one of the best, our guide said. We took all the obligatory photos and had a 2 hr tour of the site before
the rain set in again, and everyone, in a group consensus decide to head for the nearby town. We were just too tired, wet and dirty to sit around waiting for it to clear up.
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