Peru and the Inca Trail

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The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu - what can I say amazing, exhilarating, satisfying and the physically hardest achievement to date!

Four days trekking through the National Park of Machu Picchu, at altitudes of 4000m, along muddy and rocky paths, up and over the mountain and the steep climb down to the Sun Gate and then the Inca site of Machu Picchu!!

The physical exertion to complete the Inca Trek was worth every part of the sweat (there was plenty) mosquitos (only a few thank goodness) and tears (fair few on day two, especially at the arrival of the camp!) to reach the Sun Gate on day four and look down to Machu Picchu- amazing.

There are four guides and thirty four porters, the porters are just outstanding, small men carrying on their backs 25-30kgs, which encompasses our backpacks, tents, gas canisters and all equipment that we need ie plates and food. I only carried a small day pack containing water, some food and my rain mack and this feels so heavy. The porters than have to get to the camps before us to set up and prepare our arrival drinks and meals. On day two, a porter was sent back up the mountain with a sandwhich and coca tea as I had missed lunch. The food was fabulous, three course lunch and dinners and the chef even made a birthday cake for one of my fellow trekkers as it was his birthday!

The total distance walked by the Incas was 82km from Cusco to Machu Picchu, we did not walk from Cusco but started at the official entrance to the National Park 32km which was certainly enough!!

Day 1 was 11km and with relatively mild inclines to climb, although we were all still in bed by 9 that night. Only 6-7 hours walking this day, if only I knew this was the easiest by far!

Day 2 is notoriously the hard day as most of it is spent walking up hill, at the greatest height in excess of 4000m, I had not and did not suffer with any symptoms of altitude sickness thank goodness, but the lack of oxygen when at the highest points, was certainly noticeable and very difficult at the second pass - Dead Womans Pass it was only possible to walk a few stops without stopping to catch your breathe! But looking down at the distance and height climbed was truly overwhelming.

As the slowest member of the group I had a guide chaperone, which was not only motivational, but I had my own guide to tell me more about the Incan's, Peruvians and their culture and the flora and fauna found on the park. I was very pleased to learn that I was just 50 minutes behind the last group! 8 hours walking today.

After the sheer joy of completing the second day, I was in for more pain. Uphill and downhill pose their own problems, uphill causes difficulty with breathing, downhill, especially downhill with large steps is excruciating on the legs!

Day three was three-four hours of persistent uphill again and what started as joy turned to dispair of six hours of steep downhill, some of the route was a path but most was that of steep steps to climb down. After more than ten hours trekking I was certainly very pleased to get to camp and it was straight to bed after dinner!

Day four- woken up at 3.30 was a painful start, then queueing at the border point until 5.30, ready for the manic rush to get to the Sun Gate first, although the group was extremely tired the thought of arriving at Machu Picchu certainly spurred us all on to walk the three hours and get there.

The first glimpse of Machu Picchu at the Sun Gate is almost indescribable, amazing and breathtaking, then the next hour to reach Machu Picchu is one of joy to reach there and see the site in all its glory!! The postcard photo shoot was compulsory. The Inca site is just so large and magnificent, the photos just cannot capture the majestical beauty of this site! A guided tour around the site, to understand and learn of its uses as a centre of healing and health was really interesting.

Amusingly the train arrives in and all the American tourists are complaining about the steep incline around the site- they should have tried trekking for four days!! Although the difference between the clean train tourists and the tired and grubby trekkers was very noticeable!!

A hot shower on arriving back in Cusco was just amazing, baby wipe washes are really not quite the same. At least the whole group smelled together!!

Two days later and the legs are still stiff and my calves are still rock solid!

I am so pleased that I trekked theInca Trail it really will be one of those memorable experiences that I wil never forget!

I leave Cucso tomorrow, but remain in Peru for the next nine days, although sadly back to camping. I certainly have enjoyed the benefits of beds and hot showers and no unexpected insect guests!

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