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Published: December 2nd 2007
The start of the Inca Trail - km82
From here we had roughly 40km ahead of us. Daunting!Our Inca Trail essentials were all packed into two small backpacks and the large backpacks were given to our hostel for safe keeping. Our belongings were kept to a minimum with no luxuries packed as we were aiming to carry as little as possible. We both regretted not hiring local porters but that was in the past and if we wanted to get to Machu Picchu we would have to carry our own things.
So after spending alot of the previous night drying our clothes from the torrential downpour we experienced on the way home from dinner, we were ready! It was 5am and our guides were 10 minutes early, most unusual in South America. However, this was a sign of how good and professional the entire Peru Treks & Adventure team were. So after we picked up all 15 of our group, we headed up the hill out of Cusco. We did manage to collect a puncture on the hill but after a very efficient pitstop that any F1 racing team would be proud of, we were heading on towards Ollantaytambo where we would stop for breakfast and it would be our last chance
First campsite - Wallabamba
Toilets at this location were exceptional! to buy goodies ie water, walking sticks (absolutely essential) and chocolate!
After beakfast we purchased our walking sticks. They were both carved wood with funny Inca patterns on them. They became our best friends over the next few days and to this day, we still have the handles which we ripped off when we said farewell to them, it was very emotional! You had to leave them at the side of the path when you reached Machu Picchu. They were essential to tackle the large climbs and the 'Gringo Killer', will explain more later.
After breakfast, it was a 45 minute drive down another boulder ridden road, they are very common in Peru. Finally, we reached the start, km82. We jumped off the bus and the porters were already hard at work loading up all our provisions for the next three days. These guys are small but can carry so much and they even run past us carrying all this gear.
Each year the porters hold a race to see who can run the Inca Trail the quickest. It is roughly 27 miles. A guy from Peru Treks who is 46 years old holds the record for
Our team
15 trekkers, 2 guides (not shown) and 21 porters. the race. He did it 3hrs 45mins, unbelievable! Remember, we do it over three and a half days. Very impressive!!
So back to km82. We all stopped for the usual photos of everyone in front of the Inca Trail entrane sign and then were off down to the Park Control where our tickets were checked and passports stamped. It was then over the suspension bridge to the first set of stairs.
Day one is fairly relaxed with everyone going at a steady pace. There are no steep climbs nor decents and the walk was quite pleasant. Another 3 days like this and we would be fine. We arrived at our lunch stop to be greeted by the porters who cheered us into camp. They had pineapple juice waiting together with popcorn and a fantastic lunch. The afternoon was a little more tiresome than the morning but we made it to camp well in advance of dinner. This meant we had time to enjoy the scenery and get to know our fellow trekkers. Dinner was again a fantastic effort and we retired to our tents to rest before the hardest day of all.
Inca Trail - Day Two Our guides
William and Juve. They were almost last to Dead Women's Pass. Juve can run the trail in roughly 6 hrs and William in 4 days! He is still in training. At 5am we were woken by William who offered us a hot drink. Coca tea, ordinary tea or coffee. We were quite spoilt. After breakfast we were introduced to our team of porters. They were keen to get to know us and as our guide Juve said, we are like a family. So even though our spanish was improving, it was shot right out the water as most of them spoke Quechua which is another language used in the Cusco region. However Juve translated and after a few handshakes and a few dodgy quechua phrases we were ready to go for the summit.
Day two started off brutal and it didnt stop for roughly 6 hours. We were tackling the Dead Women's Pass named after a strange old face on the side of the mountain. Once pointed out it is very clear. Juve had briefed us about this climb. The team gladly accepted his advice and we all took it at our own pace. It is so steep at some parts that you can only manage about 15 minutes before you must stop for breath and water, both of which are in short supply at 4200metres.
After 6
We made it!
Top of Dead Women's Pass, 4200m. Exhausted and soaked. hours of pure hell and our legs feeling like lead, we eventually made it to the top. Lots of people were just lying all over the place trying to stretch their legs or relax. The weather at the summit was quite poor but we relaxed for a while, took the usual photos and then began the downhill trek to camp. It was raining and the stairs were quite dangerous. After two hours where there were a few close calls we reached camp to another warm applause. After the descent your legs are desperate for rest. Ross collapsed into the tent and only surfaced when dinner was called. Both our appetites were very poor after this day of climbing and after a few mouthfuls we were done. It should be pointed out that the cook makes loads and loads of food so any leftovers are eaten by the group of porters. Our camp on day two was on the side of the mountain with very little grass. We therefore had an uncomfortable nights sleep with rocks sticking into our legs.
Inca Trail - Day Three Day three opened bright. Our guide said that this was the most enjoyable trekking day.
View from Dead Women's Pass.
It was roughly 12km all uphill. Very tough. 90% of the path we would be trekking is original. In addition, Juve had a love for the old flora and fauna and he showed us many examples throughout the day. After ten hours of trekking though, the sight of another lily or orchid was not well received by the group, especially when the campsite and trekkers lodge was in sight.
The third day is renowed for the Gringo Killer. This is a series of large Inca steps which take you down about 1100 metres, possibly more than 2000 steps. This series of steps really takes it out of your leg muscles. After a while you begin to shake. On the way down we stopped at numerous Inca sites and were told many interesting stories about there creation and purpose. Juve told us that it is very difficult to ascertain what these sites were used for as the Inca people did not write anything down. It has been left to scientists and researchers to come up with explanations.
The end of day three we camped about 6km from Machu Picchu. There is a trekkers lodge here with clean toilets and a shower. This is the only opportunity on
Up in the clouds!
Again view from Dead Women's Pass. the whole trail to enjoy these comforts. The shower is 5 soles, less than a pound. Only two people in our team showered, everyone opting to keep the non shower experience going until they reached Aguas Calientes or returned to Cusco.
We all gathered in the bar for a few beers and watched the full moon rise over the mountain, something Lynsey had been looking forward to, it was quite special! However, the camera was left in the tent, guarded by the porters, so no pictures sorry. It was back to the food tent for tea where the conversation got a little out of control as some people (the two Americans) had had a few too many beers. Was very funny for us though! Juve then briefed us about the following morning. Following a complete agreememt that we wanted to be first to the entrance gate, it was agreed that we would be awoken at 3.40am!! We didn't realise that the gate was only 5 minutes from our camp and the entrance gate did not open until 5.30am! So from there it was an hour fast trek to the Sun-Gate where hopefully we would be greeted by Machu Picchu.
Second campsite
Our tents were the white dome tents at the bottom. The porters stay behind to dismantle them, then run past you carrying them. Inca Trail - Day Four Obviously day four started very early. However, tiredness was quickly forgotton as the adrenalin kicked in. It was quite competitive down at the entrance and the nearer it got to 5.30am the more people got excited. All of a sudden the gates were open and our group was trekking fast along the trail, almost running. This part of the trail is very narrow so overtaking is both risky and unlikely.
After one hour of fast walking we reached the Sun-Gate. This was after a series of steps that were worse than any we had seen on the Inca Trail before us, it was almost like climbing a ladder! We virtually had to crawl up these steps. When we made it to the Sun-Gate we were greeted with lots of mist and cloud. Machu Picchu is said to be in the middle of the cloud forest. We now understood how they came to that name.
We were amongst the first people to reach the Sun-Gate that day. There was a lot of disappointment around. It was raining and so cloudy. Unfortunately we were further delayed at the Sun-Gate as one of our group
One of many Inca Ruins
The steps to the left leading up to the site were brutal. and had fallen. Following a wait of about 30 minutes we descended into the cloud forest. Machu Picchu did come into view ever now and then but as soon as you managed to find a convenient place to stop and get your camera out, it was gone again.
Finally, we were there. After all group photos and numerous photos of Machu Picchu, we couldn't help feel a little disappointed that we hadn't seen Machu Picchu on a better day. We were advised by Juve that it was not a good idea to climb Wayna Picchu as it was very dangerous. We wouldnt have seen anything anyway.
However, the Inca site still looked amazing and we both really enjoyed the trek and felt very priviledged that we had been allowed to walk the famous inca trail.
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you made it!!
It is a TOTAL killer hey? but well worth it, sorry you didnt get to see MP from the sungate, it was cloudy when I arrived there too and when i got to the precipice i said loudly "clouds? well this isnt what i ordered!" everyone thought i was a tool! Well now I bet you feel like you can do ANYTHING!!! so whats next?!....