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Published: November 16th 2011
Let's go!
Our gang assembles for a snap before we begin the four day hike.Before we placed ourselves on the footprints of the ancient Incas, and hiked the four days along the Sacred Inca (Inka) trail to Machu Picchu, a few stars had to align for us. In many ways, our trek to Machu Picchu started in the same place that so many great things in our lives have started….at Four Green Fields in Tampa (you know what we’re talking about😉.
It was a hot Tuesday evening, and the mixture of sweat and Guinness made for an interesting odor at the pub. Myself and Sarah had completed the 5k fun-run that had recently become a flagship weekly event at 4GF. Over creamy pints, the best in town (if not in Florida), we were chatting with our friends and answering many questions as to “why are you leaving?” and "How did you do that". Some didn’t get it, many did, but I think, writing this, that everybody eventually understood why we were doing what we were doing. Michael Sistrunk was one of the guys who immediately understood. With a huge smile he greeted me by saying “You B@st@rd! You’re about to go living my dream!” A few minutes later, we were figuring out when we
No you don't!
Sarah tries to squeeze past a porter ;) The porters were like machines. They carry so much weight. Thanks again boys. would meet up and hike to Machu Picchu….Cheers Mike.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located at 2,430 meters (7,970 ft) above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is about 80 kilometers northwest of Cusco. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti. Often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World.
The Incas started building around AD 1400, but abandoned it as an official site for the Inca rulers a century later in order to attempt to hide it and prevent destruction at the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally, it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American historian. Since then, Machu Picchu has become one of the world’s best known tourist attractions. This is how we got to know it…
From Cusco
We had met with our Tampa crew plus some new folks in Cusco on Saturday where we all rendezvoused at the office of Peru
Sayacmarca
"Dominant Town" Treks. Six months beforehand, Mike had the foresight and sense to book the trip and coordinate pretty much everything. All we had to do was show up and pay up. Good times ensued over the weekend until we all rolled out together early Monday morning. Sarah and I were last to board the bus at about 6.45am (nice) from our hostel. Our bus took us the hour or so to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, from where our adventure would begin.
Beginning the Inka Trail
The Incas might have been proud of us from the start. We set off on our journey as a group of eighteen; a small army that, fair enough, the Inca Warriors might have managed to take down, but a formidable group nonetheless! We all gathered around a grand table for breakfast in Ollantaytambo and readied ourselves for the adventure. Most of us that didn’t pack hiking poles, grabbed a few sticks at the shop adjoining the breakfast restaurant, while others stocked up on Gatorade, water, and, most importantly – rum. You could feel the excitement.
The morning mist turned to rain as we got our packs together and took off. Almost as
Runkuracay
This beautiful Incan ruin is called Runkuracay ("Pile of Ruins") and is located at 12,139 feet (3.720 M) of elevation. soon as we did, our porters sped past us with the bulk of supplies and extra camping equipment. These boys were amazing. As you can see from some of the photos, the ‘porteros’ were pure machines - they carried probably twice their body weight, basically ran past us to set up the next camp-site or lunch tent, and did it all with wafer-thin sandals on their feet and smiles on their faces. Respect.
Everybody was in buoyant mood as we made our way on our first day which would take us along a dirt track past native country folk who speak Quechua and actually live inside the Machu Picchu Sanctuary. Along the way our guides explained a bit more about the geography, animals and vegetation in the region. We checked out the ‘Tequila Tree’ or Mexican Agave to be exact, and the girls were interested to see a beetle that when squashed made a red smudge and is actually used by cosmetic companies such as Chanel.
One of the first sites that we got to see was at Qoriwayrach. We all soaked up a bit of sun, and enjoyed the view from the beautiful mirador. The next archaeological site
encountered on the trail is the ruins of Llactapata, a site that is thought to have been used primarily used for crop production. Llactapata is very well preserved and is located at about 9,000 feet (2,750m) above sea level. Its name means "High Town" in Quechua. We all made it to camp and had a nice dinner that night before downing a few cervezas to quench our thirst courtesy of a bag full of beers that one of the industrious porters had carried along with him. Were we that predictable?!
Day 2
I awoke before dawn as the porters and cooks rustled up some brekkie for us. We were going to need plenty of fuel for the day as the second day is believed to be the most challenging with plenty of uphill. It was very nice to catch a beautiful sunrise and see the snow-capped peak of Salkantay. After a power breakfast, we made our way uphill to ascent to Warmiwañusca ("Dead Woman's Pass"), which, is almost 14,000 ft (4,200 m) above sea level. The trail got quite steep at stages and there were a few big steps to climb, but we all made it without a
glitch. At one stage, we did have the task of overtaking a slow group of foreign students – there must have been 50 of them! When we reached the top we were able to see a beautiful view of the surrounding land and get loads of great photos.
As we reached camp we were again greeted with applause from our team of porters! Dinner was again delicious and we had a few customary drinks too. The fact that my camera battery light was indicating that it needed a charge could have been a concern, but luckily Percy knew of a way to get the batteries charged. It turns out that our campsite was close to a tiny village where he could get it done. Nice one Percy!
Day 3
The third day began with breakfast and Percy told us to grab a river rock from the stream nearby as we left camp. Our walk began with the ascent of yet another pass (Runcurakay Pass at 12,631 ft). The views from the top of the passes were incredible as you can see with the nearby mountains such as Veronika and Salkantay in the backgrounds. Percy, our guide, explained to
us at an early stage that mountains held a special significance to the Incas. I suppose this is a good time to mention the semantics and beliefs of the Incas…
Inka Philosophy and Mythology
As with many ancient and modern cultures, the Incas had a lot of philosophies, rituals and beliefs.
For example; mountains were sacred. They represented a closeness to the upperworld. There was 3 worlds or levels of existence; the Upperworld, the Underworld, and the everyday world. It can be better summarized and visualized with the Inca Cross or Chakana. The stepped cross is made up of an equal-armed cross indicating the cardinal points of the compass and a superimposed square. The square represents the other two levels of existence. The three levels of existence are Hana Pacha (the upper world inhabited by the superior gods), Kay Pacha, (the world of our everyday existence) and Ucu or Urin Pacha (the underworld inhabited by spirits of the dead, the ancestors, their overlords and various deities having close contact to the Earth plane). The hole through the centre of the cross represents Cuzco, the center of the Incan empire, and the Southern Cross constellation.
In the Inca religion, the
name for God is Wiracocha which means the creator of order in the universe. They also called him Pachacamac which means sustainer of the universe. A female God was also recognized, Pachamama which means Mother Earth. The religion is ordered and complete through the total harmony with the heavens and earth.
To explain this order the Inkas symbolized the Inka Trilogy with animals, also 3. The condor, the puma and the snake form the trilogy. The condor represents God, the puma wisdom and the serpent Pachamama and action, God, people and Mother Earth. To be with God, cultivate wisdom and to take positive action in appreciation of and to live in harmony with heaven and earth.
As you may have guessed by now, the number 3 was also sacred and things were generally grouped in threes. Which is the perfect segue for…
Day 3 Continued
The first ruins encountered on the third day is a circular, walled complex with typical Incan niches inside. This beautiful Incan ruin is called Runkuracay ("Pile of Ruins") and is located at about 12,000 feet (3.700 M) of elevation. Percy explained that the ruin is a "tambo" which was a resting station
for couriers traveling along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Runkuracay contains an area for sleeping and a stable area for their pack animals, which were normally llamas.
It was close to this site that Percy asked us to get our rocks out 😉 Percy himself is a descendant of the Incas and it was evident that he loves his culture and his job. He explained the significance that by taking the rocks (a part of Mother Earth / “Pachamama”) and placing them where we did, would signify good harmony and bring great benefits. The payment or offering to Pachamama is to rediscover one’s self and to become conscious of this important relationship, which brings us happiness and perfect harmony…we would become part of the ancient inka trail. Percy continued the ceremony and played a beautiful song with the flute to create an incredibly serene mood.
After we spent some time at Runcurakay Pass we trekked onto the beautiful site of Sayacmarca ("Dominant Town"), which sits on top of a sheer cliff. Again, the views were breath-taking. After Sayacmarca, the vegetation along the Inca Trail begins to change as it proceeds through a tropical cloud forest that is actually
part of the Amazon jungle, filled with exotic flowers and colorful orchids.
After Sayacmarca ruins, we hiked on to the next ruins of Phuyupatamarca, which is thought to have been an important religious site containing numerous baths for religious ceremonies.
Incredibly, the majority of the Inca Trail, especially that encountered on the last two days, is of original Incan construction. Our guides told us that 90% of the trail is original. Amazing. Those Incas certainly knew how to build a lasting road system. The Trail also passes through mountains using a system of tunnels. Over five hundred years on and people still walk the trail.
We wrapped up the third day by seeing the the Incan ruins of Intipata and Wiñay Wayna ("Forever Young"). Sarah was quick to spot some orchids and apparanty, this area has one of the greatest varieties of native orchids found any place in the world. Sarah and I sped ahead with one of guides to see the ruins before it got dark. We just managed it!
This campsite was large, because it is here, near Wiñay Wayna, an important and well-preserved Inca ruin., that the two-day tours meet up with groups like
ours doing the four-day. There was a social room and even showers. Most of our group was keen to buy beer, but the place was actually sold out! Nevertheless, some flasks of ‘cold medicine’ were circulated at dinner and we grabbed showers for a small fee. Tomorrow we would be walking into Machu Picchu. Everyone was excited, as this is a place firmly etched into most people’s ‘Bucket-Lists’. It would be an early morning for us as we would make the final walk to the sacred Incan site.
Day 4
The final day began early near the ruins of Wiñay Wayna. The final leg of the trek was gorgeous; an adventurous walk through the jungle which, when the sun rose, warmed us all up in no time after a cooler start to the morning. After an hour or so, we started the steep but quick climb to the vista of Inti Punku, the 'Sun Gate' from where we could finally see our destination in the distance; the ruins of Machu Picchu.
Many people have asked us “what is it like?” or ” is it as good as they say it is”. ‘Incredible’ and ‘better’ I would say. Everybody
will have a different feeling as they experience different things – for me seeing Machu Picchu was awe-inspiring. I could attribute this to a few things including the sacredness of the site, the history that we learned, and especially because of the appreciation that I now had for how the Incas made the pilgrimage their.
We were quite fortunate to have nice weather. Some people have dubbed the ‘Sun Gate’ as the ‘Cloud Gate’ because the view is regularly impeded by mists and clouds. From here, it was an easy and enjoyable hike down to one of the wonders of the world, Machu Picchu.
We took plenty of photos, and enjoyed laughs with our friends on the way. One of the funniest moments came when we met an older American couple who were obviously part of an expensive one day tour to Machu Picchu. The gentleman wore a t-shirt that proclaimed his love for presumably his home state of Texas. Yes, the t-shirt had the black writing with a big red heart….IBut yes, the actual site of Machu Picchu did have a lot of bodies. While the Inca trail only permits 500 walkers each day (300 visitors and
200 porters, if I’m correct), Machu Picchu permits two thousand entrants daily. Having said that it didn’t feel crowded as there is plenty of room to walk around the extensive site. We soaked it all up and took many pictures to share with you all. Some of my favorite views were of the mountain facing us which resembles a condor. Beside that you have the other famous mountain of Huayna Picchu which allows a view down at Machu Picchu.
We’ll never forget our amazing trek along the Inka Trail to Machu Picchu. More than just a hike; it’s a spiritual journey. Highly recommended.
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connie and kevin
non-member comment
awesome
great information and wonderful pictures I feel like Im so close to it but so far away from it all... thanks for the great pics and sharing the experience....luv yas