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Published: April 18th 2005
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I returned yesterday from my 4 day hike along the Inca Trail, finishing at the highlight of the trip so far, Machu Picchu. I have 1 more night here in Cusco before heading to Puno and seeing what Lake Titicaca has to offer.
But first, back to the big MP. I began the hike at Kilometre 82. The first day along the trail was a relatively easy 12km and we arrived into camp at around 4pm. The terrain was quite flat and we stopped at a couple of ruins along the way, just to get us in the mood for what we would be seeing on day 4. The hardest part of the first day wasn't coping with the altitude or the uphill parts of the trail. Instead it was avoiding the significant amounts of donkey droppings that littered the path.
Our first campsite was in a gorgeous valley looking down in the trail we had climbed up to reach it. Its not quite the high season yet so thankfully, we didn{t see too many hikers on the trail. The regulations only allow 500 people on the trail each day, wich includes tourists, guides, and porters.
The next day we began our ascent into the true Andean highlands, a steady 4 hour trek, all uphill to 4200m. It was a lung-bursting climb and I was drenched in sweat by the time I reached the top, called Dead Woman's Pass, the highest point of the trail. If I needed any motivation during the climb all I had to do was look at the fat American tourists and old biddies who were also sharing in the pain.
After reaching the top, it was a short 2 hour descent into the second campsite. That night I was awoken by a thunderstorm at 2am and I was seriously concerned that the good weather we had experienced so far was about to come to an end. Some light rain greeted us the next morning as we began our third day. We went through 2 more passes and finally began the downhill descent to the final campsite. The third day's trek was through some amazing cloud forest and it was quite bizarre to see layers of mist and cloud above, climb up so that the cloud encircled everthing, and then climb further up so that the layer of cloud rested below. As we trekked through the third and final pass, the amazing surrounding scenery made me fell like I was part of the Fellowship of the Ring.
We awoke at 4am on the 4th and final day to get an early start to Machu Picchu. After passing through the checkpoint we had a hour's hike uphill to the Sun Gate where you get your first view of MP. I don't think I'll forget the moment when I climbed the last step, walked through the temple ruins, and looked down on Machu Picchu below. The sun had just risen and was partially obscured by a layer of cloud but the view was perfect nonetheless.
After savouring the moment, we began the hour long hike down to MP itself. We arrived at 7:30am, well ahead of the many tourists who arrive by train from Cusco at 10:30am. Looking down on the ruins is a mind-blowing experience. Its simply inconceivable to imagine how something so intricate and massive could be constructed by the Incas centuries ago.
Walking amongst the ruins and getting a closer look is even more special. The geometry and perfection of the construction work is quite a special thing to see. After our 2 hour guided tour, I set out to climb Waynu Picchu, the mountain which overlooks MP. Even though my calves and quads were aching, more so from the knee-jarring downhill sections of the trail, than the climbs, it was time for one final challenge. The trail of Waynu Picchu is ridiculously steep and it takes almost as much mental effort as physical effort, to concentrate on where to place each step. But upon reaching the summit, the view is incredible and the best place to appreciate the sheer size of MP.
Writing this now back in Cusco, I feel very privileged to have seen such a magical place. I've heard a lot of chat about the local government wanting to close off the Inca Trail entirely and also some other talk there being plans to install a cable car to Machu Picchu. Sadly enough, there's already a ritzy hotel located right outside the front tourist entrance to MP. All of this talk has made me realise even more how lucky I am to have seen it.
Before leaving MP, its time to say something about what was the second most amazing thing I saw during the trek. It wasn't one of the other beautifully preserved ruins or the amazing scenery from on top of each of the three passes. Instead it was the incredible job that our porters did during those 4 days. Whilst we carried our daypacks weighing about 7 kilos, some of our porters carried camping gear, food and tents weiging up to 25 or 30 kilos. They would then jog along the track, past us as we laboured along, and then have the campsite set up by the time we arrived. It was incredibly humbling and embarassing to see how hard they worked for the equivalent of $5 a day. Together with seeing MP itself, the other unforgettable aspect of the trek was seeing the job that they did.
Well as I said at the start, tomorrow I leave the ancient Inca capital of Cusco and head on to Puno. I've really enjoyed by stay in this beautiful city and much Inca stonewark remains to be seen among its narrow cobblestoned streets. The only unfortunate aspect of Cusco is that its proximity to MP has made it the gringo capital of Peru. With such a huge amount of tourism comes the many touters and spruikers all through the city. You can't walk for 5 metres in the main plaza without someone coming up and asking you to buy this or that.
On to Puno...
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Mike Brady
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Great read!