The Inka Trail to Machu Pichu

Well I can now say I survived the Inka trail! It turned out to be much harder than I expected but in the end it made for a very memorable experience. We trekked 40 KM over 4 days, climbed two mountains passes over 4,000 meters (+13,000 ft) and were constantly surrounded by breath taking views of the Andes. We had 14 people (7 Aussies, 4 Yanks, a Chinese, a German and a hilarious Irish) in our group and I made some good friends that I plan to meet up with in Bolivia. So where to start...

Day 1 was a 14 Km hike with some climbing but nothing too hard. It quickly became apparent that these guys were going to do everything in their power to make sure no one lost any weight on this trip. For lunch and dinner the platters just kept coming and coming until there was no room left on the table and we were forced to fill our plates to make room for the other platters. It was ridiculous! We had monster sized portions of lightly fried meat, rice and steamed veggies for lunch followed by pounds of pasta for dinner. It is also important to note that over-eating at high altitudes is a death wish...

Day 2 turned out to be the hardest hike I´ve ever done. We hiked 16 Km climbing two +4,000 meter passes and I did most of it on an empty stomach suffering from altitude sickness. After a light breakfast we started our ascent up the first mountain which took 2.5 hours to climb 900 m. For the last hour I had to stop ever 15 feet to catch my breath and rest up for the next 15 feet. I have never hiked at 13,000 ft before but it´s unbelievable how the altitude takes its toll. Upon reaching the top we were treated to unbelievable views as we were now above cloud level. It´s also amazing how quickly the weather can change at that height. One moment I was sweating from the ascent without a cloud in the sky and 10 minutes later we are surrounded by clouds rushing to put on extra layers. From there we descended 600 m down uneven rocks that make your knees feel like jello. After an hour we reached our lunch spot or if you´re part of every other trekking company, your camping spot for the night. I can´t say I was pumped to be the only group climbing both passes in one day (especially with my stomach acting up) but in the end it really worked out for the best. It allowed our group to have the trail to ourselves for most of the trip and avoid the horrible crowds you always hear about on the Inka trail. So after the others filled up on hearty portions we headed off to trek our second +4,000 m pass of the day. I try to black out this part of the day because it was basically mind over matter, one foot after the other. The second part of the day took about 5 hours and I collapsed once we got into camp. The good news is after passing out for an hour my appetite returned and I ate my weight in popcorn! The campsite that night was on a bluff overlooking a cloud forest with Inka ruins scattered on the hill sides. Spectacular!!! I slept like a baby and luckily the worst was over.

Day 3 and 4 were both much easier where we spent the mornings walking and the afternoons exploring Inka ruins and relaxing. We woke up at 3:30 on the 4th day to make sure we were the first ones in line at the entry gate. We were and at 5:30 the gate opened and it was a race to the sun gate where Machu Pichu can first be seen. As we were speed walking the sun was rising over a distant peak lighting up the valley below. It was a great opportunity to take some pictures and catch my breath! After climbing the final 50 steps to the top of the Sun Gate covered in sweat we turned the corner to see the valley below completely covered in fog! Pretty anti-climatic and we all felt a little foolish for pushing it so hard. For the Sun Gate it is a 45 minute walk down to the entrance gate to Machu Pichu and by the time we made it to the bottom the fog had completely cleared and there was famous Machu Pichu before us. We dodged a couple of llamas and headed to the famous viewing area to take pictures. The weather cooperated extremely well I got some amazing pictures but they still cannot do justice to the real thing. The ruins of Machu Pichu are so vast and the panaramic cannot be described. It is truly mind blowing that the Inkas could build something so big this high up.

There are two things that I will always remember from this trek. The first is the crazy porters with their monstrous backpacks overflowing with all our gear charging up mountain passes. These guys are machines!!! Our group kept a pretty good pace but no matter what they would always be waiting in camp with our tents pitched and a warm meal waiting. Some of these guys did it in sandals too. These guys should look into starting a moving company in SF and they could save money on not using moving trucks! The second thing I will always remember is the amazing views. The Inka trail takes you high in the mountains and you are constantly looking down on rivers snaking their way though valleys with the Andes stretching on a far as the eye can see. It was probably my favorite part and something I will always remember!