The Inka Trial day 1 & 2

My departure date for the complete four day Inka Trail trek to Machu Picchu was Monday the 21st. Several others from my hostel were leaving the same day but with different groups. We all ended up having a mellow night and resting up for the trek. There are a total of 400 people permitted to start the trail each day. The permits sell out well in advance as this is one of the most famous treks in the world.

I was picked up by my guide service at 6:30am and we made a few more stops to pick up the others in my group. It took until about 8:30 for everyone to be onboard & all things organized. We had a total group of 21: 11 clients, 7 porters, 1 cook, the head guide Jimy and the assistant guide David. We took the mini-bus about two hours into the Sacred Valley along the Urabamba river to a small village called Ollyantambu. The valley was gorgeous and lush with small farms and the river was raging as it is the rainy season. We had about 30 minutes at Ollyantambu to grab some food and various supplies. I bought a few chocolate bars, an extra bag of coca leaves and a small bottle of rum for the journey. Then it was back on the bus and and down river to the official starting point of the Inka Trail.

Our group consisted of myself, a retired French-Canadian couple(Richard & Madeline), a retired Argentine (Eduardo, 60 years young), a young couple from the US (Jake & Caroline), an Argentine couple (Gustavo & Laura), a young Brasilian lady (Racheal) and newly weds Nathan (USA) and Marlena(Peruvian) who just left the states to move to Lima.

The Andeas are so impressive & spectacular! Sorry to use the same superlatives over & over but there just arent words in a thesaurus to describe this experience! The jagged peaks peering through the mist, the gigantic rapids in the river and century plants shooting 30 feet high welcomed us to the Inka Trail. Day one was easy hiking as we did not climb much altitude and stopped several times to observe the fantastic ruins that practically litter the valley. Some of the largest ruins were not discovered by white people until a few years after Hiram Bingham found Machu Picchu. The sites are well preserved and awe inspiring in their construction and locations. The weather cleared for most of our first day, lunch was great and with only a small climb of about 1200 feet to our camp site I felt inspired to take on the challenge of day two. We passed several families homesteads that have been farming and raising llamas or sheep for 100s of years. All of the groups camp in similar locations and the fresh trout we had for dinner was tasty.

Day 2 invloved a 1250 meter (3,750ft) climb over Dead Woman Pass (13,450ft) and back down another 2000 feet to camp. There was a light rain most of the day and I passed some very unhappy looking people along the climb. Nearly all the trekkers hire additional porters to carry thier belongings, but not me. I had about 30 pounds of gear, food & water on my back the entire trek. The forest went from arid conditions to lush ferns and moss covered trees until about 12,000 feet where it was mostly scrubby plants. Step by step I made my way up the pass with several Argentine girls from another group - they though I was completely nuts for carry such a big load and keeping pace with them! I must say that their smiles kept me inspired:) I was the third in my group to make it to the top of the pass where Jimy was waiting (David followed along with the slowest memeber). I still felt full of energy so I dropped my pack off with Jimy and climbed another 1200 ft to a summit above the pass. Definitely the highest I have ever been. Jimy couldnt believe I had the energy to make that summit and rewarded my with a bit of "Inka Medicine" (rum) when I returned to get my pack.

Dropping down the rock stairs was grueling on my broken leg but I took it slow and easy, still arriving into camp before 5 others. The waterfalls were amazing and there purple flowers glowed like neon. Another great meal for dinner and we all prepared to watch the full moon rise over the mountain. A very impressive scene as the clouds cleared and revealed 19,000 ft peaks and Veronica glacier under the moonlight!!! Everyone was very tired and we crawled into our tents early for a good nights rest.

I cant say enough about the porters. These guys run up & down the mountains in sandals with 23 kilos of gear strapped to them. Not in backpacks but just wrapped up in blankets and bags. Unbelievable!!!!

There is so much more I want to say but still have not been able to digest it all. . . .