Our trek on the Inca trail is something we have been looking forward to for a long time. However, much like life, it had its ups and downs, both literally and figuratively. The rainy season here wasn’t supposed to start until mid-November or early December but it decided to come this week, and unfortunately for us, the worst rain day was the day we arrived in Machu Picchu. There was some disappointment in that but were are still extremely grateful that we were well enough to even try this and that even in the fog, there is beauty and wonder to be found.
Day 1
Our first day was bright and sunny, and after a bit of chaotic logistical start, we set off. We were in a smaller group with a good guide. There were three young women from the UK who played rugby together in university and one young Chilean man. We all got along wonderfully which made the trip that much more enjoyable.
Our starting point, looking up the valley where we spent the next four days.
There were many Inca ruins along the way as the Inca trail was the main highway for the Inca empire and therefore there were way points and strategic points along the route. Much of this was lost to the jungles for centuries as when the Inca empire fell to disease, in fighting, and the Spanish, the Incas intentionally destroyed parts of the Inca trail to prevent the Spanish from finding them.
Dinners were fabulously prepared for us and we often had some free time upon arrival to get a few games of cards in while the porters made dinner. Speaking of porters, they were phenomenal! The amount of weight they could carry, the speed in which they did the trail, and the kind of meals they could prepare were unbelievable.
Day 2
The next day was our hardest hiking day. Not only did it spit and lightly rain on and off all day, we also climbed the two highest passes on the trail. So much up and then back down on rocks and stairs. Trying to keep up with all these young people was a challenge and we often arrived 25%-50% quicker than our guide estimated! We also started to transition from the more dry landscape and into more of the rain forest area which was at times other worldly in the fog.
It was quite a hike up to Dead Woman’s Pass but did it!
Only to head back down the other side.
At times, this was all we could see but you knew that if it was clear, there would be an amazing view of a valley and mountains. So instead you had to focus on the beauty you could find: lagoons and ruins appearing out of the fog and the ever changing fauna.
Day 3
This day was more relaxing from a hiking perspective and though it started off cloudy, the day got progressively better and we could start to take in some amazing views along the way.
Rain or shine, there was always an opportunity to learn more about Inca culture.
And with three recent university grads who took our girls under their wings a bit and thought it was cool we were home schooling on the road, the girls even got some math and physics lessons on the trail! Here we were learning about circumference and area of circles and that Cherry Pie is Delicious (c=πd) and that Apple Pies R 2 (a=πr^2). Annika also got a lesson in force and momentum as one of the girls tried to calculate whether Annika could stop her if she started rolling down one of the very steep mountain sides we were descending!
One of the Inca tunnels!
The hike down to our final campsite.
Just past our campsite was another Inca site that was discovered in the jungle by a porter. Through out the day, the girls (our girls and the university girls) had “claimed” a site as their own and would go around determining what room was what. Annika claimed this one (which was the largest one) and gave everyone a bedroom and walk in closets, with rooms to spare.
Day 4
We were hoping that day 4 would be clear since the evening of day 3 had cleared up but alas, that was not to be. The only redeeming thing about the start of day 4 is that we no longer needed to carry our bed mats since the porters don’t do the final stage up to Machu Picchu and instead head down the mountain to catch the train, taking the sleeping gear with them.
Instead, we got up at 3:30am to pack-up and walk about 10 minutes to the official check point for Machu Picchu to wait for the gates to open at 5:30am. Since it was raining, we were glad that we got some of the last benches in the covered area and didn’t need to wait out in the rain.
Early morning in the fog is it’s own eerie beauty.
Our final push up to the Sun Gate was super steep and in the rain, it was almost safer to grab the high steps with your hands and scramble up on all fours.
Our first “view” of Macchu Picchu, somewhere down there in the clouds.
At the Sun Gate it really started to rain and as we came down, you would look up and see nothing, and then thirty seconds later look again and you could see more. Sometimes by the time you got your camera out from under your rain gear it would disappear again.
Our view from the upper terraces of Machu Picchu (from the Sun Gate side). We then had to go down out of the park and re-enter the main gates where all the people who come by bus enter to see the lower part. It was a tough wait in the rain to re-enter as we were already cold and soaked all the way through.
This rock mimicked the shape of the mountain behind it. We had to take their word for it.
Aguas Calientes
If it had been a beautiful and sunny day, I’m sure we would have spent more time at Machu Picchu. We are still glad we went, but we needed to get warm and dry and even though we had an extra ticket option to go back up to the high terrace spot and explore on our own up there, we decided instead to take the bus down to Aguas Calientes with the rest of our group. We are glad we did as it continued to rain. We had lunch with the group and said our good byes and then wandered around shops for a few hours while we waited for our train.
We all got certificates for a “Doctorate in Hiking”. The girls did a fabulous job and really conquered the trail, often leading the pack and handling the rain just as well as the rest of us.
