Days 16 - 19 - Inca Trail and Machu Picchu
Day 16 - Inca Trail
Our tour really starts today, and the Lares Trail group leave us. Most of the Lares group wanted to do the Inca Trail, but left booking too late, that trail is shorter (2 nights rather than 3), harder (peak 600 metres higher), and doesn't finish at Machu Picchu, they finish at Ollantaytambo, then they usually overnight in Aguas Calientes and get the bus up to Machu Picchu the next morning, but they do see a lot more of the small villages.
A few people join us, Nick, Erica and Alaina, all Americans who'll be doing the Inca Trail too, and I'll be sharing a tent with Rose. We head for km 82, the starting point for the trail and unload our gear for weighing and distribution amongst our 17 Porters and cooks. Legally they're only allowed to carry 25kg each, and there are regulations that require 4 porters plus 1 for each customer, cooks and guides are on top of that. The porters are paid a minimum of 200 soles per day for the hike, and many of them are local farmers who only sow and harvest during the rainy season, which is technically over, despite the drizzle we're seeing. We make our move down to the checkpoint and 82km sign, and then cross the bridge. There are less people than I feared at the entry point, and it turns out each group has an allocated departure time to minimise crowding.
There are different rules for the local villagers on this part of the walk, and a number of them are crossing with donkeys, there's also a motorcycle parked at the base of the trail. After the photo we break into 3 loose packs with our guide David with the lead group, and our assistant guide Ricardo with the stragglers. Today's walk is not too difficult, only 12km and a total vertical ascent of about 400m (from 2600 to 3000). Joe, Kevin, and the 2 American girls are up front, they are by far the youngest and fittest member of the group, with an average age of 25. Nick and Julian are decidedly bringing up the rear. Julian can be a bit negative, so I'm not unhappy about the separation of the group, and I put myself firmly middle group. I start working out my pace, as we've been told slow and steady is the best way to do this. The porters and cooks for the up to 500 hikers literally run ahead of us while carrying our gear, and it's custom to give way to them while hugging the mountain side of the track. It's also a tradition that you either clap for or say thankyou to your porters as they pass. Our campsite is lower and further away from the other hikers, and it turns out that our guides earlier statement that his family live near where we're camping is a massive understatement, we're camping in his parents backyard, and the family dog follows us on the trail the next day.
Day 17 - Inca Trail
Today is the most difficult day. Our highest point is 1200 metres higher than our starting point, and our camping site is only 300m higher than the previous night. We're woken by the porters at 5:30am to the question "coca tea?", and 10 minutes later to the question "Aguas Calientes? (Hot water?)", and cups of tea and buckets of warm water to wash our faces are left outside our tents. After breakfast of coffee, sponge cake with optional butter and jam, followed by crepes with dulce de leche we're on our way, leaving the porters to break down the campsite.
There's an increase in variety of vegetation today, and I stop to take pictures of easily 20 different flowers and plants, and as many pictures of spectacular views. In between, I amuse myself by trying to think of appropriate descriptors for my pace and walking style. I start with airport travellator, this is in section 1, which has been described as the easy part. In section two I start toying with the words stroll and amble. Then I move onto a shuffle for the slopes, after noticing none of the locals are taking big steps, this seems to be sustainable until you hit the stairs. The section 2 stairs are where I downgrade my walking style to trudge, and by time I'm about 200 metres in altitude from the top (well into section 3) I've settled on "dragging myself through molasses" as the best description. By this point Barb and I are picking out the best-looking place to sit that we can see and do our best to make it there without stopping, then we reward ourselves with sitting down till we've caught our breath. We alternatively overtake or are overtaken by Pat, whose pace is slower and steadier than ours, as he admits to a little fear that if he sits down he may not get back up. We finally make it to Dead Womans Pass just after noon, and I check in with David that the numbness in my fingers and face are normal, he assures me they are, and usually subside on descending a bit.
The slight drizzle that was on the upward slope turns into cold rain on the downhill, and more than a few of us wonder if this could really be the dry season. With tired legs, wet and slippery paths, and uneven and occasionally quite narrow steps (I'm walking down them sideways, as the stair-width is often less than the length of my foot), we slowly pick our way back down the mountain, and our group splits into us walking solo again. About an hour into the downhill I get a little distracted, slip, and wind up on my butt, surprised but unhurt.
It's about 20 minutes past that, that I start wishing the cooks had given us a packed lunch. Lunch is to be at the campsite once we are all finished hiking for the day. Right now I would do just about anything for a chicken drumstick, because my legs have just started shaking, and the sugary snacks I've got in my pack aren't cutting it. Finally, around 2:30, I approach a group of porters, one of whom is wearing the purple shirt of G Adventures and he guides me down to our campsite. He whistles softly as he approaches the site and the rest of the porters come out and start clapping, and I'm that tired that I'm fighting back tears as I'm offered a seat and one of them gives me hot water for a cup of tea.
By 3:30 we're all at the campsite and we have lunch, followed by a nap. Throughout the afternoon and into the evening we hear the porters clapping different hikers completing the days trek. We get woken for dinner and head back to sleep a couple of hours later.
Day 18 - Inca Trail
Today we've got the longest hiking day, 17km, mostly downhill through what they call Elfin Forest, and it does look enchanted in parts, helped by the low clouds and mist. The tree branches and trunks are a rich orange colour, and are stunted and beaten by the weather. It's on these long steep, uneven and slippery downhill sets of stairs where I wonder if the Quechuan porters have any sense of fear, as one of them flies past me while texting. Today though, we have a first for a while, long stretches of flat path, and it feels unbelievably good to take long strides. We walk through three Incan sites today, and while the two larger ones are impressive I'm struck by the smallest, Conchapata, named for its seashell shape. The porters pull out all the stops for lunch today, and have baked us a cake.
Our campsite that night is one of the first sites, so we hear and see almost everyone returning, including a woman who is obviously struggling, she has her arms draped over two porters, and they are part carrying her to her tent.
Day 19 - Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes
We're woken at 3:30 this morning, and the porters forego the offer of tea in the tent. They are very keen to get moving, they'll take a shortcut to Aguas Calientes and catch the first train back to Cusco, and the porters train leaves at 5:30. They start undoing clasps for the fly on our tent while we are still in it, and breakfast today is just the sugary bread and tea or coffee. We're down at the checkpoint at 4:30, and prepare to wait, as it doesn't open for another hour. We've a two-hour walk ahead of us this morning, with just one hard part, a big set of stairs as you approach he Sun Gate. The Sun Gate is everything I hoped for, and the rain stops and the clouds clear a little for us as we arrive. We admire the view for half an hour and take our selfies and group shots. It's then that one of the guys from another group gets down on one knee and proposes to his girlfriend, who simultaneously jumps into his arms, wraps her legs around his waist and starts crying, there are about 60 of us there at this point, and we're all incredibly moved.
We start making our way down as the daytrippers start heading up to the Sun Gate, more than a few of them, in their shiny clothes and clean shoes, complain about the stairs and we suppress a chuckle. The site itself defies belief and description in its scale, beauty and complexity. After a few hours admiring we catch the bus down to Aguas Calientes, so-named for the hot springs nearby. We order a round of drinks and dump our daypacks as we reach for the WiFi password. A few more drinks follow, and just before hopping on the train, and subsequent bus, we buy some takeaway drinks and fantasize about the hot shower a couple of hours down the road.
Our tour really starts today, and the Lares Trail group leave us. Most of the Lares group wanted to do the Inca Trail, but left booking too late, that trail is shorter (2 nights rather than 3), harder (peak 600 metres higher), and doesn't finish at Machu Picchu, they finish at Ollantaytambo, then they usually overnight in Aguas Calientes and get the bus up to Machu Picchu the next morning, but they do see a lot more of the small villages.
A few people join us, Nick, Erica and Alaina, all Americans who'll be doing the Inca Trail too, and I'll be sharing a tent with Rose. We head for km 82, the starting point for the trail and unload our gear for weighing and distribution amongst our 17 Porters and cooks. Legally they're only allowed to carry 25kg each, and there are regulations that require 4 porters plus 1 for each customer, cooks and guides are on top of that. The porters are paid a minimum of 200 soles per day for the hike, and many of them are local farmers who only sow and harvest during the rainy season, which is technically over, despite the drizzle we're seeing. We make our move down to the checkpoint and 82km sign, and then cross the bridge. There are less people than I feared at the entry point, and it turns out each group has an allocated departure time to minimise crowding.
There are different rules for the local villagers on this part of the walk, and a number of them are crossing with donkeys, there's also a motorcycle parked at the base of the trail. After the photo we break into 3 loose packs with our guide David with the lead group, and our assistant guide Ricardo with the stragglers. Today's walk is not too difficult, only 12km and a total vertical ascent of about 400m (from 2600 to 3000). Joe, Kevin, and the 2 American girls are up front, they are by far the youngest and fittest member of the group, with an average age of 25. Nick and Julian are decidedly bringing up the rear. Julian can be a bit negative, so I'm not unhappy about the separation of the group, and I put myself firmly middle group. I start working out my pace, as we've been told slow and steady is the best way to do this. The porters and cooks for the up to 500 hikers literally run ahead of us while carrying our gear, and it's custom to give way to them while hugging the mountain side of the track. It's also a tradition that you either clap for or say thankyou to your porters as they pass. Our campsite is lower and further away from the other hikers, and it turns out that our guides earlier statement that his family live near where we're camping is a massive understatement, we're camping in his parents backyard, and the family dog follows us on the trail the next day.
Day 17 - Inca Trail
Today is the most difficult day. Our highest point is 1200 metres higher than our starting point, and our camping site is only 300m higher than the previous night. We're woken by the porters at 5:30am to the question "coca tea?", and 10 minutes later to the question "Aguas Calientes? (Hot water?)", and cups of tea and buckets of warm water to wash our faces are left outside our tents. After breakfast of coffee, sponge cake with optional butter and jam, followed by crepes with dulce de leche we're on our way, leaving the porters to break down the campsite.
There's an increase in variety of vegetation today, and I stop to take pictures of easily 20 different flowers and plants, and as many pictures of spectacular views. In between, I amuse myself by trying to think of appropriate descriptors for my pace and walking style. I start with airport travellator, this is in section 1, which has been described as the easy part. In section two I start toying with the words stroll and amble. Then I move onto a shuffle for the slopes, after noticing none of the locals are taking big steps, this seems to be sustainable until you hit the stairs. The section 2 stairs are where I downgrade my walking style to trudge, and by time I'm about 200 metres in altitude from the top (well into section 3) I've settled on "dragging myself through molasses" as the best description. By this point Barb and I are picking out the best-looking place to sit that we can see and do our best to make it there without stopping, then we reward ourselves with sitting down till we've caught our breath. We alternatively overtake or are overtaken by Pat, whose pace is slower and steadier than ours, as he admits to a little fear that if he sits down he may not get back up. We finally make it to Dead Womans Pass just after noon, and I check in with David that the numbness in my fingers and face are normal, he assures me they are, and usually subside on descending a bit.
The slight drizzle that was on the upward slope turns into cold rain on the downhill, and more than a few of us wonder if this could really be the dry season. With tired legs, wet and slippery paths, and uneven and occasionally quite narrow steps (I'm walking down them sideways, as the stair-width is often less than the length of my foot), we slowly pick our way back down the mountain, and our group splits into us walking solo again. About an hour into the downhill I get a little distracted, slip, and wind up on my butt, surprised but unhurt.
It's about 20 minutes past that, that I start wishing the cooks had given us a packed lunch. Lunch is to be at the campsite once we are all finished hiking for the day. Right now I would do just about anything for a chicken drumstick, because my legs have just started shaking, and the sugary snacks I've got in my pack aren't cutting it. Finally, around 2:30, I approach a group of porters, one of whom is wearing the purple shirt of G Adventures and he guides me down to our campsite. He whistles softly as he approaches the site and the rest of the porters come out and start clapping, and I'm that tired that I'm fighting back tears as I'm offered a seat and one of them gives me hot water for a cup of tea.
By 3:30 we're all at the campsite and we have lunch, followed by a nap. Throughout the afternoon and into the evening we hear the porters clapping different hikers completing the days trek. We get woken for dinner and head back to sleep a couple of hours later.
Day 18 - Inca Trail
Today we've got the longest hiking day, 17km, mostly downhill through what they call Elfin Forest, and it does look enchanted in parts, helped by the low clouds and mist. The tree branches and trunks are a rich orange colour, and are stunted and beaten by the weather. It's on these long steep, uneven and slippery downhill sets of stairs where I wonder if the Quechuan porters have any sense of fear, as one of them flies past me while texting. Today though, we have a first for a while, long stretches of flat path, and it feels unbelievably good to take long strides. We walk through three Incan sites today, and while the two larger ones are impressive I'm struck by the smallest, Conchapata, named for its seashell shape. The porters pull out all the stops for lunch today, and have baked us a cake.
Our campsite that night is one of the first sites, so we hear and see almost everyone returning, including a woman who is obviously struggling, she has her arms draped over two porters, and they are part carrying her to her tent.
Day 19 - Machu Picchu and Aguas Calientes
We're woken at 3:30 this morning, and the porters forego the offer of tea in the tent. They are very keen to get moving, they'll take a shortcut to Aguas Calientes and catch the first train back to Cusco, and the porters train leaves at 5:30. They start undoing clasps for the fly on our tent while we are still in it, and breakfast today is just the sugary bread and tea or coffee. We're down at the checkpoint at 4:30, and prepare to wait, as it doesn't open for another hour. We've a two-hour walk ahead of us this morning, with just one hard part, a big set of stairs as you approach he Sun Gate. The Sun Gate is everything I hoped for, and the rain stops and the clouds clear a little for us as we arrive. We admire the view for half an hour and take our selfies and group shots. It's then that one of the guys from another group gets down on one knee and proposes to his girlfriend, who simultaneously jumps into his arms, wraps her legs around his waist and starts crying, there are about 60 of us there at this point, and we're all incredibly moved.
We start making our way down as the daytrippers start heading up to the Sun Gate, more than a few of them, in their shiny clothes and clean shoes, complain about the stairs and we suppress a chuckle. The site itself defies belief and description in its scale, beauty and complexity. After a few hours admiring we catch the bus down to Aguas Calientes, so-named for the hot springs nearby. We order a round of drinks and dump our daypacks as we reach for the WiFi password. A few more drinks follow, and just before hopping on the train, and subsequent bus, we buy some takeaway drinks and fantasize about the hot shower a couple of hours down the road.
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