We were up early ready to start our next adventure walking the Inca Trail to Machupicchu. After a short bus trip along a very rough road we arrived at the starting point . There were already lots of buses there and literally hundreds of hikers, porters and guides. 500 people a day are allowed on to the starting point of the track so the carpark was organized chaos. After the porters were checked to make sure they were not carrying more than 25kg, we were in our way to the registration point. Here our passports and tickets were checked and our passports stamped and before departing we had a group photo. We then started our 45 km hike that was to be mostly above 3000m. The first hill had us all wondering what we had let ourselves in for. Our guides, Pedro and Keki were fantastic and had us stopping at regular points of interest to ensure we paced ourselves. We were shown cochineal bugs on cactus and how the people crush them to get cochineal for dyeing wool. Along the way we also stopped to view some archealogical sites. Our lunch stop was at Hatunchaca which was a grassy bank beside a fast running stream. Our porters and cooks had arrived before us and set up the dining room and kitchen tents. We were embarrassed at the amount of gear the porters had carried including tables, plastic stools and a table cloth. They'd heated water and put it in individual dishes for us to wash our hands. They had also prepared soup and a main course of trout, beans, carrots and rice. After we'd eaten, the porters adeptly packed everything up and put it in their packs ready for the next stage. We then continued on our way stopping to sample the local chicha which is fermented corn. As we were making good time, we continued further up the hill than necessary above Wayllabamba to give us a better view and a head start for the morning. Our campsite was at 3050m.
13 May 2012 We were woken by our porters @ 5:00am with a hot cup of coca tea in our tents. After a hot breakfast of porridge, scrambled eggs and bacon with potato and bread, we were on the track by 6:30am leaving our porters to pack up the tents. We climbed for about 50 minutes to our first stop at Yunkachimpa with a degree of trepidation about the "big" climb ahead of us. Our guides encouraged us all the way and the scenery was spectacular. After about 4 hrs walking we all reached the summit of Warmiwanusca (Dead Woman Pass) at 4215m amidst lots if cheers and high fives. The significantly lower oxygen level makes the very steep climb even more exhausting. Some of the younger members of our group were amazed to realize that life and adventure do not stop at 60 and a few were a bit miffed that we reached the top before them. Marcus was determined to get there before his father - a few Denny genes showing through there! Our guide rewarded us with a celebratory sip of rum each after an offering to Pachamamma. We then continued walking downhill to our campsite at Paqaymayo at a mere 3600m. Our porters had passed us on the way and by the time we arrived our tents were pitched. Shortly later a 3 course meal was ready. The chefs never cease to amaze us with their culinary expertise. It is very much up market from the basic camping food we are used to. Everyone was feeling very pleased that they had made it over the "killer" pass without any dramas and there was an element of euphoria around the camp. Our campsite was also in a fantastic position with mountains all around us. In this remote location there weren't even roosters to keep us awake. The tents were however packed in along terraces so we had to be very careful not to fall over the edge. The chefs again amazed us. Afternoon tea consisted of freshly cooked apple pastries and cheese wantants. Dinner was vegetable soup, stuffed chicken breasts with vegetables and rice and then to top it off they had baked a cake, without an oven!
14 May 2012 Although the hardest part of the hike was over, this day was the longest with 16km of undulating track so we were up at 5:00. We started by hiking up hill to an Inca site which also gave us fantastic views back down the valley with snow capped mountains in the background. The trail then continued up and over 3 more high passes. In between it wound its way through the jungle (cloud forest) and through a couple of small caves. The scenery was quite spectacular. We eventually reached our lunch spot on top of a the third pass at about 1:30 and were extremely lucky with the weather and had wonderful views over more Inca sites and mountains. From there it was all downhill. We dropped down 1000m over the next few hours. While we struggled with the high steps, our biggest challenge was getting out of the way of the porters who ran down. We stopped at a couple more Inca sites and our guide was able to explain a lot about the Incas and the different uses of the sites and showed us the water ducts which were built to reticulate water from the mountains. We reached our campsite about 4:30pm and after dropping our packs, went to visit a nearby Inca site where living quarters were still evident. This campsite was more crowded than our previous sites. Our rents were jammed in with no room to walk between them and there must have been about 150 tents.
15 May 2012 Our day started at 3:00am so that the porters could pack up and catch the early train from Machupicchu. The alternative for them was a 3 hr walk! For us it meant that we could get to the registration point before the crowds and get seats to wait until 5:30am for the check point to open. Writing up this blog in the dark filled in the time so please excuse any typos. We were amongst the first through the control point and we set off at as brisk a pace as our head torches would allow towards the Sun Gate followed by an ant like trail of hikers. Dawn emerged as we negotiated the path which sometimes crossed over landslides and in another part became a extremely steep set of 50 narrow stone stairs. After an hour, we reached the high point known as the Sun Gate. I'm sure that I was not the only one to have a lump in my throat and a teary eye at our first view of Machupicchu through the Sun Gate. To finally see the famous ruins was more than just reward for all the planning and our 4 days hiking. We sat in awe as the sun rose and sunlight made its way across the ruins. We felt that Pachamamma must have looked favorably on us as we were very fortunate to have clear blue skies. For Marcus, it was a fulfillment of a childhood dream to see Machupicchu since he read about the Incas in Tintin books. We eventually moved and made our way down to the ruins before the bus loads of tourists from the train started to arrive. Our guide Pedro gave us a potted tour of the ruins and then we were left to our own devices to explore the ruins at leisure. It was quite awe inspiring to wander around the ruins and appreciate what the Incas had achieved. After a few hours wandering around, we had our passports stamped and caught a bus down the mountain to where we had lunch, farewelled Pedro and Kikke, our Inca Trail guides, and caught the train to Ollantaytambo. The train ride itself was spectacular as the train made its way through the mountains. Despite being tired, the scenery and sense of euphoria precluded sleep. We then caught a bus back to Cusco.
We'll update with photos as soon as we get a chance.
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