Easy day

Waking up on this day at 5:20, I had lots of energy. I slept great and when we opened the tent door for our coffee, we had an awesome view of the mountains. After tea, we packed up and went to breakfast which consisted of soup and omelettes. During breakfast, our guide stressed for us to take our time today and enjoy the sights. 

The day started as downhill, then started back up. The day was challenging, yet seemed easy. I think we all had our hiking legs by this day. Most of the hike was along the side of a mountain and through rainforest that was awesome. We saw many ruins throughout the day. At one point on the trail, there was a fork in the road where we could continue to climb 98 stairs to get to another Incan ruin site. Most of us left our packs at the bottom with one guide and went up with the other guide, who gave us the history behind the site. Afterwards, we were able to explore around. 

From there, we hiked to another ruin and just pass that was a spot for a break. This is where most groups ate lunch but our guide knew of a better place, so we snacked as our guide showed us how to get water out of the moss that we saw in the jungle. It was warm this day, but did have occasional drizzling. 

It didn't seem to take long to reach another summit where we had a great view of the whole mountain range, the Urubamba River, and Agues Calientes. I was first there and a porter met me with some Chicha Morada, which was amazingly good after a hike. There, we had lunch of ceviche, soup, alpaca, quinoa, pimiento rellano, Jello, and tea. This was to be the last lunch the chef makes for us, so he went all out. I think the fact the we are the last group of the season influenced a big lunch. 

We all had the option to either hike from there to camp, or take the long way to a huge series of terraces. The hike through the jungle was awesome and before we knew it, we were at the terraces. Our guide said we were one of the few groups where everyone took the long way, especially since this was to be our longest day, distance wise. We put in 18 km. 

Camp was right next to the restrooms which was nice. When I got into camp, I took a short nap before tea time where we had popcorn, cookies, wontons, and tea. 

After tea time, we didn't have much time before dinner, our last with the porters. After tea time, we all got together and came up with a big tip for the porters and the chef. 

Dinner consisted of a beef dish. After dinner, the chef came in with a farewell cake. Yesterday was one of the porters bday, so we called him in and made it also a birthday cake. The guide found a match that we used as a candle and sang to the porter. We decided to cut the cake in half and gave a half to the porters. 

After cake, we rearranged the dinner tent for a final get-together with the porters. One of the guys in our group is fluent in Spanish and gave a speech to the porters, thanking them for everything they did for us on the trail. We presented the tips to the head porter who divided it up and gave our tip to the chef. We also took our remaining coca leaves and gave them to the porters. After that, we were able to say our goodbyes to the porters before going to bed. 

All uphill

After the first day, I was feeling good and ready for the second day. However, many people were nervous about it because it was to be all uphill. 

We woke around 5:45 and the guides went to each tent to give us coffee or tea. I enjoyed some coca tea as I packed my stuff. Everyone took their backpacks out of the tents so the porters could start packing them. Breakfast was on open tables (most meals were in a meal tent). Breakfast included fruit, pancakes, porridge, and tea. We had a great view during breakfast; Wayllabamba is a tiny town in the valley between 2 mountains. 

After breakfast, everyone brushed their teeth and got their packs ready for the day. It was a little chilly in the morning, but we warmed up as we started hiking. We all gathered together and were able to meet the porters who carried most of the stuff and did all of the setting up and cooking. They were unable to speak English, so our guide translated.

When we started out, we went through a checkpoint where we could get our passports stamped by the mayor. Wayllabamba is considered the last Incan city, so it was cool being able to get our passports stamped. 

The day started as uphill from the beginning but didn't seem too hard. Though, after about 1 hour, the 20 lb backpack started to feel heavy. 

We didn't see many ruins this day. Most of it was just hiking through the forest. The cool part was seeing the landscape change as we got higher. It went from wooded, to dessert, to rain forest and jungle. 

There were several breaks this day because of the uphill the whole way. We had a few shelters to stop at but not as many as yesterday. We did get to know each other pretty well on this day because of the amount of time hiking. Of any of the days, this was going to be the one to cause altitude sickness. Partway up the mountain, we stopped under a grove of trees to get out of the rain. It rained most of the day and most of us got soaked. When we stopped under the trees, we had a coca leaf break. We each took 10 coca leaves and our guide gave us an activator (charcoal) that extracted the alkaloids from the leaves. To use coca leaves, they are placed in the check and occasionally chewed for about 10 minutes, swallowing the juices. They sort of make your mouth numb and tongue tingle. 

We were so glad to see lunch! It was nice to get the backpacks off and sit for a while. Our guide told us this would be our last chance to get water, so we all bought water for the rest of the trip. For lunch, we had soup, Hawaiian pizza, lomo saltado with alpaca, and coca tea. We rested for a bit before continuing uphill. As lunch was still being made, we got the opportunity to play with llamas. 

The last bit was hard. It was all I could do to walk up those thousands of stairs. I think everyone's legs were about to give out. The hike was worth it, though. We made it to the top of the summit of Dead Woman's Pass. I didn't realize we were going to summit a mountain of 14,500 feet. To my amazement, I didn't get any altitude sickness. When we got to the the top, we all hung out there for a while and got pictures with the sign saying we made it, taking about 6 hours to reach the top. I have to say, summitting this mountain was a huge accomplishment, probably my biggest. 

From there, a few of us climbed a portion that was a little higher to get a better view of the mountains. The wind started to pick up and it got pretty cold, so we started down the other side, 2 hours downhill. We did see some ruins as we were going down, which was pretty cool. 

Camp was at a site called Pacaymayu, a layer of Incan terraces that our tents were set up on. When we got in, we had afternoon tea with popcorn, then took a short nap until dinner, which was fried rice and chicken. 

I decided to turn in early, as did everyone else. I shared the tent with one of the other Germans, Paul, and had an awesome view of the mountains from our tent. I slept pretty good until it started raining. The tent had a small leak which was dripping on my head. I pulled my rain coat over my head and slept most of the night. 

Start of the Inca Trail

I thought about how I wanted to write this post. We have done so much in the past 4 days and it's hard to just separate it into separate posts, but this will be about day one. 

I woke fairly early and checked out of my hostel. Fortunately, I was able to store a bag at the hostel so I wouldn't have to hike with it. Around 5:30, the bus came by and picked me up from the hostel. I was excited! We had one more stop to pick up two others. As we got closer to the starting point, it felt like standing in line for a roller coaster. You know it will be fun and out of your comfort zone, but nervous about not knowing what is ahead. 

We stopped in Ollantaytamba for breakfast at a restaurant where I had eggs and toast with coca tea. I met a nice, older couple that I ate with who were from Australia, named Peter and Caroline.  

After breakfast, we were able to stop at a shop to get water and bags of coca leaves. We have to carry our own water on the hike. We all met back at the bus and continued to the trail head. As we got closer and could see the trail, we all became excited. We crossed the railroad tracks that the "cheaters" use to go directly to Machu Picchu. There is a sign, that says it's the start of the trail, that we got a group picture with. We lined up and presented our tickets and passports to get in. We waited for a little bit before our tour guide (Freddy) set us free to cross the bridge to start the trail. We started up a high, stone staircase to a landing where we could see one side of the mountains and the river. Freddy met us up there and we continued on. 

The trail was fairly easy, though our legs weren't used to it yet. The paths were much like the ones you see on TV where it's a narrow path and a shear drop. The landscape looked a little like a dessert with cacti. Freddy stopped us and showed us a parasite that was used as dye when smashed. He has to be one of the most entertaining and funny tour guides I've had. 

Most of this section of the trail consisted of rolling hills; a good start. Along the trail were occasional shelters for us to sit and rest (it was hot, reaching 80 degrees). Most of them also had stands selling drinks and snacks. We stopped at the first one and intoduced each other. There were 4 Australians (Peter, Caroline, Sebastian, and Nicole), three Germans (Julius,Paul, and Justas), five English (Kellie and her mom who's name is hard to pronounce and spell, Matt, Emily, and Lucy) one Irish (Aoife), and three Americans (Ray, Jeff, and me). There were also the tour guides Freddy and Pepe. As we hiked, I got to know a little of each of them. It was nice to have a conversation with someone in Irish, not to mention she was the first person I've talked to who knows Irish. 

We stopped for lunch where we had soup, rice, fish, chips with guacamole, potato, and tea. After each meal, we also had tea and coffee. When lunch was over, we continued on the mostly flat trail. We were fortunate to have seen a few ruins and terraces along the way, not to mention the awesome views of the mountains. 

We were given the option of taking the long or short way to camp. We all decided to take the long way to see an awesome Incan site. As we sat on the edge of the mountain, we could see the whole Incan ruins with an awesome mountainous background, not to mention llamas everywhere. 

When we got to camp, we chose our tents. I shared a tent with a German named Julios. I was able to get a small bath in a cold stream and washed my shirt (which didn't dry for 2 days). 

We hiked up to a ruin called the sun gate to watch the sunset. We were there for maybe an hour before it got cold and we went back down. We hung around for a while until dinner was ready which consisted of soup, rice, chicken, potato, flambé banana, and tea. Each meal incorporated rice, meat, and potato. Dinner was great and we all decided to head to bed early. It was a little chilly in the evening, but overnight only got down to 51 degrees. 

This day seemed easy, even though we put in 15 km (9 miles). It definitely was a great day with sunshine and much better than expected. 

Exploring the Incans

One day closer to hiking the Inca trail! Last night I slept great and woke up fairly early. Right as I was getting ready for bed, the rain came hard which probably helped me sleep. This morning I had our standard breakfast with lots of coffee. I had a few things planned for today, so I made sure to get an early start. After breakfast, I brought my dirty clothes to a laundry place just 20 seconds from my hostel.

From there, I knew today might be my last day to go souvenir shopping. I know of a great area with lots of traditional Peruvian stuff. I roamed around the streets looking at different shops and got most of my shopping done. At one shop, I even got another free llama and a free pan pipe pin (of which I gave to adventure bear). After I bought stuff from that lady, she gave me a hug which was like giving a hug to a kid (most Peruvians are shorter than 5 feet, and love hugs). I did some more exploring in parts of Cusco I haven't been to yet. 

(Most famous stone in Cusco)

Along the streets are people dressed in the old traditional outfits and mostly carrying lambs. I got pictures of one girl and she took one of me holding her lamb. Later, I ran into 2 other ladies that I got pictures of. 

After I finished my exploring and shopping, I brought my stuff back to the hostel. About this time, the sun started to get really hot, around 83 degrees. I used my Shemmagh to keep the sun off my neck. With some time to kill, I went to lunch and had another glass of coca tea then went to market to get some snacks for the hike. 

Around 2, I went to the fountain in the plaza and met Sonya. We went to the Incan Museum and spent a couple hours there. It was full of artefacts from pre-Incan through Incan period. It was really cool. 

After we finished there, we headed back to Mercado de San Pedro. We walked around there and checked things out. We had both already eaten, but wanted to try the local foods. We stopped at a juice stand where they make custom juice. I ordered a mango, orange, passion fruit juice which was really good. We roamed around more and tried a few other local foods. 

The market was getting ready to close so we headed back to the plaza. There, we parted ways and I headed back to my hostel. I was able to video chat with my brother, sister, and grandma. We talked a bit then I headed out to pick up my laundry. With all my clothes back at the hostel, I was able to start packing for tomorrow. I got my backpack packed and ready to go, after my shower (last shower until after the hike). 

As I was packing, I found a surprise in my backpack: a package of shower wipes. I have no clue where they came from and know they weren't in there when I got here. But I know they will be vital while hiking for 4 days. 

I'm currently sitting next to the fire again. I'm going to head out and find something to eat. After that, I'll head straight to bed to be ready for the hike! This will be my last post until I get back from Machu Picchu. I'm not sure yet if I'll post on Saturday or Sunday. It will depend on when time we get back. You'll definitely hear from me when I get back!