Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Peru

As #7 on our 7 Man-Made Wonders of the World bucket list, I was excited for Machu Picchu, but when I heard that there was a 4 day, 3 night trekking and camping option to get there, I was even more excited about doing it up proper (thanks, Daniel and Leilani, for the head's up!). At $1,400, it was by far the most expensive thing we've ever committed to while backpacking, but we decided to pony up the cash and not think about it. On the ground, we discovered that it was much cheaper to book on site, but that was no help to us; we'd already committed to the $300 permits, the sleeping bags, and an extra porter. We choose not to live with regret, but hey, if you decide to do the trail, get in touch and we'll be happy to help save you some cash.

Our team, pre-hike, entrance to Inca Trail

I always love hiking and back country adventures, but the thought of waking up at 4:30 in the morning to camp with strangers, in the cold, possibly rainy, grueling outdoors was bumming me out. Part of me wanted to opt out, sleep in, enjoy my hot showers, but this was on the bucket list, and we were going to see it through.

The night before, we'd met our team of 13 at the trip briefing. They were almost entirely American engineers from Michigan (and one from Minnesota, plus their wives and girlfriends). The morning of, we lost two hikers to a parasite that required hospitalization, so our final tally was 11, plus 13 porters and 2 guides. As we hopped on the bus, we marveled at the American-ness of the crew. Their bags were sprawled out over the seats, and they occupied two seats each. Here we were, asserting our independence and domination, even on a bus in South America (or as the Peruvians might say, "especially in South America."). Mark and I huddled together, bags in our laps on the two remaining seats near the back of the bus. When we stopped a short while later to pick up the porters, they huddled into the back 5 seats of the bus, and spilled out into the aisle which wedged me firmly between my husband and one of the porter's butt-cheeks. Thankfully, it was only for one hour up the winding mountain roads.

Day 1, still smiling in my tourist sunhat

We stopped for breakfast part way up the mountain. Mark disappeared and when I found him in the giftshop downstairs, he had wooden trekking poles in each hand. I was a little surprised because trekking poles strike me as ridiculously pretentious, but I didn't want to be left out, so I ordered a pair to be cut to length. They were only $3, I reasoned. If they didn't work out, I could always burn them for warmth in the night. Besides, worst case scenario, they were natural, so I could chuck the weight into the forest. They'd decompose.... eventually.

Feeling like a dork after purchasing my first tourist sunhat

At the entrance to MP, hoards of saleswomen approached us with handfulls of gear. I switched into automatic pilot, "Gracias, no." and looked away, but the ladies just stood there, and eventually we all found ourselves saying, "Gosh, I really could use one of those hankerchiefs.... and that dorky sun hat... hey, is that water?" Mark loaded up on straps for reasons I couldn't understand, but I've learned not to question these things. It turns out we did need them to cinch up our packs across our chests, as well as to tie on our sticks when not in use.

Happy to have my $3 walking sticks

Post summit, 14,000 feet- yep, we climbed that!

We stood at the gate, waiting for our permitting paperwork to get processed. I was surprised we would get stamps in our passport for the trek. We got 2, but could have gotten a 3rd at MP (we were too tired at the end to stand in line).
On Day 1, we got a late start, so we had to trek fast to make it to camp before dark. Due to Mark's asthma and the elevation, we took up the rear of the bunch which was to say that we didn't get much for resting breaks. Each time we arrived at the stop, the team was already rested and ready to move on. The mountainous views were exciting, and we stopped twice to view historic remains along the way. I recognized the value of the walking sticks right away. Our weight shifted into four limbs which helped stabilize and balance the body with less effort and stress on the legs than would otherwise occur. We made it into camp shortly after dark. Our tents were already set up by our incredible porters who not only carried 50lb packs on their back all day but raced ahead to get camp set up, including hot tea and supper. We would later learn that our porters ranged in age from 19 to 64. They were outstanding.

Our incredible porters. Holy wow! They hiked the trail with 50lb packs!

Mealtime!

Morning, Day 3- above the clouds

On Day 2, we got a wake up call and a cup of hot coca tea before 5am. We all knew that Day 2 was going to be the toughest one. We would climb all morning, then go up and down for the remainder of the day. Our top elevation was over 14,000 feet, and our guide promised us that someone would get sick. Mark and I moved to the front of the pack and led the team in the ascent, which was great because we finally got breaks, long ones, while we waited for the others to catch up with the team. The uphills were brutal. We tried not to look ahead, just keep baby-stepping one foot in front of the other. When we got to the peak, we looked back to take in the view. I was quite proud of our accomplishment. We'd scaled a significant mountain, and the view of the valley below, and surrounding mountains was awesome. I found a bano natural and realized that it wasn't very private. 2,500 people per day hike this trail, and I'm pretty sure most of them used the same space. Why the government hadn't created an actual outhouse at this location was a mystery to me, but one of the porters or guides explained that much of the permitting fees ($300 per hiker) went toward other parts of Peru, like Lima, rather than the national park. By the end of the day, when I stopped into camp, my legs started to involuntarily shake. We couldn't see it, but the surrounding mountains were covered with snow. We were exhausted. I didn't even care about supper. I just wanted to sleep, but our tent was cold, so I went to supper anyway. I felt sick and couldn't eat more than the soup. I assumed it was altitude sickness again, but our guide was convinced I was either pregnant or getting sick. We slept hard.

Day 3, Mark jumping for joy

Views on Day 3

Whoo hoo, downhill (choke, wheeze, calf pain)

Exploring the optional site, end of Day 2 (had the place to ourselves)

On Day 3, we were excited for our short, scenic day. We'd hike only "five hours" (Peruvian time is not known for accuracy), and we were promised a siesta at the campsite. It turns out I was sick. I felt goobery and exhausted during the flat parts and the downhill. I started to feel grumpy and frustrated. How had I gotten sick on the trail? I washed my hands before every meal. I sanitized at every snacktime. It turns out several of us had a sore throat, coughing, sneezing, fatigue, and runny nose. We were pretty sure it was from the cook or his assistant. My handkerchief was disgusting. My nose was chaffed and red. In Spanish, our guide, Edwin, inquired about my health. "Estoy cansada y un poca inferma." (I'm tired, and a little bit sick). We soldiered on to an incredible site on the side of the mountain. We loved seeing llamas again, and the views were incredible. When we reached the campsite, a short distance beyond, I collapsed in the tent. It was in the hot sun, so I rested with the tent door open. After lunch (soup again, I couldn't manage to choke down the vegetable salad or chicken and rice), I treated myself to what felt like a quick glacier-fed hose shower. Mark was in before me and let out a big "whoo!" when the water hit. I took a siesta and when the rest of the team hiked 15 minutes up the road to another remains site, I couldn't bring myself to any more hiking. I needed to rest up for the following 3:30am wake-up call. At supper, we held a ceremony for the porters. They each received their tips from our team (about $11/day from each hiker).

Optional site, from above

Day 3, terraces before camp

Day 3 site before camp

Day 4. The porters woke us up with coca tea and a snack bag. They packed up our site and ran down the mountain to catch the 5am train. We hiked down the path, in the dark, to a gate where we waited. While some groups played charades in their headlamps, we entertained ourselves by complaining and telling jokes. Eventually, the gate permitted us to enter, and we hiked at a brisk pace towards the sun gate for Machu Picchu. A few people ran past, nearly knocking down one of our team members who let out a surprisingly resounding "God Dammit!" At the sun gate, we waited for the sunrise over Machu Picchu. The team members who were previously lost to the parasite joined us at the sun gate, this time with a broken toe (#worstvacationever). We hiked down to MP, and became very aware of the close proximity of other tourists. It was strange to go from being semi-alone in the mountains to being surrounded by tourists. We laughed as tourists asked us "how much further?" as if to say "Really, we've been hiking for 4 days, and you're asking after 15 minutes, 'how much further?'"

Mark, hiking in after the sun gate, Day 4

Our crew, waiting for sunrise at the sun gate (entrance to MP)

We made it! Machu Picchu!

Entrance to MP

Rounded stones were for temples, not dwellings or resting places

View from Waynapicchu, an optional extra $70 hike on Day 4

Narrow staircase to Waynapicchu

Width of the steps, barely fit my feet

We spent about an hour and a half wandering through the site with a guided tour (stops included a proper bathroom, with toilet paper and seats, as well as an overpriced but welcome latte and coke machine). After the tour, 3 of us proceeded to climb Waynapicchu. Each of us were exhausted, but decided to do it anyway. After all, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and friends had recommended the view (thanks, PJ; that was quite a view!). We'd already paid the $70 for the ticket, and darn it, we were going to power through! One foot in front of the other, we climbed the narrow staircase to gain the spectacular views of MP. It was incredible and although we were winded and sore, we were glad to be at the top of of the mountain. A patrolman told us we needed to descent, because the site was closing, but we took our dear sweet time taking pictures that we'd earned with every narrow step.

Background is MP (as viewed from Waynapicchu). Switchbacks are the bus ride down from MP.

After Winapicchu, the three of us met up with our remaining team members at a second story pizza restaurant in Aguas Calientes. We tipped our guides and "personal porter," who we had never seen before, and despite feeling ripped off by the "personal porter" scam, we enjoyed our pizza and beer over the noise of the passing trains. After hearing about our 4 hour layover, our new-found friends, Keira and John, invited us over to borrow their hotel shower. We couldn't have been any more surprised or elated. As they checked into their beautiful $100/night accommodations, we marveled at the luxury but felt unwelcomed by the desk staff. Although I insisted that they enjoy their lodge first, they persisted that we would have the first showers and even provided the shampoo. Luxury of all luxuries, we enjoyed a hot shower with perfect water pressure. It was truly refreshing. We enjoyed visiting for about an hour, then excused ourselves for an afternoon latte and slice of cake before boarding the 2 hour train ride and 2 hour bus ride back to Cuzco. The train plus bus return trip felt rather thrown together, another exercise in faith. "Someone will be there with a sign for you at the mid-point." And when the train conductor woke us up, there they were. We rolled back into Cuzco at about 11pm and hobbled back to our crappy $10/night Hospedaje by taxi shortly-thereafter. I was still sick, so I extra appreciated that our hotel receptionist helped carry our bags up from the storage room downstairs. Who cared that the Hospedaje didn't provide toilet paper or hot water?  We'd already showered, and just needed a place to sleep for the night. Heck, we'd hiked MP, and tonight was a night to rest on our laurels.

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