The Inca Trail is what we would be taking for 4 days before arriving in Machu Picchu. There are actually many Inca trails, but this one is labeled so because of the final destination of Machu Picchu. This was the route that the Incas used to take to get to and from Machu Picchu, and in many parts along the way, the original stone pathways and stairways are still in place, and used by the trekkers who go there.

The trek is about 40k (25 miles) in length, and covers 4 days. You start at around 2600m (8580 feet), and finish at 2500m (8250 feet). But along the way you go up and down, crossing three passes, the highest of which is Dead Woman's Pass at 4200m (13,750 feet). Below is a map of the trek as well as an indication of the elevations climbed. Click on either to get a larger view.

We took a bus from Cuzco along very narrow, sometimes winding road, with a stop in Ollantaytambo. We saw 18,000-20,000 foot mountains along the way. The trail head was at "km 82", where the road just ended in a cocoa field, and you had to get out and walk from there.

We had porters carrying all the stuff, and had a group of 12 people, for which we need 1 guide, 1 assistant guide, and 23 porters. They carried our stuff, the tents, the bags and pads, the food, cooking equipment, kitchen and bathroom tents, as well as their own stuff. They were truly amazing, and even with all their stuff, they were much faster than us, and often we found ourselves getting out of their way in order for them to pass on the narrow path. We only carried our daypacks for water, raingear, and camera stuff.

The first day was relatively difficult. It was generally a gradual uphill the whole way, and many, including Niyati were having trouble with the altitude. The vegetation was semi-arid and semi-lush. We crossed a few rivers on suspension bridges. Large hills were everywhere, and you could catch a glimpse of some white capped mountains in the background. There were still small villages around this area, so there were many glimpses of locals, and especially donkeys. At one point, Brian, Korin, and two others missed a turn off, and walked 45 minutes in the wrong direction. Problem was that no one figured it out until we got to lunch, and poor Rene, our assistant guide, had to sprint back to try and find them, which luckily he did before they got too far. They came back about 1 1/2 hours later.

We still had some major uphills after lunch, and now it was slightly drizzling too. But everyone made it to the first camp in Huayllbamba, at 9900 feet. So we climbed 1320 feet that day, but it felt like much more.

Day 2 was the day we were to cross Dead Woman's Pass. Everyone knew it was coming, so we got right to it. It was drizzling when we started, and it drizzled most of the way up there. We went up 4000 feet, very slowly, through forested and non-forested areas. We reached at least two false peaks, where we thought we were finished only to find out that there was more to go. Though the rain was annoying, it was probably better than it being a sunny day. We reached the top after around 3 hours and lots of resting, stayed quickly for a photo, and then started down because of the wind and rain. A little ways down, we had lunch, and then we had lots of steep downhill to the camp. Although it was a relief from the relentless climbing, its really hard on your legs. The Pacamayo campsite was at 11880 feet, so we were now descending 2000 feet of what we climbed. This was a great campsite in a valley surrounded by many mountains and along a river. Because of the rain and clouds we could not see much, and it was very muddy at camp. We could, however, catch a glimpse of the trail ahead of us tommorrow.

Day 3 was a great day. It was still cloudy, so we didn't get the great views of the Andes that we could have, but the walking and landscape and general excitement were the best. Also, this was the first day that we would walk on mainly original Inca stone trails and stairways. The morning started with a tough climb to the 2nd pass at 13,035 feet. It was hard, but definitely not as hard as the previous day. After that, we walked mainly downhill, and better yet flatly along the ridge of the mountains. We saw many Inca ruins along the way, and would watch them appear and disappear within seconds in the mist. If you didn't get your camera out quickly, you would lose the picture when the fog rolled in. But it could roll out just as quickly.

Because during the rainy seasons this mist is constantly around, this area is considered a cloud forest, which is sort of similar to rainforest, except that all the moisture comes from the mist, not rain. The trees are not as dense as a rainforest, but it is still very lush, and there is usually a lot of wildlife around. We just saw some cool birds, and very interesting plant formations.

It would be harder to find a more beautiful location for a camp than our third camp. Right at the edge of a mountain, overlooking the valley below and the Andes in the distance. And there were some ruins just below us as well. Things were still completely clouded over when we got there, but you could just sense the vastness over the edge, and Niyati and my tent was as close as you could get. I just hoped for a little clearing in the morning, so we could see all the mountains which surrounded us. Elevation was at 12,000 feet, and we were no longer in a valley, so it was cold.

At 5:00 AM, it was still cloudy. But very slowly, the clouds started to lift, and we got views of the mountains around us. We could see whitecapped mountains in the distance, and with some low clouds, the scene was spectacular. This morning, we took our group pictures, and given that there were 12 of us, the guides had their hands full with cameras. All the porters dressed up in traditional clothing, as they were heading down to Machu Picchu, but would then head home and we would not see them again.

Today's walk was mainly flat and downhill, through similar landscape as the previous day. Also, a lot of it was on original Inca Trail. We would be reaching Machu Picchu in the afternoon, walking through it and down to the town, Aguas Calientes, and then coming back up the next day for a full day there. On the way, we saw another great set of ruins at Winya Wayna. Similar in preservation quality to what we would see at Machu Picchu, but much smaller. The day was mainly clear, so we got good views of the mountains around us, and were curious as to what it would be like when we came over the hill and saw Machu Picchu in the distance.

That moment came after a last climb up to Intipunku at 8900 feet. Machu Picchu was in the distance, and it looked fabulous. Looked almost like it was made of legos. Its an interesting feeling when you've seen pictures of something so famous for so long, and then you actually see it. Well, the moment was so inspiring, that moments later down the path, Brian proposed to Korin, and she accepted. It had been in the plans to do the proposal on this trip, but when it would happen was unbeknownst to any of us...especially Korin. After brief hugs and such, we continued into and through Machu Picchu, but didn't stay, as we would be visiting it fully tommorrow. There is a bus that takes you down into town along a very windy road for 1/2 hour.

The four of us wimped out on the last night of camping for a luxury hotel in Aguas Calientes. We still hung out with the group for dinner at their campsite, but made a long dark walk back with just flashlights to our hotel that night for a great night of sleep. Aguas Calientes, by the way, was a charming little town, mainly geared towards tourists, but great fun anyway. The name means hot water, and we did spend some time in the local hot springs, enjoying a few beers while we were there.

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