Day 1: “Acclimatizing,”
5:45 AM wake up time
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Mey was not feeling well on this first day which made it
difficult for her to carry on especially with her backpack. Luckily, we did not ascend many meters on Day
1. It was mostly for us to acclimate to
the altitude. We did not see many sites
or points of interest, except for the beautiful mountain ranges and glacial
peaks.
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As for other plants, we learned about the “Angel’s Trumpet” which had hallucinogenic properties, the red more than the white. There were apparently many other hallucinogenic plants that were used along with the Coca leaf to create a more direct spiritual connection with the Incan gods. We also had a long history lesson by Elias explaining how
many routes there were to Machu Picchu and how much of an interconnected web of
trails the Incans constructed.
There were 10 porters for the 7 of us who each carried
approximately 35 kg of supplies on their backs.
They hiked ahead of us at an alarming pace compared to us. By the time we got to our lunch site, they
had already set up tents and began preparing the meal. We were all very impressed and surprised with
how gourmet the food was. For example,
this day we had ceviche for an appetizer and many dishes for the main
course. They always served tea, coffee,
water or hot chocolate.
After lunch, the porters would pack everything up and hike
to the campsite for the night. By the
time we arrived, five tents for sleeping and one tent for dining were already
erected. Bathrooms were scattered
throughout the trail but were usually a dirty hole in the ground where one
would have to squat. Toilet paper was
usually not provided. Public restrooms
usually cost one sol.
Day 2: “The
Challenge,” 5:30 AM wake up time
Mey was still not feeling well on Day 2, and unfortunately
this was the toughest day of our trek.
Mey decided to hire a porter to carry 9 kg of her materials. According to her, “best investment EVER!” We stumbled upon a scale which gave us a
chance to weigh our bags. Johnathan had
11.1 kg, Joe 11.6 kg, Nick, 13.0 kg, and Mey did not weigh hers. However, just lifting her bag made it clear
that it was one of the heaviest.
Thankfully, she was able to subtract the 9 kg for the rest of the trip.
We met an older man on the earlier part of the trail who
spent his time picking up trash left by disrespectful hikers. John, one of the other hikers, and Joe
offered him some Coca chocolate which he graciously accepted. We made it a point to keep our trash in our
bags for disposal at the campsites, and even John and Joe picked up trash along
the way as they came across it.
The weather was sunny and dry, perfect conditions for a
light hike. However, fog began rolling
in just when the hike started to become more intense. We reached a part of the trek called “Dead
Woman’s Pass” because they found mummies there and the mountain range looks
like a woman lying on her side with her arms crossed. This was a steep climb to the summit of the
mountain. Beginning the day around 2,600
meters, we reached the summit out of breath at nearly 4,200 meters. Unfortunately, the fog was so dense that it
was difficult to make out any views at the peak. It even rained a little. We rested for a while to wait out the fog and
were able to see a bit more of the distant views. We took a number of photos here and also had
a celebration with canned, first-catch, smoked salmon brought by our new hiking
companion, Bobby. He is a fisherman back
in Alaska.
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Over dinner, Nick began feeling feverish and nauseous. He decided to retire early to bed and hopefully
rest it off. Mey did also as she was
still not feeling 100%. The rest of us
shared a bottle of liquor provided by Elias after dinner. We toasted to finishing the hardest day of
our trek. Johnathan toasted with a cup
of water. After leaving the tent, we
were struck by a vividly clear night sky full of twinkling stars. We stared in awe at the clarity of all the constellations. What an enchanting feelings to sleep under
such beauty.
Day 3: “Cultural
and Unforgettable,” 5:00 AM wake up time
With Mey and Nick already feeling under-the-weather, it was
only a matter of time for another member of our group to fall ill. Joe woke up at around 4:00 AM with intense
nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. He tried
to take Azithromycin antibiotic but was unable to keep it down. We soon after, began our hike with a steep
ascent. Joe was lagging far behind
feeling as if he were going to get sick after every few steps. Eventually he did and felt somewhat better,
but for the rest of the day, felt borderline nauseous and weak. He slept at every resting point.
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On this day's trek, we passed through a number of high jungles. We noted that as we ascended/descended to various altitudes, the foliage changed.
The next ruin, Sayacmarka, was atop a set of high stairs off
the path. Here we learned about the Incan
fountains and rain drainage systems which kept the cities from sinking. The ruin was a temple used for animal
sacrifices, specifically llamas.
The third ruin, Phuyupatamarka, was an angled terrace
structure. Here we discussed the
importance of the three “Pachas” (Worlds): (1) Hanaq Pacha (“World Above” aka “Heaven”),
(2) Kay Pacha (“This World”), and (3) Ukhu Pachu (“World Below”), symbolized by
the condor, puma and the snake, respectively.
Incans believed that there was a continuum between these “worlds.”
The last ruin, Wiñaywayna,
was a beautiful terrace structure on the side of a mountain face at 2,700
meters. Here, we marveled at the view,
traced the course of the journey by looking across the valley at the trail, and
observed llamas grazing. After a long
three days or rigorous cardio, we enjoyed this final ruin before making our way
to the final campsite thirty minutes away.
Day 4: “Magical
and Mystical,” 3:30 AM wake up time
We woke up very early in order to get in line for the Inti
Punku, “The Sun Gate,” which is the entryway to Machu Picchu. Even though, we joined the line at around
4:30 AM after packing up and finishing breakfast, we were still the last group
in line. Fortunately, we were able to
rid of our sleeping bags and mats since it was our last day. Surprisingly, 5 kg off our backs made it much
easier to hike. With this lighter load,
we were able to pass by a number of groups on the trail to Machu Picchu. It began raining approximately 1.5 hours in,
and most of us were so determined to get there as soon as possible that we were
pretty wet before putting on our ponchos.
Just before reaching Inti Punku, we came across a steep “staircase”
that was coincidentally coined “Gringo Killer.”
The steps were nearly two feet tall and slippery due to the concurrent
rain. We saw a number of fellow hikers
literally crawling up the stairs, but we made it up unscathed (mostly).
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Five of us bought an extra ticket to climb a nearby
mountain, Huanyapicchu, which overlooked Machu Picchu. Of note, Machu Picchu literally means “Old
Mountain” in the Incan language Quechua whereas Huanyapicchu means “Young
Mountain.” Fortunately the rain had
begun to slow as we entered the Huanyapicchu trail. It turned out that this trek was more
rigorous than any of the other trails we had faced thus far, unbeknownst to us. There were wire ropes that helped us climb at
certain points, but otherwise, it was a straight drop down to the valley, hundreds
of meters below. The clouds began to
dissipate before we had to descend the mountain, giving us picture-perfect
views and photo opportunities to capture Machu Picchu. We thought the ascent was bad, but the return
trip was even more terrifying.
Around 1:30 PM, we grabbed our bags from the lockers and
hopped a bus to Aguas Calientes, a nearby town that flourished due to local
tourism. Here, we enjoyed our last lunch
together and boarded the PeruRail toward Ollantaytambo. From there we took a SAS Travel bus back to
Cuzco where we arrived around 8:30 PM.
In all, we walked over 50 km in four days with around 25 lbs on our back and up and down between 2,400 to 4,200 meters. What a trek, eh!? A great sense of accomplishment!
Salkantay trek is the alternative to the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was recently named among the 25 best Treks in the World, by National Geographic Adventure Travel Magazine.
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