Dave & Claire´s Travels: The Inca Trail

Inca Trail, Peru, 30 October - 1 November 2007

SAS (no not the group of elite military personnel), the tour company we had booked with, were well organised and very professional which made a welcome change. We arrived at the trail head, kilometer 82, at 10am and felt like we were in safe hands. We had stopped off earlier for some breakfast where everyone, and I mean everyone, bought walking sticks with little rubber bungs on the bottom to protect the trail. Everyone that is except for Dave...typical eh?

We were a group of about 15 people (our guide named us the Superhikers) with ages varying between 19 and 62. Day 1 is called the "easy day" because there is not too much climbing involved. Whilst this is true for the most part, there are a few tough stretches that had a few unacclimatised folks puffing like "the little train who thought he could". The trail took us along the valley and past some Inca ruins before arriving at camp at the base of Dead Woman´s Pass (so called because of its nipplelike appearance as opposed to a sinister history). The food provided by the SAS chef was infinitely more palatable than that served up by Erwin in Huaraz the previous week. The term "chalk and cheese" springs to mind.

Day 2, "the difficult day", saw us climb to the top of Dead Woman's Pass (4,200m). After her bout of altitude sickness in Huaraz, Claire was keen to redeem herself as an able bodied trekker. She and I power-housed to the top and then enjoyed sitting in the sunshine for over an hour waiting for the last of our group to arrive. It was a long tough trek but we were ready for it. When it came time to descend on the other side the entire group moved pretty quickly and we all arrived into camp by 2.30pm. Other than the path on which we were walking, we did not pass any Inca structures on Day 2. The fact that it was Halloween we wondered if the Inca ghosts would come out to play.....and I think maybe they did. We were confined to our tents while a seriously heavy thunder and lightening storm raged outside.

Thankfully by the beginning of Day 3, "The Unforgettable Day", the weather had improved immensely and we set off brimming with anticipation for what the guides had assured us would be a day to remember...hence the name I guess (names given on the SAS trek itinerary). It didn´t disappoint. Almost immediately we were stopping by the Inca sites of Runkuracay and Sayacmarca, we were trekking over mountain passes and through Inca tunnels. At one point I (Dave) realised I had walked past an Inca site, oblivious, that I had seen from further back the trail. As I had time to spare I decided to run back the 10 minutes or so and have a look at it. It was a tough run and started the conversation about what was the fastest time anyone had completed the Inca Trail. 3 hours 45 minutes!! We couldn´t believe it. Our 4 day trek had been completed by a local porter (in a race in the year 2000) in just 3 hours and 45 minutes. Incredible, really incredible. The remainder of the day saw us pass the site of Puyupatamarca, "Town above the clouds", before starting a very steep descent all the way to our campsite at the Inca citadel of Wiñay Wayna, "Forever Young". At times our views were impaired by low cloud and at other times the cloud would lift revealing stunning views of the surrounding hills and valleys. Again Claire and I were first to arrive. There is definitely a competitive streak there that can´t be shaken. At Wiñay Wayna we were able to drink cold beer and bask in hot showers. It was amazing. After lunch there was an optional trip to the archaeological site at Wiñay Wayna. It´s literally 5 minutes away from the campsite but some people, tired after their days walking, decided to opt out. I could understand if it was, say, half an hour away...but five minutes!! I (Dave) had been there before (4 years ago with the lads) and I have to say I felt quite emotional on seeing it again. There´s definitely something special about the place. None of the guides mentioned it, but having been here before, I knew there was a bridge by a waterfall that I had to revisit. It was a little further away from the site than I remembered but again, it brought back happy memories. Claire also made an offering to Patchamama.

Day 4, "Machu Picchu Day", and we were out of the tent by 4.30am. Due to an accident a few years ago they no longer let you on the trail before 5.30am. People used to start walking in the dark so as to be in Machu Picchu for first light. It is only a 2 hour wak from Wiñay Wayna to Machu Picchu, or more precisely to the Sun Gate (Intipunku). The Sun Gate is where one would get stunning views of Machu Picchu were it not for the low cloud and mist that invariably obscures one´s view at 7.30 in the morning. We decided to walk down (20 mins) into the site and commence our tour. Even before the tour had ended the cloud had completely lifted and people were busy taking the picture postcard photos.

Machu Picchu is an incredible place and justifiably one of the new 7 Wonders of the World. It is nestled high in the hills between 3 mountains (Huayna Picchu, Machu Picchu, and Patukusi). When I was here 4 years ago I climbed all 3 mountains and looking at them now it seemed hard to believe. They looked a lot higher and steeper than I remembered. Fortunately with that under my belt I felt no compulsion to retrace my old steps...ok, maybe a tiny twinge, but I resisted. The one site I hadn´t visited previously was the Inca bridge and so I made my way out there. I think Claire had burned herself out over the previous 3 days and so was content to sit, hiking boots off, overlooking this amazing site listening to Inca Music on the iPod. By mid morning throngs of tourists were pouring into Machu Picchu and by midday the place was positively hopping. We baled out at 1.30pm making sure to get the Machu Picchu stamp in our passport before we went. After lunch in Aguas Calientes we caught ourselves a train followed by a bus back to Cusco. It was an amazing 4 days and is already one of the most precious memories of our trip.