Inca Trail Day 4

We had yet another early wake up today.  3:15 AM to be exact.  Camp was torn down in record time since the porters needed to hike down a trail to the village Aguas Calientes, and we needed to get to the gate and hike another trail to Machu Picchu.  We washed up, packed up, and said our goodbyes to the excellent porter crew.  All around us you could hear the other camps breaking down as well.  

In the night, a rainstorm came briefly through our area.  Luckily, it stopped, but I was laying there thinking about how I would pack my gear differently in the morning if it kept raining.  When we got up, it was damp, but did not cause a problem.  

Tearing down camp with flashlights.

It was a short walk tot the gate.  This is where Elias had to check in our party and then we could proceed, but not until after a 45 minute wait.  

Then the hike to the Sun Gate began.  All hikers were in full fury.  All had spent 3 days in the backcountry and were tired and excited at the same time.  We ran into a few hikers that were grumpy and had exhausted their patience and forgotten their manners.  Oh joy!  Our group kept a good pace and was in great spirits. 

Ahhh!  The Sun Gate.  This was our first glimpse of Machu Picchu.  The site was shrouded in clouds.  The sun was not yet illuminating the ruins allowing the clouds to take prominence.  

Today is Barry's birthday.  Jen and Barry planned their trip to reach Machu Picchu on this special day, so as we arrived at the Sun Gate we burst into "Happy Birthday."  Others groups joined in on the song too.  What a great way to spend a birthday!

You can see the road to Aguas Calientes with all the switchbacks and Machu Picchu through the clouds.  As we waited, the ruins slowly began to reveal themselves.  As the sun rose the skies would soon be clear.

Machu Picchu

We stayed at the Sun Gate for a while for pictures and to rest, but then proceeded down the trail to the site. 

The sun came bursting through the clouds to provide perfect lighting as we entered the complex. 

Hola friend!

Katherine enjoying the views.

We had to patiently wait for this picture, as the bus crowds of people started showing up on the site.  It was strange to see clean people with the smell of perfume and makeup.

Charles

Looking directly east towards the sun, obviously.  

A picture of me.  

Elias led the group along the site giving a wonderful presentation for 3 hours.

Our group listening to Elias. 

This is a recreation of how the roofs were attached to the stone walls.  Pretty cool!

I found the cement-less stonework the most impressive.  The time it took to make this is daunting. 

The coca tree.  They were not everywhere, but just in this garden for exhibition purposes. 

More awesome stonework!

Our group taking a humorous rest from the sun.  

Dorothy, Elias, Jen, and Thomas.

Hey guys!

I swear this is a face of a human and a llama, but it's not official. 

This is a food storage area called a colca. 

After our tour, the group rode the bus down to Aguas Calientes and ate a tasty buffet lunch.  Jen, Barry, Dorothy, and Jack are all staying overnight in the village, so after eating we said our goodbyes and our group headed to the train station.

Here we are in the train station heading back to Cusco.  Little did we know, but our train was a super swank tourist car with ceiling windows, comfy seats, and drink and snack service.

We rode the train to the Ollantaytambo train station.  This is where we got into our minibus to head to Cusco where hot showers awaited us!

What a great time!  We learned a LOT about Machu Picchu, but to tell you all about it would require a few more blog posts.  Tomorrow will be a rest day in Cusco, which is much needed and Charles will be leaving to go back to Michigan.  

Inca Trail Day 3

We woke up at 5:15 am, washed up, had breakfast and headed out of camp.  The beginning of the hike climbed about 900 feet to a high pass, but half way up we checked out a small group of ruins.  This particular archeological site was a lookout post in a tight and steep valley.  The ruins offered amazing sights of the surrounding mountains.  Along the way we ran into many of the same people on the trail.  There was a funny group of young guys from North Carolina with their parents behind them.  We were constantly making jokes with them and goofing around.

I don't wanna get up!  Ha!

Ahhh, the sun is now there to warm us.

The steeps.  It looks bad, and was, but our training made our legs strong and it felt great. 

The first group of ruins looking back towards the last night's camp. 

The top of the first climb.  I don't need to say it... you know by this point what the views were like.

Yup.

Charles, Thomas and Katherine

No kidding, the view was like this descending from the ridge.

Thomas and Katherine at the second set of ruins of the day.  Elias gave us a full briefing on the intricacies of each location.  The Incas really had their stuff together.  

Thomas descending some of the terrace steps.

Below is our lunch camp.  The porters once again worked their magic, flying through the trail to get this all set up for us.  The was awesome and consisted of:  a beef skewer, rice, beans, avocado salad, veggie salad with cheese, and fried potatoes.  We are not sure how all this stuff is brought along in backpacks.  It is just WAY too nice for camping food.  And for desert was a peach with sugar goodness glaze.

That's Jen taking a little rest in the beautiful Andean sun.  The other tents you see are from other trekking groups. 

Ahhhhh, a little piece of shade.  It's time to chill for a couple minutes after lunch. 

Some parts of the trail were really thick and made little tunnels to pass through. 

Notice the stone work of the Incas.  This trial is pristine!!  

After lunch we hiked along a beautiful ridge for a while and then came across a campsite.  Some of the trekkers would be staying here tonight, but we passed them.  Our schedule would take us on a 3,000 foot descent to another camp.  Elias said that the trekkers at this campsite would have to get up at 3:30 AM to make it to the Sun Gate.  Our group would get up later at 3:30 AM to make this happen.  I am glad our porters hauled booty to secure a spot at the the further campsite since we were all very fatigued from the killer descent.  I can't imagine having to do it in the dark.

Lots of trekkers and a few llamas.  

Looking down to the last set of ruins before the night's camp.

Our group descending, and descending, and descending. 

This is extreme farming if you ask me!  The terracing is maxed out. 

Group shot taken by Elias. 

Elias pointed out the native orchids along the trail.  This was my first time seeing an orchid in the wild. 

We finally made it to camp and had time to wash up, eat, and go to sleep.  Below is our last dinner picture.  After eating we gave a formal thank you to the porters and chefs and gathered up some tip money for them.   They seemed greatly appreciative.  

Dinner consisted of: chicken, pizza, tapioca something with mushrooms in the middle, noodle based pasta with red sauce and vegetables.  

The Last Supper

Though tired, our group is feeling great and everyone is excited to finally see Machu Picchu tomorrow morning.  So far, we have not even seen a glimpse of the famous complex, so it will be a big treat when we do.  The plan is to get up at 3:30, quickly eat some breakfast and then wait at the trail gate until it is opened between 5:15 AM and 5:30 AM.  Once the park officials check in our group and let us through there is a bit of hiking to do before the actual Sun Gate.  I have a feeling that there will be a ton of anxious hikers there wanting to do the same thing as us.