The Inca Trail-Days 3 & 4

A lagoon near the Abra de Runkuracay ruins on day three

Day Three of the Inca Trail

We awoke early again for our third and longest day of hiking. Even though this was our longest day, Cesar, our guide, informed us it would be the most enjoyable (and he was correct). We would pass several different Incan ruins along the way, and we would take our time soaking in the atmosphere and learning about the different ruins we saw.

The clouds from the previous night were still around most of the day, as this part of the hike was through the Cloud Forest. The view from camp that morning was stunning yet again. We couldn’t see as far around us, and some might think that would have been disappointing, but to literally be in the clouds and see the landscape change around us each passing minute was an awesome thing to witness. We just don’t get that in Missouri.

We had to hike about an hour and a half uphill from camp, and halfway up we came upon the Runkuracay Ruins, the first of four ruins we would see that day. These ruins overlooked the valley below and were used as a watchtower during the Incan times (even though it wouldn’t do much good on a cloudy day like it was the day we hiked it).

Another 45 minute hike brought us to the second pass, Abra de Runkuracay. Megan had made a new friend in Lisa, and so I decided to hike ahead. I arrived to second pass about 20 minutes before the rest of our group, and I found myself at the top with a group of porters. I soon noticed they had a Gatorade bottle that was clearly not filled with Gatorade. They were pouring this unknown substance into the cap of the bottle and passing it around, taking shots. They saw I was up there by myself and decided to wave me over and offer some to me. Now I’m not one to turn down a cultural experience, so I accepted their invitation, 8am be damned. It was a potent Pisco that they were drinking, and it was quite warming on the windy top of the mountain. I was quite grateful for their invitation.

When everyone else in our group arrived, we rested, then Cesar asked us to take part in a ceremony with him, which was quite powerful.

Once the entire group arrived, Cesar announced that we were going to do a ceremony to the Pachamama.  He instructed us to bring our coca leaves (we had all purchased small bags of coca leaves to make tea and help alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness) and follow him.  We climbed up a nearby hill to one of the highest points at that pass.

At the site, Cesar told us to choose the three best coca leaves from our stashes.  As we went through our bags, he explained that the coca leaf was—and still is—extremely significant in the Quecha (Inca) society.  The leaves are used as offerings to the gods, have medicinal properties, and have figured prominently in Quecha life for centuries.    Once we had selected our most perfect leaves, Cesar explained that the three leaves signified the three worlds recognized by the Quecha people.  We then placed our leaves on an altar-like stone, facing east (the direction of the sunrise) and thanked the Pachamama for everything we were experiencing.

I have to admit, the ceremony really appealed to our inner hippies.  The hike was tremendously beautiful, and knowing that we were hiking along the same path that pilgrims had hiked so many centuries ago to get to Machu Picchu was just overwhelming.  Expressing our appreciation only seemed appropriate.

After the ceremony, it was back downhill for a while to get to our next meeting point, the ruins of Sayaqmarca. Stunning scenery greeted us again on our hike down, and it was even better when both the Sayaqmarca and Qonchamarca ruins came into our view. Again the clouds provided for some great views.

When everyone from our group arrived at the Sayaqmarca ruins, Cesar gave us a tour. Sayaqmarca means “Inaccessible Town”, and they were surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs. Experts aren’t in agreement on the exact purpose of these ruins, but Cesar did say they were a sacred place.

After spending some time at Sayaqmarca, we had another hour or so hike until we reached our lunch meeting spot. The third day really stood out to me because of the vast difference in our surroundings throughout the hike. At first we were hiking up and down mountains. Then out of almost nowhere, we were in the jungle. There was lush green all around us. It was humid and damp and moist, and there were all types of new flora and fauna surrounding us. Remarkable.

After another fantastic lunch (and our last), we were back off as we still had quite a hike ahead of us. We had been hiking for almost 6 hours at this point, and we were only a little over halfway to camp. We had another few hours to get to our next pass, Phuyupatamarca, which was the most remarkable of the ruins we had seen up to that point (until the granddaddy of them all, Machu Picchu, of course). We encountered a tiny bit of rain getting to the third pass, but the clouds did clear for a bit to show the surrounding snow-capped mountains and the town of Aguas Calientes below.

We then descended to the Phuyupatamarca, the “Town in the Clouds”, and that name was never more appropriate than the day we were there. Again Cesar gave us a tour of the ruins, and we had a chance to sit and listen to him speak to us about the ruins. As he was talking, almost on cue, the clouds rolled in and practically consumed him. I could have sworn there was a smoke machine nearby, and it was quite a dramatic site to see.

After the ruins, we had a little more than a two hour descent to our final camping spot on the trek. This next section of the trail was known as the “Gringo Killer”, mainly because it was straight down a very steep set of man-made stairs. It was very tough on the knees, and the rain and moisture from the clouds didn’t help matters. Even though it was quite difficult, we were again rewarded with views that made us forget the soreness all over our bodies. It’s amazing how nature’s beauty can make you forget about the pain we were feeling in our legs.

We finally arrived at camp at about 5:30 after nearly 12 hours of hiking. I can’t explain the elation we all felt upon seeing our campsite. It was a long, tough, arduous day of hiking, and we finally made it. Of course our porters were there again to give us a standing ovation, and they had some snacks awaiting us. Another great thing about this campsite was that they had a BAR!! BEERS!! WOOOHOOO!!

Maddy, Megan, and I decided to bypass the tea this time for a few well deserved beers as we sat and pondered what was ahead. We could see Machu Picchu Mountain from our campsite, and it finally hit us that we were only a mere two hours away from the site we all came to see. Suddenly the soreness wasn’t so sore (and I don’t think it was the beer), the tiredness, not so tired. A quick burst of energy and excitement came upon us as we realized that we would see Machu Picchu in person in a little over 12 hours. It was an exhilarating feeling, to say the least.

Our last dinner was great, and after dinner we were greeted with a cake. Yeah, you read that right, a cake. It also had the message “Welcome to Machu Picchu” written in caramel. How they managed to bake a cake in the middle of the Andes Mountains, I’ll never know, but it was fantastic. After dessert, Cesar brought in all 11 porters and the cook for a farewell ceremony. About a minute before he brought them all in, Cesar informed us that someone would have to speak, expressing our thanks for the remarkable job they did for us. I was nominated speaker, but everyone had the chance to express their thanks, and it turned out to be a very special moment. This was when we gave them their tips, and one of the porters spoke to us as well, thanking us for the tips that would help their families. It was a humbling experience, and one that I will never forget.

After that, it was off to bed. Exhausted, we went to our tents, knowing we would wake up at 4 the next morning and have a short hike to our final destination, the reason we all took part in this trek, MACHU PICCHU!

Day Four of the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

It hasn’t been very often in my 30 years that I’ve woken up at 4am (even though I’ve still been awake many times from the previous night), but I actually woke up early that final morning. I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, just knowing that in a matter of hours we would finally see Machu Picchu, which has been a cornerstone of the trip since we first started planning it.

After our final breakfast, we were off a little after 5am. We only walked a few minutes until we came to a gate, which didn’t open until 5:30. After that, Cesar told us that it would be about a two hour, up and down hike to get to the Sun Gate, where we would get our first glimpse of Machu Picchu from above. There were about 30 people or so in front of us at the gate, and when it opened, it became a mad dash.

After we entered through the gate, we hiked at a fast and furious pace, with me leading the way. I have to say I’ve never been more impressed with my wife, as she knew how excited and eager I was to get there, and she kept up with me every step of the way, even though I was practically running. It would have been a fairly easy hike had we taken our time, but the pace took a lot out of us. It was up and down, but nothing too severe until we neared the end.

There was an extremely steep staircase that we practically had to climb up, not walk. After that, it was up, up, up, until I saw a sign. It read “Inti Puku”—or Gate of the Sun. I knew we had arrived. A short walk through the gate, and we would see the ancient city of the Incas for the first time. Megan was a few steps behind me, and we were both out of breath. I looked at my watch. It read 6:25. The supposed two hour hike took us 55 minutes.

As we walked through the gate, we both frantically threw our bags down to the ground, looked at each other, and walked through the gate…

The above picture is the view that greeted us. Now we had both seen countless pictures, posters, postcards, t-shirts, etc. of Machu Picchu, and Cesar told us that none would compare to the real thing, and boy was he right. It was literally breathtaking. It left me speechless. And that doesn’t happen very often. It was one of the most magical, mystical, moving, and profound few minutes of my entire life. I couldn’t move for a few minutes. All I could do was stare. Everything we had endured over the last 3+ days was worth it. We had arrived.

There wasn’t a whole lot of talk from all the people sitting at the Sun Gate. Most just sat and stared. When one of the girls in our group entered and saw Machu Picchu for the first time, she wept. She was so happy and moved that it literally brought her to tears. And everyone understood why. I’m really trying to do my best to describe the raw emotion I experienced at this time, but really, you have to experience it yourself to truly understand how powerful it was. I could have stayed there all day long and just looked at the amazing views all around me.

After staying up top for a while, it was time to descend to Machu Picchu. It was a 45 minute walk down to the ruins, and as we got closer and closer, the views became better and better.

We finally got down the path (it took a while because we wanted to stop, snap a picture, and enjoy the scenery every corner we turned). When we got into the ruins, we checked our bags (thank God), sunscreened up, got our water, and went with Cesar for our guided tour of the ruins.

After taking the tour and having a few hours to explore the grounds ourselves, it was time to get on the bus to Aguas Calientes. I honestly felt like a kid having to leave the amusement park. I was not happy and thought about throwing a fit. But I composed myself, and Megan and I enjoyed our final 15 minutes at Machu Picchu sitting in a quiet spot taking in the views. After leaving, we went to Aguas Calientes for lunch with all the Peru Treks’ groups. It was a great end to a magical four days.

If any of you have ever even thought about doing the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, I strongly urge you to do it. Don’t make excuses, don’t say maybe in a few years, just get a plan together and do it. Sure, it’s not as relaxing as vacationing on the beach somewhere, but trust me, every ounce of sweat and hard work you put into it is rewarded at the end. These four days are something that I will truly never forget, and that first view when entering the Sun Gate is forever etched in my memory.

Be sure to check out the Machu Picchu page for more in depth information about Machu Picchu itself as well seeing tons more pictures.