After all the traveling and touring of the past days (see Parts 1-3 of this blog), we were up early and ready for our first day on the Inca Trail. A hot shower and hot breakfast later, our trekking group loaded up the bus at 8am and took a bumpy ride along the Urubamba River from the town of Ollantaytambo to Km 82. Our second guide, Evelin, met us on the bus. We arrived just after 9am and quickly offloaded our daypacks, trekking poles and gear. Since it had been almost nine months since I started researching and planning this trek, it was difficult to believe that it was finally time to hit the trail.
We got through the checkpoint (one of several along the trail) with our passports and permit paperwork, crossed a small bridge over the Urubamba and were at last on the 42-kilometer trek that would take us to the famous Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. Once again we had sunny, warm weather and followed the dusty trail along the river, slowly gaining elevation along the way. The cacti and flowers seemed out of place, especially with it being winter in Peru, but were nice to see.
The pace was easy and the group took breaks at least every hour. It usually takes me about an hour of solid hiking to feel 'warmed up' and then I prefer to go for two hours between breaks, so I was getting adjusted to the pace - one nice thing was that I was able to take more time to appreciate the views and enjoy being on the trail with a great group of trekkers. The Peruvian government limits the number of trail permits to 500 per day (including the guides and porters), so the trail never felt crowded.
Late in the morning we stopped at a rise overlooking the ruins of Patallacta below us in a strategic spot where three valleys come together. Just a bit further and we reached our stopping point for lunch at about 1pm. The porters and chef, having gone ahead in the morning, had the dining tent set up with a delicious lunch waiting for us. After lunch and a short rest, we were back on the trail by 2pm and really enjoyed being in a shaded area of the trail, as the sun was really warming us up. After one last break, we hiked another hour, and ended the 11-kilometer day with a steep 100-meter elevation gain to get to our camp.
The G Adventures porter team had again gone ahead and our tents were set up with our sleeping mats and extra bags inside. The dining table was outside in the waning sun and we enjoyed some hot drinks and snacks at 5pm (after I traded out hiking boots for soft sandals). Looking up the valley, we could see the key objective for tomorrow - the high point of the trek and the first of three mountain passes on the trek: Dead Woman's Pass. Fortunately for us, it simply refers to the pass and surrounding mountains that appear to be a woman laying on her back. Before dinner, we got to meet the G Adventures team - two guides, 18 porters, a chef, an assistant cook and a waiter - and got to try out our Spanish in introducing ourselves to them. It was a great team and we could tell that there was good morale and friendship among the team.
After a short rest and a couple of Motrin, we met in the dining tent and enjoyed a delicious meal of soup, chicken, rice and potatoes. Two of the trekkers in our group were celebrating their birthdays, and the chef somehow baked and artistically decorated a cake! Following dinner, our guide David briefed us on the plan for the next morning which included an early start up the pass. It was dark by 8pm and being in the Southern Hemisphere, I saw a sky that was unrecognizable with constellations I had never seen, including the Southern Cross. The Milky Way, however, was the most incredible I'd ever seen despite being in some pretty isolated places in the world. It stood out clearly in a hazy line across the night sky, from horizon to horizon.
After getting my daypack ready for the next day, I laid on my sleeping bag and used my headlamp to read a couple dozen pages of a book before going to sleep at 9pm.
Next up: A challenging hike up to Dead Woman's Pass at almost 14,000 feet of elevation, and then down the other side to camp.
