The Inca Trail. One of our key things to do in Peru. And it was finally time to start!
I'll admit, I was nervous. I hadn't been feeling well due to the altitude and wasn't sure how hard the trail would really be. But first, we were mostly nervous about our bags. Here's how it works (at least with our trail operator): You can bring your own sleeping bag, etc, and you can carry it yourself. Not recommended. They offer "1/3 of a porter" per person. This has the porter carrying your sleeping bag and mat, as well as a duffel bag with your stuff in it. You don't have to carry it up and down the hills. There was no hesitation in us hiring a third of a porter for each of us. Now, why 1/3? This is because over the years, they have finally put regulations in place which limit how much weight one porter can carry. This is good, because while they still carry an outrageous amount of stuff on their backs, it's at least limited to a certain point. However, this means they told us we had a strict limit of 2.5 kilos per duffel bag. Which is about 5.5 pounds. Which isn't very much.
I told you in the last installment how we had a laundry lady weigh our bags after we packed them. They were way over the limit. We ended up stripping it down to just one change of clothes each. Enough underwear for the trip, but only two extra pairs of socks. And we didn't take things like a hairbrush. They told us they would weigh our bags before we got on the bus and we'd have to move things around if they were too heavy. Keep this in mind.
We did the hike from Saturday, May 19 through Tuesday, May 22. Here's a map showing the Trail's path:
We woke up at 4:30AM to wait for the bus. We ended up getting picked up at 6:00AM. I wish they could narrow down their timeframes! They did NOT weigh our bags at this point. So we were still worried about them being too heavy and at this point the result being us having to carry more stuff on the trail. We picked up more people in Cusco then drove to Ollantaytambo, where the trek starts at Kilometer 82 of the Inca Trail. We had breakfast as a group, then split up to make any last-minute purchases. For us, that included walking sticks (wooden ones - I believe they were 5 Soles each), coca leaves (recommended to chew for altitude acclimatization) and leafta (a catalyst for the coca leaves).
Then we met by the bus to pick up our stuff. Oh, and our bags? We watched the porters go around with a hand scale. No problems! And we found out ours were very light and we could have packed more! Oh well!
Here's our group of hikers before we started:
Our group consisted of 16 guests, 2 guides (Carlos and Manuel), 21 porters and 1 cook. The hikers included a mom and daughter from Sweden (who were in amazing shape!), a family of four from New Jersey (who had hiked Mt Everest last year), a married couple from Vancouver, a married couple from Columbus, OH, three sisters from the USA (who had also hiked Mt. Everest in the past year) and a lone female traveler from England (by way of Bulgaria).
Did you catch that? Almost half our group had climbed Mt. Everest in the past year! A and I were very intimidated and at this point I figured I would be the person trailing behind the group. But more on that later.
Before we could even get started we had to wait in a long line to be let into the gate. The park officials were staggering the groups as well as checking passports. There were two lines: Tourists on the right, locals and porters on the left.
These are the porters carrying all our stuff!
Across the bridge was the path to get to the official Inca Trail! Do you see how it starts off going up? That was supposed to be "easy". (It was decently steep.)
We were surprised by the number of locals we saw, especially those with donkeys and horses. Then we learned there are people living along the Inca Trail. They were there before it because a national park, and were allowed to stay as long as their buildings meet certain codes which keep them in character with the Trail. Something interesting: We would often see horses and donkeys walking along by the themselves. Then eventually we would see the owner a long ways behind. They know the path!
So we finally were allowed to start! (By the way, the name on the Inca Trail ticket your operator buys for you must match EXACTLY to what's on your passport or they won't let you in.) The first hill wasn't fun, but the trail became more Peruvian flat along the way. The first day is called "easy" or a "warm-up" by the guides. It wasn't as easy as walking on flat ground, but it wasn't too difficult.
We made a couple of stops along the way on the first day. Our guides warned us ahead of time how we were responsible for our own drinking water on Day 1 and 2. On Day 3 and 4 they would boil water for us. People who lived along the Inca Trail operated some "rest stops" where they sold water, snacks, etc. These rest stops would grow more infrequent the further we went along the Trail and everything would get more and more expensive.
At our first stop, our guides recommended trying the prickly pear fruit (from a cactus). A liked it!
On Day 1, the terrain varied quite a bit. At first it was dry and desert-like, but it faded into a jungle-type environment. We passed multiple archaeological sites without acknowledgement or explanation from the guides. (Guess they weren't impressive enough!)
We kept watching the snow-capped mountains. Our guides told us to take photos today because they would eventually be out of our sight.
Let me fill you in on how we tackled the Inca Trail.
A: One walking stick. Backpack containing extra water, chocolate, cookies, first aid supplies, bug spray, toilet paper.
K: Two walking sticks. Sunscreen reapplied every hour. Camera bag with camera and sunscreen.
Both: Short-sleeve or long-sleeve shirt. Jacket, gloves and hat in the morning and evening. Mid-height hiking boots. Inner layer of thin socks. Outer layer of thick wool socks. Hat. Sunglasses. Bug spray. Water bottles attached to bags.
We LOVED our hiking boots. We actually wore them throughout almost the entire trip. They were extremely comfortable and made me feel pretty secure on the daunting Trail. (More on that soon!) The weather varies throughout the Trail and throughout the day. It got down into the low 30s at night. Mornings are cold. Afternoons warmed up to the low 80s. Then quickly cooled down as the sun set.
For our first lunch along the Trail, we had asparagus soup, trout, mint rice, garlic bread and potatoes. Yum!
We did stop for a break and talk about Llactapata, which they believe was used primarily for crop production.
Our campsite was more like someone's backyard than what you would normally think of for a campsite. In fact, it WAS someone's yard. The owner came down and offered sodas, water and beer for purchase. One of the big things not to do when hiking at high altitude is drink alcohol, so we stuck with water and tea. But the younger guys in our group had some beer. It wasn't cheap, either!
When we arrived at any of our campsites (for lunch or dinner or camping for the night), our porters had already been there long enough to set up the dining tent, pitch our tents and start cooking. They also had all our stuff laid out on a tarp. They were amazing!
Our first dinner was a semolina soup, chicken and mystery meat kebabs, rice, cauliflower quiche, mashed potatoes and it ended with a banana flambe! That was super exciting!
That night began a fun tradition with Carlos, our main guide. During dinner, someone asked him when we had to wake up the next morning. He said he'd tell us after dinner. Then someone else asked him how hard Day 2 really is. He again postponed answering. We figured out if Carlos didn't want to answer, it was because we didn't want to know!
The first night was the best. The grass was pretty soft and it wasn't too chilly. (But it was still cold enough to need our sleeping bag liners!)
Day 2 came early - somewhere around 5:30AM. The second day is the "challenge day". You hike uphill almost all day and gain 1.2 kilometers in elevation. The first two mornings we were woken up by a porter bringing a selection of hot tea to our tent. Nice way to wake up!
Our first breakfast (yes, we had two that day) consisted of a sort of toast, fruit, porridge and pancakes.
The morning started off in the jungle.
We hiked most of the day with the parents from the family group and the couple from Vancouver. We were all about taking it slow and resting. The dad because his knee hurt, the husband because he was sick, and me because I couldn't breathe. But we all agreed it was more fun that way than rushing up the mountain!
We had two rest stops on Day 2. At the first, Carlos taught everyone how to properly chew coca leaves. If you're ever in an area where they are grown, here's how: Take a pinch of leafta. Roll a bunch of coca leaves around it into a bundle. Stick it in your cheek. Chew a couple times until juice starts to flow. Then just chew every now and then. The taste isn't amazing, but it's not bad.
Here are the ladies selling us the most expensive water ever. Oh, and rum. Yes, you can buy rum on the Inca Trail! It was not cheap, but the sons from the family bought a bottle with the intention of drinking it that night to celebrate getting through the worst day. It was cheaper than the water, though!
At one point the trail became mostly stairs. Then it stayed that way until we got to the top of the pass.
For most of the morning we could see our destination: Dead Woman's Pass. You might think you know the story behind the name, but you'd be fooled like the rest of us. Apparently the pass and the mountains around it look like a woman lying down. (From the other direction.)
It looks so close! But it took us over 6 hours to get there. And many, many, MANY stairs. We watched the people on the pass grow bigger over time.
Here's an idea of how far away we were... I've drawn lines showing how big a person is up there.
We had "second breakfast" about halfway up to the pass. Cheese sandwiches, popcorn, crackers and tea. We weren't having lunch until we got down from the pass to our next campsite, but our guides knew we needed sustenance to keep climbing.
After second breakfast, the real work began. It was stairs, uphill, all the way to the top of the pass. The stairs were very steep in places, and almost too high for my short legs. Hard to believe the Inca RAN up and down them!
Getting closer! Can you see the tiny people now? At this point we said, "Oh, we're close!" Then climbed another hour and realized, "No, we're not!"
But eventually we did make it!
Altitude: 4200 meters!
It had been a warm climb, but the top was chilly and windy. The other side of the pass was as well.
Unfortunately what goes up must come down! There is a rule in hiking: Sleep low. We had to climb down 600 meters to our campsite. It was more stairs, and they were very steep!
Does it look like a dead woman to you? I don't see it...
Lunch was very impressive. They started out with ceviche! Ceviche.... on the Inca Trail.... I don't want to know how they managed it. We also had quinoa soup, fried potatoes, carrot rice, pasta with cheese, and mystery meat with beans.
We spent the afternoon resting and hanging out with our group. Our campsite was Pacamayo, where our tents were staggered on different levels. At night it was completely dark - you need headlamps to see your way to the bathroom or around the site! During dinner the Everest alumni admitted the Inca Trail was not as easy as they had anticipated based on having already climbed Everest. That made me feel better!
A note about the bathrooms: They are squat toilets and as you go along the Trail, they smell increasingly worse. Best not to breathe. And did you notice I didn't mention anything about showers? That's because they do not exist at the first two campsites. Moist towelettes help you feel a little fresher, but that's all you get!
Coming Up: A fun Day 3, a rainy Day 4 and Machu Picchu!
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