Gummy bears, Scots, and sleeping bags: the Inka Trail Experience

WE MADE IT! 

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOT WHOOT! 

Alright, that's out of my system.  Hello from the other side of the Inka Trail! The six of us are sore, tired, and rather loopy, but we are alive.  Phew.  

The past few days have been a blur.  We had a little bit of time in Cuzco, which we spent visiting ruins, trying yummy food (guinea pig- gross. alpaca- delicious,) and shopping.  They had an entire store filled with fancy alpaca sweaters! While this was all fun, what really counts was Machu Picchu. 

We woke up bright and early and picked up nine other strangers before headed out of Cuzco.  We stopped for breakfast along the way, and then reached our destination at the trail head.  Before I go any further, a little bit about the Inka Trail! There are hundreds of miles of trail used by the Inka empire all across South America, but this trek to Machu Picchu is special.  It has the title of being the most famous and the least touristy, because its protected very carefully by the government.  They only allow 200 hikers on the trail per day! So while there were groups other than our own, we ended up running into the same people over and over again.  

The trek length we chose was four days and three nights long.  We carried our own belongings, but porters carried the tents, cooking equipment, etc.  The days varied in length of trek, incline of hills, and conditions, which led to some days being easy, while others were MUCH harder. 

Who cares though? Not you.  You just want to know how it was.

Personally, it was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.  Incredibly challenging, sure.  But now I get to look back and say yes, I did that.  I hiked a trek longer than a marathon at high altitudes, carrying everything I had for four days on my back, while seeing some of the most breathtaking ruins and scenery the world has to offer.  While seeing a wonder of the world was an event of its own, I enjoyed the hike the most. Honestly, I'm not 100% sure how I feel.  I had to get up at five a.m. or earlier every day, climb endless steps, and push myself in ways I haven't before. What I do know is that the past four days have been the best vacation experience I have ever had.  

Some of the highlights:Meeting everyone in our group, especially the Scots! Eating part of a five and a half pound blue raspberry gummy bear with Lindsey at the top of Dead Woman's Pass.  Reaching the bottom of the Gringo Killer slopes.  Eating  cake at 12000 feet.  Writing our bucket lists with Lindsey and Maria. Swapping travel stories, bites of food, and laughs with everyone in our group.  Having the ruins of Intipata all to ourselves.  Watching the sunrise over a little known Inka ruin, seeing the sun catch the wisps of cloud floating above the Andes. REACHING MACHU PICCHU. Getting to hike through all of the ruins, especially Machu Picchu, and hear about the lives behind each block of stone.  Learning Scottish terms like Cream Crackered.

The Andes in general.  Wow.  Every time you blink, every step you take, there's another view, another sight to be seen. It truly takes your breath away, and not just because you're at altitude and every breath is a struggle.  Pictures will never do this trip justice, and I am usually a firm believer in pictures being worth a thousand words.  Nothing will ever accurately describe how it felt to reach the top of the first pass, and look into the valley below, and see that you are in the clouds. You forget the pain of the hike completely.

After Machu Picchu, we headed down to Aguas Calientes, where we ate lunch and shopped for the last time together.  Another two hours by train and two hours by bus later, we had arrived back in Cuzco, and now the six of us are in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after a rather anti climactic day of travel.  If it weren't for the muscle aches, I wouldn't believe that it had happened. I'm so exhausted, nay, cream crackered, that I cannot write another word.  Time for bed.

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