Inca Trail - Part One

We have been training for some time for the Inca Trail - running uphill, lifting weights, and pushing that extra 30 minutes. What was unexpected, was the historical reading - this was a trail of tears in the latter part of the Inca Empire. During the retreat from the Spanish, the Inca used this trail to escape and establish its last line of defense at Vilcabamba. Machu Picchu, just happened to be on the way. However, one can see that the site for Machu Picchu is more than an archeological phenomenon - it truely is a spirtiual site. Its surrounded by a ring of tall mountains, then on three sides as the Urubamba river wraps around its base and finally by an inner series of sharply ascending mountains. . . but I think I'm getting ahead of myself.

We began late in the morning after seeing the site of Ollantaytambo. We crossed the Urubamba River at Km 82. The route was fairly flat on the first day - again, I was getting good at identifying different types of poo along the path (I'm adding llama to my list now). We were surprised to see how many people lived along the path. It was good to practice our breathing techniques - if you breathe out against pursed lips, you will increase your O2 retention.
Within a few hours we came across the ruins of Patallacta. We had just crested a large hill and with the diminishing light of the sun, the ruins were illuminated ahead of us. The ruins were impressive and showed a clearly organized city with divisions for various castes. Our guide had informed us that this was the original site of the entrance to the Inca trail - at Km 88. We camped out near the ruins that night and the nearly full moon gave the site an ethereal glow.

The next morning we awoke to the rising eastern sun. The Inca placed a great reliance on the sun and the moon - especially to the summer and winter solstice. At this point, the altitude was becoming difficult. Even the extra days that we had spent in Cuzco and Ullantaytambo were not enough to divert the headache and fatigue completely. I HIGHLY recommend people stay a few days in Cuzco before attempting this trial. We began to ascend more steeply as we passed the Village of Wayllabamba.

This would be the last place one can buy that critical supply of Snickers, juice, etc. Of course there are a few restaurants and even a place to get a massage if one wants. From what I've gathered electricity had just recently been connected to the area and thus they have all manner of chilled treats and oven fresh bread. Nothing like downing an popsicle to bring out the true flavor of the ancient Inca.

However, once you pass the village (and the thought to reconsider the alternative Inca trails) one finds themselves in isolation. The stones of the trail are your only true reminder of civilization. What was impressive was the sense of challenge - the only person that you have anything to prove anything to, is yourself. You are slowly ascending up to dead woman's pass and as you go, you have this incredible amount of time away from the clutching of modern life to think.

Not to say I'm overtly religious, but everyone takes their own view of spirituality and I think that when you find yourself climbing a hill, without access to email, gasping for breath it gives you a good opportunity for retrospection.

By the end of the second day we had made it to the tree line - somewhere about 12.4k feet. The headache was beginning to sink in and even the coca tea was not being helpful. We saw 8 other hikers at this point - heading back down to Km 88 to get the to the train. Unfortunate. By the way, on asking others which trail to take, the argument was that there were too many tourists on the classical trail. Our company managed to set us up in excellent campsites and scheduled us to start and stop at irregular times - as a result we saw few if any other tourists. Also keep in mind the alternative trails can sometimes hit 16k passes and go on for 7 days - a very difficult challenge for the first time high altitude climber.
In either case, our third day began with an ascent to dead woman's pass (Warmiwanuska) - 13.8k. This was to be the highest point in the hike. The sun was very powerful and even the reflection of some of the glaciers and snow capped peaks can damage your eyes. We then began to descend quickly back down into the cloud forest where we were greeted
by much needed o2. Of course we then had to ascend to the 2nd pass where we saw the ruins of Runkuraqay - which likely represented an solar observatory. The road from here to the 2nd pass was one of my favorites - not that we were just getting closer to lunch, but how incredible the scenery was. In front of you is winding stone Inca road that sharply ascends the mountain. You pass by 2 dark ponds on your way up to a circular dais in the pass itself as clouds brush past you alternating the light schemes of the valley below.

From here the Inca trail descends again and passes by a lush jungle - I was surprised to see so many insects at such a high altitude and in relatively cold climate. We got into our third camp a bit late in the day. We made it in time to watch the sun set in the west. From our vantage point, we could see the mountain where Machu Picchu was - far below us.