21 November 2011
The trip started with a 3 am wakeup call, a 3:50 am pickup in the lobby with our freshly readied daypacks, and a very long and bumpy bus ride to the Ollyantando train station.
After all of this, we boarded a train alongside many others ranging from around our age to a large group of retirees. I loved seeing the sheer childlike anticipation on the faces of the retirees as they clutched their Canadian passports and train tickets, boarded very excitedly, and then sang songs and danced for each other along the way.
Snowcaps and Cacti? The diversity of the flora that we saw as we cut through the Andes was bafflling. To my left in the distance - snowcapped Andes, to my right on the hillside several varieties of cactus. In between that there was a huge range to be seen - so impressive!
Before we knew it, we had reached or disembarkation point. We were getting off the train before anyone else - it makes a special stop at km 104 for the 2 day/ 1 night hikers. We had everyone's attention (the majority were going on to Aguas Calientes to take the bus to Machu Picchu) and once we stepped off the train, many of the retirees were waving at us giving us "good luck" thumbs up...it was pretty neat.
The trail itself is probably best explained though pictures :) (And uploading them is proving a Peruvian internet challenge...) Overall we had an amazing time - the scenery was absolutely spectacular!!! Some of us had an easier time than others, but it really was an amazing adventure! And...walking through the Sun Gate to see Machu Picchu for the first time really is magic!
-We started at KM 104 - Camino Sgrado Chchabamba - 2,170 m
-A long the way you get to stop at these really cute Inca-style thatched roofs that have amazing views
-We walked for about three hours or so, predominantly upward until we reached Winay Wayna, a ruin that was not discovered until 1942 and was thus, not part of the original Inka Trail. By this point we have already climbed up to 2650 m and we got to stop and enjoy our lunch
-We saw Machu Picchu for the first time through the Sun Gate at Intipunku at 2720m
-Then we had to descend down to Machu Picchu itself and have actually all deemed the steps down from the Sun Gate the "worst part"...(may have been b/c we were pretty tired at that point).
-We took a bus to Aguas Calientes for the night, showered, met for dinner, and slept hard!
My reaction last night just after we reached our hotel last night:
There were many intimidation factors for this - Is the trail going to be too tough? Is altitude going to play a villain like role? Would the day packs be too much? Would we have enough food and water? Did we buy the right gear?
I am sure everyone has their own take on how they felt at the end of the day...after hiking part of the Inka Trail and actually making it to Machu Picchu...but for me, I felt incredibly triumphant and victorious! :) I was fit enough to be able to really enjoy the trail, able to laugh at altitude's uncanny ability to make you breathless on a set of stairs that normally would not leave you panting and thinking "you win this one, captain altitude!" I could have possibly enjoyed one more liter of water (I definitely didn't over pack in the water department, but I really don't know where it would have gone in or around my bag). My gear was great - my little camel back saved the day and my waterproof shoes and hiking socks proved absolutely invaluable and incredibly necessary and were worth every single penny! And waterproof jackets? Amazing.
And!!! Gazing at the magical mystery of the Peruvian Andes, walking through the cloud forests, hiking through the ruins of the Incas, and walking through the sun gate to see Machu Picchu majestically, peacefully nestled in a valley of green perfected gilded by the late afternoon sun as the mist mysteriously rolled in...absolute magic!!! :)
PS - today we explored the ruins - lots to share - will type up on the train tomorrow and share soon! :)
The trip started with a 3 am wakeup call, a 3:50 am pickup in the lobby with our freshly readied daypacks, and a very long and bumpy bus ride to the Ollyantando train station.
After all of this, we boarded a train alongside many others ranging from around our age to a large group of retirees. I loved seeing the sheer childlike anticipation on the faces of the retirees as they clutched their Canadian passports and train tickets, boarded very excitedly, and then sang songs and danced for each other along the way.
Snowcaps and Cacti? The diversity of the flora that we saw as we cut through the Andes was bafflling. To my left in the distance - snowcapped Andes, to my right on the hillside several varieties of cactus. In between that there was a huge range to be seen - so impressive!
Before we knew it, we had reached or disembarkation point. We were getting off the train before anyone else - it makes a special stop at km 104 for the 2 day/ 1 night hikers. We had everyone's attention (the majority were going on to Aguas Calientes to take the bus to Machu Picchu) and once we stepped off the train, many of the retirees were waving at us giving us "good luck" thumbs up...it was pretty neat.
The trail itself is probably best explained though pictures :) (And uploading them is proving a Peruvian internet challenge...) Overall we had an amazing time - the scenery was absolutely spectacular!!! Some of us had an easier time than others, but it really was an amazing adventure! And...walking through the Sun Gate to see Machu Picchu for the first time really is magic!
-We started at KM 104 - Camino Sgrado Chchabamba - 2,170 m
-A long the way you get to stop at these really cute Inca-style thatched roofs that have amazing views
-We walked for about three hours or so, predominantly upward until we reached Winay Wayna, a ruin that was not discovered until 1942 and was thus, not part of the original Inka Trail. By this point we have already climbed up to 2650 m and we got to stop and enjoy our lunch
-We saw Machu Picchu for the first time through the Sun Gate at Intipunku at 2720m
-Then we had to descend down to Machu Picchu itself and have actually all deemed the steps down from the Sun Gate the "worst part"...(may have been b/c we were pretty tired at that point).
-We took a bus to Aguas Calientes for the night, showered, met for dinner, and slept hard!
 |
| Starting out at KM 104 - Chachabamba! |
 |
| Some of the views along the way! |
 |
| Altitude and Inca stairs can be puzzling and tiring... |
 |
| Winay Wayna! Yay!!! (By this point we have done most of the the uphill parts!) And yes...those stairs...duplicated many many many many times along our journey :) |
 |
| The gang at Winay Wayna - it was a killer view! |
 |
The Hals made it through the Sun Gate and are enjoying their first glimpses of Machu Picchu!!! :) |
There were many intimidation factors for this - Is the trail going to be too tough? Is altitude going to play a villain like role? Would the day packs be too much? Would we have enough food and water? Did we buy the right gear?
I am sure everyone has their own take on how they felt at the end of the day...after hiking part of the Inka Trail and actually making it to Machu Picchu...but for me, I felt incredibly triumphant and victorious! :) I was fit enough to be able to really enjoy the trail, able to laugh at altitude's uncanny ability to make you breathless on a set of stairs that normally would not leave you panting and thinking "you win this one, captain altitude!" I could have possibly enjoyed one more liter of water (I definitely didn't over pack in the water department, but I really don't know where it would have gone in or around my bag). My gear was great - my little camel back saved the day and my waterproof shoes and hiking socks proved absolutely invaluable and incredibly necessary and were worth every single penny! And waterproof jackets? Amazing.
And!!! Gazing at the magical mystery of the Peruvian Andes, walking through the cloud forests, hiking through the ruins of the Incas, and walking through the sun gate to see Machu Picchu majestically, peacefully nestled in a valley of green perfected gilded by the late afternoon sun as the mist mysteriously rolled in...absolute magic!!! :)
PS - today we explored the ruins - lots to share - will type up on the train tomorrow and share soon! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment