Friday, December 14, 2007

The pain and the gain!

On 4th Dec 2007, we started our 4 days 3 nights Classic Inca Trail Hike into Machu Picchu (the lost city of the Inca´s). Our hike was organised by Peru Treks and we were picked up from the hostel at 5.20am and bused to Ollayantambo which is 1.5hrs away from Cusco.
At breakfast in Ollayantambo, we got briefly introduced to the rest of the group - which consists of 15 hikers in total. 13 female & 2 male. 3 canadians, 3 norwegians, 2 americans, 4 brits, 3 aussies. We also have with us 2 guides, 21 porters and 1 cook to organise everything for the 4 days.
We started our hike at Km82, everyone was feeling excited as we are not sure what to expect. Day 1 was also the easiest day out of the 4 days. We just need to walk from 2200m above sea level to 2700 above sea leave. An easy 500m climb - which took 6 hours and covered 12 kms. Lunch was served around 1pm and we cannot believe the feast that was arranged for us. In the other days to come, we got very spoilt indeed, 3 course meals for lunchs and dinner. Day 1 campsite was at Huayllabamba and the weather was fairly mild.
Day 2 - we got up at 5.30am, was served tea in our tents before breakfast and started our hike uphill at 7am. This is the hardest day on the Inca Trail as its all the way uphill, climbing 1000m above sea level to Dead Woman´s Pass which is at 4200m above sea level. Altitude affected me really badly, my head & my ear was hurting badly and my head feels like someone is pressing it really hard the whole time. Taking pain killers eased the pain a little, but hiking uphill when your head feels like its about to explode is very challenging. It also didnt help that it rained the whole afternoon. Day 2 was also 12 km, but it took us nearly 10hrs to get to campsite. Day 2´s campsite was at Phuyopatamarca which is at 3650 above sea level. Temperature dropped below freezing at night and it wasn´t pleasant at all. I didnt get much sleep at all.
Day 3 - we got up 5am and was again served tea in our tents. Today we had to walk 16kms, we climbed a little to 3900m above sea level and after morning tea, we began our downhill climb to 2600m above sea level. Going down 1000m was not easy, it involves 3000 uneven Inca steps that are slippery. We got to camp at 4pm and this is the day we get to have a shower. We were given 5 minutes of hot shower, but we were all very very satisfied after that. Camp is at Winay-Wayna and it was a little warmer than the past 2 days and we all got a pretty good sleep.
Day 4 - this is the Big day. The final dash to Machu Picchu. We got up at 4am and had our breakfast by 4.30am as we want to be the first or 2nd grp at the gate to wait for it to open so we can run to see sunrise over the Sun Gate. We were the 2nd group and when the gate opened at 5.30am, we all ran for it. My legs were very very sore from going downhill yesterday, but somehow, managed to bring myself to walk really really quickly for 40mins to the Sun Gate. I guess its the adrenalin, because I dont think I can do it otherwise. When we got to the sun gate, it was foggy and we didnt get to view Machu Picchu, so we decide to do another quick dash towards Machu Picchu itself, which is another 1 hour hike away.
We got to Machu Picchu at 7.30am and it was covered in fog!!! We were all standing at the cliff edge looking down, waiting for the sun to come up to give us a glimpse of what we came here for. We waited and waited, finally after about 45mins, the sun came up and the lost city of the Inca´s revealed itself to us. It was breathtaking - we all went silent and started taking photos. This is what we came for, for 3 days, we walked and hiked downhill, uphill, slept in freezing cold temperature, have no shower, endured stinky toilets and finally we got there! Our legs were sore but our spirits were high. Photos do not do justice to Machu Picchu, its amazing to see it with your own eyes, how massive the place is and how organised the Inca´s are. (Photos will be loaded shortly)
I could go on and on about it... but I wont. My calf muscles are still sore 3 days after the hike. The day after the hike, I never knew my legs can hurt so much and that I could endure this much pain and still try to move on to our next destination. I now strongly believe that your body would do what your mind tells it to do, no matter how hard it is. I am glad I did the Inca Trail and experienced this unique feeling and hopefully grew stronger from it.
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