The agony and the ecstasy

The challenge of this trip was always going to be walking the Inca Trail – a 45 km walk through the Andes Mountains past various archaeological sites to arrive at Machu Picchu. In a few words it is impossible to describe this experience but words like exhilarating, fool hardy, exhausting, imposing and extra- ordinary come to mind. Day One: we experienced "Inca flat " which was probably as demanding as any walk we have ever done. Day Two: was murder with a 1200 metre climb that took nearly 6 hours to Dead Woman’s Pass which was almost eclipsed by a 600metre two hour down hill steep decline. Day Three: included three more passes and ended with a magnificent mountain top campsite on top of the third pass at 3950 metres. Day Four: started at 4am in total darkness, aided only by headlamps to guide us down 1200 metres of Inca steps to arrive at 9.30am at Machu Picchu. Along the way the mountains were magnificent and the vegetation included wild orchids, bromeliads, bamboo, and an array of wild flowers. The extra- ordinary Inca Trail was only surpassed by the mysterious and sublime Inca city Machu Picchu, surely one of the greatest architectural and engineering achievements of mankind.

Was all that effort worth it? Well to be honest there are a lot of photos we won’t let you see. There was some very real pain and a few tears. Tourists can easily visit the ruins of Machu Picchu but the trekkers of the Inca Trail get a rare chance to put the ruins in the context of an extraordinary mountain terrain and the mysterious and challenging Inca culture.

PS thanks for the prayers.
Photo 1 The Beginning
Photo 2 Summit of Dead Women’s Pass (Wendy only just alive)
Photo 3 Our group of twenty somethings (and us) finally at Machu Picchu