Adriana and I planned our month-long sojourn through Ecuador and Peru around a 4-day hike on the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu, one of those life-long fantasies. It more than lived up to our expectations. We went with Enigma Tours and had Eric as our guide, who was absolutely fantastic. We timed the trip so we’d be on the trail during my 54th birthday, which oddly also coincided this year with the earthquake and tsunami in Japan (we knew nothing about it until March 13 when we were back in the world news net).
The first day was definitely the hardest, partly because I only got about 3 hours of sleep before we were awakened at 4 a.m. to be driven from Cuzco to the trailhead at km 82 in the Sacred Valley, a mostly dark bus ride that ended in a wild dawn with glimpses of snow-capped mountains finally emerging from clouds in the morning light.
We were dropped off at a small shack near the Inca Trail head, alongside the raging Urubamba River, which itself bookended our hike.
We had our passports stamped and were on the bridge over the river taking our first tourist shot, the river churning below us loudly.
Here we were with our fellow hikers at the starting point, 3 Aussies, 2 Brits, one other U.S. and us.
It started out great. We had our backpacks, having failed to arrange in time to hire a porter to carry our stuff. We thought we would be able to handle it until our rented sleeping bags were added to our bags whereupon they became much bulkier and heavier. Nevertheless, at the beginning it didn’t seem to be a problem. The first four hours are very gradual and very beautiful as the trail slowly ascends from the river, the sun was out and the weather was lovely.
The first half hour was easy, a very gradual climb into the first valley along the river.
This was the landscape during the first morning.
Similar view
