A Fantastic Peruvian Adventure
By Sam Yothers
AMHS member This April, Maria (D’Andrea-Yothers) and I hiked the historical Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, one of the 7 Wonders of the World. The hike was a 4-day, 3-night adventure that challenged us physically and mentally but offered stunning views of the snow-capped Peruvian Andes and entry to incredible ancient Inca sites accessible only by foot. Many consider this trip to be one of the best backpacking trips in the world.
Maria & Sam, Inca Trail.
We started in the capital of Lima before flying to Cusco, which is nestled in a beautiful mountain “bowl,” just over 11,000 feet in the Andes. We spent two days there acclimating to altitude, and touring Inca capital buildings and the extraordinary Sacsayhuaman (pronounced “sexy woman”) site, the scene of a bloody battle between the Incan people and invading Spanish conquistadors. The site showcases terraced fortress walls made of huge stones, up to 100 tons each, fitted precisely together with no mortar of any kind.
How the ancient Incas managed this still baffles modern archeologists and engineers. Leaving Cusco, we met our guide Miguel of Wayki Trek and the other adventure seeker in our group, Romy Ochmann from Ottawa, Canada. In Ollantaytambo we met up with our native Peruvian porters. The first day of hiking was relatively easy, bringing us to camp 1 near a small village offering stunning views of Mount Veronica (18,642 feet) and the glaciated peaks surrounding her. Day 2 tested our fitness and determination.
The Inca Trail climbs relentlessly from 9,000 feet at camp 1 to just under 14,000 feet at Dead Woman’s Pass. The reward for attaining this highest point on the trail is a 4,000-foot descent to camp 2. Arrival here is a great relief and a great thrill as the porters cheer your arrival and usher you into a lovely campsite with afternoon tea and a fantastic dinner of fresh, local ingredients. Our group had a chef, an assistant chef, and 5 porters.
You come to admire and love your porters - their athletic ability to haul 50-pound packs up and down the Andes and always greet you with a supporting smile as you struggle with the altitude and steep trails quickly makes them heroes to your group. Machu Picchu is in the Amazon rainforest, so we were not surprised to be greeted with rain on day 3. The steep rock steps became slippery, the danger increased significantly, and the stress to avoid falling began to compete with the physical effort. But our amazing porters greeted us in camp 3 with a dry dining tent decorated with balloons and streamers for my birthday. They even baked and frosted a cake and offered a bottle of wine to celebrate.
We’re struggling to survive the lofty mountain passes and they are hauling decorations, fresh eggs, and a wine bottle! Finally, on day 4, we reached Machu Picchu through the Sun Gate. The site is genuinely breath-taking, situated high on a hidden plateau, surrounded by misty and snowcapped mountains. Don’t even consider calling it a “ruin”; the site is still usable to this day, with a working water supply and irrigation to the extensive terraces. Machu Picchu was a worthy crown to cap off our bucket-list adventure hiking the Inca Trail.