Machu Picchu - UNREAL!

This is a tough post to do because we know before even starting that there is no way our words or pictures can do justice to this piece of our adventure - but, being first born children, we will try anyway.

Summary:

• We have studied and looked at a lot of pictures of Machu Picchu over the years and one thing is clear: it is bigger than any one photograph can capture. This was evident right away. It was truly an amazing site to see with our own eyes and certainly deserves to be one of the 7 wonders of the world. 
• The water engineering by the Incas is unbelievable. This enthralled dad and G as they tried to process the vast genius in what they have done. Machu Picchu sits about 8500 feet in the mountains surrounded by much taller mountains and it rains a solid 6 months of the year. Without proper drainage the place would just wash away, and yet it stands some 600 years later. There are small channels throughout the entire structure that still operate today. We learned that the Inca Empire actually ran glacial water throughout the entire kingdom, moving water over 3000km, all the way to the coasts in some instances.
• The Trek to get to Machu Picchu was a feat in and of itself. As a family we had to conquer adversity and challenges in ways we have never experienced. To end our two month Central/South American tour here was a treat.  
• One of our best friends joined us for this journey which was truly special and helped combat the homesick feeling that is creeping upon us.
• We got sick! Four of us got very sick (food poisoning) on our third night up at 12,000 feet and it was scary as the dehydration from the food poisoning led to altitude sickness. Thanks for all of the prayers that got us through those 24 hours!
• Psalm 121 was what we clung to for this hike and repeated many times!

So, if you are a glutton for punishment and want more details here you go...

Our first day started out being picked up at our hotel in Cusco at 5AM. We took a shuttle bus to Uramtambo where we had a quick breakfast and ventured further to our drop point. This would typically be the 82km point but because of some construction we had to start at 78km and hike our way to the checkpoint. Fairly flat and easy but it made for a longer day. We eventually reached our checkpoint and entered the official trail. The first day was a 11km hike climbing from about 8923 ft to 9612 ft, moving from Piskacucho to Hatunchaca. It was a fairly easy day and we were very impressed with our food and picturesque lunch stop. They laid down a tarp in a tent and give us a 30 minute nap after lunch time.

Beginning the Inca Trail!

Short rest after lunch

This is a small ruin seen on first day hike

Our guide Saul teaching us about Incas

These are some of the porters or "chaskis" who carry the gear of the hikers, at times they run and most wear tattered sandals, these are incredibly hard working men!

Our 2nd day is known to be the toughest as we climb over "Dead Woman's Pass," which requires rising at 5am. We woke up to a great sky and perfect weather and felt truly blessed as many people have to do this climb in the rain and we were fortunate.  We were all a little nervous not knowing what to fully expect. In total, we hiked about 11.5KM moving from Hatunchaca to Pacaymayu. This hike involved about 6 hours of hiking up to the pass and then another 2 hours down to our campsite. As we climbed, we made reasonable progress and our guide was truly impressed with SJ who worked her way with our oldest at a steady clip. The climbing from hour 3-5 was pretty intense and eventually SJ hopped onto Melcher's (her personal porter when desired) shoulders for the final push which was right about 14,000 feet. After we all made it to the top we rested and basked in our accomplishment and the great views for a while.

Phew!  We did it!

From the top of Dead Woman's Pass

Dead Woman's Pass

Resting in the clouds

Then we start heading down a very steep and rocky path and it promptly began to rain, which made each step slippery, but our spirits were high knowing we had conquered the toughest part. The rain lightened up as we got to camp but most of us crawled into our tents at about 4:00 to rest before dinner.  SJ hiked on her own about 6 of the 8 hours. We ended this day about 11,700 feet and slept well.

Our 3rd day was a mere 5 hour hike and we got the joy of sleeping until 6:30 since it's a shorter trek. We hiked from Pacaymayu to Phuyupatamarca, stopping at some ruins along the way to explore. Overall it was a fairly flat day with our elevation staying about 12,000 ft all day. 

Boys with Uncle Ray at a ruin along the way.

Hiking into a tunnel in the cloud forest

The campsite that we ended at was by far the greatest one yet, as its sits in the cloud forest atop a mountain with amazing views all around. Just below we could see a good sized ruin and the mountain ranges in the distance were breathtaking as one had a large glacier on top. Clouds roll in and out with a slow peaceful motion and the best part was that we had beautiful weather that afternoon to soak it in.

Camp site in the clouds - Phuyupatamacrca

All of us in front of our tents with a llama photo bombing us!

Another great view from our campsite!

Dad and G enjoying the views!

Unfortunately, as the day wore on it took a sudden turn. Around 4:00, our oldest announced he wasn't feeling the greatest and decided to rest some in the tent. Everyone else started feeling a bit queasy and decided to skip dinner, leaving Dad, SJ and Saul to eat together in a rather awkward fashion.  The cook seemed a little annoyed that no one else showed up so Dad tried to get some of the chaskis (porters) to join them but they acted a bit shy and refused.  Before dinner was over three in our group were having serious issues and it escalated violently.  Thankfully the toilet tent was moved in front of our tents as we were having a hard time finding it in our panic as it was a bit down the cliff and getting dark. But one toilet tent wasn't enough for what was happening to us and as Cipro wasn't sticking, dehydration became a serious concern as we were over 12,000 feet. Any liquids ingested immediately came back out. After several non-stop hours of this, we decide to turn on our phones (this is the first place we had been with cell coverage on the hike) and get people praying (thanks to all).  This lasted past midnight and we were so grateful the rain held off as we were all a mess.  We got little sleep and then around 4:30am it hit dad hard and he became a full participant.

By 8am we were not sure what do to. Dad could hardly get up and was weak and a bit delirious. We had a 5 hour hike ahead of us on very little sleep, no fluid, and no energy. The guide had previously mentioned to mom that this day was the most dangerous because of steep cliffs and drop offs, so there was concern about physical safety if we pushed too hard.  The next camping group was encroaching on our tents and it was time to make a decision. Eventually we had to go, and thankfully we were able to keep small amounts of water down as we began our trek down the mountain. Our guides set up a "resting" site about three hours down the mountain where we hiked to, skipping a ruin that is typically seen. There was a bit of delirium on dad and our oldest's part but we did eventually make it to this make-shift campsite where we slept for an hour or two before pushing the final two hours to Machu Picchu. By this point, things were looking better as descending was eliminating some of the altitude sickness and fluids were being maintained. We were able to keep a liter or so of water down and, though tired, we no longer feared not making it. We moved slowly and tried to enjoy the scenery and our last day of the hike together.

Machu Picchu was worth the effort though!  Our final steps were called "Gringo Killers" and we entered the Sun Gate on a beautiful day. We didn't get to enter the city as our tour was scheduled for the following day, but we walked up to the entrance and took photos and embraced the amazing journey we had completed. Other than getting sick, our trek was outstanding and we really enjoyed the whole adventurewith adversity securing a solid memory.

"Gringo Killers" - final steps before the Sun Gate

We made it!  Our view of Machu Picchu from the Sun Gate!

Panoramic from Sun Gate

View from the Sun gate - the switch back road is what buses take

Hiking down from the Sun Gate 

We were originally scheduled to camp our last night just outside of town.  However, in learning some of the details of this camp location, we had opted to find a hostel in town.  What a relief to be in a bed, to get a somewhat decent night's sleep (the Peruvians were partying all night), and to have warm showers after the episodes of the previous night!

The next morning we opted to sleep in a bit and had breakfast at 7:30 and took the bus up the mountain to get our tour of Machu Picchu with our guide. He explained the various temples, rocks, restoration work and history of this amazing site. We then walked around on our own for about an hour and a half before catching the train back to Uramtambo where a bus took us back to Cusco. We had one final dinner at a restaurant we already knew to be outstanding, slept well in a hotel and were ready to leave at 5:45AM for our 8AM flight to Lima. In Lima we had our first Starbucks in 9 weeks before parting ways with Ray as we headed to LA for a couple of nights with grandparents before heading on to New Zealand.

Morning views of Machu Picchu

Dad & the boys

The guys at Machu Picchu

More photos of it all:

Roof Architecture

Water drainage

Sun dial at top

View from Terrace

A favorite photo!

Train!!

Train!!