July 21, 2003

When I was 10 years old sitting in my Social Studies Class, I remember being fascinated by our lessons about Machu Picchu and the Inca culture. I could not believe that such a beautiful city could be built on such a high mountain and then simply forgotten about. At that point, I made it my goal to someday visit this sacred city and walk the famous Inca Trail.

I now sit again in Cusco with a huge smile on my face, having just returned from our 4 day hike to magnificient Machu Picchu...

DAY 1

- At 6am we meet the rest of the travelers we would be spending every minute with for the next 4 days...6 other Americans and 1 Brazilian (poor guy), so in total our group of ten consisted of 8 women and two men (once again, poor guys)!

- We set out on the trail at 10 am with a backpack full of the essentials; one change of clothing, a poncho, socks and a water bottle. Of course, this was nothing compared to the insane porters who carry over 50 lbs on their backs and sprint the Inca Trail in sandals. I am seriously considering sponsoring one of these energetic men for the next Olympics as I am sure they would blow any track star out of the water, if only given a real pair of shoes!

-The first day is considered by tour agencies as "easy" and although we did not consider the 9 miles "easy" walking, we can now look back and appreciate our first day of the hike. It started pouring halfway through the day, so we were all ecstatic when at 4pm we arrived at our first campsite. The porters of course had beaten us there by hours and we were pleasantly surprised by our tents and delicious dinner!

- We quickly find out that here on the Inca Trail, the sun going down also means bedtime, so by 8 pm we snuggled into our sleeping bags.

DAY 2

- We get woken up at 5am to begin what is considered the "challenging" day of the trail...We had no clue what we were getting into!

- This day we had to climb 1400 meters over what is infamously called Dead Woman`s Pass. When I say climb, I mean 7 hours of steep uphill trekking, gasping for air at at the altitude of 3,600 meters.

-To top things off, halfway through the trek, the pouring rain suddenly turns into snow. To put things in perspective, our guide has hiked the Inca Trail over 250 times and this is the first time that it has ever snowed during the dry season. However, the freezing cold snow made our experience unique and memorable and I could not have asked for it any other way. There is no greater feeling of exhiliration than when we finally arrived at the peak of the mountain to overlook the Sacred Valley of the Incas, covered in white powder!

-After reaching the snow-capped peak, we had two more hours of downhill leaping on ridiculously large stairs, until we arrived at our following campsite where we spent the evening huddling in a tent with a cup of tea, hiding from the rain and snow. Again, we went to bed around 8pm, exhausted, but relaxed with the sound of rain on our tents and the satisfaction of knowing the "challenging" day was behind us!

DAY 3

-Wake up call at 4:45am and half asleep we begin what is told to be the "unforgettable" day. It was unforgettable not only because we walked 13 miles but because here we entered the high jungle of Peru. As we climbed two more incredible passes, we were surrounded on both sides by beautiful and intact Incan ruins that nestled themselves in the clouds.

-After 9 hours of hiking, we arrived to our final campsite, in view of Machu

Picchu Mountain. We sat together in our tents looking out at the enormous valley of green mountains, snow-capped peaks and a river that ran through it all.

-Tonight we went to bed with the surreal feeling of it being our last night and the anticipation of knowing that we would arrive at Machu Picchu within hours.

DAY 4

-Our earliest morning yet, we wake up at 4am and start in our two hour race against mother nature. Here with about 300 travelers, we walk under the stars with flashlights in hand the final stretch to Machu Picchu. We beat Mother Nature to the sunrise and just as the sun starts to show, we climb one last peak and arrive at the Sun Gate to see our first phenomenal sight of Machu Picchu.

-We see the sky above the snow-capped peaks change from red to orange to yellow and for the first time in 3 days we see the sun appear. Our amazement with the sun and the huge stone terraces of Machu Picchu below left every single one of us breathless and with our jaws wide open!

-We spent the next 4 hours taking a tour around the monstrous city of ruins, learning who lived there, what the buildings were used for and most importantly, the many theories on what happened to the Incans.

-Just as we found ourselves basking in the sun in the middle of the lush green plaza, we decided to make our sore bodies hate us a little bit more with one last hike. So, we climbed (or pulled ourself up by a rope) the steep mountain behind Machu Picchu to see a view that will forever be engraved in my memory. We sat at the top of the mountain peering down on huge Machu Picchu, so high up, that the other tourists looked like little ants!

-With tears in my eyes and the feeling of achievement, I took one last look at the unforgettable Machu Picchu, realizing how lucky I am. Since I was a little girl, I had the strange desire to see the sacred city with my own eyes and when I finally did, it soared past all of my expectations. We all decided that the 4 days of not showering, sliding in the mud and pushing our bodies to the limit was well worth it...Machu Picchu really was a dream come true!

-Michelle