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| Winawayna (Forever Young) Gorgeous Inca terraces on route to Machu Picchu |
The third day was a welcome reprieve after the challenges of the previous day. It was tranquil and fascinating as we trekked for 5 hours through the “eyebrow of the jungle”. The bugs were huge and the flowers were gorgeous. With most of the trek now behind us, we felt quite jovial and accomplished. Not even hearing a low growl in the jungle while our guide was nowhere to be found could shatter our great moods. Having completed the hardest part of the journey, we were eagerly anticipating our first glimpse of Machu Picchu.
I’m amazed by all of the hard work our porters do for us. They carry all of the camping equipment as well as everyone’s backpacks and run ahead to set up camp and cook our meals. I have no idea how they do it everyday, often finishing a 4 day trek and then running back to begin again with another group of trekkers. In comparison to their job, I don’t think anyone has a right to complain. They’re such tiny men who carry insanely heavy loads while wearing the least appropriate footwear, yet they consistently have smiles on their faces and extra energy to cheer us on. Every time we reach a campsite, they all break out in applause. It’s the sweetest thing!
On the third night, we camped at the edge of the jungle- literally! Our tent was set up at the edge of a cliff that drops straight off into the jungle. As in, if we stepped directly outside our tent instead of to the left or right, we’d tumble down thousands of feet into the Amazon!! I must say, the Inca Trail has afforded me some incredible camping opportunities that I may never experience again- the first night we woke up to the sight of gorgeous snow capped mountains; the second night we had a view of an Inca ruin and on the third night we got a taste of the jungle!
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| Our superstar porters and their massive baggage |
I was a little afraid that the jungle bugs would somehow find their way into our tent, but what I didn’t realize was that the most annoying bugs possible were already living inside of my rented sleeping bag: fleas! I spent almost the entire night itching and moving around my bag, unsure if I had the heebie jeebies or if there were indeed bugs in there. After barely sleeping, we were awakened at the ungodly hour of 3:30am in pitch darkness and rushed through breakfast. There was a frantic energy in the air as we quickly got ready and packed our bags. There were numerous campsites in the area, all chalk filled with groggy trekkers eager to see what they had spent the last 72 hours trekking towards. First, we had to beat the herds to the gate to secure a space under the canopy to shelter us from the rain until we could start hiking towards Machu Picchu at 5:30am. As it crept closer to 5:30, you could feel a surge of energy pass through the crowd of sleepy trekkers. As soon as the gate opened, it was like someone had shot off a starting gun and the race to Machu Picchu was on! Our guide ran up ahead (of course!) and I struggled to keep up with my heavy backpack. The path was narrower than it had been throughout the entire trek with dizzying drops. The weight of my pack could have easily thrown me over if I shifted too suddenly. My Dad came to my rescue and carried both of our backpacks as he had done on the first day. Not that I didn't know it before, but I realized I have the world’s best father who would help me even when he needs help himself. After what felt like the Amazing Race, we reached an insane set of stairs that you literally had to crawl up on your hands and knees. It really made me wonder what kind of super humans these Incas really were! At last, after a gruelling climb, we reached the most anticipated point of the trek: the Sun Gate.
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