Hiking the Inca Trail: Part 1

I went on the most amazing trip to Peru and I want to tell you all about it!!

But I won’t tell you alllll about it in one sitting. It would just be too much (for me to write and you to read). Instead I’ll break it down to a few digestible pieces.

Here we goooooo…………………

BACKGROUND:

I traveled to Peru with my friends Natalie, Danielle, and Elizabeth. This is us the first day of the hike looking so clean and energized.

We booked a 4 day/3 night Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu through Quechuas Expeditions, which was recommended to us by a co-worker of mine and Danielle’s.

It was the best experience ever and I really think you need to go.

PACKING LIST:

I researched Inca Trail packing lists like I’ve never researched before. No joke. I read and Googled and asked everyone I know who did the hike about what they packed. I didn’t want to bring too many things and I didn’t want to bring the wrong things. It’s a tricky balance of hot/cold, clean/dirty, too much/too little out there on the Inca Trail!

Because of all my struggles I wanted to share my packing list in case you do decide to go (you should).

• Clothes: 1 pair hiking pants, 1 pair of running leggings, 3 tank tops, 1 t-shirt, 2 long-sleeves, 1 fleece jacket, 1 rain coat, 1 sports bra, 4 pairs underwear, 4 pairs of good socks
• Shoes: Running shoes, flip flops
• Accessories: backpack, buff/bandana, hat, sunglasses, poncho, head lamp, gloves, winter headband
• Toiletries: face wipes, body wipes, moisturizer, toothpaste, toothbrush, sunscreen, lip balm with SPF, bug spray, first aid, hand sanitizer, toilet paper
• Other things: camera, iPhone, quick drying towel, Lara bars/snacks, altitude medication, passport, money, playing cards, plastic bags, 2 1-liter water bottles, a book (that I didn’t read)
• Rented from Quechuas: trekking poles, sleeping bag, sleeping mat

My strategy was to wear the hiking pants for the first three days with one of the long-sleeves and a clean t-shirt/tank. Then wear the leggings and the other long-sleeve as pajamas each night and as my outfit for the last day. Clean socks and underwear were a daily occurence, but wore the same sports bra the entire time. Looking back, I probably would have packed an extra clean one, but since I was dirty and gross basically the entire time it wasn’t a major issue.

I debated back and forth about what type of shoes to bring: running shoes vs. trail shoes vs. hiking shoes. In the end I landed on running shoes, because I have strong ankles (some may call them cankles), didn’t want to buy a new pair of shoes, and hiked in the dry season. If any of those points were untrue, hiking boots/shoes probably would have been the better option.

The four of us decided to pay an extra $75 each so that we could hire two porters, or “chaskis”, to carry our duffles. I know that makes us sound spoiled, but I really don’t think I would have enjoyed the hike nearly as much if I would have been carrying everyone on my own. We were each allowed to fill up a duffle with 6 kg. The sleeping bag and sleeping mat weighed about 2 kg, so that left us with 4 kg for our things. They weighed all of the bags before we left to make sure we didn’t surpass the limit. It was just enough.

Everything else went into my day bag. This included water, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, toilet paper, hat, buff, sunglasses, and a long-sleeve shirt. It was manageable.

There was a lot of strategy involved with packing, but overall I’m happy with the amount and the items that I packed.

PRIOR TO DEPARTURE:

We arrived in Cusco two days before leaving for the hike so that we could adjust (at least a little bit) to the altitude. We spent these two days exploring Cusco.

I’ll talk more about that later.

On our first day we stopped by the Quechuas Expeditions office to pay the remaining balance of our bill, which could be paid in either Soles or Dollars, and to schedule a pre-departure briefing with our guide.

Edgar, our guide, met us at our hotel the next evening (the night before the hike). He seemed fun and silly and told us our itinerary for each day of the hike so we knew what to expect.

To sum it up: day 1 = easy; day 2 = really hard; day 3 = long; day 4 = short.

He also told us that a family of four would also be joining us on the hike. We groaned and crossed our fingers that they wouldn’t be annoying. Our wish came true – they were awesome. It was Brian and Karen and their two sons, Adam and Liam.

Also a team of 11 chaskis would be there too. These guys would be the ones who carried everything, cooked food, set up and took down tents, woke us up, etc.

After Edgar left it was time to go to bed. We had a big couple of days ahead of us!

DAY 1. THE EASY DAY:

The plan:

• Get picked up from the hotel at 6:00am and drive to the starting point (with a breakfast stop along the way).
• Start hiking at Piscacucho (9,000 ft. elevation).
• Take a lunch break at Tarayoq (9,070 ft. elevation).
• End the day at Wayllabamba. (9,840 ft. elevation).

This day was the “easy day”. I’m not going to say that it wasn’t easy, but I wouldn’t call it a walk in the park either. We were still adjusting to being in such high altitude and walking all day, but we were also super fresh. Here we are in front of the Veronica Glacier.

We took the hike at a comfortable pace, stopping frequently to take pictures and re-apply sunscreen. Edgar would also stop us every so often to tell us stories about the Incas and teach us about things we encountered along the trail, like trumpet flowers (don’t eat them!!).

We were also able to see three Inca ruins this day: Qhanabamba, Patallaqta, and Patawasi. They are all super easy to say. (jokes)

In total we walked about 12k/7.5 miles and took some fun pictures.

To keep our energy up the chaskis made tons of ridiculously delicious food each day. The chef, Aurelio, worked magic in that little kitchen tent. Seriously. I was blown away every time they gave us food.

Our day 1 eats:

• Breakfast: eggs, pancakes, cereal, quinoa porridge, fruit, and coffee
• Snack: chocolate-filled cookie sandwiches and a banana
• Lunch: asparagus soup, rice, salad, chicken legs, yucca fries, ceviche, and celery tea
• Snack: popcorn, crackers, coffee, and tea
• Dinner: vegetable soup, rice, beet and bean salad, cauliflower pizza, fried trout, and GUINEA PIG (yeah, I tried it)
• Dessert: mulled banana and tea

During dinner Edgar was telling us stories from some of his previous hikes. One particularly hilarious one involved four Irish men, a monkey, a lot of alcohol, and jail. I won’t get into the details, but it sounded like the potential plot to Hangover 4.

Then it was off to our tents! I shared one with Natalie. It wasn’t huge, but we still had plenty of space for our sleeping bags and duffles. It quickly became our quaint little home for the next four days.

DAY 2. THE REALLY HARD DAY:

The plan:

• Wake up at 5:00am, get ready, and eat breakfast.
• Hike up to Warmiwañusca, AKA Dead Woman’s Pass (13,776 ft. elevation).
• Hike down to Pacaymayu (11,700 ft. elevation) and take the rest of the afternoon easy.

The chaskis woke us up at the early hour of 5:00am with a knock on the tent and a “Buenos Dias! Coca tea!” If we had to get up that early, at least it was by cheery men that gave us delicious, hot tea.

At breakfast we found out that it was Domingo’s (our waiter) birthday the night before. Aurelio baked a cake (in a tent. How?!) and served it with breakfast. Cake for breakfast before hiking uphill for a few hours? Why not. Every time we saw Domingo after this we sang him “Happy Birthday”. He could have loved or hated this, I’m still not quite sure.

Edgar made sure we all had enough water and encouraged us to go our own pace and take all the breaks we needed. We left Wayllabamba at about 6:00 and had “La Bamba” in our head for the next 10 days.

Para bailar la bamba…

After a few sets of uphill climbs and breaks we decided that it was easier to do the whole “slow and steady” thing, because starting up again after stopping is really hard!

Walking up stairs for three hours is one thing. Walking up stairs made of uneven rocks in high altitude for three hours is an entirely different story. It was basically all about endurance. Luckily, my body was somewhat prepared since I had just run Grandma’s Marathon less than a week before. I focused on climbing and getting up to Warmiwañusca. My endorphins were in full blast when I made it. Natalie, Danielle, and Elizabeth didn’t share my level of enthusiasm at the time.

They did eventually, because seriously, that view.

After we celebrated and recovered, it was time to start hiking again. It was about two hours down to Pacaymayu, which is where we would set up camp for the day, so it was the final push. Walking down was difficult in a completely different way – more strategic. I think my legs were shaking about 15 minutes in. We cruised along fairly quickly (as in, no rest stops), because we all just wanted to be done. I think this two-hour span was the quietest we were on the entire trip.

After arriving to the camp site we decided a little yoga session was necessary. Natalie led us through a Vinyasa. I think Edgar and the chaskis were both highly confused and amused. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing…. And eating.

This is what we feasted on:

• Breakfast: fresh fruit, apple cinnamon maca porridge, eggs, toast, cake (!!), coffee, and tea
• Snack: chocolate-mint cookie sandwiches and an orange
• Lunch: cheese wontons, vegetable noodle soup, quinoa, cucumber tomato salad, guacamole with plantain chips, pasta salad, and lomo saltado
• Snack: popcorn, corn nuts, pastry chips with caramel drizzle, coffee, and tea
• Dinner: vegetable noodle soup, spaghetti, baked alfredo, and steamed vegetables
• Dessert: mulled mango and tea

After dinner we had a little gathering with the chaskis to introduce ourselves. They only spoke either Spanish or Quechuas (or a little of both), so there was definitely a language barrier. Edgar had to translate for both parties and could have easily made everything up. We will never know. It was fun to finally know everyone’s name and learn a little bit about them. They were all so nice and helpful!

It was scorching hot when we initially arrived, but was freezing when the sun went down. I can’t remember the last time I slept in so many clothes – two pairs of wool socks, leggings, hiking pants, a t-shirt, a long sleeve, a fleece, a rain jacket, a winter headband, and gloves. That’s the thing about hiking though, you’re just stylish 24/7. Socks and sandles, anyone?

Our total distance for the day was only about 9k, but we climbed up about 3,950 feet and then went back down another 2,000 feet. I get exhausted just thinking about it, but at the same time I want to do it all over again! I think it’s the marathoner in me.

BREAK:

Since this post is already longer than it needs to be, I’m going to take a break here. I’ll be back with the rest soon!