Well, the day has finally come. We had a 4:30am pick-up by Sam Travel.  It was still dark out when we were walking to the van. We were given orange bags to fill with 15 pounds of personal belongings that the porters will carry. My sleeping bag, sleeping pad and a few clothes weighed just under that amount.

We drove for 2 hours to Piskacucho – Kilometer 82 which is where the hike began. We had to go thru passport control so they could account for us on the trail.

Our group had 11 hikers, 19 porters, 1 chef, and 3 guides. All of us were super excited to get this started! We got started about 8:00am and our starting elevation was 8923 feet.


Elio was our Lead Guide. He was amazing. He was very knowledgeable and passionate about Quechue / Incan  heritage and history. He was a joker and a motivator and I consider myself lucky to have had him as our fearless leader!

 

 

The porters carried huge bags filled with tents, tables, chairs, food and everything else we might need over the next four days. They ran down the trail as if it was an easy stroll in the park. The government did step in and put restrictions on the weight that the porters could carry.   Sam Travel did a good job of making sure that all of them had sufficient warm clothes, hiking boots, and comfortable duffel bags and stayed within these weight limits. I really couldn’t have imagined this trip without their help. The majority of the porters only do 4-5 trips per year. The rest of the time they are farming their own lands and working other jobs. There are some younger porters who work to fund their college education.  I also found it depressing  that a lot of the porters actually have never made it to Machu Picchu. On the last day of the hike, they have to hurry to catch the train back to Cusco and their jobs don’t include tickets into the actual Machu Picchu ruins.

We saw several animals on the trail.

Our guides, Elio and Ed talked to us about a plant that was used for dyeing clothes and for makeup. After they were finished with us, we looked like we had war paint on our faces.

I was usually the last person in the group to finish during the inclines. The guides and Ed were amazingly patient and encouraging during my breaks  to catch my breath!

We came upon the Incan site of Llactapata. It is believed that this was an important rest stop on the journey to Machu Picchu.

We stopped for lunch and a quick siesta in the shade and then continued on our way to our campsite. The weather was warm and made the trek a bit more challenging.

When we got to camp, we had a chance to get settled in our tents, then meet for dinner. We met the entire team including the porters as well and called it an early night. Day 2 of the hike is going to be a challenge!