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Amazing ups and downs (both literally and figuratively) on our visit to Cusco and Machu Picchu - and despite the lower moments, hiking the Inca Trail was definitely the highlight of the summer for Zoe & I.
We flew to Cusco from Lima a few days before the hike in order to acclimatize, as the trail reaches nearly 14,000 feet in places. Cusco is a beautiful city, with original Inca stonework at the foundation of majestic colonial buildings, and even though we had to share it with more tourists than our other destinations, it was definitely a favorite. Unfortunately, we spent much of the time in the hotel room, as first I and then Sue came down with serious flu-like infections/viruses. Thanks to a very affordable house call by a bilingual doctor, I was diagnosed with bronchitis, loaded up with antibiotics, and remained determined to start the Trail the next day. Sue went the drug-free route and was struggling with altitude sickness as well as respiratory issues, so made the difficult decision to forgo the hike, rest up, and get well enough to meet us at Machu Picchu.
The Trail is the Inca's spirtual journey to Machu Picchu and as we hiked through valleys, up and down stone steps, past very intact ruins (is that an oxymoron?), and in between snow-capped mountain passes, it was easy to see how this pilgrimmage reinforced their worship of the mountains and mother earth. It is also a fairly challenging hike - the high stone steps are called "gringo killers" - and although it is only 27 miles over 4 days, it has serious elevation gains and losses, starting and ending at about 8,000 feet but ascending to almost 14,000 feet in the middle. The first two days are the hardest - especially if you have bronchitis, a fever, and only a few hours sleep - and on the second day, Zoe saved me by carrying our day pack as we went up 4,000 feet, down 2,000 feet, and then back up 2,000 feet again. We were both extremely proud and relieved when we reached the highest peak (Dead Woman's Pass), and grateful that the crew of 17 porters and cooks was carrying all of the tents, sleeping bags, food, propane tanks, etc. to make this possible. (the porters are incredible, carrying up to 100lbs on their backs at a rapid pace - each year they have a race without packs and the record is 3 hours 45 minutes to run what took us 4 days!)
By day three of the hike, the antibiotics had kicked in, my fever was gone, and I could join Zoe in truly enjoying the beautiful scenery and interesting ruins - I didn't join her in enjoying the icy cold waterfall swim however! On the last day, we awoke at 3:30am to make it to Machu Picchu by sunrise - unfortunately the mountain was having a San Francisco moment and was fogged in when we arrived at the Sun Gate for our first view, but it soon cleared and we enjoyed touring the ruins, meeting up with Sue again, and using toilets that actually had seats. (the toilets on the Trail are squatters that are really, really smelly, dirty and challenging - Zoe and I felt almost as much of a sense of accomplishment at successfully using them on day two for number two as we did at reaching Dead Woman's Pass!).
We spent the night in nearby Agua Calientes, enjoying hot showers and real beds, before returning to Machu Picchu the next morning for another chance to experience the sacred site. Zoe and I tested our new hiking prowess with one more ascent - scrambling a couple thousand feet up Huana Picchu, a mountain overlooking Machu Picchu with beautiful views all around - and managed to be the first in our group to the top, despite the lack of proper cables and handholds in some of the steepest, nearly vertical spots.
All in all an amazing place and really transformative for Zoe and me - not only did she get to be the adult, taking care of me while I was sick and encouraging me when I was tired, but she found her own love of hiking - enjoying the views like never before and relishing the challenge of more steps and ruins to climb. At the top of Huana Picchu, she set her next goal - to run the Oakland Half Marathon in March, even though the longest she's ever run is a mile - and I can't wait to try and achieve it with her!
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