We arrive to the meeting point after a early start and the porters start dividing up all the camping equipment and loading it on to their backs. The amount of stuff they carry is unbealivable (about 20kg) and they run ahead of the group to set up the camp. We got ourselves together, it was really warm not great hiking weather so we stripped off our numerous warm layers and got our sticks together for the walk ahead. Rory was the hero of the trip though, as he carried his backpack full of all our warm clothes and sleeping bags which was really heavy, possibly 10kg, I´m so gratefully that he did carry it, the extra porter was 100 pound and they smell so bad another couple had to throw their bag away after!
Our group was pretty good, 2 french, 2 argies, 2 americans and 2 aussies. The first part of the journey was pretty easy just flatish walk for about 2 hours and then we stopped for lunch! They set up an entire lunch eating tent and a lunch preparing tent. We waited for about 30 minutes while they prepared the meal and was treated to a two course spread, invarably some sort of soup and to follow beef with potatoes- pretty damn good considering they are cooking over one or two gas rings. The toilets at this stop were pretty horrific and I got the feeling they were going to get a whole lot worse further along the trail. Rory also got a nose bleed here which was pretty bad, so there are many photos with tissue sticking out of his nose!! Luckily it cleared up, I was hoping it wasnt the alitutde as it can get really bad and we wasnt even that high yet. We set out again and carried on through the valley, which was really spectualar but turned into what the guides call ¨inca flat´ which is constant up and down, some steep parts some not. We arrive to our camp pretty earlyish around 5 and was shown to our tents. It was a bit of a relief to stop and we set ourselves up in our tent and had a rest, we were then treated to the afternoon tea, which was copous amounts of popcorn. biscuits and all sorts of tea, the sun had gone down by this point and it turned reallly cold, we were informed that this wasnt even the coldest night and should prepare for tomorrow which would be worse, of course we were dreading it. Every group get their own little camp site with cooking facilities and toilets (which was horrificly bad), we had dinner and everyone went to bed at 8.30 full of dread of the next day dubbed the hardest and ´8 hours of uphill!´ . The nights sleep was awful as it was so cold, even in our sleeping bags, which claim to be comfortable in minus numbers (its not) we were still so cold!
We started early at 6, the porters come around each tent to wake you up with coca tea in bed and then breakfast follows shortly after. We had pancakes with dulche de leche (amazing) and then set off for the mamouth journey ahead. The porters were amazing, they just pack the entire camp up and move on. This part of the journey differed highly for me and Rory (to follow) as we basically spent the entire day apart, I was doing it alone as I had my ipod in and was concentrating on just making it to the top, while Rory was with Geoff and Alex (the aussies) who became our mates, they were chatting and keeping up quite a quick pace, not for me! So the second day is as hard as everyone says although relatively short compared to the other days. You can take the whole thing at your own pace and its constant steps of different sizes, quite haphazard! You can really notice the altitude here as I was constantly out of breathe but pushed through it, luckily the majority of this section was covered by the forest so it was cool. I reached the check point 10 or 15 minutes after Rory which surprised the both of us, as it was really quick, we had about an hours rest which isn´t really that helpful to your muscles as although its sunny its really freezing up there. The guide told us that we had done the worst of the journey and the next section was easy for the ´super hikers´ which he named Rory and co as they got up really fast. Well, I tell you now this man is a liar, we all got this notion in our head that is was going to be ok from here on in to the first pass called, the Dead Womens pass, it was the hardest section of the entire day, a constant slope upwards in the heat of the sun after a long rest, plus at an altitude of 4200m, I had to stop so many times it was getting a bit ridiculous and I felt like I was never going to finish the thing, luckily I had the red bull so sat down for 5 minutes and enjoyed the sceneary and had a can to myself, after this I was able to make it to the top in one, slowly but constant, as I started approaching the top I could see Rory taking photos and smiling. It funny how once you get to the top you forgot about how hard it was and just think about the next section, again we waited for a while for the rest of the group to have a group shot at the highest point on the Inca Trail, but after an hour we were so cold we decdiced to head to camp. The americans were having a hard time as she kept fainting from the altitude, so happy we were ok! The decent from Dead Womens Pass to the camp site, was the longest, most boring part of the journey, it was either steps or slope downward, but its so hard on the knees I acutally prefer going up. The camp site was awesome again and we arrived at 3 in the afternoon, we didnt really have anything to do though, so just laid in our tents until tea and then following that dinner. We were all quite surprised at how much rest time and breaks you get as we were expecting constant walking all day. After another great dinner, we all went to bed, again at 8 ish however tonight wasnt too cold so could get a decentish nights sleep, although they give you mats its really hard floor so sleep isnt great.
Rory: The second day for me was a massive struggle with the bag on my back it seemed to gain weight the further up towards dead womens pass I went! I dont think I have ever sweated as much in my entire life and was stopping to take photos at every opportunity just to attempt to catch my breath! When I got to the top, the heighest point, I was knackered but felt awesome at the same time a very strange experience. Whenever I got to a resting point/peak I imagined I´d be waiting for Chloe for a long time but she was always no more than 10 miinutes behind me at any point and I was quietly impressed when I saw her ascending the last lot of steps not long after me. The boneshaking descent was probably worse than going up in a way as your legs were tired and you just wanted to get to the camp site and rest, I was so glad when that day was out of the way having been told it was far and away the most difficult part of the Inca Trail and I can see why!

The Third day we woke early to more coca tea, although Rory wasnt feeling very well, probably following such a bad nights sleep, he had flu symptons and I could see he really wasnt well, plus we had about 2 hours of uphill to do to get to the second pass. We stopped at some ruins called Runkurakay, to explore, I wasnt very excited about it, leno the guide waffled on about them for 15 mintues and I could see rory getting worse. He had some parcetemol and I offered to take the rucksack for the uphill section, which was surprisingly ok so I carried it for a couple of hours while the drugs kicked in. By the time we got to the second pass Rory seemed a bit better, so we dumped our stuff and climbed some rocks to get right to the top and get some good shots. A tradional thing the Peruivans do is lay small rocks on top of each other and make a wish, I did this (wished to be skinny!haha) we then decened down the other side of the pass, again nightmarish steps all the way down. The porters run down slowly as its better for your knees and obvsouly quicker, so Rory and I decided to do the same (im still carrying the bag) after about 5 minutes I tripped as I knew I would, grazed my knee pretty bad, but I was more horrfied that someone had seen me so I grabbed Rory and made him keep running, it great beacuse people think you are a porter so they move out the way, and when they see you arent they alway comment, like ooooohh running haha. Got to the bottom to see some more ruins (Sayacmarca) and then continued to follow the trail to the lunch site, this part of the journey was really nice, Rory and I stayed together and we were completly alone on the trail, and it was in the more jungly part so was nice and cool and really beautiful. Had to stop along the way for many inca wees as we called them, better than using the toilets as well. We made it to the third pass, which was really beautiful and we could see tree covered mountains for miles and also the machu Picchu mountain, although not the actual ruins, we then had another long decent to the camp which is not as basic as the others and has a resturant and showers and beer! We all sat admiring the scenary as it was still sunny and having a beer before dinner. Dinner was a jolly afair as the cook had a surprise for us – buffet dinner- which was amazing lots of meat and rice and stuff chillis. After dinner all the porters sit together in front of you and each of you say thank you and what you enjoyed about the trip (in spanish!) to them and they each tell you their age and what they carried, some of these guys were 50 carring 20kg!! unbealivable! Then we presented them with their tip, which was alot but they really deserve it. We all then went to bed ealy again, some of the other groups stayed up really late drinking, pointless! there was no way we were going to have a hangover for macchu pichu! plus we had to be up at 3!
Woken at 3, had breakfast and headed to the gate, in the pitch black, we were the first group so pretty happy. There is a mountain in Machu Picchu called Wanapichu, which is the steep looking green mountain in most of the photos at the far end of Machu Picchu, only 400 people can climb it each day so its always a rush to get there early and get a ticket. The gate for the trekkers opens at 5.30 so we set off immediatly, the entire grouping keeping together and practically running the hours journey to the sun gate, which took us only 40 mintues, I was absultly exhusted though and struggled to keep up, also it was really dim light so kept feeling my ankle going on the rocks. Just before the sun gate there is an awful stair case which is practiacally vertical, I was at the bottom watching everyone go up, they looked like monkeys climbing up, pretty funny. We got to the sun gate which was really unimpressive and just quickly made our way to Machu Picchu entrance. We could see the ruins and it did look magical, espcially with the low clouds swirling around it. By the time we reached the main entrance and checked our bags in the buses of people had already arrived and were filing in. We practically run to Wanapichu and got the 314 and 315 ticket, which is really annoying as we had treked for 3 days to be met with this complete disorganisation! Anyway we had to go in the 7am slot which was lucky as it wasnt too hot and wanapichu was so hard to climb, it was almost veritcal steps for most of it and about 45 minutes of solid walking/climbing, all our legs hurt so deep inside the muscle that it was actually tourteous. I decied to walk on feet and hands for the majority which really helped. But it was worth it to see the view from the top, a complete panaramic view of Machu Picchu, plus at the very top there was lots of rocks which was fun to climb and we got some amazing photos and just larked about for a bit. It started to get really hot by 10 and I was so glad we weren´t doing the climb then as the heat would have been too much. We then set out on our guided tour which was interesting, Machu Picchu is really beautiful as they have preserved the ruins and looks so spectacualr, but we had nothing to eat since breakfast and we all ran out of water so felt like death. Once the tour was over we took the bus to Agua Callientes and had lunch, following this Rory and I went to the hot springs which was so nice to sit and soak, we also ordered some drinks and they bring them down to you at the pool side, absolute bliss!