The Inca Trail
We weren´t planning on doing the Inca trail - a 4 day hike that follows an old Inca path from the Sacred Valley outside Cuzco to Macchu Picchu, one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world - because we'd heard it was expensive and needed to be booked months in advance. It turns out there are advantages to travelling in the off season, and if you love rain, you´re really in luck. We found a cheap tour three days before we wanted to go, and we couldn't turn it down.
The Inca trail was both the hardest and the most luxurious hike we've ever done. Porters (incredibly strong local dudes) carry all the food and shelter. Essentials on the Inca trail include plastic stools so you never have to sit on the ground, popcorn and cookies for tea time at 5 o clock, a dining tent that fits fifteen people around a little plastic table, and three hot meals every day. This is likely the result of intense free market competition between the insane amount of tour operators - especially now that you cant legally hike the trail without guides. (Hooray for liberated commerce!)
The porters shot consistently past us on the trail, with everything cleverly tied to their backs with tarps, ropes and squares of cloth and their feet strapped into the rubber sandals (made from old car tires) that everyone wears here. By the time we arrived at the campsite each night, our tents and food were ready and waiting.
The climb gave us a whole new respect for mountain climbers. Making a pass at 4200m, Jeff nearly blacked out because of the altitude: numb hands, tunnel vision, and leah taking his pack (after a lot of persuasion). Fortunately, there were coca leaves and lunch waiting at the top. Unfortunately, our camera stopped working on the second day, so we dont have pictures to do justice to the incredible mountains, the valleys filled with mist, and the ruins we saw (and sometimes didnt see due to heavy fog) all along the way.
The international crew on our tour was pretty cool, and we were taken by surprise by the pot breaks the French guys took every couple of hours. Hedgey was outdone. The night before our early morning hike to the sun gate and then macchu picchu itself, our entire tour gathered (illegally!) in the ruins close to our campsite to make an offering to pachemama (mother earth). We sat in the dark and played priest - in spanish, french, and english - with the various substances we had at our disposal. Disrespectful? Probably. Fun? Definitely.
Some ruins.
The Inca trail was both the hardest and the most luxurious hike we've ever done. Porters (incredibly strong local dudes) carry all the food and shelter. Essentials on the Inca trail include plastic stools so you never have to sit on the ground, popcorn and cookies for tea time at 5 o clock, a dining tent that fits fifteen people around a little plastic table, and three hot meals every day. This is likely the result of intense free market competition between the insane amount of tour operators - especially now that you cant legally hike the trail without guides. (Hooray for liberated commerce!)
The porters shot consistently past us on the trail, with everything cleverly tied to their backs with tarps, ropes and squares of cloth and their feet strapped into the rubber sandals (made from old car tires) that everyone wears here. By the time we arrived at the campsite each night, our tents and food were ready and waiting.
The climb gave us a whole new respect for mountain climbers. Making a pass at 4200m, Jeff nearly blacked out because of the altitude: numb hands, tunnel vision, and leah taking his pack (after a lot of persuasion). Fortunately, there were coca leaves and lunch waiting at the top. Unfortunately, our camera stopped working on the second day, so we dont have pictures to do justice to the incredible mountains, the valleys filled with mist, and the ruins we saw (and sometimes didnt see due to heavy fog) all along the way.
The international crew on our tour was pretty cool, and we were taken by surprise by the pot breaks the French guys took every couple of hours. Hedgey was outdone. The night before our early morning hike to the sun gate and then macchu picchu itself, our entire tour gathered (illegally!) in the ruins close to our campsite to make an offering to pachemama (mother earth). We sat in the dark and played priest - in spanish, french, and english - with the various substances we had at our disposal. Disrespectful? Probably. Fun? Definitely.
Some ruins. 
posted by Leah Gold at 5:24 PM
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