Rygsækrejsen 2015-2016: Inca Trail

The morning we've been waiting for for a while. Not exactly that we've been looking forward to the pick-up time at "4:30 - 5:00 AM" but this has been our agenda to quite a while. A not like this is the highlight of our trip but it is still something we have looked forward to.

We handed in our big back packs to the luggage storage at the hostel and then we waited for the guide to pick us up. A few other guys were also waiting for the same company to pick them up. New friends so early in the morning.

Most of the morning was logistics. Two hours of driving to the town of Olaytambambo - where we also were yesterday afternoon. This time we had a short coffee break before heading towards the start of the Inca trail - the kilometre 82 mark. Then we headed down a bumpy dirt road until we hit the parking lot. Other buses arrived there, some with hikers, some with local porters. We had all our stuff unloaded, the porters collecting bags, tents and other equipment.

The first stop - a small information stand where our guide quickly went through the highlights of the trip before we headed to the check point. Everything on the Inca trail is regulated to the point where it gets a bit out of hand. It's like entering Disneyland. Queue, paperwork, passport, checks and then we were allowed to walk the first 100 metres - and then wait for the rest of our group.

Picked up before 5 AM it was now 11 AM and we hadn't hiked more than 100 metres. Once the group was together we continued along the river on a flat section with time to enjoy the landscape and the nice weather. Not too sunny or too hot it was perfect for a hike. And a good start overall.

A short hike down the trail and we stopped at a garden - there was a nice view of the river and the canyon and some ruins on the other side of the river. We got a bit of information about the history of the place and continued after a round of "who's who".

It continued like this for the next couple of hours, walking a bit, stopping for a while. Then it got a bit steeper and it became a bit clear who was fit for steps and who weren't. We ended up in a small village where the tent and porters were ready for us with lunch. There was a short walk left after lunch - maybe 30 minutes. Halfway to our evening camp the rain started and increased quickly to the point where it was torrential. Malene pushed on towards the camp, Mikkel found a dry place to hide. A small shed for the porters. Our evening camp was soaked once we got there. Just a bit of water in our tent.

We changed clothes, the rain stopped and the only thing to do was stay in the tent and try to stay warm. There was no common room, the grass was wet and there was still some time to dinner.
Got good food for dinner and headed to bed early. Early start dictated by our guide for tomorrow. The hike tomorrow is going to be challenging going up most of the morning and then down most of the evening.