Inca Trail - day #2

Woke up early. We had to be out of the tents before 5:30 so the porters could pack them and be on their way towards the next camp. So weird that they cannot come up with a system where the tents are put up on a permanent basis. On the other hand it keeps a lot of hands and feet busy constantly carrying whole camps across mountains.

We set out a bit later than planned, our guide being slightly frustrated with the pace of some of the participants. We enjoyed the morning however. First stop after some 10 minutes of walking. Check-point, optional stamp in passport and then continue up the hill. All morning was uphill. Whenever our guide gave us an estimated time of arrival we continued to do it in half the time meaning a lot of waiting time. We made it to the top of the dead woman's pass around 12 with Jonas and Louise and didn't bother waiting for the rest of the group. It was cold and windy at the top and we would rather get to the camp before the rain - if any today - and the downhill section of the trail was steps. A lot of steps.

So we made it down in our own slow pace to the camp, found our tents and rested, waiting for the rest of the group to arrive.
We had late lunch and then time for some more resting. No urge to hike around the area, the weather being a bit cloudy and cold. Instead we stayed in the camp which today was big - crowded with other groups of tourists and local kids also doing the trail. No the tranquil place you could hope for but 50 teenagers having fun right next to our camp.

Dinner included some more information about tomorrows hike. Not so steep, more ruins to look at and at lower altitude than today. A couple of guys from our group not feeling too good today from the altitude. Malene and I felt overwhelmingly great considered the hiking distance and the altitude. Maybe it was the training with Sharon and Keith that is doing the difference. We think so. Ready for an early morning tomorrow - again - and a longer hike. Thumbs up.

Happy breakfast

Ready to hike

More amazing views

Bag with porter

Inka - of course

First stop of the day

Steps leading to the top of Dead Womans Pass

Belgium and Denmark hiking in front

More steps

Cold break at the top of Dead Womans Pass 

Going down

Going down on a lot of steps

Almost there

At the camp site

Dinner time

Inca Trail - day #1

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.

Waiting for the morning pick up

Getting ready for the trail

Being very ready for the trail

Porters lining up

First check point

A little bit of rain

Lunch

So many scenic places on the route

A lot of rain

Wet camp site

Dry tent and happy hiker