After four amazing weeks in Pisaq, the grand finale as intern group leaders for the STRIVE program was hiking the famous Salkantay trail to Machu Picchu. Marissa and I had dreamed about seeing Machu Picchu in person for years. The ruins were constructed by the Incas in the 15th century, abandoned when the Spanish arrived, then rediscovered and brought to world attention in 1911 by American Historian Hiram Bingham. They are highly regarded as one of the best sights in the world and what better way to make our way there then embark on an epic 4-day adventure via the Salkantay trail, named by National Geographic as one of the Top 25 Treks in the World. The trail ascends to an impressive 4650 meters above sea level (or 15,255 feet) in the first day. Needless to say, none of the four days were easy but we were with some amazing athletes. The pass along the way was extremely fast as we made quick work of the trail. At times, we wondered if the kids were really taking in the amazing experience or just killin’ it and getting a great workout. Marissa and I enjoy hiking and have embarked on many treks in the last year but this hike was up there as one of the best! The fact that we were able to hike with such amazing people made the experience even better! It was quite an experience as we had 2 groups: one college which Marissa and I were leading and another with high schoolers. In total there were 32 of us on the trek. That made everything quite the ordeal from meals to tents, etc. We have numerous porters, cooks and guides that were just responsible for our group.
Day 1: Soraypampa to Chaullay
The first day was not for the faint of heart. The day began with a 3:30 am wake up call in Cusco. We then boarded a bus to Mollepata for a breakfast stop. Next all of us piled into the back of an open aired semi truck. Up the mountains we went holding on for dear life. The experience was amazing as the kids broke out into song and made the time fly by! Afterwards, the hike began and it began with a bang as the first couple of hours were basically straight until we reached the summit. Unfortunately Marissa had one of the worst hiking days of her life, as she was pretty sick. She had some digestive and stomach troubles (as usual per Peru), then as the altitude kicked in it made her feel worse but she made it to the summit. I am so proud of the fact that she stuck it out and made it through the whole day. I don’t know anyone else that could have done that and I felt so bad for her as we brought up the rear and entered camp in the pitch dark after she threw-up lunch enroute.
Day 2: Chaullay to Lucmabamba
This day was largely downhill. Marissa was still feeling sick, but was on her way back to normal. At times the downhill was harder than uphill of the previous day. We were all glad that the temperatures began to warm as we trekked. In addition the vegetation changed from alpine to high rainforest. The day was pretty long as we once again came into camp in the darkness but the sights along the way were pretty amazing!
Day 3: Lucmabamba to Aguas Calientes
This day we had a pretty challenging uphill followed by a steep downhill. We all enjoying a refreshing dip in the river once we hit the valley floor at the base of Machu Picchu, then we ended the day by walking the railroad tracks toward the town of Aguas Calientes. This day ended in a hostel with a hot shower (sort-of). It was nice to sleep in a bed, even if it was short lived.
Day 4: Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu
This was the day that we had all been waiting for! It began early (again) as we had a wake up call of 3:00 am, leaving at 3:30 to get in line. We walked 20 mins from our hostel to the control gates at the base until they opened a little before 5 am. Then our group of finely tuned athletes MOVED up from the lower control gates to the upper control gates to the entrance leaving everyone else in the dust. This involved 1,280 feet of elevation gain and 1,500 stairs in the pitch dark. Our group wanted to challenge themselves and as a result were the FIRST ones in line to enter Machu Picchu. The guidebooks say that it takes 1.5 – 2 hrs to do this stretch however we had kids that did it in 26 mins (shout out to Sam our champion). Us old and ‘slower’ folks (Marissa and I) did it in 40 mins MOVING as fast as we could, passing countless people on the way. We were glad that we have been training at 9,500 feet of elevation in Pisaq before embarking on this. Once we entered Machu Picchu we were greeted with the most amazing sunrise of our lives and took TONS of pictures as a group before the crowds and people who took the easy way up (there is now a bus that takes people to the top). It was such an amazing morning! We really enjoyed our day exploring the famous Incan city!
View Our Salkantay Gallery:
Machu Picchu is a once in a lifetime, amazing experience. Though it is incredibly touristy and by 11:00 am feels a little like Disney World with all the lines, it is worth making the trek up, and even better if you take the long route via one of the incredible hiking trails.
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