Peru Inca Trail Hiking (2000)

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This was our first high altitude hiking.

I was not well prepared for this kind of hiking and was quite miserable. The main problem was that my clothings was all cotton instead of the specialized "breathable" material. Also my boots were too low to protect my ankles.

But the trip was interesting enough that went went for similar trips in later years. One of the biggest regrets was that we did not have a proper camera at the time.

Luckily today I found a few pictures of that trip in my friend Spencer's web site. Spencer was the YMCA guy who organized this, and the subsequent trips to India and Tibet.

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Some information from Spencer's web site.

Profile
9 days walking with full porterage; altitude maximum 5050m, average 3550m.

Route
Lima > Cuzco .. Mollepata (trek point) > Saltankay > Inca Chiriasqa Pass > Join classic Inca Trail > cross Dead Woman Pass > Over second pass to ruins of Sayajmarca and Phuyupatamarca > Down Inca steps to Winay Wayna and Machu Picchu > Visit the ruins of Machu Picchu, then by train to Sacred Valley > Explore Sacred Valley ruins of Ollantaytambo and Pisac > Cuzco > Lima

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After adjusting in Cusco for a few days, we took a bus to outside the city and start getting ready for the 5-day hike.

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A picture of out camp site.

On the second or third day of the hiking we were to pass one of the highest pass for the trip. I was getting sick the day before, so I got to ride on one of the 2 or 3 horses we had with us. Pool horse carrying all 200lb of me plus my clothes and backpacks.

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In the first few days of hiking, we did not seem any other big hiking groups. I only remember seeing two other guys hiking in the opposite direction of ours.

On the second last day of hiking, we hiked only in the morning, reaching a village where we would be resting for afternoon. This was our first chance to bath in the last few days. Two guys and I just jump to the icy cool river to have a quick wash.

Afterward, we just chill out in the village. Then I found out that this village is a major junction on the way to Machu Picchu. Many other groups taking a shorter hike/route to Machu Picchu would be starting their hiking in this village.

The guy second from the right is our local guide. Every night he would be reading a Spanish book by the fire in the kitchen tent. We would be hanging out and getting warm in the dinner tent. These two are the big common tents. We sleep in small two-person tents.