The start!
Standing l to r: Di, Jenny, Sue, Jo, Ann, Michele & Alan; squatting l to r; Harold, Gary & me.
There are lots of reasons why the Inca Trail is so very popular:- its the best way to experience the Andes; the variety of vegetation in the Cloud and Temperate Rain Forests; the archaeological sights and just in case all that is not enough - there is Machu Picchu at the end!
The trekking is spread over 4 days with lots of breaks, so you never have to walk for more than about 3 hours in a stretch. There is no rush, so you can stop to admire the scenery as often and for as long as you wish.
I found it a tough trek to complete because of the altitude and the Inca "road".
Firstly the altitude. We were mostly trekking at between 1.5 and 2.5 miles up (about 4 times the height of anything in the Lake District). So the thin air made it difficult to keep a steady pace - basically we took it very slowly.
I also found the Inca "road" no more than a very uneven stone track with lots of steps. (Note: The Incas never discovered the wheel - hence no carts & didn't have horses, but used Lamas for pack animals. Lamas can easily cover any rough & steep terrain.) I bought special rubber tips to my hiking pole as I had read that I needed to protect the Inca Trail from damage. I needn't have bothered!
To be fair, those in our group who were more experienced than me thought that the Inca track was perfectly OK.
Alan took a couple of Videos on the Inca Trail, which give a good feel of what the scenery was like all round us.
One of the beauties of the Inca Trail, is that you never know what you are going to see next. I remember I didn't initially realise there was a large lake below, until the clouds parted.
A large Inca deserted village with graceful terracing hugging the base of the mountain.
Near to the Inca Trail was this fort with commanding views over the valley.
To be above the clouds with the Mountain peaks poking through was a very mystical experience.
The Temperate Rain Forest, was very temperate for us. We had a bit of drizzle one morning, but it didn't detract from the trek. It gets very hot in the daytimes and chilly very quickly as soon as the sun sets.
One of frequent stops for a well earned rest.
We had this inquisitive bull as our neighbour at one of the camp sites.
Everything was carried by the porters, leaving us to just have our day packs to carry. For our group of 10, we had 16 porters, one chef (by the way, the food was superb on the trek) and two guides. Quite a high ratio of porters to trekkers - but they were all needed.
There was only one major issue on the Inca Trail - the toilet facilities. The Instituto Nacional de Cultra is a disgrace to Peru! It did though generate the following ode
The highest point on the Inca Trail is Dead Woman's Pass (4,200 metres above sea level). It was also the most gruelling part of the trek.
Success at reaching the top of Dead Woman's Pass. A great sense of achievement for all.
We could have spent all day admiring the scenery, but we had to get down to the next camp.
OK, I am not a born hiker, but it was worth it.
