Inka Trailing

The second day of the Inka trail is definitely the hardest day. The group woke up at 5:30 with our usual wake up call complete with coca tea served in our tents (which was sweet!). It was especially hard to wake up because we knew it was a tough day. Not only is it the longest and steepest part of the trail but it is also 10 hours of hiking. We made our way up to Dead Woman's Pass which is the highest part of the trail at 4,215 meters. All of us eventually made it with no altitude sickness.


Onward and upwards! Kerrill, BP & I taking a
breather.


Hilby educating us.


Jules on the last stretch before the
top.


Made it to the top!


Alpaca hats are sooo in this year.


And now for some downhill.


At the top of the mountain we placed stones
that we picked up along the way and made a
wish. We also made offerings to the Gods.
Danny graciously offered an entire Snickers bar.
A real sacrifice on a 4 day trek. :)


A nice view.


I like flowers.


Self timer fun.


More vegetation.


Hilby entertaining us with his many "funny
questions" or jokes.

The third day was mostly downhill and was a piece of cake after surviving the second day. We camped at the last campsite which had showers and a restaurant. It was kind of strange being back in "civilization". I really enjoyed the time up in the mountains, probably more than Machu Picchu even though it was amazing to see. The Peruvian Andes are amazingly beautiful and you feel so far away from everything.


What a beautiful sight to wake up
to.


Rise and shine #29. The water bowls were for
washing our faces (not that I did!).


The Irish brothers bundling up.


Mountain woman.


Goofing off as usual.


Typical Aussie behavior.


A porter speeding by.


Brightly colored ponchos - also very in this year.


Cold & cranky faces.


Our hiking family.


Me and my trusty poles.


Jules and I in front of Winawayna, an
agricultural Inka site.


At the Temple of the Rainbow at Winawayna.
This temple had 7 windows to represent the 7
colors of the rainbow. The Inka religion
honored the Earth & the land that they depended
on. Temples such as this one reflect this belief.


Last dinner before Machu Picchu.


One of many intense games of Shithead.


Entertaining ourselves at the lodge.

We all celebrated our last night together at the lodge and were in bed early because we had a big day ahead of us - a 3:45 wake up call and the sweet reward, the breathtaking Inka city of Machu Picchu.