Inka Trail

5am pick up and we were off for a backpack trip unlike any other we had experienced before... The five of us (including Ryan, ourselves, Ivan, and Sasha) set off from Cusco in a van towards the Sacred Valley. After a luxury breakfast (the first of many delicious meals prepared seemingly out of thin air and presented on a table with tablecloth, real silverware, and chairs), we began our journey toward the Inka`s sacred Macchu Picchu.

For the next three days, we climbed up and down valleys, through several smaller and beautiful Inka ruins (more respectfully known as constructions), passing through a range of climates from arid to jungle to cloud forest. After reaching the summit of ¨Dead Woman`s Pass¨on the second day, we began the endless rock staircase that would eventually bring us to the Sun Gate overlooking Macchu Picchu.

Maybe it was the spirit of the Inkas still conveying love and reverence for the mountains, or maybe it was the afternoon tea and cookies, but somehow the days passed like a dream and we arrived at our destination full of energy. On the last morning, we arose at 4am to eat breakfast and hit the trail in time for Cullen to be the first person to reach the Sun Gate (Ryan and I were unable to follow his deft manuvers past the slower but steady train of climbers along the narrow cliff-edged trail). We spent a long and calf muscle-burning day ascending and descending every possible staircase inside Macchu Picchu. As the sun was setting over the hill-perched remains of the majestic village, we sat quietly for a moment letting the immensity and beauty of a bygone world leave its mark on our souls.