After resting at our high point for
a bit we caught our breath and got ready for the descent. We were heading down
600m along a steep path – a mix of
trail, cobblestone, and steps. The first 30min were very steep and hard on our
quads. Sarah and I ran ahead a bit because we found it easier to bound down the
steps. By the time we reached the bottom our legs were shaking like crazy, even
just standing still! But the view, again, was incredible as giant waterfalls
came into view and the mist began to thin for a while.
The view from the top on the way down
It felt amazing to sit
down and take off our boots and socks. Our feet and legs were definitely sore
and we were ready to eat! We bundled up and headed into the tent for some
‘happy hour’ snacks and to play some Uno before dinner. After a delicious
dinner we were ready for bed. Everyone was tired and we had to be up at 5:30am
the next morning! However, we couldn’t sleep without peering up at the stars
for a few moments. The sky was wonderfully clear and the stars went down to the
horizon. Incredible.
It was very chilly that night and even bundled in several
layers and a hat I was still chilly. I woke up several times trying to get
warm/comfortable. At one point I thought I saw flashing. I unzipped the tent
and peered out towards the mountains. In the distance I could see lightening
flashing (no thunder though). It was so dark and quiet it verged on a little
freaky so I zipped up the tent and went back to sleep.
The next morning we were again woken up with coca tea and we
worked on packing up our stuff. When I told Percy about how I woke up in the night he asked if I got out of the tent or saw anything. I told him I'd be crazy to get up - it was freezing! - and that all I saw was the lighting. Percy explained we asked because apparently the campsite we stayed at is haunted. Back in the early 90s before there were guided tours a woman was found dead in the bathroom. I guess those who stay near the bathroom often see figures walking around at night....
Today we were prepared for 2 hours up, 1 hour
down, and 25 min flat before lunch. After another wonderful breakfast we were
off and hiking. We wished each other a merry Christmas Eve and keep a slow
steady pace up to our first set of ruins for the day. After an hour we arrived
at Runkuracay which is a symmetrical set of circular stones. This may have been
a lookout point and the view is certainly impressive.
Looking out to where we had come from. You can see the waterfall running down the mountain right into our campsite
After a brief rest here
we continued up past some beautiful alpine lakes to another high point. From
here we climbed around the area, had some snacks, and took lots more pictures.
The sky cleared (first time Percy had seen blue sky here in 3months) and we
weren’t complaining! It was so nice to not be in the rain and we all felt much
better then the day before even though we were still at a fairly high altitude.
Soon it was time for the hour down which was again fairly
steep. However, we were rewarded with our second ruins of the day: Sayacmarca.
These ruins are built on the edges of cliffs and were pretty fantastic to look
at. Here the mist did start rolling in. You’d look off the edge and be able to
see everything and a moment later the whole area would be shrouded in cloud.
After we had some time to explore we headed off for a
much-anticipated lunch! An easy 30min walk lead us to a great lunch spot were
we enjoyed self-serve veggies and quinoa! We even had some time to sit outside
and relax in the sun for a bit. It was warm and the heat felt incredible.
Eating lunch under the red glow of the tent
Yet all to soon it was time for the afternoon hike. We had one hour up and three hours down before we reached our next campsite. I briefly thought I lost my camera but after some scrambling I managed to get it together and be ready to go. The hike up felt relatively easy, especially after all the hiking we’d done at altitude. Part way up we stopped at a little rest site where Shelby noticed by scalp was burning. I had left my hair in braids for 48 hours and my part was so badly burnt. I didn’t know it then but I’d be dealing with that burn for over two weeks. Ouch. We continued on, often spotting Cuzco’s highest snow covered peaks off in the distance. Finally we hit our highest point for the day and great views of Aguas Calientes – the town just a 20min but ride from Machu Picchu. In fact, we could see Machu Picchu mountain too and we knew we just had to make it around the other side of the mountain! It was definitely encouraging.
Unfortunately, as we took our break, the skies started to
turn dark and lighting appeared in the distance. We figured we better start
down asap since there was quite a ways to go! Before we got too far we soon
reached our third set of ruins for the day. The ruins are known as
Phuyupatamarca or ‘town in the clouds’ and it truly feels that way. The ruins
were the best we’d ever seen. There were even running water ‘baths’ or
‘foundations’. We stuck our hands in for the change to rinse off in the ‘ritual
water’. Here we also got to see much of the impressive Incan architecture. The
Inca actually built all their houses, temples, and other buildings at a
12-degree angle (tilting inward) to protect against earthquake damage. Very
impressive.
The sacred fountain
Part of the city sitting out on the cliffside
Although we wanted to keep looking rain started sprinkling
and we started on down. We were some of the last trekkers on the trail and we
headed off at a quick pace. Although the rain sprinkled down intermittently and
it got a bit chilly we were rewarded with fabulous views of a rainbow pouring
from the sky and right into Aguas Calientes. It was really gorgeous despite the
threatening black clouds. We took a brief break about half way down but then
the rain really started to pick up. We began to jog down trying to stay warm
and dry. It was steep and the last half hour involved lots of steep steps and
sharp switchbacks.
The first rainbow we saw
Impending doom...
The second rainbow we saw from near our campsite
We finally arrived to Wiñay Wayna, our final campsite. It
was absolutely pouring and we piled into tents to ditch our wet clothes and get
warm! It was dinner time by this point and we all piled into the tent to play
cards and wait for the meal to finish cooking. We enjoyed a delicious last meal
including rice and breaded eggplant for the vegetarians! We knew that tonight
there would be a ceremony to thank the porters for all their work. They don’t
continue on to Machu Picchu with us but instead head back via an early morning
train. We learned this was also the time we needed to tip the porters. We had
expected this but getting all our money together took significantly longer then
any of us expected (especially because we had to explain to the other man and
his son what we were planning on paying because they wanted to follow suit).
After some confusion we managed to get everything together and properly thanked
all the porters for all their hard work.
To end the night everyone (including Percy) gathered around my
tent (this time Shelby and I were together!) and I read “Twas the Night Before
Christmas” – a tradition in my family. It was really nice to share the
tradition with everyone and we were in bed by 10pm which was the earliest Christmas
Eve I’ve had in years!
The last day/Machu Picchu and the conclusion of our journey home coming VERY soon!
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