Inca Trail - Day 4 - Machu Picchu
Wake-up time for day 4 was 3:00 am. That’s not a typo. The porters needed to leave very early so that they could take the first train of the day at 5:30 am. A simple breakfast of bread and jam was served at 3:30 am, and we were given an egg-and-cheese sandwich wrapped in a napkin to take along for the morning. This was the worst meal of the trip, mostly since the bread was getting stale. Despite the early start, Greg got his best night sleep of the trail. It wasn’t great, but better than the first two nights.
A fringe benefit of the final morning was that the porters moved the sleeping bags and mattress pads to other bags, so they had extra space to carry more of our gear in our duffels. Bryan convinced Greg to detach his day-pack from the main backpack and send most of his gear with the porters.
The final checkpoint did not open until 5:30 am, so we sat on some benches and waited for nearly 90 minutes. It was cold and we were too tired to talk much. At 5:30, we joined the other tours at the checkpoint. The porters were long gone, following a different path that takes them directly to the train instead of the park. We passed the last village days ago; only hikers and guides remained on the trail.
We started the hike in the dark and used flashlights and headlamps until sunrise. This final segment was short (about 6 km / 3.5 miles) with steep cliffs. Earlier this year, an Australian hiker died after falling down one of these cliffs. Our guide Bryan prompted us to be the final group of hikers so that we could be careful. Indeed, we saw one woman from another tour take a minor fall and get some cuts and bruises. Our tour had no injuries.
After about 90 minutes, we reached the Monkey Steps. They got this name because the steps are so steep that you need to crawl on hands and knees, looking like a monkey. A few minutes later, we reached the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu. Our tour took many individual and group pictures, to prove that we made it. Greg shed a tear of joy that the goal was complete.
From the Sun Gate, we toured Machu Picchu via “Circuit 1”, a route that only visits the exterior. But our tour also had a reservation for “Circuit 3”, so after we completed Circuit 1, we went to the main entrance to tour the interior of Machu Picchu. And we got access to a small cafe with clean restrooms!
Our hiking guides Bryan and Carla were also our tour guides for Machu Picchu. They spent several hours teaching the Inca history and how it was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham (Boola Boola!). While we saw wonderful Inca sites along the hike, nothing compares with the size and scale of Machu Picchu. It was really worth the effort.
Amy already wrote about how we met at Machu Picchu and about the 5-hour delay in returning to Cusco due to the wildfire along the train tracks. After four days of hiking, Greg was exhausted and in terrible need of a shower and clean clothes. The delay made it more frustrating. But as promised, Greg cleaned up soon after returning to the hotel in Cusco at midnight, before getting to sleep in an actual bed.
The hike on the Inca Trail was mentally and physically exhausting. It was one of the hardest things Greg has ever done. We did a 25-mile/40km hike across one of the highest mountain ranges. We walked to one of the greatest archeological sites in the world. And we experienced the same pilgrimage as Inca kings and warriors. Granted, we had help from porters and modern conveniences like rubber-soled shoes, moisture-wicking fabrics, carbon fiber hiking poles, GPS apps, camping stoves, air mattresses, .... It still felt like a huge accomplishment. And it will truly be a memory of a lifetime.
Statistics
Distance: 6 km / 3.8 mi
Elevation gain: 294 m / 964 ft