So there i was, the guide was hired, the mule team was loaded up, my
paraglider and extra stuff were put in storage, and i go to take a
4:00 am leak before catching my bus, and wouldn´t you know itâ¦â¦â¦â¦..The
previous days flue and digestive problems caught up with meâ¦â¦â¦ FUCK!!
My last clean pair of pants and boxers too!! Don´t you just hate it
when you shit yourself! (Yah, you better laugh!)
Besides being really weak from being sick the previous day and dealing
with digestive issues, this was an intensely powerful part of my trip.
Our destination was Machu Picchu, but we refused to take the tourist
path. No, not us. We wanted to walk there, but the Inca trail was
closed. There is another rout, but it takes four days and climbs high
mountains and descends through the cloud forest. Tough going,
especially during the rainy season, just how I like it.
It is called the Salkantay Trail. The first day was a nice five or
six hour hike up into the Andees, past farmers that live in near total
isolation and up to a high alpine meadow that must be one of the most
beautiful places in the world. There we made camp and marveled at the
jagged snowy peaks behind us and the green valley that stretched out
below us.
The second day it really began. Our cook woke us at 4:30 with a cup
of coca tea. We got up, ate, and started hiking. On this day we had
to cover many many miles and climb over a 17,000 foot pass. The trail
was steep. It is called the trail of serpents, not because of the
danger of being bitten, but because it snakes itself forever up into
the fog and sleet.
At this elevation you move in slow motion. On the summit we did a
little ceremony with three coca leaves and a small stone you bring up
from below. It was a chance for me to thank God for blessing me so
much. It was also a time for me to choose a peace offering for a dear
friend i wish to reconcile with back in the states.
We hiked late into the afternoon with little food, intense rain,
through incredible mud and down a knee destroying decent. Camp was in
a farmers yard. It was a much need time to dry our cloths and shoes
over the fire and warm our bodies and spirits.
Day three was more destruction of cartilage. We descended the
mountains into the cloud forest near some of the biggest and most
violent water i´ve ever seen. It was really incredible seeing the
vegetation change so much on this side of the mountains. We
eventually made it to a small village (15 houses or so) and loaded on
a truck that was going down to a larger town.
It was pretty funny standing in the back of this flat bed truck
towering head and shoulders over the locals. Problem we had to
constantly duck to avoid the banana and coffee trees as we rocketed
through plantations and down the side of the mountain. Camp was above
a small town that had been wiped off the map in 1998 by mud slides.
Next morning we hiked upriver to a funny cable crossing. Two of us
barely fit in the small basket that hung below the cable and way above
the snarling river. The ride across got the heart pumping a few extra
beats. On another truck that dropped us at an electrical plant. A
short hike brought us to some railroad tracks in the jungle where we
waited at a shack that sold Inca Cola and Cheeto's. The train brought
us to the town of Agua Caliente where we soaked our soreness, slept in
a bed and prepared for the hike up to Machu Picchu the next morning.
Trip totals. 40 miles, 5,900 feet up, 9,500 feet down.
Machu Picchu is a mandatory destination. You´ve seen it on the
discovery channel, but until you´ve seen it in person, touched the
rocks and felt the energy of standing reverently in such a spiritual
place, it´s impossible to understand. Hell, i was just there and i
don´t understand. The hike up in dark all alone and the clouds
parting just for me as the sun came up, seemed a blessing i didn´t
deserve, but definitely relished.
Bored yet? Well here´s the super quick version of the rest of activities:
> Visited three major ruins, each of which deserve pages of descriptions.
> Endured a 32 hour bus ride without killing anyone
> Got some rock climbing in on some fun overhanging limestone
> Jumped off the third highest bungee tower in the world, backwards. 400 feet with seven seconds of fall time. Yah that was really really scary.
> Drank enough coca tea to fail drug tests for the next five years
> Valentines in Cusco was a treat : )
> I´m completely out of money and still have a month to go, yikes!
Yah, that´s about it i suppose. In the next couple of days we are out
of Cusco and maybe off to Puno and Bolivia or down to Chile to
paraglide for the rest of the trip.
Thanks for following along, and i hope i haven´t bored you with too
many details.
Much love from Peru!
miah
paraglider and extra stuff were put in storage, and i go to take a
4:00 am leak before catching my bus, and wouldn´t you know itâ¦â¦â¦â¦..The
previous days flue and digestive problems caught up with meâ¦â¦â¦ FUCK!!
My last clean pair of pants and boxers too!! Don´t you just hate it
when you shit yourself! (Yah, you better laugh!)
Besides being really weak from being sick the previous day and dealing
with digestive issues, this was an intensely powerful part of my trip.
Our destination was Machu Picchu, but we refused to take the tourist
path. No, not us. We wanted to walk there, but the Inca trail was
closed. There is another rout, but it takes four days and climbs high
mountains and descends through the cloud forest. Tough going,
especially during the rainy season, just how I like it.
It is called the Salkantay Trail. The first day was a nice five or
six hour hike up into the Andees, past farmers that live in near total
isolation and up to a high alpine meadow that must be one of the most
beautiful places in the world. There we made camp and marveled at the
jagged snowy peaks behind us and the green valley that stretched out
below us.
The second day it really began. Our cook woke us at 4:30 with a cup
of coca tea. We got up, ate, and started hiking. On this day we had
to cover many many miles and climb over a 17,000 foot pass. The trail
was steep. It is called the trail of serpents, not because of the
danger of being bitten, but because it snakes itself forever up into
the fog and sleet.
At this elevation you move in slow motion. On the summit we did a
little ceremony with three coca leaves and a small stone you bring up
from below. It was a chance for me to thank God for blessing me so
much. It was also a time for me to choose a peace offering for a dear
friend i wish to reconcile with back in the states.
We hiked late into the afternoon with little food, intense rain,
through incredible mud and down a knee destroying decent. Camp was in
a farmers yard. It was a much need time to dry our cloths and shoes
over the fire and warm our bodies and spirits.
Day three was more destruction of cartilage. We descended the
mountains into the cloud forest near some of the biggest and most
violent water i´ve ever seen. It was really incredible seeing the
vegetation change so much on this side of the mountains. We
eventually made it to a small village (15 houses or so) and loaded on
a truck that was going down to a larger town.
It was pretty funny standing in the back of this flat bed truck
towering head and shoulders over the locals. Problem we had to
constantly duck to avoid the banana and coffee trees as we rocketed
through plantations and down the side of the mountain. Camp was above
a small town that had been wiped off the map in 1998 by mud slides.
Next morning we hiked upriver to a funny cable crossing. Two of us
barely fit in the small basket that hung below the cable and way above
the snarling river. The ride across got the heart pumping a few extra
beats. On another truck that dropped us at an electrical plant. A
short hike brought us to some railroad tracks in the jungle where we
waited at a shack that sold Inca Cola and Cheeto's. The train brought
us to the town of Agua Caliente where we soaked our soreness, slept in
a bed and prepared for the hike up to Machu Picchu the next morning.
Trip totals. 40 miles, 5,900 feet up, 9,500 feet down.
Machu Picchu is a mandatory destination. You´ve seen it on the
discovery channel, but until you´ve seen it in person, touched the
rocks and felt the energy of standing reverently in such a spiritual
place, it´s impossible to understand. Hell, i was just there and i
don´t understand. The hike up in dark all alone and the clouds
parting just for me as the sun came up, seemed a blessing i didn´t
deserve, but definitely relished.
Bored yet? Well here´s the super quick version of the rest of activities:
> Visited three major ruins, each of which deserve pages of descriptions.
> Endured a 32 hour bus ride without killing anyone
> Got some rock climbing in on some fun overhanging limestone
> Jumped off the third highest bungee tower in the world, backwards. 400 feet with seven seconds of fall time. Yah that was really really scary.
> Drank enough coca tea to fail drug tests for the next five years
> Valentines in Cusco was a treat : )
> I´m completely out of money and still have a month to go, yikes!
Yah, that´s about it i suppose. In the next couple of days we are out
of Cusco and maybe off to Puno and Bolivia or down to Chile to
paraglide for the rest of the trip.
Thanks for following along, and i hope i haven´t bored you with too
many details.
Much love from Peru!
miah
VIEW 15 of 15 COMMENTS
_bossanova_:
That sounds perfect!
(with the obvious exception of the illness, of course)
(with the obvious exception of the illness, of course)
zenobia:
I know you miss south america already but i'm glad you are back in the states. Can't wait until you make into my time zone. No more sneaking in my room. No more LAURA!!! Now I that I have my own place we can do it any time we want 