Inca Trail - Day 1
No matter how much I write about the hike, I just wouldn't be able to give proper credit to the beauty of the area. You really have to go there and experience it yourself.
The first day started with a 5:45 AM pickup at the hostal and then a long bus ride to the start of the trail with a stop for breakfast along the way. We didn't actually start hiking until probably after noon. Everyone had warned me about the difficulty of day 2 of the hike, so I was assuming a nice easy walk on day 1. Boy was I wrong. Day 2 was definitely the hardest, but don't count out day 1. There was a decent amount of uphill work and I wasn't used to that much physical exertion since I hadn't been to a gym in a few months. Also, I was doing a decent job of keeping pace with the rest of the group, who were young (mid 20's to early 30's) and in shape. We hiked for about 3-4 hours before reaching the campsite for the night. Our guide, Miguel, pointed out various plants along the way. Amazing how people were able to discover the medicinal value of plants. Must have been a lot of trial and error. Miguel showed us some hallucinogenic plants, some plants good for the male prostate, some good for losing weight, some wild marijuana, etc. I'm sure some members of the group probably grabbed a handful of some of these plants when our backs were turned...
By the time we reached camp, the porters had, of course, set everything up already. I can't comment enough on the ability of the porters. They are truly amazing. They're carrying supplies probably half their own weight and they can climb a mountain like no one else. The porters were at camp way ahead of the rest of us, who were only carrying our daypacks. These porters are carrying all the food supplies, all the cooking gear (including tanks of gas), as well as the hikers' gear. I definitely could not have made it if I had to carry my own stuff. Those porters are invaluable and well worth the money.
We had some time to hang out before dinner so I took some pics of the surrounding area. I managed to tear my new pants on some barbed wire as well, but oh well. I chalked it up to part of the Inca trail experience. A small group formed to play Spades. I watched and tried to help as best I could since some of the players were brand new to the game. It's amazing how competitive some people can get. There were a couple of guys in the group that clearly were type A, alpha-male types.
After dinner, the group played some more games, but my brain got to be too tired. I turned in around 10, and tried my best to get some sleep before the 5 AM wake-up call.
The first day started with a 5:45 AM pickup at the hostal and then a long bus ride to the start of the trail with a stop for breakfast along the way. We didn't actually start hiking until probably after noon. Everyone had warned me about the difficulty of day 2 of the hike, so I was assuming a nice easy walk on day 1. Boy was I wrong. Day 2 was definitely the hardest, but don't count out day 1. There was a decent amount of uphill work and I wasn't used to that much physical exertion since I hadn't been to a gym in a few months. Also, I was doing a decent job of keeping pace with the rest of the group, who were young (mid 20's to early 30's) and in shape. We hiked for about 3-4 hours before reaching the campsite for the night. Our guide, Miguel, pointed out various plants along the way. Amazing how people were able to discover the medicinal value of plants. Must have been a lot of trial and error. Miguel showed us some hallucinogenic plants, some plants good for the male prostate, some good for losing weight, some wild marijuana, etc. I'm sure some members of the group probably grabbed a handful of some of these plants when our backs were turned...
By the time we reached camp, the porters had, of course, set everything up already. I can't comment enough on the ability of the porters. They are truly amazing. They're carrying supplies probably half their own weight and they can climb a mountain like no one else. The porters were at camp way ahead of the rest of us, who were only carrying our daypacks. These porters are carrying all the food supplies, all the cooking gear (including tanks of gas), as well as the hikers' gear. I definitely could not have made it if I had to carry my own stuff. Those porters are invaluable and well worth the money.
We had some time to hang out before dinner so I took some pics of the surrounding area. I managed to tear my new pants on some barbed wire as well, but oh well. I chalked it up to part of the Inca trail experience. A small group formed to play Spades. I watched and tried to help as best I could since some of the players were brand new to the game. It's amazing how competitive some people can get. There were a couple of guys in the group that clearly were type A, alpha-male types.
After dinner, the group played some more games, but my brain got to be too tired. I turned in around 10, and tried my best to get some sleep before the 5 AM wake-up call.
posted by KC at
4:26 PM
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