When we arrived in Cusco, we started planning out how we would get to Machu Picchu. We settled on the Salkantay trek which has recently become a popular alternative to the Inca Trail. Five days of hiking over 50 miles past snow capped mountains and through waterfalls in the deep jungle seemed like the perfect fit for us. We would hike to Salkantay mountain on the first day and ascend it on the second. By the third day we would be deep in the jungle. The goal on day four is to make it to the base of Machu Picchu, to a town called Aguas Calientes. Our fifth day would be spent at Machu Picchu and we would return to Cusco late that night. It turned out be much easier said than done.
We started the first day at 3:30 a.m. with a two-hour bus ride to the small village of Mollepata. There were about 20 other hikers in our group and all looked to be somewhat around our age. Once we arrived in Mollepata, we had a quick breakfast and got our first chance to chat with the other hikers. Out of 20 hikers, there was only one other American besides Shanta and myself. There were hikers from India, England, France, Holland, Canada, Australia, Spain, Israel and Turkey. At breakfast, we could already tell the group was going to get along very well.
[ day 1 ]
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| The group |
Around 6:30 a.m., we took the group pic and headed off to tackle the 11.5 miles for day one. The first few hours were blisteringly hot as we climbed steep trails towards our first rest spot. Luckily we had plenty of water to keep us going.
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| First rest stop |
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| You can see the lake on my back after three hours of hiking |
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| Looking back towards our starting point in the valley |
Around 12 p.m., we reached our highest point for day one and began our descent towards our lunch spot with views of Salkantay in the distance.
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| Salkantay on the far left |
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| Determined |
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| Lunch: simple, and never enough food |
This bag of coca leaves was our lifesaver for the entire trip. You take a small bunch, chew them in the back of your mouth, and in minutes you'll feel a wave of energy. They also help with altitude sickness which many of our fellow hikers struggled with the first day.
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| Coca leaves |
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| Not the most trustworthy bridge |
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| Camp for the first night was at the base of the mountain |
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| Our tents with protection from the howling wind |
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| Ready for bed with freezing temperatures in the tent |
[ day 2 ]
The second day started with the cooks shaking each person's tent at 5 a.m. We were then greeted with hot cups of coca tea waiting at the tent entrance. Thankfully, the first movement of my legs didn't show any signs of tremendous soreness. We had a quick breakfast of bread, jam, and pancakes, and were briefed on what to expect for day two. This day was supposed to be the hardest of the trip as we made the final ascent up Salkantay and down the other side into the jungle for a total of 12 miles. We started off just after 6 a.m. and headed up the mountain.
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| Packing up but still freezing |
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| Starting the hike again |
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| Camp is deep in the valley below us |
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| Making our way to the top through thick fog |
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| We made it |
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| Freezing at the top |
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| Offerings to the mountain |
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| On the way down |
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| Ron and I |
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| As the landscape turned to jungle |
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| Following the river to camp two |
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| Made it to the camp by 3 p.m. and fell asleep by 9 p.m. |
The next day would be another early start at 5 a.m.
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