Camino Inka (The Inca Trail) - Day 1 - Conquering the Andes

One of the main goals of this first trip to South America for me was to visit the famed Machu Picchu archeological site a.k.a. "Lost City of the Incas" never found/destroyed by Spaniards. (Voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World)

Now there are basically two ways to get to this vast citadel/Inca ruin that lays nestled in the Andes on Machu Picchu mountain:

• The easy way:  2 - hour train ride from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes city at the base of Machu Picchu and a 30-min bus shuttle up to the site.

OR

• The full Inca experience immersion/pilgrimage route (a.k.a. the more challenging way lol): a 4 day/3 night backpacking hike across three mountains and a 3:00am sprint on the 4th day to the Sun Gate entrance of Machu Picchu site to be the first visitors - Si, muy macho:D

Yeah guess which one this L.A. city girl chose to do....
3:45 am start - departure from Pariwana Hostel to Llama Path bus meeting place.
2 hr bus/nap to Ollantaytambo ....brrrr...wishing I had brought that extra fleece sweater!



Starting point at Kilometer 82 (2720m/8923ft) - Happy, bright faces:D



 We booked the "Inca Comfort Trail 4D/3N" package through Llama Path and let's just say I let the "comfort" part of the tour package ease my mind when I reserved it but a tiny part of me probably knew what was really in store.



1st steps along the Urubamba River -



Gaining elevation quickly!

Little shower scare (me in my poncho de lluvia :)



Local burros sharing the trail and having a bite to eat

Cow trail block



Pretty flowers everywhere! But still on the hunt for orchids...

Gorgeous river views from the trail

Yay lunch break w/ refreshing warm (boiled) water to hand wash in the wilderness:)



Sopa and frites

Veggies and more potatoes (over 200+ varieties...they're everywhere!)



A much needed respite after 'sprinting' (Ann's interpretation) up a tons of rock stairs..



Forget the extra sweater lol! - The steep ascents made us sweat bullets especially with 5kg+ on our backs... jackets were coming off left and right...but then right back on for any stops greater than 10 min (mountain chill still there!)

Left: Sienmi's backpack; Right: a porter's 'backpack' - how do they do it??



One of many breathtaking views of the Andes to come...almost around every trail corner.



Finally - end of Day 1 - Survived? Yes ...not so bad?

Day 1 Recap: Km 82 to Ayapata campsite (3300m/10829 ft)

• 14 km/8 miles trekked
• 580m/1906 ft elevation gain
• Super brief mist/drizzle
• After our surprisingly "challenging" hike (for me) on Day 1, I hope I survive the dreaded day 2 and don't shred all my muscles by manana!

(Track our progress on the Llama Path map)