On Saturday, we woke up early in the pouring rain to make our way up to the trailhead for our 4 day journey along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas and also one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World." You can reach the ruins via train but we decided to take the longer route along the 42 km trail so we could see it all. Our small group was made up of 2 Americans, an Irish guy and a Swiss girl, along with our Peruvian guide, Lobo. Having only two days to adjust to the high altitude of the Andes, we were a little concerned that the altitude would really hit us once we started hiking but after taking it slow the first day we did alright. The journey took us past multiple ruins and tall, lush mountains. We expected a lot of rain and were pleasantly surprised to have a mix of weather along the way. However, our rain ponchos were an absolute necessity. The tour company provided all the meals and had porters to carry our tents, food and other luxury items for the trip. Not a bad way to backpack if you ask me. The trail was definitely tough, reaching 4215 meters (13,825 feet elevation) at the highest pass and including some steep stretches downhill. Yesterday morning we woke up at 3:30am and raced to be the first group in line at the gate to Machu Picchu. And we were, though I still can´t figure out why it was worth speed hiking for an hour to achieve this!
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