The 4 day, 30 mile, 14,000 trek begins. It is an incredible experience that you are never fully prepared for. All the reviews I read said you should be in good physical condition. I run 5 miles a day and this was a challenge beyond what I expected. The first day of hiking is only 6 hours and not too steep. The second day is 8 hours of climbing up and up and up. It never ends. I am ready to collapse on this rock with the cold rain blowing on me. I don't care that I am laying in wet, mushy, grass and rocks. This is how exhausted I am. The weather is undpredictable. Dripping in sweat one minute and freezing wet the next. I have had to stop and change gear on the side of the mountain so many times I lost count. The views are amazing. I love every minute of it. I love the challenge, the beauty, the feeling,and the people. The villagers in the mountain live so simple in these tiny huts. Each time we pass through a village I take in the armas of their cooking and the sweet sound of pan pipes and flutes. I am envious of the porters carrying the gear and racing through the mountain like warriors. By the time we reach our campsite these porters have fresh hot meals prepared that they serve us in our tents. Every morning they wake us up with coca tea. "Buenas dias senorita" with such genuine smiles. I can see they love their job and it makes it that much more enjoyable. I went with wayki trek and I highly reccomend. They go above and beyond. On one evening Freddie the tour guide some how sensed my distress from the pain in my ankles. He came to my tent with some muscle rub and even put it on me. I thought to myself in the many lists I reviewed of what to pack there is no mention of antiinflammatory cream. My advice is to bring it becuase all of your muscles will be aching and you need the recovery to keep trekking. Day 3 is the longest but not as steap and a good mix of up and down. The Incas made the path to MP to follow the shape of the mountain for religious reasons. It was part of the pilgrimage. MP means tallest peak and it is located in the center of the Andes. The energy I feel from this sacred siteis extremly intense. When I finally arrived on the 4th day I was overcome with emotions of joy and peace. It is ethereal. The beauty sucks me in. It is such a wonder how the Incas built with such precision. I don't want to leave. I soak in my last momnets of the mountain magic and proceed to catch the bus back down to the town of Auguas Calientes. I regret that I did not book a hotel here. Me and my friend had to race to the springs only to enjoy for 20 minutes before racing back to catch the train for another 4 hour ride to the town of Poroy. I leave feeling a new sense of peace and a deeper connection to the universe. This is a life changing experience!
