Day Three - The Inca Trail

Our meet time was 4:30am in a smaller plaza a short distance from my hotel. I arrived a little early, making sure I both found it OK and was prompt. This turned out to be not such a great idea. There were about 10-12 people hanging out, still going strong from the night's drinking. One decided to come over and try and talk to me in Spanish. After a little while, he gave up and was on his way. Before too long, I was joined by the others and then the van arrived, with our guide, Edwin, and we were off to breakfast and then on to the check-in point.

Porters Packing the Supplies (Click to Enlarge)	Start of The Inca Trail (Click to Enlarge)	Urubamba River and Inca Trail (Click to Enlarge)

It's impressive to see the size of the backpacks the porters carry. They packed everything we would need during the four days and were about to carry it all on a very long trek. The trail starts midly, with a slight incline and smooth trails. We walked at a fairly quick pace and before long we came across the first significant set of ruins.

Smaller Ruins Along the Path (Click to Enlarge)	Patallacta (Click to Enlarge)	Patallacta (Click to Enlarge)

Patallacta was an important stopping point for the Incans on the way to Machu Picchu. It was also used for crop production, housing for nearby soldiers, as well as religious and ceremonial functions.

Shortly after passing Patallacta, we stopped for lunch. The porters set up a little red tent, which has a dining area on one side and a makeshift kitchen on the other. The chef prepared amazing meals each and every day. I could not have been more impressed with the quality of food from the Llama Path chef and porters.

Inca Trail (Click to Enlarge)	Lunch Tent (Click to Enlarge)	Campsite at Ayapata (Click to Enlarge)

Continuing along the trail, we reached our campsite for the first night, high up in region known as Ayapata. While the clouds were settling in fast, the views were still impressive and we enjoyed the sights as we waited for a pre-dinner meeting that would occur each night. Happy Hour, as it was called, consisted of fresh popcorn, warm beverages, and various other snacks. The temperatures drop fast as the sun sets and the warm beverages were enjoyed by all as we discussed the day's hike and what would come tomorrow. After an outstanding dinner we were all ready to turn in for the night. It had been a long and physical first day.

 

Day Four