Day Two: Two Peaks and Tired Legs

Having conquered day one, I was feeling prepared yet nervous for day two. This day was known as the most challenging day as we had to pass through two peaks. The tallest peak, called Dead Women's Pass, was 4200m in elevation and required us to hike about 900m in elevation gain. The second peak, called the Gringo Killer, was about 500m in elevation gain but was basically all very steep stairs. All in all this day was set to be 4 hours uphill to summit Dead Women's Pass then 2 hours downhill to lunch then 2 hours uphill through the Gringo Killer and finally, 2 hours downhill to the campsite. My mindset at the 4am wake up call was, if I can complete today, then the rest of the trek will be easy.

After breakfast we set off on the trek up to Dead Women's Pass. The hike was constant uphill but I was able to keep a slow and steady pace. At the half way mark, we took a break as a group and got to use what would be our last decent bathroom (and when I say decent... There was no toilet paper or toilet seat but it was more than just a hole in the ground)! We then continued for the last 2 hours. At this point I was not feeling too bad! It was tiring but I was feeling motivated to make it to the top and I kept thinking, once you reach the top, the hardest part is complete! The last 200m of the Dead Women's Pass was the most difficult on the hike. It was incredibly steep and at high altitude making it quite challenging. What was very cool to me was how supportive everyone was of each other during the hike. Random hikers, not even in my group, would provide words of encouragement and cheer you on as you went. Once I reached the top, all those already at the top cheered to celebrate making it! It was such a great feeling and we were rewarded with beautiful panoramic views.

The hike down to the lunch spot was quite challenging and steep, especially having just hiked so much uphill, but overall it was not too bad and we made it down without any issues. We were served a delicious lunch and given an hour to just rest before we returned to hike the Gringo Killer.

At this point I was already feeling very tired but once we started hiking again, I felt more motivated and I found the hike easier than anything so far. Now this is not to say the hike was easy. I was still slow and needed to take breaks but the stairs section was supposed to be the most difficult part of the trek as it was literally constant stairs for 2 hours (and very steep and uneven stairs); however, I was able to get into a good rhythm and made it up the Gringo Killer feeling pretty great all things considered. The top of the second pass had beautiful views and it was nice to just sit up there for a bit knowing the hardest uphills of the trek were now behind me.

The 2 hour trek down was steep and my legs felt like jelly at that point but we made it down to the bottom. About 25 mins before our campsite we had the option to take a short 10 min trek to an Inca Site which offered stunning views and was well worth the extra 150 stairs or so! Arriving at our campsite was an amazing feeling! I felt so proud that I finished day two. We were treated with a lovely sunset and then happy hour and dinner before bed.

This day really made me appreciate the porters. They carry 25kg on their backs while literally running past you on the trail. Once you arrive at camp or lunch, everything is set up for you and the food is made (and delicious). Porter's are honestly super heroes, I truly don't know how they do it! Fun fact: the fastest recorded time to complete the Inca Trail was by a porter and it only took them 3 hours and 38 mins. To give you some context, this trail took me 23 hours across 4 days (although we did stop at some Inca sites but even still 3h38min is insane). I truly do not think it is humanly possible to complete this trek in that time and yet a porter managed to do it! They are incredible!Read more