Our start point, as we crossed the Urubamba River, one of the sources of the Amazon.

Chachabamba, our first Incan site. Comparatively small, but we learned to chew coca and it's role

Annette getting schooled in chewing coca

I was amazed at how wet and tropical it was, with orchids, hummingbirds, etc

We came around a corner after a tough climb and voila! There was Winay Wayna. Jaw dropping.

This smile was before I realized that we had to climb to the top of the thing!

Gasping and wiped, but we mad it up 3 EVIL sets of stairs

One of two crossings over cliffs that were removed after the flight from the Spaniards

The final climb to the Sun Gate- extremely steep steps nicknamed the Monkey Steps

The hard won first view of Machu Picchu!

Machu Picchu trek

May 26, 2022 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

We did a full day of the Inka Trail, arriving at Inti Punku (the Sun Gate) in the late afternoon for our first view of Machu Picchu from above. It was once the only entrance into the city, and the structure was aligned for the winter solstice and the sun temple in the city below. Our experience was about 7 miles and over 2000' of elevation gain. Fair to say that it kicked our butts. All that said, we had an amazing and patient guide, Santiago from Alpaca Expeditions, who spent both days with us and gave us a private tour. We couldn't have asked for better. When we needed to stop and gasp for a bit, he would point out wild orchids and tell us about the Inca and the places we were about to see. It was an AMAZING hike, with gorgeous and unexpected sights along the way and a feeling of sacredness as we crested the rise to see Machu Picchu spread out below us.Read more