Inka Trail - day 1

- April 14, 2018

Campsite tonight: Wayllabamba (9,840 ft - 3,000 m)
Distance: 7 miles (11 kilometers)

The greatest news ever: no altitude sickness! (so far). It hit me hard on the first day in Cusco, with very bad headache and nausea, but after forcing myself to drink two liters of water and extra strength Talenol I was fine. From time to time I have a tingling sensation in my hands - kind of like when your foot falls asleep and you try walking, and ants are going under your skin. Never experienced that in my hands before. It's hard to tell if it's from the altitude itself or the medications.
We arrived to Piscacucho early in the morning, welcomed by an amazing rainbow. All of us decided that if there is a pot of gold at the end, none of us is gonna carry it (although now, after the adventure, I think that I would just hire one of the porters to carry it for me...)
After assembling our gear, putting on tons of sunblock and insects repellent, we where ready to tackle the mountains. Last pictures at the kilometer 82 - an official beginning of the Inca Trail - and the stamp in our passport at the first checkpoint, and off we go...
The first day wasn’t too bad. We hiked 11 kilometers of “Peruvian flats” which means gentle ups and downs. We were taking it slow, once because of the unbelievable scenery and also because of the altitude. At some point I stayed a little behind taking pictures and I tried to catch up with the group, hiking in my normal speed - after few minutes I was wheezing, totally out of breath. Hiking at 9842 feet (3000 meters) above sea level does make a difference. At the same time porters where going up and down with no problems whatsoever. The porters are simply inhuman! They carry huge duffle bags full of equipment, food, tents and our crap, without any sign of trouble. Each bag weighs 25 kilos (approx. 55 pounds) and they are weighted every day to make sure that everybody carries his share and no more. We had 12 porters, all of them farmers from the same village. As an additional source of income they work for tourist companies, some of them for 11 years. The oldest one is Vidal - 68!
At the beginning of the trail we encountered two tiny older women. They where repeating one word and wouldn’t let us pass. At first I was confused but than I had an “aha” moment - they wanted money. We all have to make a living and taking money from the tourist on the trail is not the worst way to do it. I just had $2 in my pocket so I gave it to them. I know I shouldn’t and I know it was way too much, but as I was walking away, hearing they excited voices as they where sharing the loot put a big smile on my face and a spring in my step.
In the middle of the day we saw our first Inka site - Llaqtapata. It's an archaeological site about 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Machu Picchu. It was discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1912, but better documented and explored in 2003. Based on that study it was established that it used to be an important rest stop, administrative site, and ceremonial site on the way to Machu Picchu. The Inka sites are actually very common in Peru. The most famous one is Machu Picchu, but they have hundreds of different sites, some of them not even documented, since Inkas didn't leave any written history.
This first part of the Trail is still pretty civilized, with several permanent, small settlements and pack animals traffic still allowed. At one of the settlements our guide received a business card from the owner, who said that in case of any trouble she can come and get us down. Her means of transportation and potential ambulance - a motorcycle!
By the time we came into the camp at the end of the day, all our tents, mattresses and sleeping bags where ready for us, and each of us got a bowl of hot water to wash out significant amount of dirt and dust accumulated on our faces and hands.
After dinner we had a short meeting with our porters and the cook - Ernesto. We had a chance to learn a little about people who are gonna take care of us for the next few days.
Around 7PM, at the sunset, we where more than ready for getting into our tents. All our gear - including hiking poles and shoes - had to be stored inside the tents. First to avoid any unpleasant surprises in the morning (spiders, scorpions) but most importantly to protect our things from stray dogs. Apparently a stinky, leather shoe makes an excellent chew toy!

Tomorrow a hard day ahead - Dead Woman’s Pass - even the name sounds ominous. A lot of climbing than a lot of downhill - it’s hard to tell which is worst.