The Salkantay Trail

On Monday morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to begin our trek to Machu Picchu--well, it was actually before the crack of dawn.  We waited for our guide Percy to pick us up and drive us to Mollepata, the trailhead.  Percy is a fun guy.  He's always smiling and knows absolutely everything about the religion, culture, and terrain on the Salkantay Trail.  He was a great guide and companion.

Percy reminded me a little bit of Mathildo from Ecuador in that he knew every plant we passed.  This one is called the "little shoe" and they use it to make a tea that is supposed to have contraceptive qualities.  At another point on the hike Percy told us that Peruvian families in the region have lots of kids because they don't have TV.  I wonder if it's because they think they're drinking contraceptive tea.

The food on the hike was incredible.  We had two chefs, brothers, who would have our meals waiting for us when we arrived to the lunch tents (usually halfway through the hike) and to camp.

They also set up our tents for us before we arrived.  All we had to do was unpack and repack each evening and morning.  They even brought us coca tea in the morning to drink in our tents.  They call it glamour camping, "glamping".

The first night a few of us went wandering around to try to see some sort of a sunset.  The sun was hiding behind the mountains so there wasn't much to see, but the scenery was beautiful just the same.

Day 2 was intense.  It was maybe 3 hours hiking switchbacks like these until we reached the highest point of the trail, over 4600 meters.  Our Dutch friend, Lisanna, opted to ride a horse up which may have been a good idea.  We felt the altitude again here, there just wasn't air to breathe.  But the views were incredible.

Mt. Salkantay, the namesake of the trek.  It was huge, and we felt like we were right up against it.  It's popular for climbers, apparently it's quite a challenge.

Barry snagged a picture with a loose sign that was floating around up there.  We also performed a ceremony in honor of Pachamama, Mother Earth, using coca leaves.  It was pretty cool.

The crew up at the top.  It was pretty cold up there.

Here are our awesome chefs, Luis and MIguel.  They have cooking on the trail down to an art.  We had an appetizer, soup, bread, a main course and a side with every meal along with dessert at dinner.

While we were waiting for lunch Laura tried to catch a pig.  I think Barry made some sort of a bet with her.  She wasn't having much luck.

Then Percy showed her how to lure the pig in using corn.  She had much better results.

We crossed some pretty cool bridges made of just mud and sticks.  It was fascinating watching lines of horses cross them as if they had no fear of falling in the water.  I feel like going across these things with four legs would be precarious.

We passed this three-tiered waterfall thing that made for a great photo spot.  The scenery changed dramatically after coming down from the snow.  All of a sudden we were in the jungle.

It's a little tough to read but the sign says "Rest Place Shopping Center".  Barry has his credit cards ready for some serious shopping.

On the third night we went to the hot springs of Santa Teresa.  It was wonderful to feel warm and clean again.

This fountain was pretty impressive but unfortunately the water is cold so we didn't spend much time in this pool.

On the morning of the fourth day we said goodbye to our chefs.  They did a great job!  We celebrated the night before with a few beers.  This camp is known for their bonfires and it was a lot of fun.

There was an option to zipline that morning so we all did it.  Here's a picture of what they call the "spider man".  The river bed is maybe 200 feet below.  More pictures of me, mom!  You're welcome.

Our last day of hiking was primarily along the railroad tracks.  We came across an Incan ceremonial site where Percy talked us through the purification process we needed to undergo to enter Machu Picchu.  It was fascinating and involved a lot of self-reflection.

We passed these amazing sandstone rocks that looked like dollops of ice cream.  Water does some amazing things to sandstone.

 

We arrived at Aguas Calientes in the early afternoon.  It's a cute little town with shops and restaurants all over the place and a river running right through it.  Mom, you'd love it.  It's right at the base of the switchbacks leading up to Machu Picchu and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't exist without the ruins.  We had some good food, said goodbye to Percy, and hit the sack early to prepare for our day at Machu Picchu.  Come back tomorrow to see pictures of the big day!