Machu Picchu Trek, Peru - Day 3

Along the trail today we got to visit a couple Inca ruins as well as see some hummingbirds. The weather wasn’t spectacular as it rained extremely hard for parts of the trek resulting is some heads down concentration on the rocky steps. A highlight of the day was looking forward to our last campsite where we would be able to take a hot shower for 10 soles or 3 dollars. When we arrived late at night, we discovered that there was only one shower for men and one for women for over 300 people on the trail. At that point we were so tired and we would have to be up at 3:45 the following morning in order to be at the gate at 5:30, that we decided to just go to bed after dinner. Interestingly enough, for a large group of people who haven’t showered in 3 days, nobody had any offensive odors. Perhaps it was the rain, cool weather, or just a lot of deodorant. Or perhaps we just got use to the scent.

We had to be up uber early on the fourth day of the trek because you want to be one of the first three groups in line when the gate opens so that you can run down the trail for about an hour and get access to Wayna Picchu. Wayna Picchu is a mountain which nestles up against Machu Picchu and has amazing soaring views of the lost city. Only 400 people a day are allowed access to the mountain for the privilege to tackle the steep and precipitous climb in order to get the coveted panoramic view of Machu Picchu. At times the steep trails are exposed with little protection other than a steel rope embedded in the side of the mountain. While Wayna Picchu is normally a difficult and precarious climb, when raining the trail can be extremely slick and treacherous. In the past 9 months, a tourist fell off the mountain and passed away. So while we were well aware of the genuine risks, we were excited to climb the mountain and gaze down upon Machu Picchu. This is why one wakes up at 3:45 in the morning.

Machu Picchu Trek, Peru - Day 3