Mission Accomplished!
Highway to Hell
When was the last time you went to bed with dread? For me, it’s a rare experience. I’m blessed to have a family I love and a job that I enjoy. Dread rarely hits me as it did the night of Day One of our Inca Trail Trek. I simply could not fathom how I could spend the next day hiking for 11 hours with no air in my lungs as I ascended to 14,000 feet. I was dreading what that looked like for me.
During our short dinner, in the dark, at 9:30 at night on “Night One” Jenn made sure to let the lead tour guides know that she did NOT appreciate being left alone in the dark. “This is not what I paid for. This is not acceptable!” she told them. The lead guide heard her loud and clear and apologized. From then on my “caboose” was no longer the last tail up the hill. I was forever followed, supported, encouraged, and aided by Sabi (lead tour guide to my right) and John Carlo (tour-guide-in-training on my left). God bless their fortitude and patience.
Day 2 started with a 4 am wake-up call in the dark of the night. We had to exit our tents quickly so that the porters could break them down, load up their packs, and hit the trail while we ate our breakfast. We consumed pancakes and omelets in frightened silence that morning. Everyone’s mind was on the task in front of us: Get up and over Dead Woman’s Pass in time to ascend and descend the mountain right after it. If we could pull this off before dark, we were home-free. The last two days of our trek were described as “easy” compared to Day 2 which lay in front of us.
The porters lined up in two straight lines at the far perimeter of our site and created a “cheer column” for us as we exited the camp that early morning. Walking poles in hand, ponchos on, we hit the trail for the first time on that dreaded day.
Cora and I somehow were in the front of the pack that morning (pure fear and adrenaline) and we took all the high-fives and claps the porter team gave us. Five steps later the rest of the group had passed us and we were, again, in the caboose taking slow and measured steps.
The Inca trail is compromised of stone steps and pathways for a 26-mile duration. At times the stones are smooth and create an almost paved path. Most of the time, however, the stones are uneven, wet, and all different shapes and sizes.
Sometimes we would take a step up a stair that was 2 feet in height. Then the very next step would be 5 inches in height.
It was imperative for survival to stay focused on the path in front of us at all times. You certainly did not want to slip, trip, or twist an ankle this deep into the trek.
We hiked for roughly 4 hours to the highest pass of the trek, Dead Woman’s Pass (4215 meters/13829 feet). I took it one step at a time and had John Carlo by my side offering me an inhalation of some liquid magic potion that he carried with him in a small bottle.
John Carlo would sprinkle 2-3 drops of this yellow liquid into my hands and then I would cup my hands to my face to inhale 3 deep breaths. Immediately my sinuses cleared, my lungs opened and I had the power to keep moving up the hill.
Cora and I lost sight of our crew and just set our own pace to make it up the mountain on our own time.
I stopped often to catch my breath so as to not get a headache. One of our fellow trekkers turned white as a sheet at one point in our travels and she told our guides she was going to throw up. She stayed back and walked with me, and with Cora, for a couple of hours until she regained her lung capacity and her nausea subsided.
There were points on the trail where we saw puddles of vomit from those that walked before us, reaffirming to me to keep my slow and steady pace.
When Cora struggled with air she was smart to slow herself down and catch her breath. She was on the cusp of having a pounding headache from the altitude and did not want a repeat of the day we ascended too quickly to 15,000 feet.
Lots of capable hikers passed us on the trail and it was disheartening to be the laggard but darn it anyway! I was determined to make it to Dead Woman’s Pass or die trying!
And then, my friends, there came this moment of true elation!
That is the smile of a tenacious self-proclaimed “slowpoke”, determined to push through altitude sickness and complete this quest. And my god! What a feeling of elation. I began to cry with joy.
It was windy, raining, and cold, on top of the pass so we only stopped for a short break to enjoy the views before setting off again to descend to the next valley – Pacaymayu Valley / Hidden River.
We then hiked another hour and a half down the side of the valley to our lunch spot, where we had a chance to refill our water bottles and recharge. I was on “Cloud Nine” at that point. I don’t even remember what we had for lunch. I was so elated that I was probably floating five feet above the dining table.
After lunch, we began ascending to the second pass of the trek. Before I knew it, 2 hours had gone by and we had made it over the second pass! We stopped at a small Inca site -Runcu Raccay. I was still celebrating every minute – feeling so victorious and accomplished! The scenery was, as always, spectacular. I was grateful that my lack of oxygen forced me to slow down and appreciate what was around me. Some of my fellow trekkers were more concerned with getting to the end of the trail, the end of the day, that they did not take the time to enjoy the journey.
After the second pass, we still had another hour’s downhill hike to reach the magnificent Inca site, Sayacmarca (an otherwise inaccessible village). Only those on the Inca Trail can see Sayacmarca. We rested a bit, leaning against stones on damp grasses, and had a quick tour as the sun was starting to set over the Vilcabamba mountain range. It was then just another 20 minutes until we got to our second campsite Chaquicocha (Dry Lake, at 3600 meters or 10,800 feet). I cannot begin to explain the elation I had upon arriving at camp that night! We had survived the 2 highest passes! The following 2 days were going to be “easy” and “mostly downhill” according to our tour guides.
I don’t know if it was my elation or the removal of dread from my future, but that night our campsite was pure magic. The porters had set up our tents prior to our arrival. A thick, familiar fog coated the wet mountains, and llamas and alpacas roamed freely throughout our campsite.
There had to have been about 6-10 alpacas and a little baby llama that simply meandered throughout our camp and slept right next to our tents.
I’ve got amazing footage from my GoPro – have me share it with you when you see me. I tried to cross the alpacas to get to the toilet but ended up surrounded by them, unable to move until they moved. It was so magical and surreal! I simply breathed deeply and soaked it all in. I had made it and was experiencing a nirvana that comes from pushing past fear and physical exhaustion.
The following two days we simply descended. This was pure bliss for me, but for those in my trek group that had bad knees, it was pure torture. My friend Kathy purchased knee braces prior to the trek and those served her well. The descent was a breeze for me but if I have not scared you off from this trek and you are going to do it – buy some knee braces just for protection. If you never wear them, that’s fine. At least they are there if you need them.
Days 3 and 4 of the hike were pure magic. Sabi, our lead tour guide, instructed us to stick together “like family” for the next 2 days so that he could teach us all that we needed/wanted to know about the Incas, the villages, the trails, and the culture.
Those last 2 days with Sabi were amazing. He taught us so much. He is about to retire after having run the Inca trail sometimes 2x per week for 25 years or more. He is kind, caring, knowledgeable, and patient. He is the epitome of a leader and is so very proud of his heritage. He hopes to retire in 2-3 years on his property with his son. He’s going to plant a garden alongside a river (it rains 6 months per year there) and will finally rest and enjoy all that he has worked so hard to earn.
Our chef, “Walter”, is training to be a tour guide one day. This man is amazing! Look at this cake! He made that in a dutch oven, over an open flame, in the Andes mountains. He served it to us warm with a cup of coca tea on our last night.
Chef Walter served not only the 13 of us that were paying participants but he was also responsible for feeding the 20 porters that worked their tails off on the trail. One of the porters was responsible for carrying all of the eggs up and over the passes that I just told you about. Another porter carried our “toilet”. Another porter carried all of our plastic stools and plastic tables. All of the other porters carried our tents, clothing, and sleeping bags on their backs. One of the porters was 75 years old! Unbelievable. Most, however, were in their 20s and were studying to be doctors, tour guides, and lawyers. They ran the Inca Trail with packs on their backs as a side hustle. Wow!
I hope that my tales of travail (and victory) have not scared you from this truly special place. Peru is other-worldly.
If you are going to do this trek, please use Alpaca Tours -they are rare in that they are local and do so much good for their culture and country. You can see all that they do on the website link I sent in an earlier blog.
This trek is no joke.
I am fit for a 58-year-old woman and this trek kicked me to the curb due to my lack of acclimatization to the altitude. But that does not mean you cannot do it! I saw people older than me breezing up the paths. I saw people younger than me vomiting and asking for oxygen. If you have a chance to acclimate – take it!! Spend time at a higher altitude so that you can navigate this terrain.
Physically, I recommend you spend 3-4 months doing deep squats, working your hip flexors and doing lots of lunges. This trek is not easy, but it is doable, if you are willing to leave your comfort zone.
I know this is going to make you slap your open hand across your forehead and yell NOOOOO! But I’m coming back, and I’m bringing John and Lily with me. The Inca Trail is pure magic and unlike anything you have experienced. And yes, I did bring the green dress with me all the way to Machu Picchu!!
I want to end this adventure with all of you by thanking Jennifer Solomon who has lived her entire life in the 1% Club. Jennifer Solomon is in the 1% IN THE WORLD of people that ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days. Check her out on Instagram at Jennrunstheworld.
I also want to give a special thank-you to my tent-mate/soulmate/new-best-friend, Cora. Wow, Cora! I can’t imagine what this would have been like without you by my side. Readers – Cora is a brick-house of solid muscle with a heart of gold. She and I had never met before and everyone we came in contact with thought we had been friends forever. (Perhaps this is true!) My sweet Cora had acute abdominal pain the day we returned to Cusco and when we got her home to Miami she went to urgent care and had 4 IVs, CT scans and is now safe at home with her furry friends recovering from the trek. Cora is in her 30s. I mention this only because I don’t want any of you to take this lightly and I want all of you to do this!
Thank you for joining me on this journey! Guess what I am doing next!