the warehouse: Peru Trip: The Hike, Days 1-3

Here we go, getting the last details in order to hike the Inca Trail. This is real.

Introducing the dream team: six British friends, three Aussie friends, one Polish dude, and Adam and me. We couldn't have asked for a better group to spend the next four days with.

Our porters were the real rock stars of the whole adventure. They carried our duffle bags (which I had to keep taking things out of because we had a very small weight limit), sleeping bags, mattresses, tents, food, cookware, stools (!) and a table (!), plus more stuff I probably don't even know about. Here they are below waiting to go through the weigh station to make sure they aren't carrying too much. Our group of 12 hikers required 22 porters, which included two chefs and one server (waiter). The ones in purple are G Adventures employees.

The Peruvian government allows 500 people on the Inca Trail per day. That's 300 porters and 200 hikers. There were many other tour groups besides ours that we passed and camped next to along our journey.

Not far into our hike the views were already incredible.

Baby horsey!!!! Adam had the camera and I kept badgering him to take pictures of the baby horse. In the distance are more ruins.

We're so clean and fresh smelling here! It won't last, kids.

All along our hike there were little villages. They charmed me to pieces, of course.

We stopped for lunch and I thought, "Oh, good, someone will hand me a paper plate with some slop and I'll sit on a rock and be happy just to be here."
NOPE. These porters brought a tent under which to sit at our beautifully set table on stools! This was just the beginning of these amazing porters knocking my socks off.

Washing up before lunch.

Soup and passion fruit juice in the pitcher. Or was it Tang?

Trout with rice and vegis.

Jello dessert. How beautiful is that table cloth?! Our group concluded this was not camping, this was glamping (glamour camping).

We hiked a bit more and ended here. Our porters left after us and then beat us to the campsite and had everything set up by the time we got there.

Dinner was a bit late so our tour guide, Alejandro, put his cruise ship casino dealer days to work and entertained us with card tricks. Alejandro was THE BEST.

Night one down, good morning misty mountains! Good news: the sleeping bags were oh-so toasty! It supposedly got down to freezing at night, but I was sweating. I knew after night one that I'd survive this camping vacation after all.

We were actually camping in someone's backyard and this was their garden. Adam took some beautiful early morning pictures.

The porters gave us each a bowl of warm water each morning to use for washing up before breakfast. Ahhhh. It felt so nice. The bathroom situation was squatter toilets (keyword here: STANKY) and cold water. I think I washed my hands with actual soap maybe once per day?

Ready for breakfast.

Before we headed out, we got a picture in front of one of many favorite foggy mountains we'd find along the trail.

Adam was feeling triumphant at one of our stops on Day 2.

This stop was our last chance for buying snacks before reaching Machu Picchu. I couldn't believe there were snack bars anywhere in the Andes! But there were!

Francis and Adam chatting it up.

Day 2 we summited the highest point of the entire hike, Dead Woman's Pass, at 13,776 feet. This was our view (Adam zoomed in on this peak).

Now I'm feeling triumphant.

Booyah.

I thought I was doing a duck lips selfie but upon further examination, this is definitely channeling Blue Steele a lot more.

At any rate, we reached the top, and nobody was sick. Mission accomplished.

It was amazing to just sit there and take it all in. Sure, a lot of the view was fog, but still. It was a good feeling. Here I am with Daniel's legs.

Our group made it! I was so terrified of altitude sickness, but it didn't come at this point. We were all feeling great! Here we are making the sign of the llama. Obviously.

And now we camp. Night 2, I'm ready for you.

Adam and I took a break from our shoes.

Fog-town-mania-ville.

The altitude must have caught up with me on day 3 because I had an upset stomach for a couple hours. I slowed my pace and was feeling much better by lunch time. Alejandro encouraged everyone to take is slow, and I think I'd gone too fast in the morning. At least my poncho kept me dry while I worked through my feelings of barfiness.

It was cold and rainy in the morning, but it cleared after lunchtime.

Day 3 was our longest day of hiking. But we were rewarded with this beauty, Choquequirao, which is considered next in awesomeness to Machu Picchu.

They included stairs in their terraces. Smart.

Incredible views! Incredible I tell you!

Adam LOVED this place. He worked up an elaborate plan to ensure he died there so he could be surrounded by that beauty forever. It was a little morbid. But I understood.