Inca Trail Trek – Part 6: Day 4
This is the story of the last day of my trek. It is one filled with many points of disappointment and despair, and which ultimately led to the question, ‘Is the Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu really worth it?’.
It rained through the night on our third night. We woke up bright and early, at 3.30am on the 4th day, to drizzle and mist. There were two reasons for such an early start. The main reason was to give the porters time to make it back to Ollantaytambo, to join their next tour group and the secondary reason was for us to arrive at the Sun Gate in time to get a view of Machu Picchu at sunrise. We were all a little groggy on waking, and it took us a while to warm up. We had a quick breakfast and packed our duffel bags for the last time. It was a short walk to the last checkpoint of the trail, Wiñawayna checkpoint, and we arrived at 4.30am. There was already a long queue, many other groups having arrived earlier, with the same aim of getting to the Sun Gate by sunrise. However the checkpoint opened at half 5, so we all tried to squeeze under the canopy, to avoid getting drenched by the rain. I was glad for the large waterproof poncho I had gotten in Ollantaytambo, which covered me and my backpack very well, although I did look like a lemon. Literally. The poncho is bright yellow! We passed the time chatting and playing cards.
I’m not sure why I thought the hike on the last day would be short or sweet. It was neither. After the checkpoint, we hiked for just over an hour, in the pitch black, relying on the single beams of light from our headlamps. We were in a cloud forest, with gigantic trees towering over us but all we could see were the edges of the slippery, wet path in front of us, and a thick wall of fog to our right, which obscured the sheer drop. It felt quite treacherous, particularly as the guides kept us moving at quite a pace. How no one has fallen off the mountain during this part of the trek remains a mystery to me. The skies lightened gradually until there was no need for the headlamp. However the views were not inspiring, as we remained blanketed in fog and rain. I began to wonder if this was what the weather would be like, the rest of the day.
Just before we got to the Sun Gate, we had to climb a bank of stairs irreverently known as the ‘Gringo Killer’. The steps are so steep, with short treads and tall risers, they are almost vertical. They were also very slippery. We couldn’t use our trekking poles but had to scramble up them on all fours. I’m a little obsessive compulsive about cleanliness so placing my hands on steps that people had just walked on, with their filthy boots, was not appealing to me. I tried climbing up them without using my hands. I slipped, and almost fell backwards. My heart leaped into my throat and the first thought that flashed through my mind was, ‘I’m going to fall off this mountain, and die’. Now, I don’t think I would have fallen off the mountain or died, but in that moment it certainly helped crystallize what was important. There was no way I wasn’t going to make it to Machu Picchu, having come this close! ‘Screw germs’, I thought, as I clambered up the steps. (I have to admit that I have become less persnickety about germs/cleanliness following the trek, and backpacking!). It was not the most dignified entrance to the Sun Gate, but I figured being alive was ever so slightly more important.
We arrived at Inti Punku, the ‘Sun Gate’, at 6.45am (2720m, 8920ft). It used to be the control point for entry and exit to Machu Picchu, in the Inca period. It is also the first viewpoint over Machu Picchu for Inca trail trekkers. However on that morning, a greyish- white haze obscured the views. There was a crowd of trekkers milling about (most groups arrive at the Sun Gate at roughly the same time), experiencing emotions ranging from disappointment to despondence, and all wondering if the fog was going to let up by the time we arrived at Machu Picchu. The guides reassured us that it was often foggy at this time of the day, and would usually clear up if we waited. Usually the views from the Sun Gate enable you to gain a fuller appreciation of just how vast the citadel is, showing not only Machu Picchu but also Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu mountains. Unfortunately, half an hour later, it began raining again, so we gave up and started the final stretch of the hike down to Machu Picchu.
This next part was even more treacherous, because of the rain. The path was extremely slippy, and my hiking boots seemed to have little traction. Have I mentioned my fear of falling, and in particular, of falling off a mountain? It was seriously triggered during this hike. I was extremely tense for those 50 minutes as I picked my way, gingerly, down the mountain – trying to avoid the slick, wet stones and step only on the little patches of grass on the path as they seemed to give my boots better grip. A couple of people behind me got a little impatient with my pace, huffing and puffing as they overtook me. I have to confess to a very unkind, small sense of satisfaction when one of them slipped and fell some minutes later. Thankfully only their pride was hurt.
We arrived at Machu Picchu just before 8am. Unfortunately the site was still shrouded in fog. There was a lot of frustration and grumbling in the group, as we began to really consider the fact that we could be stuck with this weather for the rest of the day.
However we weren’t done walking. On arrival to Machu Picchu, Inca trail trekkers are required to go to the main entrance of the site. (This is because there are strict controls at the site, only 2,500 visitors are allowed daily. Visitors are required to come with their passports, and the name on the passport has to match that on the ticket exactly otherwise they risk not being allowed in). Therefore we had to walk further downhill, in the opposite direction to all the tourists who had arrived bright and early, by train. We were tired. Our bodies ached, particularly our knees, and we all groused at the fact that we were going to have to retrace our steps in the opposite direction (uphill) afterwards. It seemed pointless. Worse still, when we arrived at the main entrance, we were required to join the same long queues as the tourists who arrived by train. We felt we deserved a little special treatment, in recognition of our efforts, and that we should have been allowed to jump the queue (haha).
Our guides, Odi and Elias, suggested we wait some time before going in, to see if the weather would improve. An hour or so later, there were soft signs that led to some optimism -patches of blue in the sky that hinted that the fog might clear. We passed through the controls and walked up to our first ‘proper’ view of Machu Picchu. The site was still mostly enveloped in fog, offering only brief glimpses of the structures beyond, when there were small breaks in the clouds.
I was devastated. Had I really put myself through the last 3 days for this? The trauma of the hike, the crisis of almost losing all my belongings on Day 1, the existential crisis of Day 2, not showering for days, using less than clean bathrooms, using panoramic bathrooms (i.e. going outside, in nature), sharing a tent with a stranger, sleeping in the cold, the aches and pains… Similar sentiments were going through the mind of each and every member of the group.
We’d had a running joke in the group, based on the story of an American woman who, struggling with the challenge of the hike on Day 2, had threatened to sue ‘Peru’ if she got to Machu Picchu and the weather was terrible. On that morning, we were all thinking she may have had a point. Not about the litigation, but recognising it as a proxy for the huge levels of disappointment, dismay and displeasure one would feel on arriving at Machu Picchu after the 4-day trek, and not being able to see one of the seven wonders of the modern world in its best light.
We commiserated with each other, some people using very strong language to express their thoughts. We broached the question, ‘Was the hike even worth it if, all day, our views were going to be limited by the fog?’. There was a roughly 60-40 split, in favour of the hike being worth it. Those in favour spoke about enjoying the challenge of the hike, the breathtaking views along the way and the camaraderie of the group. Interestingly those not in favour, myself included, had all gone into the hike with the idea that Machu Picchu was the goal. However we were all in agreement that good weather on this day would be the cherry on top.
I think Odi recognised the abject sense of disappointment within the group, and suggested we walk further away, and find a place to sit and wait out the fog. He continued to tell us more about the Incas and Machu Picchu. He touched on Hiram Bingham – the American who ‘re-discovered’ Machu Picchu in 1911, or at least was the first to document and tell the world about it. (The indigenous people had known about it all along. In fact, it was a local farmer Melchor Arteaga who had led Bingham to the ruins). Two things helped Bingham, and Machu Picchu, become as famous as they have. First he had a camera with him – it was a special camera which had been given to him by the creator of Kodak – and in Bingham’s own words, ‘…the sun was shining’, therefore he was able to take good photographs of the ruins he had found. The second is that his expedition was supported by the National Geographic Society. They dedicated their April 1913 issue to Machu Picchu, publishing over 200 photographs of the site, and suggesting it would be an easy trip to replicate. This led to huge interest in the site. Visitors to the site have continued to grow exponentially, especially in this age of social media. We had spent about half an hour discussing all things Inca and Machu Picchu, when God took pity on us…
Rays of light streamed down on us, as the sun broke through, and swept away the clouds. A sea of blue was revealed in the sky, and a murmur of excitement ran through the group. Here was the sunshine we had all been praying for! We wasted no time in abandoning our grassy setting, and recommencing the walking tour. We were only a minute away from the spot where the most iconic pictures of Machu Picchu are taken. (The reality is that there is usually a crowd of people at these famous spots and you have to wait your turn to step up to the ‘stage’ and take your pictures, while trying not to get anyone else in it!).
I felt overwhelmed, as I sat in front of those ruins, with Huayna Picchu mountain in the background. I took a deep breath, and whooped, ‘I made it!’
I was in awe. I couldn’t believe that I was finally here. I had walked (some of ) the steps that the Incas had walked centuries ago, I was drinking in the views that they (and many others since) had appreciated.
I’d like to say that in the moment, being in Machu Picchu, walking around those ruins and taking in the views of the mountains and the Urubamba river made up for all the challenges I had been through during the trek. It didn’t. That came much later. Many weeks later, in fact. Every conversation I had with friends, family or strangers during those first couple of weeks after the trek, the words I used most often to describe the trek were ‘traumatic’ or ‘traumatising’. (I touch on this in my entry on Day 2 of the trek).
However what I can say is that I absolutely loved being at Machu Picchu. If you ignore the throng of tourists, as you walk around the site using the one-way system, and reflect on what the citadel says about the Inca civilization and how they lived, it really is a spectacular nod to those ancient peoples.
Machu Picchu was built in the mid-15th century, high up in the Andes mountains (2430m, 7970ft), with such precise engineering that despite being on an earthquake fault line, the structures have withstood many earthquakes in their 500- odd -year history. They’ve done this in spite of the stones not being attached to each other with mortar. Instead, the precision of the cut of the stones is such that each stone fits incredibly snugly to its neighbours, but allows the stones to move (‘dance’) during an earthquake, and resettle afterwards. And remember they did this without any modern tools. How ingenious! The structures around the citadel also tell us about what was culturally important to the Incas, the ‘Temple of the Sun’ – where priests gave offerings to the Sun or the ‘Intihuatana stone’ – which acted as an astronomic clock or calendar. It also tells us how Inca cities were designed, with distinct areas for farming, living, worship/sacred areas etc. It is all so very fascinating.
Whenever I walk around such sites, I always wonder if our modern buildings will stand the test of time just as well…and wonder what our modern buildings will say about us, to future generations.
The tour of Machu Picchu took approximately two and half hours but I wish we could’ve spent longer. I loved not only exploring the structures of Machu Picchu but admiring and marvelling at the beauty and splendour of its setting, surrounded by a labyrinth of verdant green mountains of the Andes.
It really is a wonder of the New World.
Total time: 2 hours (3 hours typically quoted)
Total Distance covered: 4.3 miles (7km)
Elevation gain: -100m
Final Reflections
It took weeks for me to process the experience, and get to a point where I felt that it had all been worth it. I realise that what made the difference was my intention or motivation for the trek. It involved some mental gymnastics. By reframing the trek as not being solely about the destination (Machu Picchu) but also about the process (the hike itself), I now feel that yes it is totally worth it.
The Inca Trail taught me an important lesson.
On all my subsequent adventures, I have honestly, and thoroughly, questioned myself about my motivation for any activity I am considering. Is the journey going to be enough or am I solely motivated by the destination? It has enabled me to say yes to some activities (Volcano Boarding in Nicaragua) and no to others (Hiking Volcano Acatenango in Guatemala), without regret.
I know that this really valuable lesson will stay with me, for all of my days.
And for that, I thank you, Inca Trail.
“Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” – David McCullough Jr.
To read about the other days of the trek, follow the links below:
A question to you, my reader, having read my blog, ‘What do you think…Is the Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu worth it?’. Feel free to comment below…