We are up and out of bed and heading for Machu Picchu Mountain. This grand peak sits adjacent to the ruins and is suppose to provide an amazing view from the highest point. Today, Michael and I will climb the mountain to see the view.
The evening before, the hotel sent a runner to buy a pass to get into the sanctuary and to climb Machu Picchu Mountain. There is an additional charge to climb either Huayna Picchu or Machu Picchu. Huayna Picchu is a faster and easier climb and it books up quickly. They only allow 400 climbers a day to climb Huayna Picchu. Very few people decide to climb the larger mountain- so it is usually available.
While in Peru, the US to Peruvian exchange rate has been around 2.5 Soles for every US dollar. Access to the park was 140 Soles per person (equivalent of 56 US) for the park that included an additional access for the mountain.
We come to the gate and sign our names in the log book. It asks name, age, country and time of entrance to the climb. There are 38 names ahead of ours in the book for today . It is 9:30 am on April 24th 2012. They want to make sure that those that go in- come out. Smile
The hike is steep. The sun is shining brightly and the day is warm. We begin to pant quickly as we sprint up the steps. The air is thin in this altitude. It becomes evident very quickly that we will need to pace ourselves. We will be climbing 2 miles across the trails that send us up into the air- almost straight up.
The steps are carefully crafted out of stones. They are narrow and tall. The path is well defined and constructed in switchbacks that zig zag up the mountain. Each corner that we turn returns to us a new view. The ruins very quickly reduce in size as we climb further up the mountain.
Now we require a stop every few steps to catch our breath. I begin to count subconsciously- step 1-2-3-4-5- rest-rest- rest- rest then step 1- 2- 3- 4- 5 and rest - rest - rest - rest. And that begins the rhythm of my steps as I ascend the mountain. Michael climbs past me to take pictures and then drags behind at times to stop and look around. He is both enthralled and energized by the breathtaking views.
Each corner we round brings a cold breeze from the valley below. The temperature today is probably 80- 82 degrees and the cool breeze is about 60 degrees. When the cool breeze blows past- it feels as though we have a natural air conditioning fan blowing on us. The cold air is a treat to our sweaty bodies climbing ferociously in the heat of the day.
We begin to pass people on their descent down the mountain. They started much earlier and are on the second half of their trek. They teasingly tell us how much further we have to go and one boy in his twenties tells us that we will pass his parents in awhile and that they are 'old folks'. We laugh. We are sure that our kids probably call us old folks as well.
It seems like time is moving slower now. Our legs are feeling a little shaky and tired. Our guide- Paulo- says that on the way down our legs will feel 'noodly'. I'm fully convinced that he knows what he is talking about.
We hired the guide for 150 Soles to take pictures for us on the hike. The hike is simple enough that you could easily do it without a guide. We found it fun to ask him questions and learn about the culture along the way.
We are now about 20 minutes from the summit and I feel like I've just climbed all the steps in the Empire State building. We've been climbing for two hours and ten minutes. Now it is definitely mind over matter as I must will myself up the remaining 20 minutes with every limb of my body aching and my water supply down to the last few sips. I can do it- I can do it- I can do it. I start to whisper to myself motivating phrases to get myself to the summit. I don't want to crap out and let the guide and Michael get the best of me. My competitive nature kicks in.
3- 2 - 1. We made it. We hike over to a seat covered by a gazebo made from bamboo. We sit and finish our water supply and have a protein bar. The breeze is blowing past and the view is indescribable.
We hike over to the flag at the summit peak and see three other climbers. Sitting on the edge and enjoying the view. One climber, Francesca, said that she had been sitting there for 3 hours enjoying the view.
We take a few pictures and begin our descent. Our legs shake as we try to convince our weary appendages that they want to climb down the mountain for another unidentified amount of time. Our calves are tight and our bodies are beginning to ache. I take a couple tylenol from my fanny pack and am reminded that I'm far from the spry 25 year old of days long past.
The flora, fauna, and butterflies and birds that pass us make the hike interesting and vivid. This is one of my all time favorite hikes of my life because of the views- followed closely behind by the hike we did on the great wall of China.
We finish the climb down in 1 1/2 hours making our total climb 4 hours. We slowly veandor over to the Sanctuary Lodge for lunch. Food- I'm in desperate need of food and water. I had to climb all the way down with no water since I used all my water on the climb up.
Amazing hike! I highly recommend it.
Hike Summary
Rank- Difficult -due to altitude and steep nature of the climb
Views- spectacular
Length- 4 hours
Notes- requires a permit/pass to climb
