So, after almost pulling out of the hike 2 days before leaving, due to the fact I had been in Cusco 5 days and was still struggling with breathing at that altitude when simply walking 5 minutes around the city, or up a flight of stairs, I decided I had to at least give it a go. I figured if it came to the worst, and I was struggling on the first day, I could always turn around and catch the train from ollantaytambo to aguas Calientes.
It certainly wasn't an easy hike, although in all honesty I couldn't now say whether I found it harder than parts of the Camino?...it's amazing how quickly you forget the hard parts! But it was incredible! And the feeling of accomplishment after making it to the top of the first pass...dead woman's pass...was incredible!
I was very lucky, in that my group ended up being very small...six of us, plus our guide (and of course our support team of porters and cook). But the others were all fit looking, and slightly younger than me (I'm 30, they were mostly in their early/mid twenties, so not too much in it, but still!), and so I was a bit concerned with keeping up with them.
On the first day I lagged behind a little on the uphill sections, but not too much...they were always in sight. On the second day, when we had to go up about 1200m, to an elevation of 4200m, or thereabouts, we did it in 3 sections. I lost sight of them on the first two sections, but arrived within 10 minutes of them to the meeting/rest points. On the final section up I found myself in the middle of the group...lost sight of everyone...both ahead and behind...but again, only by about 10 minutes ahead, and the same for those who were behind me. It felt good to not be the last one up the summit, to know I wasn't holding everyone up. It was also great to discover we could all walk at our own pace, and that it was similar enough that we could all meet up at the important places. The rest of the uphills, once we were again at lower elevation, I was the slowest, but downhill I was faster, and so it evened out nicely.
The hardest part was the last morning, up to the sun gate...it was uphill, STEEP, up narrow rock stairs. We had a tight timeframe...couldn't start on the track until 5.30am (I presume because it is too dangerous to do in the dark), and we wanted to make the sun gate in time to see the sunlight come over Machu Picchu, at 6.30. The two fittest were ahead of me, the other three behind. I kept telling them to go ahead, so they wouldn't miss it, and I'd see them there. They refused, saying we were a team, and the pace was fine, and that I could do it...they were very sweet young women. I hated them a little bit in those moments, as I pushed myself in the last 20 minutes, well past my natural pace, tears running down my cheeks! They meant well, and I'm glad I arrived with them, and that they kept me from giving up, as I was determined not to let them miss it. And I'm glad we arrived when we did (6.32, the sun had already touched half of Machu Picchu, but we got to see the rest revealed). But if I were to ever do it again (which I don't think is likely, it's a pretty once in a lifetime experience!) I would walk that last morning at my own pace. I'm just glad it was only that one hour that I had to push past my natural pace, and even then, I could have taken it slower if I hadn't been so stubborn, and hadn't developed the friendships with my group that made me want to finish with them! But I had been concerned the whole 4 days was going to be like that...having to keep up with someone else's pace, and so it had been a big relief that that wasn't the case!
And now I have the incredible experience of having completed the Inca trail! All a bit strange, thinking back on it a few weeks later, as I sit at my hostel in South Beach, Miami!!!
