El camino inka a Macchu Picchu

On Thursday, Kari and I started on a 4-day trek to Macchu Picchu. The trek started at about 10,000 feet. The altitude was no problem, since we had been staying at over 11,000 feet in Cusco for several days. The second day was especially gruelling. We climbed 2 passes, including the one below, at 13,828 feet. The views were incredible. Note the hat and gloves. Hmmm... summer in North America means winter in the Andes.We went 45 km, over 3 passes, ultimately ending in Macchu Picchu. The trail was built by Incas several hundred years ago to thwart gringos like us from enterring their sacred area. Our trekking group consisted of Kari and me, two women from Belgium, and a newlywed couple from Ireland. We were a fast, fit, group, and got to Macchu Picchu in 3 days instead of the targeted 4... giving us a 4th day to go back through Macchu Picchu at a more leisurely pace.

The view above is from the Sun Gate descending into Macchu Picchu on day 3. Note the shorts here. We started in a cold desert-like mountain environment, and ended in relatively warm jungle mountains.

We have hundreds more pictures. We will post more of the trek when we get to the land of faster internet connections.

Love,

Ryan and Kari