Inti´s South America semester´s days have come to a rich end. After all the learning, growing, and experiencing that we´ve done, a hike to Machu Picchu was poised as the cap to our 3 months. After all, the site is a wonder of the world.
We began our 5 day trek at the trailhead of the Salkantay path. While most tourists head through the famous Incan Trail, we followed the road less traveled and didn´t regret it for a moment as we had the whole path to ourselves. The first day was a heroic uphill hike through a breathtakingly gorgeous valley leading up to the Huayracmachay summit (the highest point of the treck). Here we partook in an ancient Andean Ceremony honoring the Apus (mountain protector dieties) with coca leaves. Next, we began our descent through Lord of the Rings type fields, thick with fog, flecked with mossy boulders. After lunch in one of said fields, we arrived at our camp sight where we shared tents and had dinner. Regretfully, a few of us left our shoes in the rain over night, so we had to improvise with garbage bags.
The following day, we woke up to a bitter cold air slowly warming with the sun. After breakfast, the road took us to more tropical and humid atmosphere. The terrain was mostly flat and downhill, so we were grateful for an easy 15 kilometers. That night, we slept in our tents on terraces, but not before visiting the Santa Theresa hot springs. We slept well that night, knowing that the next day we´d be contouring the side of the Llactapata mountain.
That day, some of us were feeling under the weather so 4 of us broke off onto a bus to be taken to Hidroelectrica. The others trekked up over the mountain to arrive at the Llactapata Incan ruins, an ancient church found on the side of the mountain. Our guide, Hanz, lead us in a meditation/ceremony praising Pachamama (Mother Earth). Finally, we descended into Hidroelectrica where the two groups remerged. Our guide informed us that most tourists pronounce Machu Picchu the wrong way (Mah-chew Pee-chew) instead of the Quechua pronunciation (Mah-chew Peek-Chew). The former actually means “Old Dick” instead of “Old Mountain.” We had a lovely lunch (all thanks to the cooks that had been traveling with us) and continued along the railroad tracks to arrive in Aguas Calientes. There, we stayed at a hotel and took blissful showers. Afterwards, we had dinner and went straight to bed in order to wake up early to hike up to Machu Picchu the next day.
On that 5th day, we woke up early for a 4:10am breakfast, then headed off to the final stretch of the hike, and perhaps the hardest. While most tourists take a bus to the top of the Machu Picchu mountain, we followed the Inca Trail, a series of switchbacks straight up the viciously steep mountain. This took us 30 to 40 minutes and a whole lot of sweat. Finally, we arrived at Machu Picchu proper where we found each other through a swarm of tourists and guides. Looking out over the ruins gave us an indescribable feeling of accomplishment and gratification. We took obligatory pictures and took a tour of the ancient site. We were humbled by the extensive history contained in the perfectly worked stone. Each structure was a piece of art. If you´re a parent of a student reading this, your son will come home soon with an abundance of pictures to share.
We cannot express how thankful we are to have received a Carpe Diem Education. Topher and Lindsay brought us all through these months and built us into better citizens of Earth. Many thanks to the Heather Vaught for coordinating this trip and everyone else behind the scenes. Cusco 2015: Inti out.
-Jimmy