The Inca Trail

After 42 kms, 4 long days, 3 freezing nights, and every possible weather condition thrown at us- we dominated the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! Dominated might not be the correct word- in reality the Inca Trail kicked our asses! It was one of the hardest things I have ever done-but so worth it! I will give you a quick overview, but I dont think I can put into words the experience- anyone of you that have done this trek know what I'm talking about.
Day 1: we are pumped, ready to tackle the trail and meet our group members; our are leaders Victor and Juan Carlos, 4 porters/cooks to carry tents and food ( these guys are insane, they carry 20 kg each, the backpacks are three times their size, and they practically run up the mountain). Our other group members were Orlando a software guy from Columbia, and Yvonne and Vivianne, both teachers from Brazil. We hike for 8 km to the first camp. The path is decent at this point, not to difficult, a few up and downs but relativly flat; they call this "training day".
Day 2: up at 530, we are warned that day 2 is the worst, and those who warned us were correct. 12 kms, 8 hours of hiking and its all up hill- we climbed over 3000 feet altitude, to the max point of just under 13000 feet above sea level (Whistler in BC is just over 7000 feet asl for perspective) It was soo hard to breath, it was rainy, cold, and the trail is all rocky and uneven- it was literally one step at a time to avoid tripping or falling off the edge. Ryan and I joked that we would cry, but didn't want to waste the energy or water on tears lol. It droppped below zero that night, we froze- however waking up to coca tea and the mountain scenery kinda made up for it.
Day 3:excited that the worst was behind us, its 530 am and puring rain - we start the 16 km trek. The trail was more enjoyable, the elevation was subtropical, so lots to look at, everything covered in moss, mountains all around us. We start to feel the weight of our packs as everythig is soaked. At that moment I was stoaked that I spent the extra money on waterproof hiking boots!
Day 4: its 330 am and still raining, we start the final 6 km leg of the trek, in the dark. The rain brings in the fog, so you can't really see much, we are worried that we wont be able to view Machu Picchu from the famous viewing spot. Just as we step out of the rainforest, at the end of the Inca Trail, it starts to clear, and there she is! Machu Picchu is AMAZING, so much bigger in real life vs. the photos you see- I get chills, we finally made it!!! Looking back, the Inca Trail is going in the books for the hardest/best things I have ever done- so worth it I would reccommened it everyone ( but hop on a stairmaster at the gym for 10 hour days on the hardest setting to prep.) We have some pretty amazing photos from the 4 days- I cannot wait to share them!!
We are heading out tonight to Puno, to Lake Titicaca and hoping to meet up with our Aussie friends for a day or 2.

This definitly has been a trip of a life time, we have done soo much already, and still 4 weeks of adventure ahead!
Bye for now! Love you all! xo
J

Ps. Happy Birthday shout outs to Grandma, Aunt Liz and Cora :)