Top of the mountain: A hike to Machu Picchu (Part 3)

By Simon J. Lau

We started our hike to Machu Picchu early this morning. It was a slow start with a late departure from Cuzco. However, when we finally made it to the entrance of the Salkantay path, things started to come together quickly.

Here is a group picture of our team. From left to right: Kenny (our guide), my dad, me, Emma and Suzanna (recent graduates from the UK), Lindsay and Derek (from Ottawa and part of the 4-day trek, but spent a lot of time with us), and Celine and Matt (from Cleveland).

At this altitude and in this geography, there are a lot of cumulus clouds (read: puffy clouds) that form along the mountains. This is the best type of cloud cover for outdoor photography, and assuming this weather continues to hold, I am very optimistic about the photos that I will have by the end of this trip!

My guide, Kenny, was great at explaining the many varieties of plants and their uses by the Incas. This plant was particularly interesting because it was used by locals as a natural form of birth control. Word has it that these plants were depicted in ancient art and writing, especially in references to social gatherings. Over time, modern researchers discovered that these plants were used as part of teas believed to help reduce pregnancies.

This canal was built by the Incas along the mountains to irrigate farms located further down the mountainside. It was so effective that the canal has been renovated and continues to flow today. For our first day of hiking, we spent much of our time walking along this canal. In some instances, there would be concrete slabs placed on top of the canal for walking, and in other instances, it would be the canal on one side and a cliff on the other side with a narrow walking path in the middle. I tried not to think too much about the narrow paths in these latter instances.

Although my dad was easily twice as old as our other group members, he was able to keep up pretty well on the first day. In fact, everyone in my group was impressed with my dad’s pace. Hopefully, I can keep up. As a separate note, we actually found ourselves in the tent closest to a dead horse. It wasn’t next to us, but probably 50 feet away. I asked Kenny what had happened to it, and according to the owner, the horse had died from eating chicken soup. Pretty sad way to go if that is true.

After reaching our first campsite, we had the option of hiking up to Humantay Lake, which was about an hour away. I completely underestimated how difficult it would be to hike up a large incline in high altitude. It was a lot of huffing and puffing along the way. Despite the difficulties, my whole team made it! If there is one thing I regret, I wish I had brought a swimsuit. It would have been awesome to swim around.

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