October 6, 2014
Top of the mountain: A hike to Machu Picchu (Part 4)
By Simon J. Lau
Just as Jean had warned me, I got sick! The feeling I had this morning told me that things would not go well today. Fortunately, I did not skimp on my medication and opted for most of the recommended just-in-case medications. Best decision I made before leaving! Although I hardly ate anything for breakfast and only had Gatorade for lunch and dinner, I was able to keep up. It is said that today is the most difficult day of this 5-day hike. I can’t speak for the next three days, but today was nearly 24 km (15 miles), and it was very painful. Still, I am excited that I was able to make it through the day.
This is our group at the top of Salkantay (4,600 meters above sea level). Getting up to this point was truly difficult for me. I think the hike itself seemed manageable, but the high altitude really slowed me down. I was always out of breath and it took me a tremendous amount of time to travel a short distance. Still, we made it to the top of the mountain! It was an amazing view from here and we could see the ice caps above Salkantay and the surrounding mountains. We were even close enough to hear and see a few small avalanches.
Once we made it to the top of Salkantay, we took part in an Inca tradition where we prayed to the Gods. We each took three coca leaves, made a prayer, buried them, and created this rock structure just above our buried leaves. My rock is the third rock from the top. 🙂
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