It all started out with a 4am wakeup call in our sweet 6 bed dorm at the Pariwana Hostel in Cuzco. After checking our bags into storage we dragged ourselves and our hiking gear up the road to hop on the bus, destination: Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu. The hike was a 4 night/5 day affair covering about 40 miles during which we would be climbing up and over Salkantay pass, at over 15,200 it would be the highest any of us have been. Needless to say we had a little nerves going as we boarded the Llama path bus and settled in with our Coca tea for the 2 hour bus ride to the starting point.

After a quick breakfast and (horrific) bathroom stop our group of 12 (the 6 of us (Me, Gina, and the Wisconsin crew: G's brother Bryan, G's good friend Selma, her hubby Spud, and everyone's buddy Lance) plus 2 Canadians, 2 Brits, and 2 Aussies loaded into the back of a large truck with another Llama path group of 7 girls. Also in the back of the truck were 3 guides, 8 cooks and porters and all our stuff...it was an uncomfortable, but somewhat entertaining ride up the bumpy dirt road to the lookout point where at long last we would take our first steps on the Salkantay trek. We paused momentarily for some photos and to get our stuff together during which time Lance commented that he was getting bitten by bugs...none of us saw or felt anything so we told him to quit b****ing and to suck it up. 10 minutes later when we started walking his legs were covered in bloodily bites; the poor guy had been ravaged by the tiniest little tune job biting flies I have ever experienced. It was foreshadowing of what was to come.

The first few hours of hiking were steady up, but very moderate and along a dirt road so pretty easy. We settled into our pace lead by our fearless guide Marco Uno with the rear brought up by the assistant guide, Marco Dos. Within a few hundred yards Lance had settled in with Marco Dos at the back of the pack and they were already exchanging pleasantries and becoming buddies...it appeared they would be spending quite a bit of time together over the next few days.

The hike ascended along a canyon up towards the highlands where we could see the giant mountains looming in the background. 3 hours later we came into a small valley area where we paused for the first of what would be many amazing meals put on by the Llama path team. We enjoyed Cream of Asparagus soup, grilled trout and to Gina's great pleasure a huge plate of fresh Avocado sliced with salt, pepper and a bit of sauce. From the meadow we could see further up the canyon to Mount Salkantay "The Savage" which towers above at over 20,500 ft at its summit.

We finished the hike with a few more hours up steeper terrain to the last meadow area before the trail ascended steeply where the porters had arrived ahead of us and were frantically setting up our tents, the cook tent and the big tent where we would take our meals. We were quite literally camping in the shadow of Salkantay Mountain...pretty f-ing sweet. The weather was turning quickly and I felt for the porters as they fought the wind to get the tents set up. It went against all my camp counselor instincts to sit back and watch as they did all the work, but, that feeling passed quickly...its kind of nice not to have to do anything but hike, eat and sleep! A first for me, but maybe something I could get used to in my older age.

Just as the rain began the tents were all set up and we gathered in the community tent for "happy hour" which consisted of more of what would become many dozens of cups of tea along the trail, hot cocoa and plenty of good snacks including several heaping bowls of hot popcorn which never stood a chance at our table. Dinner was served just as the first hail stones hit the tent. We huddled dry as a bone in the tent over our meals as the porters ran through the hail to deliver each additional dinner course. With the final course also came the lightening and thunder which roared through the valley and echoed off the mountains. By the time we had finished it was dark out, but when we peered out of the tent we could see the groud totally white outside, completely covered in a few inches of hail. We lingered after dinner to see if it would let up before we all scurried for our tents and hunkered down for the night. Gear snob that I am, I nervously eyed the well used and slightly "budget" tents hoping they wouldnt leak...lets just say they were no Mountain Hardwear Trangos!

The morning came early with a delivery of hot coca tea to our tents. We peeled ourselves up and out into a beautifuly clear morning...the sun had not yet crested the mountains so it was still chilly as we ate breakfast and got our stuff together. When we were all ready to hike we headed out...leaving all our tents and any gear we didnt need for the day. Again, it felt odd...as we headed up the first of the days switchbacks I looked back and could see the porters tearing down the tents and loading everything onto the horses...odd yes..but, I was already growing accustomed to this sort of luxury hiking.

Day 2 is the hardest day. We had Salkantay pass in our sights this morning and then many miles that afternoon to descend from the mountain into the forest. The cough I had been fighting for the last 4-5 days was feeling rotten after a night at almost 13,000 ft. so I settled into the back of the pack with Lance as the rest of the group raced ahead up and up and up the dozens of swithbacks. It was a long and tough morning as we climbed each switchback, but we trudged on and even turned down the guides persistant offer for us to hop on a horse for the steepest bits....a few minutes later both Marcos passed us...the b******s were riding the horses themselves!!! Some guides!!

At last we could see the pass and the rest of our group waiting for us. The last several hundred yards were brutal...the air is pretty damn thin at over 15,000ft...but "poco a poco" we made our way there and received high fives and back slaps from everyone before we posed for the obligatory photos on Salkantay pass at 15,200+ feet. Pretty wicked view from up there.

The good news is that 90% of the up hill for the entire trek was now behind us, the bad news...down hill sucks too (!), especially on such a heavily trodden horse trail as this trail was. The downhill quickly began to punish us as every step posed a risk of a rolled ankle from the millions of perfectly, dangerously sized and placed rocks that make up the trail. It's a bit of a shame because the view was spectacular, meanwhile our gaze remained fixed on the ground in front of us to avoid injury. Later the team commented that in the second half of the day we descended through 3 distinct eco systems: Everest, Middle Earth and Jurassic Park. Its true too, and it's one of the really cool things about the hike...we dropped over 5,000 ft. from the Pass to our campgroud that evening during which time the environment went from high alpine to cloud forest, and the temperature raised significantly as well. The lunch stop, while further they we would have liked, was clutch and we pulled in just 10 short minutes after the rain began. And wouldnt you know it, 40 minutes later when we were finished eating and ready to continue on to our campsite the rain stopped...it was too early to say anything for fear of jinxing us, but so far so good with the weather!

This nights campsite was in the backyard of somebody's house, which was a little strange, but nice in several ways. 1) Soft grass to sleep on, 2) Flush toilet (which we were all in dire need of by this point) 3) the lady had a fridge full of somewhat cold beer!! Of the 3 I can say that without question #3 was the most awesome...we kicked off our hiking boots, settled into the grass and cheersed ourselves a number of times as the final rays of sun warmed our backs before the sun dropped behind the mountain. Oh yeah, the view was pretty ridiculous too...definitely an epic moment! It was made even better when the nickname of the trip was glossed apon Lance by his best buddy, Marco Dos..."El Guapo"!! The only thing funnier then the nickname and Guapo's associated antics, was Marco Dos' reaction...the guy absolutely busted a gut at anything Guapo would say or do...it was hilarious. A serious man-crush was blooming right in front of our eyes...and it was a beautiful thing to see.

The previous paragraph outlines the awesomeness of being in the back of someones house, the not as awesome part is that, being in (very) rural Peru, the back of any house while doubling as a campsite on this night has a primary function of being a small farm. The chickens and roosters that we had been entertained by the night before (the one we nicknamed "The Don" after his Trump-esque "feather piece" was definitely the coolest) came alive at about 4am, well before the sun was up...and well, a few micometers of nylon tent fabric ain't keeping any sound out...so, we were up and ready to roll out early.

Day 3; the easiest and shortest day and made doubly sweet as we had a hot date with the Hot Springs at Santa Teresa lined up for that afternoon. After the previous days efforts up to the Pass and then descending into Jurassic park...the days hike was a breeze and by mid-day we were pulling into yet another back yard campsite. The sun was high and hot, and although not as cold as you would draw it up in your ideal situation, the beer was cool-, but still plenty refreshing. We shedded layers and chucked the frisbee around for a session...before our mini van showed up and drove us the bumpy 30 minutes down the dirt road to what looked like a rock quarry where we all piled out. Then we saw it, tucked into the corner by the cliffs were 3 beautiful pools beckoning with steam rising off the hot water. It was a matter of mere seconds before we were in the water and the smiles were large and abundant, let me tell you! G and I are lucky to have had more then our fair share of hot springs sessions along our trip, but this was definitely a special one as it was a first for several of our friends.

After about an hour of bouncing from each pool to the other, we decided a break to enjoy a beer was a good idea. It wasnt. Within a second of cracking the liter sized beers we noticed the thousands of tiny bugs swarming...the same ones that had tuned Guapo up on Day 1...we drank and swatted and drank and swatted as fast as possible to get back to the safety of the water...but by the time we did, the damage had been done. Every one of us was completely covered in tiny little bites. And when I mean covered, I mean that back in the water I counted no less then 50 bites on Bryan's back...not to mention countless more on legs, feet, arms and chest. It was brutal...but the real sinisterness of these little bites doesnt reveal itself for 24-48 hours which is when they morph into the itchiest damn bug bites of all time. The rest of the trip...a full 12 days would be spent with one or more of the team itching furiously...(and almost always whining about it; myself included of course!)

2 hours of soaking in the heavely water left us waterlogged and ready to roll...a road soda (in the form of a liter sized Cusqueña) for the ride home kept the mood jovial as we bounced up the road to our campsite. Dinner was good and fun as most of the team had had several beers that afternoon...but it took a strange turn at the end of the meal when Marco Uno took the microphone and told us about our options for tomorrows hike. The first which he clearly did not want to do entailed a steep hike in the morning and a long hike in the afternoon. The second which he clearly was trying to sell us on included a sleep in, bus ride and the same long hike in the afternoon. It was a pretty awkward few minutes as he used several angles to try to disuade us from hiking...super early wake up, weather, treacherous trail, saving energy for the next day at Machu Picchu, etc. etc. In the end, 10 of us opted for the hike, much to Marco Uno's chagrin while Lance and one of the Canadians opted for the bus...much to Lance's unbridled joy! The awkward conversation changed the mood of the evening quickly even in spite of the campfire we had later that night and before long we were all tucked into our tents.

Day 4 and another early wake up...actually, it was obnoxiously and unnecessarily early...a form of punishment from Marco Uno for making him do the hike, in my humble opinion. Still the morning was cool and clear, so we were in good spirits as we headed out of the campsite and made for the trail. Marco Uno was right...the first 3 hours were all up hill...unrelenting up hill in fact, but we were on the shady side of the canyon as the sun crested... so, inspite of the fast pace, steep terrain and the incredibly pungent and foul body odor of one of our hiking compatriots it was a pleasant hike and we were immediately glad we had chosen to do it. Not to name names, but the smelly culprit was Clem the British Guy...a fact that aids nicely in reaffirming the stereotype of the non-showering, body odorous and rank Euro.

Of course we beat Marco Uno's pessimistic estimate of 5 hours...by an hour and a half...and we were the first group to the view point where we caught our first glimpses of Machu Picchu from across the valley. All you could see were the very bottom terraces, but you could see some of the mountains easily recognizable from any photo you have ever seen of the place. There was no mistaking it...we were on our way to Machu Picchu...and we were stoked. We paused for an hour or so for Marco Uno story time and a snack before we headed down the hellish down hill section. Once again, even after a morning of brutal up hill, the down hill sucked way worse. By the time we all skidded to a stop at the bottom...people were hot, tired, sore and all to happy to hurl a stream of unsavory curse words back towards the mountain. We crossed the huge suspension bridge and then continued on flat terrain past a man-made, but impressive water fall and onto a paved road which led into the Hydro Electric Plant where we would have lunch. Of course, we were way early for lunch...which confirms my theory that the ridiculous wake up call that morning was just Marco Uno being a vindictive jerk. In any case, we enjoyed some cold Gatorades and Coca Cola while waiting for our final Llama path meal...per every meal without exception, it was fantastic.

After lunch we gathered for the 2nd of 4 of the awkward tip giving sessions we would face on the trip. "We are going to say goodbye to our porters and cooks now...we wont be seeing them again." goes Marco Uno, and although the tip giving is (allegedly) optional...it certainly has more the feel of a shake down as we were told exactly how much each of us should give and we all gathered around for a very public presentation. For the record, I have absolutely NO issue with hooking these dudes up with a tip...as I have outlined, they worked their asses off for us and a few bucks from us means a lot to them, but still I gotta say that the way it is handled is a bit strange. Judging from all the fidgeting and shifty eyes in our group during the little ceremony, I venture to say I am not the only one who found it so.

In any case, all that remained between us and a hot shower and a soft bed at the hotel in Aguas Calientes town was 10 kilometers of railroad. We had the option of taking a train (which was included in what we paid for the trip), but in almost as obvious a manner as he had tried to talk us out of the mountain hike the previous night, Marco Uno sold us into the walk. It would save time since the train wasn't for 3 hours, he argued...I was happy to walk, trust me, I didnt want to sit and rot at that spot for 3 hours, but I wonder what happened to the train fare we had paid for....just saying!

The walk, while flat...flat out sucked. We were tired and by the last few miles it felt a little like a death march. At last we spied the outskirts of Aguas Calientes which is the toursit town that serves as the gateway to Machu Picchu and we all got a pep in our step. We filed into the hotel lobby and got our keys before making for our rooms and collapsing into spent heaps. We worked out that the day had all up been at least 16 miles...arguably the hardest day of the whole trek.

That night we had a few drinks and a nice dinner with the group. We heard some authentic Peruvian music at dinner and had a good time out. A few of us kicked on for another drink and some pool with the Aussie guys before calling it a night at a reasonable time...Machu Picchu awaited in the morning.

We met in the lobby and crammed a little breakfast down our gullets before heading for the bus stop. In spite of it being just after 6am the line was ridiculous...a quick and early reminder: there ain't no such thing as having M.P. to yourself. To the contrary, that day we would share it with about 3,000 of our closest friends. Still, we were there pretty early, before the big trains from Cuzco showed up at least, so it was pretty calm for the first few hours during which time we got an interesting and informative, if a little rushed and brief tour of the place by Marco Uno. We buzzed through the main sites and then wrapped it up with a few group photos and by filling out our comment forms for Llama Path...then we heard Marco Uno start in with the all too familar pitch: "My friends, my work here is done. For sure, you wont be seeing me again...etc." all of which is code for: "break yourselves for a tip, b****!!!!" Again, I got no qualms with hooking him up...compared to all the other guides we saw along the trail we definitely seemed to have the most charasmatic and funniest...we all agreed that were lucky to get the Marcos.

After saying goodbye to Marco Uno, we wandered the grounds for a few hours while taking many of the obligatory M.P. photos. It is an incredible place without question...definitely up there with the most impressive and amazing sites G and I have been lucky enough to see along our travels. It's well deserving to be near the top of anyones bucket list...so if you havent been...do yourself the favor...

By 9:45am the 6 of us were lined up at the entrance to Huayna Picchu which is the huge mountain that looms in the background of the classic Machu Picchu photo you are no doubt familiar with...yes, thanks to Gina's foresight and awesome planning, we were the only ones of our group to secure tickets (they only allow 400 people per day up the mountain).

Its steep, very steep...at times treachouously so...but, super sick to climb. Nobody's mom will want to read this, but the final few hundred meters are up stairs so narrow and steep that one false step would mean almost certain death...in spite of this, 400 people climb it each and every day and there have (allegedly) been zero fatalities. The views from the top are really cool because it is the opposite view that you are accustomed to seeing of M.P. You literally are towering above and looking down on the city...straight down...its almost completely sheer. There are some spots where you could take a single step off the clif and not touch anything till you landed a few thousand feet below. As Selma said: "I cant believe they let people climb this...they'd never let you do this in the US." True story...in the US this would be a lawsuit waiting to happen. Thank God there are places still that are not like the US!

We lingered on top for a while taking all manner of awesome photos before deciding to head down. If the ascent felt treachourous, the descent was positively maniac. Those steep steps I mentioned before...well they are a little more unnerving when you are staring straight down the barrel of them...at least on the way up we had the luxury of facing away from the abyss that stretched out behind us. But, of course, being spry and sure footed hikers as we are, we navigated the stairway of death without incident and continued through the blazing sun back to the entrance gate. Without exception we were hot, thirsty and pretty much done with Machu Picchu for the day...we had been there for almost 8 hours already, the sun was high and harsh and those 3,000 friends I mentioned earlier...yup, they'd arrived. Thus we felt justified in calling it a day after a last cruise through the lower section of the site. We all rendezvoued in the hellishly long bus line and after about 20 minutes of waiting we jumped on a bus and were whisked back down the road to Aguas Calientes.

After a little break to sip some cold water and catch our breath we headed out for a late lunch which was mediocre at best...the first non Llama Path provided meal we'd had in 5 days. It left me longing for grilled trout and avocado from day 1's lunch. We had several hours to kill in town before we met the group and caught our train which was to be the first leg of the long journey back to Cuzco. They were an uneventful few hours. At 5:30 we all waited in the lobby of the hotel for a few minutes before Marco Dos arrived fresh off a few hours at the pool hall and led us to the train station.

The train ride was fine...they gave us strange little snacks, had beer for sale and we all sat together...so no complaints there. It took a turn for the bizarre when loud music suddenly blared from the crackly speakers and a costumed bafoon jumped out of the bathroom and proceeded to dance and jump around...apparently this was the inflight entertainment. Aside from being obnoxious and loud (we were all trying to snooze a bit after a long, long day) I had no problem until dude dropped a wicked elbow on my head while dancing...I was half asleep and so it was a rude awakening to say the least. I fought the urge to accidentally, on purpose stick a leg out to trip him on his next trip down the aisle. After the costumed fool had danced himself out, the hosts launched into a makeshift runway fashion session modeling and attempting to sell obscenely priced, although very nice alpaca clothing. Yeah, I know...it sounds strange...it was.

The train pulled into the station and we all groggily piled out and were led to the second leg of the ride home...a cramped and way too hot bus. There is nothing to say about this bus ride except to say that it was awful...I tried to block the misery out by forcing myself into fitful, sweaty sleep. It didnt work.

Finally we pulled into Cuzco and the bus skidded to a stop. It was late, everyone was tired and ready to be done...but of course, as we unloaded Marco Dos called out saying he wanted a chat before we all said goodbye. "My friends...my work here is done............" Everyone basically chucked cash at him before he even finished his pitch, eager to get the hell out of there and back to the hostel. The last leg was a relatively short walk across town to the oasis that is the Pariwana Hostel where we got our bags out of storage and made immediately for our 6 bed dorm. It was past 11pm and we were dead...it was only a matter of minutes until showers had been taken and we all were tucked sweetly into our beds, heads full of dreams of the hike, and zzzzzzzs coming out of our necks.

Salkantay Trek to Machu Pucchu?!?

Yeah, dude...EPIC!