I was up at 4:20am to brush my teeth, pack my bag, and have a Peru breakfast of pieces of fruit, buns with ham and cheese and super thick coffee it turns out you're supposed to dilute with the tea water. Hiking guide David from yesterday showed up at 4:45 and we started walking through town, along the river by the light of your cell phone flash LEDs. After turning over my ticket and passport to angry looking police at the gate, we crossed the mad, wet-season river and found the first step of the Inca entrance to Machu Picchu. We climbed steadily as dawn gradually revealed that we were already amongst the clouds, hiding the neighboring mountains. At intervals, we came to the switchback road for the busses and took panting breaks with the other hikers. I kept a steady supply of cocao leafs in my cheek and I can't express enough how awesome these little leaves are. After an eternity of climbing (call it an hour and a half?) we reached the bus station/entry point. After a stop at the rest room for the low, low price of one Sol we flashed our tickets and entered.......and climbed some more. I thought David was playing a cruel joke, but the most impressive entrance is up quite a bit more. We entered above the agricultural terraces and were able to see a lot of impressive shaped fog. No pictures yet, so David did the tour guide thing and told me about the history and we started working our way through the main entrance to the city, some temples, a central market area and the massive sundial. The clouds started to clear, so I got some good shots of the ruins with mysterious looking fog in the background. We went through the living quarters, the Temple of the Sun, a tomb for mummies. David suddenly declared his duties were done and took off. It was so sudden I forgot to tip him! I feel terrible. Left to my own devises, I climbed up the terraces again for the classic Machu Picchu shot (with help from a very nice Chilean and later, a group of Dutch folks). I poked around areas I hadn't seen yet and got better pictures in the sun until 10 when the second Huayna Pichu. This is the peak you see behind pictures of Machu Picchu with a peak of 2693m. There was barely room for the people coming back down to squeeze by, so they staggered us out one by one. I caught up with a cheerful Brazilian teen who said he and his mom had set out earlier and she had to turn back. The stairs were incredibly steep, almost vertical in places, requiring many breaks to catch our breath. About 45minutes of climbing brought us to the Wayanpicchu ruins that cling to the mountain just below the peak. Here you have the option to climb back down the way you came, or proceed up to the peak. I, of course, proceeded to the peak. The route took us across a few terraces where you could get beautiful pictures of Machu Picchu on the mountainside opposite. Up more steep steps, through a tunnel that took some wriggling on all fours to get me and my pack through, up a wooden ladder and finally we emerged on the top. Here people loitered, perched on the top of natural rocks, getting pictures and generally congratulating each other. One teen age boy got up on top of the highest rock to wave a Peruvian flag for pictures and cheers. After a bit of surveying the landscape, I began the descent. Amongst the ruins, there were stops so shallow that only your heel would fit on them. Many went down backwards, like a ladder, or sliding on their butt. Fortunately, my boots were up to the task and I proceeded at a good pace, stopping occassionally to take pictures. Slowly, carefully, steadily I climbed down the mountain, down the trail and back to Macu Picchu. The whole thing took about 3 hours and another 20 or so of rest after. And, since I hadn't had enough, I made my way through the city and started up the Inca Trail that connects Machu Picchu to the Inca capital, Cusco. My goal was the Sun Gate that marked the entrance to the Machu Picchu valley. After about 45 min of fairly steep incline and a couple rest breaks, the rain started in, but I was so close to the Sun Gate that I pressed on. Arriving there, it proved to be about 10 stone pillars and not much else. No pictures due to the rain, so I started back down the slippery rocks and made a descent pace with no mishaps. Another 40 min got me back to the city proper where I sheltered in one of the very few parts with a roof. The rain continued steadily, so I decided to call it a day and headed towards the bus station, where I had a ticket for the 20 min downward journey. I pittied the groups of Japanese tourists who were just climbing up in hte rain for a day of rain and grey pictures. On returning to Agua Caliente, I had some hot food and waited for the train to take me the hour and a half to Ollyantatambo where I joined a group for the 2 hour van ride back to Cusco where I had a hot shower and passed the hell out. What a day!