So the time that everyone (bar me) had been looking forward to had finally arrived - the Inca Trail! Despite having months and months to prepare for it, I still didn't feel fit enough to do it and I was more nervous than excited about it. Some of the group split here to do a different trek so it was a sad moment saying goodbye to three of our friends even if it was only for three days. We caught a bus from Cusco to a town called Ollantaytambo where we stayed overnight. It is a very cute and small town and really there's very little to do there except prepare yourself for the trekking. Since we had been having cash flow problems in Cusco we still needed to do some preparations such as buying baby wipes and snacks and I had decided whether to hire a walking stick or not. Despite being at a lower altitude than Cusco, we got a taste of how cold it was going to be at nights during the trek because even in our hotel room it was freezing and I had to sleep in my thermals. We sorted out our things into our duffle bags we had been given and struggled to restrict ourselves to the 6kg weight limit we had been given (including sleeping bag and mattress which takes 3kgs alone!)

We left early in the morning and took a short minibus ride to Piscacucho, otherwise known as km 82 where the first checkpoint of the Inca trail is. We met our new guides, David and Enrique, who would be escorting us throughout the trek and also our porters. Despite thinking I had got rid of my stomach bug a few days before in Colca Canyon, it had decided to make a reappearance right before the toughest trek of my life. Typical! After a few group photos in front of the Inca Trail sign we swiftly set off. We reached the first checkpoint and had to show our passports and tickets. They are quite strict on how many people they let in now. It's a maximum of 500 a day including porters, guides, cooks and tourists so that means realistically there are only around 200 tourists a day allowed in. To get a permit you do have to book about 6 months in advance. We then proceeded across a rickety bridge over a pretty river and almost instantly there was a steep incline but nothing too difficult to handle.

The first days trekking was 12km in total gaining 400 metres altitude along the way so it probably should have been the easiest full day trekking because there was only one really steep incline. However, I was trying really hard to keep up with the group and that made me struggle big time, especially after the really steep bit I struggled to get my breath back and here the altitude shouldn't have been a problem because we were only at 3000 metres and Cusco was higher than that. By the time we reached our designated stop for lunch I was absolutely exhausted. The porters and cooks had got there well before us and had set up a tent by the time we arrived. We had a substantial lunch with soup for starter and then a main of chicken, rice and vegetables followed by some tea. We then had 40 minutes to relax but after half an hour the rest of the group were eager to get going. We did pass little shops as part of small villages where we could buy snacks and things but fortunately we were provided with snack packs and able to refill our water bottles after every meal. It was only another hour and a half to our campsite and overall what should have taken us 6 hours took us more like 4. Some of the group still had so much energy in them they played football with the porters (who had already been playing for half an hour) but our guys had to keep swapping in and out every few minutes because running at altitude was killing them!

Our campsite was of course basic, we had simple two man tents and no electricity but we were all prepared and brought torches. The toilets were shared with other campsites and unfortunately we had to endure a return of the squat toilet. I thought I'd seen the last of them in China! I actually missed the ones from China because at least people knew how to use them. It was quite clear that people didn't know what they were doing here because the was poo everywhere! There was one filthy shower which only one person in our group used and the rest resigned ourselves to baby wipes. Dinner again was plentiful and tasty. The meals on the trek was some of the best (and more importantly) the most prompt food we've had through all of Peru and Ecuador. I was pretty upset that evening because I knew how much I struggled all day and tomorrow was going to be a million times harder and I wasn't sure I would be able to do it. After dinner David had a chat with me because he had a "special plan" for me. I didn't mention turning back even though it had crossed my mind but he told me that no one turns back unless they are really sick. He said it was all in the mind and if you think you can't do it then you won't be able to do it. At the time I thought this was just bulls*** but now I know he was right. His plan was for me to leave half an hour before the rest of the group and then we would meet up at the meeting point for snacks.

That night we watched the stars in the clear sky and could see the Milky Way. We even spotted a shooting star. Once it was dark there wasn't anything to do and me and Bryan had to be up at 4.30am anyway so we went to bed early. It was freezing cold despite sleeping in my thermals and I woke up many times shivering to the sounds of donkeys munching grass outside the tent and dogs fighting so it wasn't the best nights sleep. We were woken up with hot cups of coca tea brought to our tent and bowls of warm water and soap outside. We bundled ourselves in clothes and stumbled outside for breakfast. Despite saying beforehand that I didn't eat pork, apparently no one realised that ham is pork so it was in the scrambled eggs that morning. I was ok just having bread and jam anyway it was way too early for food. So me, Bryan and Enrique set off for day 2 - infamous for being the hardest day of the trek. It's 11km ascending an altitude of 1100m on what is (inappropriately) called Dead Woman's Pass because there are two very steep humps that look like a dead woman lying down apparently! I was taking into account all the advice I had been given, breathing through my nose, taking lots of short breaks, focusing on a point where I would allow myself a breather and I think it all helped. I had resigned myself to the fact that even with short breaks I won't be able to get my breath back to normal and I wasn't the only one who suffered with this. It also really helped not having the pressure of trying to keep up with the rest of the group. About an hour and a half into our trek and Enrique had a call on the walkie talkie. One of the girls in the group was going back so he had to go back with her. He told us just to carry on going and follow the path and the others would catch us up soon. We were a little nervous going up on our own in case we took the wrong way but to be honest there is only one path. If you come across a fork it's only because there is a break area or campsite and you soon realise it's a dead end and go back the way you came. We got to the break area and I was grateful to stop and eat my snacks since I hadn't had much breakfast. It wasn't long before Dan joined us who had pretty much ran up the whole way so far. He wasn't aware anyone was going home because he had missed the first meeting point where the rest of the group were meeting up. He did tell us that Matty had been up all night with a stomach bug and he was struggling but still carrying on. For this reason we thought the rest of the group would still be quite far behind and although I wanted to stay because I knew they were getting hot drinks, Bryan urged me to push on because we still hadn't reached Dead Woman's Pass.

It wasn't long before I saw the millions of steep steps stretched before us and the porters who were already at the top who now looked like ants. I put my earphones in (Kenneth kindly leant me his iPod because mine broke in Ecuador) and set off, focusing on one step at a time and trying not to panic about how far I had left to go. I tried following in the porter's footsteps and going from side to side to make it less steep. I was having to break every 5 steps or so to try and catch some breath back but I was comforted by the fact that even though I was overtaken by a few tourists, most people were either the same speed or slower than me. I realised that actually I'm probably average speed but I'm unfortunate that my group is particularly fast. We eventually made it to the top of the first pass and I could have cried when I saw the second was just as steep but I plodded on. It was hard and seemed to take forever (it didn't help me much that Bryan was finding it easy at this pace and pretty much was dancing his way up) but I knew I had no choice but to just keep going. It was an incredible feeling when I finally made it to the peak and I had a well deserved break because I knew the hardest part of the whole trek was now over.

Despite being incredibly sweaty from the walk up there, our body temperature dropped rapidly at that altitude because we stayed still. It was a long time before the others caught up with us so we had to wait it out in the cold but it was worth it to see the looks on their faces because I knew they all found it as hard as I did. On average it takes 2 hours to get to the top. I did it in an impressive hour and a half. Most of the group did it in even less time than that! We had our group photo at the summit and then began the 2km descent downhill. Easy peasy right? Wrong! Unfortunately I was still at the back on the descent because it killed my knee. I'm not sure why because I have no previous injury that I know of but every step down I took felt like someone stabbing a knife into my right knee. However, Kasper also struggled so I told Bryan to go at his own speed and I would get there later. All that effort in one day and we still made it to our campsite at 1.30pm just in time for a well deserved lunch! Since we had got there so early it meant we had a lot of time to kill so we played a lot of cards. Our campsite was so much higher up than the night before so as soon as the sun started setting the temperature dropped rapidly. I was prepared for another freezing night so this time I wore all the clothes I had to bed! It turned out not to be so bad because it was a cloudy night and at one point I was too hot! It had got to the point now where I had done so much walking that when I closed my eyes I felt like I was still walking! It's bizarre and I can't explain it but it's like dreaming when you're awake. It must have just been exhaustion!

Day 3 arrived and again Bryan and I left earlier to get a head start. Since we now only had one guide left, a porter showed us the way briefly before he had to go back and pack up our tents. Today was the longest day, travelling 16km and although it wasn't anywhere near as steep as the second day it was still hard. Right from the offset we had to climb and incredibly steep set of stairs. I feel like David forgot to mention this to us so it sort of took us by surprise at 5am! Since we'd only left half an hour before the others Bryan kept looking down at the campsite and telling me if I didn't quicken my pace then the others would catch us up! Not the kind of support I was looking for! It turns out they didn't catch us up and we waited for them at the second inca ruin where I told Bryan to go ahead and walk with the others. This day was by far the most scenic part of the trek. We saw two inca ruins, walked on original inca stones and passed by a beautiful lake, and that was just the first couple of hours. Later we trekked through cloud rainforest seeing pretty orchids before passing gorgeous valley viewpoints. After meeting up with the group I actually managed to keep up with them mostly. Walking on flat ground I'm as quick as anyone it's just uphill and now apparently downhill I'm slower. The path had various ups and downs but for the most part it was pretty flat. David stopped us at a point which had a great view and he explained to us sometimes he has groups of hippies doing the trek and they like to stop at this spot to meditate. He made us stay silent for 10 minutes just looking at the view and listening to the noises of nature. We were able to do this because as a group we were ahead of the masses since we were so quick. It was really nice to just sit and enjoy the surroundings because normally I feel like I'm constantly trying to keep up with the group so I don't enjoy the views so much. We got to the site where we were stopping for lunch and not only did we have our usual excellent standard for our meal but somehow the chefs had managed to make us an amazing cake just using all their portable cooking equipment.

After lunch and a break we set off again towards another inca ruin. These were inca terraces, sort of like giant steps, cut into the side of the mountain and used for farming. It doesn't sound like much but in my opinion it was the best point of the whole trek mainly because the view was truly incredible. It was a stunning view over two mountains and the valley in between where a river runs through. I could have sat there and looked at it all day. Apparently we were lucky because often the clouds cover the view and you can't see anything. In fact we were lucky with the weather the whole trek since there was always brilliant sunshine and it only got chilly when you stopped walking for a length of time due to the altitude. We finally had to drag ourselves away from that spot, past a few llamas, to what was called the Gringo Killer (such inspiring names they give these things). This was 6km of steep downhill descent to reach our campsite. It was absolute agony on my knee again even though David had helped me bandage it up today which had given me some respite so far. Again Kasper and I were at the very back along with David whose knees were also starting to give up after doing the trek over 400 times. We finally reached our last campsite which was called Winay Wayna which means "forever young" in the local Quechua language. After a few card games, a wet wipe wash and dinner it was straight to bed because the next morning would be ridiculously early. It was also tonight that we had to say goodbye to our amazing porters and chefs. They were the true heroes of our journey because the always packed up our tents and ran to the next destination carrying 25kgs to set everything up again before we arrived. Food was delicious and always on time which is more than we can say for the rest of Peru and Ecuador so far. Most of them were young local lads but one was the ripe age of 65! A tip was expected and the most deserved tip I've ever given.

So day 4, our final day and our destination of Machu Picchu. David told us that if we wanted to be one of the first groups to the Sun Gate and to get to Machu Picchu before all the hoards of tourists arrive then we needed to leave at 4.30am in order to queue up at the entrance gate. Well Bryan and I had already had a lot of early starts and the gate doesn't open until 5.30am so I couldn't see the point in waiting there an hour just for all the groups to be rushing through anyway but it was what the rest of the group wanted so we did it. Of course it was pitch black when we left but luckily our campsite was right next to the entrance gate. It was a freezing cold hour wait before they let us through and we managed to be the 4th group in the queue. Apparently in the past groups could go through whatever time the wanted and used to leave even earlier but the route is very narrow with a steep drop on one side and in the dark people used to fall to their death. As it is I still needed my torch for the first 15 minutes or so. I soon realised all my energy had been focused on the 3 full days of trekking I hadn't even thought about the last day and I really had nothing left. Most of the trek to the Sun Gate was flat but because I had no energy left I actually found it as tough as Dead Woman's Pass. The others wanted to get to the Sun Gate for sunrise or before other people I'm not sure but for whatever reason they raced ahead and I told them to go on without me. They had actually managed to overtake the other 3 groups to be the first ones there but were so hasty pushing in front of others that one group's guide told them off saying it wasn't a race! I was quite enjoying being on my own and taking my time to get there until I came around the corner and saw David waiting for me "hola señorita". Of course it's his job and he has to make sure the whole group is ok but I was enjoying not having the pressure. Just before the Sun Gate is something aptly named the "Oh My God Steps" - a set of stone steps that go vertically like a ladder and you have to climb on all fours. Surprisingly I got on fine with this and didn't even need to stop halfway through like I saw others doing. I only stopped for a break afterwards because David made me! We finally got to the Sun Gate, prepared for the beautiful views over Machu Picchu, to find nothing. Quite literally nothing! The cloud was so thick you could barely see in front of your hands. The walk here should have taken an hour and a half ("for you señorita, 2 hours"). The group had raced there in half an hour and, more impressively, I had managed it in 45 minutes so perhaps I am getting fitter! Although now I was knackered and I'd only been there for 2 minutes when Ian was rallying everyone up to leave. We had only been walking the descent to Machu Picchu for 5 minutes when the heavens opened and we had to stop to put our ponchos on. When we arrived at the entrance we were cold, wet, tired and miserable and begging the rain to stop just for an hour or two. We cheered up somewhat when we were reunited with Fredy who promptly told us we all stank! Four days trekking the hardest trek we have ever done and no showers, what did he expect?!

We had a short break waiting for the rain to stop but it didn't so we just got on with our tour of Machu Picchu. I've got to be honest, this was meant to be the highlight but it really wasn't. It was a great site to see and the rain did eventually clear up and the clouds moved long enough to take some decent photos. However, I really wasn't in the right frame of mind for a 2 hour tour and talk about the incas. I really struggled to pay attention and to stay awake. It also didn't seem to make a difference what time we got there because it was heaving with tourists - the lazy ones who skipped the 4 day trek and just went straight to Machu Picchu. But we made it through and we also met up with the others who did the Lares Trek (or who didn't trek) and since they had all stayed in a hotel overnight I suddenly felt self conscious that I had gone a bit feral. It had always been dark when I got up so I hadn't even bothered to look in a mirror for 4 days! We were taking a bus to the nearest town of Aguas Calientes before catching a train and bus back to Cusco. Our train was at 3.50pm supposedly to give us time at Machu Picchu but we were done by 10. We caught the bus to the town anyway and went to the restaurant where we were all meeting. Bryan and I agreed to share a family pizza because he was starving but when it arrived I had suddenly lost my appetite. I forced down one slice but then regretted it because I thought I was going to be sick. I spent the next few hours feeling like that and desperate for somewhere to lie down but all we had was a restaurant chair. We finally got on the train where I promptly threw up in the toilet and spent the rest of the journey looking green and feeling rough. There was some sort of parade going on in Cusco so the traffic jams meant we didn't get back to our hotel until gone 8pm on what had been the longest day of my life. Surprisingly not everyone felt like me and most of the others managed to go on another night out and complete the 24hour challenge (staying awake for 24 hours). All I wanted was a bed!
I think it was just exhaustion because I was ok the next day but it was a slightly disappointing ending to what has been the most physically demanding few days of my life. It wasn't until I had recovered the next day that I had realised my achievement and could be proud of myself. I've also learned the importance of the psychological frame of mind when undertaking something so demanding. I don't think I would do it again (I don't think I want to do exercise again!) but I'm certainly glad I did it and completed it.