Wherever With You

Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life

    • Home
    • Trip Stats
    • 100 Creative Days
    • About Us
    • Contact Us

    Our Time on the Inca Trail

    July 16, 2012 by Kat & Kyle 1 Comment

    View hiking down from Dead Woman’s Pass – Camino Inka

    I’ve been dreaming of hiking the Inca Trail and seeing Machu Picchu for the better part of three decades. Ever since I first saw photos of it in National Geographic as a young girl, I’ve felt a strong connection to this place, as if a small part of what defines me has always been connected to these stone buildings, these mountains, and the customs of the Inca.

    For me, like so many others, hiking Camino Inka was more than a walk in the mountains. It was a pilgrimage of sorts, a trek to my own personal version of Mecca, sacrificing my time, my energies, & my body on this spiritual (& physical) journey of self-discovery and, in many ways, homecoming.

    I think that really good travel adventures are made up of several key elements. They challenge you, leave time for introspection, introduce you to new things & teach you things about the world and people and yourself that you didn’t know before. Good adventures leave you awestruck, humbled, inspired, passionate, & empowered. Trekking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu provided all of these things and more.

    We trekked 42 km in just over 3 days. Elevations on the trail ranged from 2,400meters to 4,200 meters, including a 1,200 meter elevation gain immediately followed by a 600 meter descent on day 2. We crossed over 4 mountain passes & saw glaciers, cloud forests, cactus, wildlife, and loads of ruins along the way. We met and hiked with so many amazing, fun, and interesting people, many of whom we consider friends and will stay in touch with. We camped each night under clear skies with a million stars, and hiked to the Sun Gate by the light of the full moon very early on the final morning, arriving in time to watch the sun creep along the mountain and hit the sun dial.

    Here are some photos from our time on the trail. We’ll be back soon with a more in depth recap of our days on the trail.

    My parents arrive tonight and we’ll be traveling with them in Ecuador for the next 2 weeks. But we promise to update more frequently.

    Share this:

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    Filed Under: Hiking, Peru, South America Tagged With: Inca Trail, Machu Picchu

    Previous PostNext Post

    Comments

    1. Laura says

      July 17, 2012 at 4:10 pm

      Remember to hum the Indiana Jones theme song with your parents at least once.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Recent Adventures

    Where we just were

    Alexandria, Virginia

    Where we are today

    Oaxaca de Juarez

    Where we're headed next

    Mexico City

    Categories

    Find life experiences and swallow them whole.
    Travel.
    Meet many people.
    Go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys.
    Try everything.
    Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life.
    –Lawrence K. Fish

    • Home
    • Trip Stats
    • 100 Creative Days
    • About Us
    • Contact Us

    Recent Posts

    • The Ripple Effect
    • Twenty Years
    • Seven Years
    • Words for 2019
    • Patagonia Tried to Beat Me – I May Have Won in the End

    Copyright © 2011 - 2023 Wherever With You · Website Design by Anything Graphic

    Copyright © 2023 · Excel Pro by Anything Graphic on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.