Finally I reached the pass. Even though I was beyond exhaustion, it felt extremely good to have gotten this far. There was no vegetation up there, with the exception of little scrubby bushes that looked dead or dying. Surrounding me was simply dirt or rock, bleak and grey. I had a little nibble of food and decided to carry on before my legs cramped up and I froze to death. At 4050 meters above sea level it’s mighty cold and windy up there.
I started down what was to feel like a never-ending staircase. My cough now forcing me to go slowly and to stop often for short breaks. This part of the trial was made slippery by the rain and the uneven stone was a nightmare. My spirits were at a low. I hadn’t seen too many of the great views that everyone talks about and I was starting to think it was a big joke. You know, do the trail and then tell the next people how great it was so they will go through the same hell as you. No, that was just my pessimism talking. Onward you crybaby!
I reached the second camp that most everyone stays at. It was around 1:00 in the afternoon and I was ready to quit. I had some lunch and my cough had subsided just a little. After an hour of rest I felt good, with the exceptions of my unsteady legs and a much lighter cough. Now my pack was getting lighter, and I was starting to feel a sense of accomplishment. I was over half done the famous Inca Trail and I had completed the second day. The second day that everyone says is brutal and requires a porter. So did I stay at the second camp? No. I decided to go on and give myself an easier third day. I brewed some more coca tea and took off, up to the second pass.
More stairs. More uneven stone. Way up, then way down. Had I made a mistake? Maybe, but I wasn’t about to turn back! The going went well after reaching the top of the second pass. After that it was all downhill. Not to say that downhill is all that easy, but when your legs are like jelly you kind of just stumble down the uneven stone steps. You can’t really stumble uphill. Nearing the, no wait, nearing my second camp, I passed the first ruin that bended my mind.
Sayacmarca (Town in A Steep Place) was ahead and I had to check it out. I was so tired and I knew I only had another 20 minutes of hiking to the next camp, but this was irresistible. I hid my pack under some branches and climbed the torturously steep and slippery stairs up to the ruin.
It was amazing, mostly because of the view. There were a few waterfalls in the distance and the sun came out and electrified the wet jungle all around me. Brilliant greens and reds as far as the eye could see. The stone walls of the ruin were teeming with lichen and moss. It was incomprehensible to me: Why would they build a town here? Of all places, why pick such a difficult environment? Then I thought of the Inuit. They are the native people of my country who live in the Arctic. They also lived, and some still live, in an extremely harsh environment. Maybe there was something to ponder; why did man choose to live with such adversity? My mind was reeling, and my body was exhausted. Thoughts for another day perhaps.
I went and got my pack and headed on with a new feeling of awe for this trail and for these ancient people. Why was I doing this? I was doing something that was actually changing my life. That’s why. I was seeing things that people had seen over half a century ago. I was doing something that I could only do when I was young and my body was willing. This experience was beginning to change the way I looked at other people and the world. I was doing something that was so amazing and so rewarding to me. I felt energized. Alive.
After the 20-minute hike to my camp I set up tent. Then the rain came. I met fellow hikers and we all cooked under the little bathroom shack, which was the only shelter. After dinner I retired to my tent and hung out with some really nice people from Alaska. We smoked a spliff or two and then it was off to bed to let my tired body enjoy the feelings of the drugs.
That night almost ruined my entire journey. Actually, it wasn’t until the morning that I noticed most of my food had been stolen.
Read all five parts of the adventure!
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five