Imagine you are perched on a granite stone, high in the
Andes looking down through primary cloud forests into a river valley that
slices through almost vertical mountains. All around you, glacier-topped peaks soar
more than 15,000 feet into the heavens. A rainbow emerges from the mist and
lights the sky with its spectrum of colors. Above and below you, stone-edged
agricultural terraces mark the archeological site, Phuyupatamarca, a town named
“cloud-level” in Quechua, the Inca language which is still spoken in the Peruvian highlands today. Phuyupatamarca is a sacred place –
a place of beauty where you and, centuries before you, the Inca kings rested
just a few kilometers from the more famous citadel of Machu Picchu.
After trekking almost 25 miles, up and down steep stone
staircases and across several mountain passes 12,000 feet in elevation, I sat quietly
at Phuyupatamarca with my trekking family, breathing in the moist air and experiencing
the mysterious power of this civilization. The Incas left us their rich
culture, their temples and monuments, their agronomic practices, their carefully
engineered highways and villages, their water and drainage systems that still
function 600 years after they were built.
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| A grandmother preparing the soil for spring planting |
The Incas believed in hard work, honesty and
cooperation. They believed in community and in the power of Pachamama –
literally mother earth, the spirit that gives us life and loves us
unconditionally. They developed a sophisticated mathematical system, told time
by sundials and navigated by the stars. At the height of their power in the 16th
century, their empire stretched across western South America from modern day
Ecuador south to Chile and encompassed coastal plain, tropical jungle, high
mountain and desert environments.
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| An Inca Warrior overlooking Cusco |
My husband Jeff and I visited Peru to trek the Inca Trail, to experience the mystery of Machu Picchu, to visit the cities of Cusco and Lima and to explore the Tambopata headwaters of the Amazon River near Puerto Maldonado. One
of my brothers, his wife and two close friends from Florida joined us on the
adventure. After arriving in Lima, we met the other members of our expedition
and flew to the former capital of the Inca Empire, the city of Cusco. Cusco is located
more than 10,000 feet above sea level on the eastern slope of the Andean mountains.
The city is an interesting blend of Incan and Spanish architecture, history and
culture. It is the jumping off spot for Andean expeditions, treks, historical
tours, river adventures, and spiritual journeys. Its high elevation and the
availability of modern medical and mountaineering resources make it
the perfect place to acclimatize to the high elevations. The company
who arranged our trip, G adventures, (https://www.gadventures.com)
from Toronto, Canada knows how to do it right!
Upon arrival in Cusco, we toured the city and met our wonderful guide Rumi. Rumi is a Peruvian whose heritage, like many people in the
Cusco region, includes both Inca and Spanish blood. His knowledge of Inca
history and culture was impressive. Rumi also had an extraordinary ability to
connect with each of the members of our group on an individual level. Three
members of our group took the train to Machu Picchu – an option for folks who do
not have the physical abilities required on the Inca Trail. Our trekking group of
twelve was diverse – we ranged in age from 26 to 71 and hailed from five
countries – the USA, Canada, Australia, Scotland and South Africa. Along with
Alex, Rumi’s competent assistant and 21 brilliant porters, Rumi was our Inca warrior as we bonded together on the rocky paths of the Inca Trail.
Our first day was a delightful sample for what was to come – we drove by bus to
a Women’s Weaving Co-op near the town of Ollantaytambo. Here we met Peruvian
women who raised alpacas, dyed the wool with plant materials and wove brightly
colored fabric to make traditional Andean clothing, sweaters, shawls, hats,
scarves, tablecloths and purses. They shared coca, chamomile and anise tea with
us and demonstrated how they used the same wooden looms to weave as were used
by their ancestors 500 years before. The Co-op women were strong and
industrious, often carrying a young child in a colorful “back-sling” while doing
their work. Some women took care of the animals, some did the weaving, some
made the garments and others sold the finished products. The collaborative
nature of the settlement helped us understand how fundamental reciprocity and
giving back to your community are to the Inca culture. This supportive society is in contrast to the aggressive, often militaristic dominance that many other cultures, including some western and eastern European and Asian societies embrace. Perhaps modern day leaders could learn from the Incas.
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| Causa - the Delicious Yellow Potato Appetizer |
We ate lunch at a nearby cooperative
restaurant, toured the ruins of Pisac – a former Inca citadel famous for its
agricultural terraces and its tombs where mummified bodies of royalty and
important Inca artifacts were found. In addition to being master stonemasons,
architects and engineers, the Incas were skilled agronomists – building
perfectly drained agricultural terraces and hybridizing multiple species of
potatoes, corn, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables. Culinary expertise goes
back centuries in Peru – there is a reason that the Incas were successful in inhospitable
environments. They learned how to grow food by taking advantage of
microclimates and how to preserve food through dehydration long before NASA
figured out how to dehydrate food for the astronauts! The current trend of
eating local and organic has been practiced for centuries in the Peruvian
Andes.
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| In the Meditation Room |
We checked into the Hotel Inka Paradise in Ollantaytambo
town and toured the Inca ruins in the small town. There we climbed steep stone
steps, and gathered strength for the coming trek from the meditation room and
the red granite temples. The next day we left at 7 am and drove to the
beginning of the Inca Trail – 82 km away. We met our powerful porters, a group
of 21 men ranging in age from 21 to 62. These men carried our food, gear,
tents, propane tanks and other equipment on their backs in enormous packs that
often weighed close to 60 pounds (~25 kilos).
After passing through the first checkpoint – the Peruvian government
controls access to the Trail and Machu Picchu – we wished our porters safe
travel, donned our packs and started up the trail in single file.
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| Glaciers in the Andes |
For the next three days we climbed up and down increasingly difficult
terrain, ascending and descending endless flights of ancient stone steps cut
into the steep mountainsides. On Day 2 we crossed Warmiwañusca or Dead Woman’s
Pass that at 13,769 feet (4,198 m) is the highest point on the trail. Often the
stone path ran along the edge of vertical drop-offs that fell precipitously to
deep valleys hidden in mist. On the third day we walked through a cloud forest
where bromeliads and orchids clung to the sweating trees and flowers filled the
air with soft colors. All along, Rumi and Alex cheered us on, encouraging us to
focus on the slippery downhill steps and stopping to let us catch our breath
when the air became so thin we gasped for oxygen. We chewed coca leaves, drank
coca tea and high fived the porters when we reached our camping site at the end
of each day.
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| Jeff and Katy with some of our incredible porters |
Most remarkable, our porters covered the trails in less time
than we could, despite carrying four times as much weight – and had our tents, the
kitchen and dining tents all set up by the time we arrived each afternoon…and then,
they all cheered and clapped us into camp as we entered. Our cook, Emerson was
a five-star chef from Lima who decided to change his life and cook on the
trail. His culinary skills were extraordinary – every meal was delectable and
presented beautifully, from the origami-folded bird napkins to the individual
plating of each meal.
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| Chocolate Cake Inka Trail style! |
Fresh sauces, homemade salsa, tasty soups and delicious
vegetables and fruit accompanied each meal – and by the way we ate in a dining
tent sitting on stools and enjoying the brightly colored table cloth. As a
highlight, Emerson baked a chocolate cake and frosted it with jelly and icing
to celebrate the 25th anniversary of two of our team. How do you do
that at 11,000 ft after three days on the trail? Brilliant.
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| Our second campsite at Pacaymayo |
Every morning the porters woke us at 5:30 am, greeting us
with hot cups of coca tea and bowls of aqua caliente (hot water) so that we
could wash in the comfort of our tents. These are luxuries you don’t get at
home and here we were on one of the highest trails in the world – several days
hike from “civilization”. All along the trail, Rumi was our Inca warrior,
supporting each of us, explaining the meaning and purpose of different
archeological sites and cultural habits, naming the flowers and the birds. He
taught us the fundamentals of the Inca’s logarithmic-based mathematical system;
he helped us to focus on the difficult passages; and, along with Alex, shared with
us the sheer joy of being in the moment.
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| Orchids along the trail |
One of my favorite memories happened one afternoon when the
mists swirled around four of us as we carefully traversed a section of trail
set on a steep narrow ridge. The stone cobbles were soaking wet and slippery.
The ridge fell straight down 11,000 feet into a hidden valley. We walked
carefully, using our trekking poles to stabilize our steps through rocky caves
and past exotic bushes filled with spring flowers, sharing the mystical feeling
of being in our own private world. I felt a peace that comes when you
accomplish something physically demanding and experience the natural world in
an undisturbed state, just as the Inca warriors experienced it more than 500
years ago. Trekking the Inca Trail is epic – an experience that fills your
soul, your mind and your body.
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| Jeff and I rest at a waystation on the Inca Trail |
On our fourth morning, we woke at 3:30 am, ate a quick
breakfast, broke camp and walked in the dark by headlamp to the checkpoint that leads into
Machu Picchu. I will leave that experience for my next blog – suffice it to say
that while Machu Picchu is extraordinary and one of the world’s wonders, it is
the experience of our magical journey along the Inca Trail that I will remember forever.
