On Thursday we woke up bright and early at 3:40am to have breakfast at 4:00 and get in line for the first checkpoint. Breakfast was light with just tea and a pancake, but sufficed at that early hour. The first check point opened at 5:30am, and there was a long line up waiting for it. So I took the time to type things up and try to catch up on my blog.
The goal is to make it to the Sun Gate as the sun rises over Machu Picchu; however, as the horizon is a bunch of jagged peaks, the time varies by about 20 minutes and is quite unpredictable. As such all 16 groups that were camped at Wiñay Wayna are essentially racing to get there, so it is quite the cluster.
After climbing a bunch of steep stairs the trail finally gets to the Sun Gate and you get your first view of Machu Picchu.
The sun gate directly aligns with the Temple of the Sun in Machu Picchu, and on the summer solstice, the sun rises through the sun gate, and the light passes down through the window in the temple. It is the infamous picture of Machu Picchu, as it is the first time you get to see it; especially after you’ve gone so far. The last part of the hike is only about 5km with not to much elevation gain, but after you’ve been going hard for the three previous days, and are up so early, it is so gratifying to make it there.
We met back up with Dad there, who had taken the train in. We got about a 2 hour tour to see the important sights and it was informative and relaxing, but by that point we were all quite tired. But even like that, the views are so spectacular.
It was absolutely scorching out so we didn’t want to be out in the sun for too long. After the tour we had time to explore on our own, so our first stop was to go see the Incan sundial. It is at a perfect 12 degree angle to the surface (the same distance Machu Picchu is from the equator), so at noon on the spring and fall equinox, it casts no shadow at all.
Still with some more time, Nathan, Tyson, Dave, and I headed back up to the top of Machu Picchu to take the trail to the Inca Bridge. There are only two ways into Machu Picchu, along the Inca Trail through the Sun Gate, or across the Inca Bridge. The Inca Bridge is along a path that is built up along a steep cliff. The bridge itself is where a couple long logs span a break in the trail, essentially working like a draw-bridge; if under invasion, the logs are removed and it makes the path impassable.
Then we did some double tours (kinda close to a long drop) and spent some time just overlooking the site.
We went down to Aguas Caliente (literally hot water) for lunch, then off to the hot springs there to relax for a bit. We all got onto an evening train and headed back to Ollyantaytambo (about 2 hours) where we transferred to a bus and drove in to Cusco (about another 2 hours). We finally said our goodbyes to the other people that had been part of our 16, grabbed a quick dinner of McDonald’s and headed to bed.
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