Machu Picchu Trek: 8-18 September 2005
18 October 2005
Our adventure began on the morning of Thursday 8 September 2005 when we flew from Heathrow to the beautiful old Inca capital of Cusco in Peru. Buoyed up by a combination of trepidation and excitement, I’m sure none of us could envisage what lay ahead……
Our intrepid band comprised 13 trekkers, aged from 19 to 50, together with an army of support staff: Simon from Action Challenge (the company which organised the trek on behalf of the Brain and Spine Foundation), Luis and Pablo (the Peruvian guides), Christian (our local doctor), and a whole host of cooks, llama and mule drivers, and tent erectors! All would prove themselves enthusiastic, tireless and a great source of comfort (particularly Santos, the head cook!) over the days ahead.
We spent the first two days in Cusco which gave us time to get to know one another and explore the many architectural and archaeological gems of this historical city. It also gave us the opportunity to begin to acclimatise to the high altitude.
The trek proper began on a beautifully hot sunny Sunday morning. Fantastic! As our trek was taking place at the end of the dry season, we had been told there was a slim chance of rain, but that seemed a remote possibility as we slapped on our factor 30. Oh fools that we were! It turned out to be the last sun we would see for some time.
During lunch, by which time we had climbed steadily to around 3500m, the sky clouded over, the rain began to fall in earnest and the wind grew stronger. This was to set the pattern for the next few days.
The trek itself was a mixture of highs and lows, both literal and emotional. By the end of day one we had reached a height of 3900m, followed on day two by the highest point of our trek – the Pachacutec Pass which reared up before us at 4500m. It was a slow steady slog to the top, at times struggling through hail and snow, but what a thrilling sense of achievement when we made it. The conditions, though tougher than anyone - even our guides - had expected, made the challenge all the more real. Our sponsors certainly got their money’s worth!
Even through the mist, the scenery was spectacular. Surrounded by sheer, stark peaks and brilliant white glaciers, our hearts soared as our lungs gasped and our fingers tingled. Afterwards I was told that the temperature at the top was minus 7 but, somehow, the sense of exhilaration had made me immune to the cold.
Unfortunately, the second half of the trek did not go as planned. Due to the unseasonably freakish weather conditions, we were unable to climb to the second highest pass which had been blanketed in heavy snow. Even more bizarrely, our original contingency plan – to drive around the pass to the other side and continue the trek from there – had to be abandoned when we heard that an avalanche had blocked the route. There was nothing we could do about it. As our guide, Luis said, in his brusque, Peruvian accent, “Ees Nature!” Instead, we took a long, albeit scenic, detour by coach through cloud forest to Ollayantaytambo, our last stop before Machu Picchu.
Despite these hiccups there was a really positive attitude amongst the group and if anyone was feeling a little down, the team spirit and camaraderie amongst us was so strong that it didn’t last for long.
The food was also spectacular. Every morning a fantastic spread was laid before us with a daily hot special such as ham and scrambled eggs or, unbelievably, pancakes with maple syrup. We had a hearty lunch each day, a snack at teatime and a delicious three-course dinner which always began with a huge bowl of freshly made heart-warming soup. We were all amazed at the meals the cooks managed to rustle up with the most basic of cooking equipment.
I guess the highlight of the trip had to be our day in Machu Picchu. We were all dreading another day of endless rain but, amazingly, the sun shone the whole time we were there. What a place! It’s not just the ruins, although they are spectacular enough (the Incas were wonderfully skilled masons and the precision with which they cut huge blocks of stone and slotted them together like enormous jigsaw puzzles is mind-boggling), it’s the location of this ruined city, encircled as it is by lush, verdant peaks falling steeply away to deep river valleys far below. Add a few gambolling llamas, a scattering of locals in richly coloured ponchos, the haunting sound of the pan pipes and, of course, a group of tired but exhilarated BSF trekkers (lovely people, every one of them), and you have the recipe for a wonderfully happy day. One I will never forget.
The fun didn’t stop there either. Our last night together was brilliant. Everyone was in high spirits (in fact, most of us were filled with spirits!) as we enjoyed a gala buffet with entertainment by local musicians and dancers, followed by a salsa club in Cusco. It’s fair to say that some of our group were better at trekking than dancing, although equally enthusiastic about both!
How does one sum up such an experience? “An experience of a lifetime” is a cliché but clichés have only become clichés because they make sense and, on this occasion, it really does make sense. I suppose I could have gone ‘on holiday’ to Machu Picchu and experienced the same thrill I felt when I glimpsed the famous lost city for the first time, but to trek there, to share the experience with a group of fabulous, like-minded people who have seen you at your best and at your worst, is something that cannot easily be replicated. I am so glad I shared it with them.
