mt rainer 

dog or tree?

forest creatures

view from mt constitution, orcas island

me

waiting for the ferry

I never actually made it to the lake, which I guess isn’t that uncommon. There was snow at the ridge, and I ended up losing the trail.  (Made more exciting by the fact that the mosquitos attacked every time I stopped to look for it.)  But the surrounds were beautiful.  I think it may be one of my favorite hikes.

Machu Picchu, in all its glory….

the feet that got me there….

Arg!!  The weather on the entire Inka Trail was *perfect*…. until the very last day. 

We awoke at 4am to make our way to the Sun Gate, *the* place to see the sunrise….  We really booked it and we were the third & forth people there.  And by there… I mean a big wall of white fog. 

The “vista” above Machu Picchu wasn’t that much better.  Our guides kept saying that it would clear… and then around 8:30am, it finally did….

the llamas, also upset by the fog….
 

yep, that’s machu picchu.  not exactly how i envisioned it….

but then it started to clear! !

and clear even further!!

From there, we were heading to Dead Woman’s Pass (or Warmiwañusca).  At 4198m (13,772 ft) it is definitely up there.  The last 200m was the worst.  You pass through 3 stages:

• Excitement – you can see the top. 
• Exhaustion – each step takes absolute effort. 
• Extreme exhaustion – you’re inches from the top but each step now takes 15 second.

made it to llulluchupampa!

you can see how far we’ve climbed already!

last 200 meters…. think i might die….

looks like i’m smiling.  really, i’m just covering my pain…. and my gasping.  the air is thin this high up!

the rolled in magically as we got to the top…

…and then just as quickly rolled away…

2nd night camp site

me, around 7am.  on the bus, en route for the trail.  photo op break.

the start of the trail.  we were very lucky and had a very fun treking group.

friendly visitor – donkey!

our first camp site.

Well, the trail and Machu Picchu lived up to all my expectations.  It was an amazing experience.

Some basic info about the trail:

• 33 km (22 miles) in 4 days
• Lowest point:  2380m (7,808 ft)
• Highest point:  4200m (13,779 ft)

If you’re heading out on the trail, a few thoughts for you…

• Bring bug repellent.  Some parts of the trail are at “lower” alitutoides and there are mosquitos.  I got devoured at Machu Picchu during the 15 minutes I decided to make my convertible pants “shorts.
• They sell wooden walking sticks at the beginning of the trail.  They’re cheaper than renting metal walking sticks… and you don’t have to lug yours from the States.  For me, having 2 walking sticks was *key*.
• Bring lots of memory cards.  I went through about 6 GB. 

(I’ll add a few more points once I get through the rest of the trip’s photos.  I did a bunch of research on which agency & what to bring that I’ll share.)

It starts on Ke’e beach and goes about 2 miles until you find yourself on another beach.  We then hiked another 2 miles or so to Hanakapiai Falls.

the trail 

the na pali coast

 bamboo ceiling

they were here

 local boats to the islands.

filipino market.

boats at sea