Inca Trail, day 4/Machu Picchu The third night of the trek, I spent a sleepless night, tossing and turning, contemplating the early morning that lay ahead and distracted by how dirty I suddenly realized I was. These are the sorts of situations where I probably would have been better off had I intentionally stayed up... Continue Reading →

Inca Trail, Day 3 The third day of the trek was the longest day of hiking, but definitely the most interesting day. Mickey woke us up again at 5 a.m. with coca tea, and we had breakfast at 5:30 once again. The goal was to start hiking by 6 a.m. in order to beat the... Continue Reading →

Before I get into the last two days of the trek, I want to reflect a bit on the overall Inca Trail experience, particularly on the role of the porters. When I first signed up for the trek back in November, I wondered how necessary the porters would be. I thought, "Well, I guess it... Continue Reading →

Inca Trail, Day 1 The first day on the Inca Trail was the easiest. We did not need to leave the hotel in Ollantaytambo until 8 a.m. After a final weigh-in of our luggage, we loaded into a small bus and drove to the start of the Inca Trail. At the start of the trail,... Continue Reading →

More so than any other trip I have taken, people have been asking me about my experience hiking the Inca Trail this past week. In this and subsequent posts, I will describe my experience as much as I can. Hopefully, my story will help you decide whether or not you wish to make this journey... Continue Reading →

I am spending my spring break in Peru to hike the Inca Trail, and I just arrived in Cusco around 6 am this morning, after little-to-no sleep due to a weird layover in Lima. I felt like a zombie, but as soon as the plane touched down in Cusco, my energy was renewed! All around... Continue Reading →