Machu Picchu - Day 2

We woke at dawn, 7:00am, packed our bags and put them in a pile. We filed into the tent we always ate in and sat down for breakfast. Half an hour later we snatched up our packs and hit the trail. 

Note trai:  uneven steps, wet, continual steps.
This was the easy part of the trail today.

Day two was forecast to be the most difficult and that was in the back of our heads as we began to walk. The trail started as an incline and did not stop. We continued to climb the relentless incline for five hours. Breaks were occasionally taken and we exchanged optimistic remarks to one another and also some pessimistic ones. 

I (Damon) was the first to summit, followed by Elena and eventually Dad, Maddie and Mom. To better understand those five hours you can simply use a stair stepper for five hours while breathing through a thick straw. The air was thin and each breath was less fulfilling than the last. The peak of our climb that day, and for the whole hike, was 13,700 ft. 

I had glorious ambitions of getting a family photo on the summit.  But I was too exhausted.  Collapsed in a heap on a rock, I managed to lift my camera to get this shot of Chad.

We stopped at the top and rested while enjoying what view the clouds permitted. Then we began again, what goes up must come down, and we went down for a long time. Soon I hated going down more than going up, luckily down is faster and we reached the camp in an hour. Lunch was waiting for us and we ate it greedily. Rest was the only thing on hour minds until dinner. After dinner the sun was setting and there was little more we could do than sleep, and sleep we did.

Blasted by cold, rainy air we crossed the summit and head down the mountain.  

- Damon

Note from mom:  I had no idea how hard this day was going to be.  No one warned me.  After an interesting night of little sleep with dogs barking, pigs rooting about and snorting, roosters crowing, and horses munching grass a few feet from my head, plus rain leaking into the tent, I awoke a bit sleepy and starting out cold and wet was a downer.  For five hours we hiked up.  As we went up, the ability to breathe went down.  I am forever thankful that we were already adapted to breathing thin air living at altitude in Bogota.  I am proud of my kids for their great attitudes and endurance and even more proud of myself for dragging my butt over this mountain.  Oh, did I mention the people who couldn't make it over being led away on horseback?