Machu Picchu - Day 3

Porters on the trail

Many porters wore shoes made of old tires

Once again we woke up really early. This time we didn't have any water or anything in our tents. We had to hike over one peak, but afterwards it was all down. It was around 19 kilometers, and was definitely the longest day. We ate lunch at the top of the peak, and could see Aguas Calientes and some terraces. It was a very pretty view. 

Lunch break

After lunch we only had to walk down, but there were some very steep steps, then we saw some ruins. We didn't stop for long while our guide told us some history. We walked for a while more and Damon, Elena, and Dad went way ahead of us. They waited for us for quite awhile and made a bet on how long it would take us to get there. Apparently we were about a half hour behind. Damon was the closest at guessing when we would get there, so Elena and Dad each had to carry his pack part of the way to the campsite. 

Before we got to the campsite we came to the terraces; there were about four llamas walking around, eating on the terraces. There was one black one…the black ones were considered sacred to the Incas. The terraces were very big, and each step was about 7 feet high and 6 feet wide. Some of the terraces had 'floating steps', pieces of stone sticking out of the sides of the terraces to get from one level to the other. After we saw the terraces we finished walking the half hour to the campsite, and Elena and Dad each carried Damon's pack part of the way.

Inca Ruins of Runkuraka

Before dinner, we had snack. There was kettle corn and they somehow made a chocolate cake. It was pretty good (better than Colombian cake), and we were impressed. After dinner. Had a ceremony to say thanks to the porters, and tip them. They all seemed nice, and had made our trip good by cooking and taking care of the campsite and carrying tons of stuff for us.

Terraces for farming

- Maddie

Note from Mom:  Another killer of a day.  You wouldn't think that walking down a mountain could be so painful.  A lazy, meandering trail may not have been too bad, but we walked down steep, ancient steps for hours and hours.  Before the last hour was completed my legs completely froze.  The muscles stiffened and I found myself clinging to the sheer rock wall as I slowly lowered my body each step careful not to topple off the precarious edge.