Entries from Machu Picchu

Hola hola hola!

This morning, some of us woke up early just one more time - we took the buses back up the hill, went through the entrance of Machu Picchu and climbed Huayna Picchu.

You know the mountain in the background of all those iconic photos of Machu Picchu? That’s Huayna Picchu! We rallied (even after 6 days of trekking!) for just a *few* more steep stairs to the summit.

We were greeted with sunshine and full views of Machu Picchu and all the surrounding landscape. We celebrated a birthday (HBD Courtney!!) and took all the photos. It was beyond remarkable and a great way to wrap up this trip.

This afternoon on the 4-hour train from Machu Picchu back to Cusco, we had some time to reflect on our adventure. We stepped out of our comfort zones to explore new cultures, new altitudes, new food and so much more. We came together as a team and learned so much about ourselves along the way.

Tomorrow we’ll all fly home but we’ll carry everything — the hard moments, the funny moments, the inspiring stories of the Incas and their ancestors — with us for a lifetime.

Until next time, Peru!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Machu Picchu team

PC: Jess Wedel

Sunday, August 25, 2024 - 3:26 am PT

We made it to Machu Picchu!

Wow, what a day. We woke up and walked the final few hours to the Sun Gate. It was a little cloudy but we still had views of Machu Picchu below.
We spent the morning exploring the different sites - the Sun Temple, the Palace Quarters, the Temple of the Condor and so much more! Then we took the bus downhill to Aguas Calientes where we all enjoyed a shower and delicious dinner.

Tomorrow, we get to go back to the park and climb Huayna Picchu. For now, we are sleeping happily in warm beds.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the team
 

Saturday, August 23, 2024 - 6:52 pm PT

“Good morning my friend!” Elbin says every morning as he wakes us up with hot tea and coffee at our tents with a big huge smile. Today was no different. We woke up looking into a valley of moving clouds, packed all our stuff, had a quick breakfast and hit the trail. One last big day was ahead.

We stopped at archeological sites, went up and down two more passes and finally arrived at Winay Wayna - our final camp before Machu Picchu. We were on the trail for over eight hours walking the 600-year old stone path.  Tonight, we celebrated all the people that helped make this trek possible - our porters, cooks, and local guides! Complete with a freshly baked cake. We can’t say enough about how incredible they have made this experience.

Tomorrow we have just two hours to walk until we arrive at Machu Picchu and we are all looking forward to it.

Woo hoo!!

RMI Guide Jess and the team

Hi dear readers!

It was our first day joining up with the Inca trail and what a day it was! Up, up, up we went from 9,800 feet all the way to nearly 14,000 feet at Dead Woman’s Pass. Step by step we walked together. Everyone did awesome and the views were spectacular. The sun was beating down on us for most of the day but just before the pass we got some reprieve as clouds moved it and cooled down the temperatures. Then we descended into our next camp, Pacaymayo, which means “hidden river”. It’s a beautiful and remote camp with views looking into the valley and no one around for miles.

We were greeted by our incredible support team with smiles and cheers! Every day we arrive to camp with our tents already set up and water ready for drinking. We couldn’t do this without them!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Machu Picchu team

Hola!

We woke up to sunshine and the sound of the river rolling below us. We normally have a dining tent that we eat in but we opted for a plain aire breakfast because the weather was just too good! It was our shortest day on the trail so we took our time this morning to enjoy an extra cup of coffee before we packed up and headed out.

Our route meandered downhill and we stopped frequently to learn about the flora and fauna around us - pink flowers used to treat colds, mint plants for stomach ailments, brilliant fuschias, special leaves used for dying wool bright green, and so many more.

We said goodbye to our cowboys and mules today - we’ve officially completed the Salkantay trek and are joining up with the Inca trail. We walked into our camp at Wayllabamba to the cheers of our chaskis who will be with us for the rest of our trek. We even had hot showers and a little bit of wifi!

A highlight of the day was the fresh-from-the-river trout ceviche and “jungle potatoes” we had at lunch.

We’re all sleeping well tonight!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Machu Picchu team

PC: Jess Wedel

Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - 4:59 am PT

“Remember this beautiful moment, remember this beautiful time, it’s very special because it is once in a lifetime,” words from Carlos, our Peruvian guide at the top of Salkantay Pass at over 16,200 feet. After climbing for a couple hours this morning, we reached the pass. On one side, we were looking into a valley a thousand feet below us with a patchwork of colors and on the other we were looking toward Salkantay Peak and the glacial moraine we had just climbed. 

Carlos and one of our mule wranglers lead us in a special Quechua ceremony. Offering three coca leaves rubbed with llama fat to Pachamama (Mother Earth) for safe passage. Since ancient times they have always connected their energy with the energy of nature. With rivers. With rocks. With trees. With mountains.  Believing that Pachamama feels every single step, every breath and we are absorbing the mountains energy too as we climb. It’s not just to receive but to give back. Reciprocity. So we offered the three coca leaves which represents the Andean trilogy and llama fat to represent natural energy. And we all received a tiny piece of quartz in return. For the rest of the day every time we saw a bird or special animal or watched the water flow through the 600 year old Inca canal, we were being given a gift by Pachamama.

The views and the trekking are beyond what we could have imagined but the openness with which our guides are sharing their ancestors’ religion and beliefs is humbling us all.

RMI Guide Jess and the team

PC: Jess Wedel

Hi! Hello!

After early (too early, some may say) alarms, we loaded our bags on the van and left the comforts of Cusco behind. We drove on winding mountain roads as the sun came up behind us and after nearly four hours, we made it to Sorayampampa. We met our Peruvian guides - Carlos & Elbin, as well as our chef, cooks and the mule wranglers. The team that makes it possible for us to have this experience!

After getting everything packed up, we officially started on the Salkantay trail. Up the valley we went, with the 20,000+ foot Salkantay peak towering above us.It feels so good to finally be on the trail - we just finished a delicious dinner and even though it’s 7:30pm, we’re all tucked in our tents and sleeping bags. 

It’s the highest and coldest place we’ll sleep on this whole trip but everyone is doing great.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Salkantay team

PC: Jess Wedel

Hello!

Today we had another great day exploring Cusco city. We started at the Temple of the Sun and then headed above the city to Sacsayhuamán! The quality of the stone work tells you the importance of a site and it was exquisite.

After, we headed back down into Cusco proper where there was a huge parade happening in the town square. Music, dancing and lots of colors! A sight to see. We got to explore one of the main cathedrals in the city square before lunch.

We had the afternoon to pack and do some last minute shopping before we hit the trail tomorrow.

We’re all headed to bed for a very early wake up and very much looking forward to starting our trek.

RMI Guide Jess and the Machu Picchu Crew

Did you know that the Andes are the longest mountain range in the world? Stretching from southern Colombia all the way to the southernmost point of the continent in Tierra del Fuego.

Or that Peru has 84 out of the 113 different climates found in the world?

Or that the potato was originated in Peru? And there are over 4,000 species of potatoes here!

Did you know there was at least 6,000 years of development prior to the Inca reign and many of the terraces date back to 4,000bc?

Today was an awesome day learning about ancient civilizations to current day Peruvians.

We were led by an awesome guide, Cristian, that graciously shared about religion, agriculture, politics, history and answered our millions of questions while touring the Sacred Valley.

We took it at all in like sponges and there were so many moments of awe - how in the world could they have gotten boulders this large, this high? And so perfectly slotted together?

The Andes are the most rugged set of mountains you could ever find - but instead of seeing these mountains has obstacles the Peruvians and the Inca turned them into possibilities. By building cascades of terraces, from the bottom of the valley to the summit. Building canals for water and over 10,000 miles of trails connecting to each other.

These sights were amazing to see but the best part of the day was the wealth of knowledge and openness from Cristian to share the culture of his ancestors with us.

Jess and the Team

Hola!

Everyone has arrived in Cusco with all our duffels. We’ll take that as a win and a good way to start off this incredible adventure.

We met together as a team this evening, sharing about all the different ways we found ourselves in Peru - one group celebrating a big birthday, an anniversary and others because this has always been on their bucket list.

No matter what  — we all left families, friends and big, full lives to spend nearly two weeks stepping out of our comfort zones. Trekking through revered mountains and learning the rich history of the Incas from Cusco to the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu.

It’s going to be a challenging and epic experience but first, first we need sleep!

RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Machu Picchu Crew