Day one was gentle enough, although very dangerous in places. We started at Chillca at Kilometre 77 and walked for two hours along the edge of the Urubamba river. The sheer drop for most of the way on our right hand side was frightening. And where the trail narrowed to as little as six inches in places the thought that one slip would be fatal was enough to bring you out in a cold sweat. Lunch time was a relief. Before we set off again, there was another pleasant surprise. A humming bird paid a visit to a tree outside the window of the hut where we had just eaten. 
Humming bird |
The flora and fauna of Peru is incredible. It is three times the size of the UK and is home to more bird species than the whole of North America, although the majority reside in the rain forest rather than the highlands of the trail. Then it started raining and didn't really stop until we reached our camp for the night. Day two took us through the beautiful cloud forest, up and up to the highest camp of the trek at 3,750m. It was pretty hard work getting there and every time you turned a corner through the forest you were met with the demoralising sight of yet more steps. Time for a knock-about At the camp I took part in the most surreal football match. I had bought some footballs to give to a school in Ollantaytambo and to the porters who carried our gear along the trail. They love their football and once they had set up camp it was time for a game. These are hard men. They carry 25 kilogrammes of kit each day. Each September a marathon is held along the trail. This year a farmer completed it in three hours. If the Peruvian government funded athletes these men would dominate distance running. Jumpers for goal posts? Not likely. We used stones and never mind the deep drainage channels and the small outcrop of rock - it just added to the challenge. 
Football in the mountains at 3750 metres |
Unsurprisingly, at this altitude I found it hard to keep up with the porters as they launched into flying tackles with suicidal enthusiasm. It didn't matter that we couldn't understand each other. The language of football is universal. Illness strikes Day three and I fell ill. I had not felt that good playing football the previous evening. Now the diarrhoea which had afflicted my tent mate had decided to take it out on me too and on the hardest part of the trek as well. Trekking up to Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215m was so hard. Although I have very mild asthma, the altitude made walking incredibly difficult. I could barely put one foot in front of the other. I'm only 25, but this part of the walk was making me feel 50 years older. The fine rain and blisters on my feet made it all the more unpleasant. I could have renamed it Dead Parrott's Pass, by the time I reached the summit! Getting to the top gave a massive sense of achievement and a boost to my spirits. Most of the trek would be downhill from here and much easier. Views to take your breath away We stopped for lunch at Runcuracay, an Inca checkpoint, and marvelled at the views back to Dead Woman's Pass. Those views just got better in the afternoon as we headed to our final campsite, winding through yet more cloud forest. We saw orchids galore, but unfortunately the birds kept their distance and the spectacle bears which inhabit the area were too shy to put in an appearance. Everyone's jaws dropped when we rounded a corner to see the Urubamba Valley below us and the sunshine casting shadows across mountain ridges on the other side. Our final campsite at Phuyupatamarca, it means place inside the clouds, provided some of the most beautiful views of the trip. In one direction was Salcantay mountain at 6,271m. In the other we could see our goal - Machu Picchu. Nick talks about Machu Picchu » | 
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