Chat on WhatsAppIt started in the information session, I was petrified, hands sweating, how was I going to do this? 4 days of hiking, up to 4000 meters of elevation, cold nights, I doubted myself.
We hired the gear we needed and tried to pack light, give as much as we could to our porter so as to not way ourselves down. We were met at the crack of dawn by Paul at our hostel, and jumped on the bus for the ride to the start of the trek. Paul told us and informed us about everything, what we needed to bring, when and where everything was happening, no detail was left out. The family began to form as we joked and laughed about how hard this would be.
Day 1 of hiking was "easy" for myself it was not that challenging, as we entered an archeological site or view of Paul would not explain where we were, he would tell the story, the story of what was and when it was discovered. It was not just information but a story told over the 4 days of Incan history.
Day 2 was the hardest, it was nothing but straight up, what helped get me through it was the support of the group, and Paul and Jimmy who kept us together and moving forward, no one was left behind. The night of day 2 was freezing and my sleeping bag was not adequate, Paul arranged for a blanket for me which was a life saver.
Day 3 was easier than day 2 but in no means easy. It was the days I got sick. My stomach was in knots and I wasn't feeling well. Jimmy made sure that at dinner I had a special meal to help my stomach and got me an extra blanket. This helped me so much and on the final day I was fighting fit for the final trek to Machu Picchu. We woke at 2.40am for the final dash to our prize. It was cold but the end was in site. Do not underestimate down hill, it is by far and agreed upon as the hardest part of the hiking.
After 5 hours we were 100m from the sun gate. We all held hands and as a family walked through the sun gate and saw if you want to know what we saw, book the tour, you will not regret it.
