Hike into the clouds on Peru's Inca Trail

At 4:30 a.m., Santos Gallegos is already up for the day, cooking breakfast in a dimly lit tent on the side of a mountain more than 3,000 metres above sea level. The crisp air nips at his nose as he cracks eggs for his group of eight people hiking the 45-kilometre Inca Trail to Peru's famed Machu Picchu.

Working as a chef for a travelling camp is something the 45-year-old has been doing for 15 years.
A half hour later, I'm woken by our guide who hands me a hot cup of coco tea to help coax me out of my cozy sleeping bag. A bowl of hot water for washing already sits in the darkness outside my tent. All I have to do is stuff my few belongings into a duffel bag and stumble to the dining tent where Gallegos makes sure we're well fed before we hit the trail. This is how hiking should be.

Gallegos is part of a 12-person team of porters who makes hiking the Inca Trail feel like a vacation. Every day the porters haul six tents, sleeping pads, a dining tent, cooking tent, toilet, folding table, stools, food, our supplies, their own supplies and other items up and down the trail that can be challenging with just a daypack. The giant packs the porters carry are nearly the same size as them. The pain of carrying such weight is often etched upon their faces. 

I ended up in Peru with my long-time friend Megan Long. The plan was to spend six days on a tour with Intrepid Travel - four of which would be spent hiking the Inca Trail that ends at the mysterious Machu Picchu.

Located in a dramatic landscape at the meeting point between the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon Basin, Machu Picchu was built in the fifteenth century, but it was abandoned a century later when the Spaniards conquered the Inca Empire. The archaeological complex remained a secret to the outside world until 1911 when a Peruvian guide led Yale professor Hiram Bingham to the site. Many of its mysteries remain unsolved, including the exact role it played in the ancient civilization. 

My trip notes for the tour describe the Inca Trail as a hike within the abilities of most reasonably fit people. Each day generally consists of seven hours of walking. The second day is the most challenging as hikers ascend a long steep path (for approximately five hours) to reach the highest point of the trail - Dead Woman's Pass at 4,200 metres above sea level. The more I read, the more I wondered what I was getting myself into.

One of the views from Dead Woman's Pass

Three months later I was huffing and puffing as I made the tough slog up Dead Woman's Pass in the sweltering heat. The top, however, revealed stunning views of snow-capped peaks rising from the green velvet valley I just hiked through - along with the dramatic cloudswept valley that lied ahead. 

"This is the Peru I came to see," said Megan, who cracked open a bag of chips as we watched the parade of hikers crawl up the trail. "Being above the clouds makes you feel like you're in a dream."

Given the high elevation of the hike, the next few days were filled with spectacular mountain views and stops at various Inca ruins scattered along the trail. The Incas built nearly 40,000 km of trails to connect the distant corners of their vast empire that stretched from Ecuador to Chile and east to Argentina. But I couldn't help be fascinated by the steady stream of porters whizzing by like I was standing still.

One of the most challenging aspects of a travelling camp, said Gallegos, is staying ahead of the hikers so everything is set up for our arrival. The speed and ease of the porters, however, inspired my little legs to go faster.

Luis Flores has been a porter for three years and hikes the trail on a weekly basis. The strain of the trek is already taking a toll on the 23-year-old's body.

"A sore back and knees, that's very common for everyone," said Flores, noting some of the porters are pushing 60 years old. "I like the scenery and sometimes we make fun of each other. We work as a team."

By the fourth day, the demands of the hike were beginning to catch up with all of us as we bid farewell to the porters and limped the remaining five kilometres into Machu Picchu at the crack of dawn. Suffering from a bit of altitude sickness, I was dazzled by the size and beauty of the sprawling 32,592 hectare archaeological site perched like a jewel on top of a mountain more than 2,400 metres above sea level.

Approximately 200 structures make up the religious, ceremonial, astronomical and agricultural centre that's crisscrossed by endless stone terraces. Witnessing it with my own eyes didn't seem real. It's easy to see why it's one of the Seven Wonders of the World, attracting 2,500 visitors each day.

"After hiking the trail and coming that far, you really get a good idea of what it was like back in the day," said Megan as she looked at the intricate stonework, a smile plastered across her face. "It must have looked beautiful back in the day."

IF YOU GO: After flying into Cusco, it's good to spend a few days getting used to the high altitude before you hit the Inca Trail. Due to heavy use, the trail has become heavily regulated so visitors must sign up with an organized group. The best time to visit is May through September. For more information on various tour options visit intrepidtravel.com.

- published by Sun Media, July 2016