Dave Ford Does Earth

Posted by Dave Ford

Photo Credit:Sir Donald Startt
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Im currently sitting in the point (our hostel), relaxing, recovering, and letting the last few weeks sink in. It has been a whirlwind since Don and Chris arrived in Lima. Cusco has been crazy, the trail was spectacular, and Machu Picchu (just realized that I have spelled Machu Picchu incorrectly for about the last month) blew all of our heads clean off of our bodies. I have never seen anything like it.

I do not really know where to begin. So much has happened, in the last few weeks. I could write a novel.

So….We left off the night before Chris, Don, and I were ready to set off on the Inca Trail, a 4 day, 3 night trek through the Andes ending at Machu Picchu. Somehow, we managed to take it easy the night before we took off for the trek. It turned out to be an extremely good idea, as none of us knew exactly what we were getting into. I had Torres Del Paine (5 day trek I did in Chile in Feb) as a frame of reference. All I had heard from other travelers is that the Inca Trail was easier. It turned out to be far from a cakewalk. Don and Chris had never backpacked before and did not know what to expect. I think they were both surprised at how physically taxing the trek ended up being.

Sidenote: Don and Chris threatened to kill me if I brought up Torres Del Paine again after the first day. However, I think I could take them both at the same time with my Kung Fu skills.

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Day 1….

Me, Chris (the only backpacker with a tiedyed Jimi Hendrix Tshirt), and Don before the trek. We all wore stupid looking hats. I would to say that my hat looked the most stupid and I will argue it to the death.

Don, Chris, Myself, Celso (our local guide), Sonny, and Carena (married couple on a 6 month honeymoon from New York) set off at about 8am in the morning and hit the ground running. We had 9 porters for the trek who ran their asses off the entire time (some wearing sandals). These guys were unbelievable and pretty much live on the trail.

Celso pointing to the map….Notice the giant peak (thats Day 2)

The first day turned out to be beautiful. The weather was great, we saw a bunch of Inca Sites, and got to meet everyone in the group. We hit it off with Sonny and Carena right off of the bat. They were really cool (Carena produces TV documentaries and Sonny programs Airplanes). They also were bright enough to hire porters to carry their stuff. On the contrary, the three of us carried everything ourselves. At lunch on the first day we found out just how tasty the food would be. Our cook, Wilbur, was outstanding. For lunch and dinner we would have three courses. El Soupa es bueno!

Lunch with the boys, Sonny, and Carena We ate meals in this tent every day.

Sidenote: On the night of day 1 Carena wanted me to point out the Southern Cross. So, being the constellation expert that I am, I walk out of our common dining tent and point to the sky toward the constellation that depicts the direction of the south pole. It was pitch black, and I proceed to wildly tumble off a 4 foot retaining wall. The porters found this extremely funny. Thankfully, I was not hurt at all. Nonetheless, I earned a new nickname with the Porters (all of whom are native South Americans speaking the local language of Quechua). For the rest of the trek I was referred to simply as “Big Man Fall Down”.

The Southern Cross
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Day 2…

To summarize in depth, day two was a bitch. We had to walk 5 hours straight uphill. Don started out of the gate with a reckless abandon, ending up way ahead of Chris and I. Then, somehow I gained the energy (probably due to copious amounts of Coca leaves)to take the lead for a couple of hours. We ended up around 4200 meters high. The altitude was a major factor. I relied heavily on Coca leaves for most of the day, they really help you breathe (Mom, don´t worry Coca no es druga). In the end, we made it to the top of Dead Womens Pass in one piece. Don and Chris were counting out 200 steps and taking incremental breaks. It proved to work a little better than my strategy of stopping and panting every 30 yards. Our porters, carrying 60 pounds a piece on their backs, sprinted past us very early in the day and had everything set up for lunch at our next camp sight hours before we arrived. Again, these porters were maniacs. They break down the tents, and scramble to the next site to set up for the next meal.

The whole crew. Wilbur the chef is on the far left.

We ended up camping above the cloud line and played some cards before bed. The food again was excellent. I think we passed out at around 8:30 PM.

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Day 3…

On Day three We were woken up by the porters who gave us coca tea at 5:30AM in our tents. They also give you a bowl of boiling water and soap every morning to wash up. Over the course of the entire night before, it did not stop raining. We woke up, put on full rain gear, scarfed down some breakfast, and took off. Day 3 is interesting because it takes you through cloud forest, regular forest, and sub tropical jungle. The problem, is that it rained pretty much all day long. Unfortunately, our campsite for day 3 was one of the worst. So, as a group, we decided to hike all the way to Machu Picchu. The total amount of the trek on day 3 would be 22 kilometers (about 16 miles, or almost half of the total trek).

It was a rough day. Although, Don and I were really hurt up, Chris was really in a lot of pain (I got video of him climbing up steps then throwing is hat at me while shouting very bad words). In addition to the 16 miles, we had to walk down 4000 Inca steps. Much cursing of the Incas ensued. Additionally, our guide Celso was giving us inaccurate info about how much further we had to go to get to our lunch spot. Moral got pretty low and Don and Chris became pretty agitated at Celso when we finally reached the site. I think he thought by saying it was not much farther he was helping the situation. It actually just pissed everyone off. Nonetheless, Celso could have beaten the crap out of all three of us in our desperate state. So, we sucked it up and kept on trucking.

The last 2 hours were easy in comparison to the rest of the day, with the exception of a few giant steps we needed to get up at the very, very end. We ended up at the Sun Gate (overlooking Machu Picchu) at around 4:00pm (after almost 10 hours of trekking) and got our first view of the ancient city. Collectively, we were totally spent, but the view was amazing. The fact that the Incas built this city at 2200 meters above the sea level is truly remarkable. This is a Wonder of the World, without a doubt.

Finally reaching Machu Picchu with the boys

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We spent the night in Aquascaliente, a town at the base of Machu Picchu that is there specifically for tourism. Wibur our chef, cooked our dinner in a restaurant in town and the porters slept on the floor of the same restaurant that night. Don, Chris, and I got our first shower (not together), and slept like babies.

Sidenote: Chris woke Don up that night screaming for “Porters” in his dreams that night.

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Day 4…

We got up at 4:30 in the morning to ascend to Machu Picchu once more to explore the city. We caught the sunrise and Celso gave us a two hour tour. The crazy thing about Machu Picchu, is that its a complete mystery. The Incas did not have any written history, and the Spanish never found it as they were ravaging and destroying everything Incan. One of the theories is that it was the equivalent of modern day Camp David and used as a retreat for the Inca Emperors. Another theory is that it was a divine religious site. Whatever it was, it is one of the most impressive feats I have ever witnessed with my own eyes.

Don and I decided to climb Waynapicchu, the mountain directly above Machu Picchu (Chris decided to go for a laydown instead). It was another hour straight up hill. In the end, it was worth the effort as we saw a completely different perspecive of the city.

Don and I with Waynapicchu behind us

Don and Machu Picchu from the top of Waynapicchu

Sidenote: This was weird. On the top of Waynapichu, we met a mother and daughter from Baltimore. They live and work in Perry Hall five minutes from where Don and I grew up. I guess it ¨is¨ a small world after all. The daughter Jen, teaches middle school where I used to play recreation basketball as a kid. Crazy…

After it was all said and done, we all felt an extreme feeling of accomplishment. The trail was challenging, but worth the effort and the pain. Machu Picchu, is beyond description. Pictures do not come close to doing it justice. You have to see it for yourself.

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Notes:

> Every two years they have a porter race on the Inca trail. The guy that won it last year did the entire 45 kilometers up and down mountains in 3 hours and 24 minutes. I am sure he was wearing sandals. The prize for the winner is only 300 bucks US!

^ Don and Chris left yesterday. Man Tears ensued. These guys are two of my best friends in the world and I am really glad that made the trip down. I think they both found it to be a rewarding, unique experience. Our last day in Cusco, we collectively bought a ton of stuff to take home. I loaded them up like pack mules with gifts for the family. Both claim that they will work up a “guest blog entry”. So, look for a different perspective later this week. Most likely much more will be made of my unfortunate spill on the first night of the trek.

^ In Cusco I have found my new crew to travel with. Kash (English), Martin, Orla (Irish Couple) and I take a bus to Lake Titicaca tonight at 9:30. From there we will enter into Bolivia, probably a month. Bolivia is the poorest country in South America, but the other travelers we have met rave about it. We are all really looking forward to it. Traveler profiles coming soon about my new crew.

^ Yesterday I got the best and worst massage of my life. Yes, I got two massages in one day. The first one was 6 dollars US for an hour, and was horrible. The second was 20 dollars US and was amazing. Martin, Orla, and I, sore from the trail thought it would be a good idea to go for one of the cheap ones. The women would not stop talking to each other throughout the massage. I needed to get the second one to forget and get the first one out of my system. I actually fired my first masseuse in the middle of the massage.

Note to self: If massages are less than 10 bucks, there is a reason they are less than 10 bucks.

^ I ran into Danielle and Leigh, Aussie girls that started traveling the same day as me on January 9th. We initially hung out at Milhouse in Buenos Aires. Its awesome to bump into old friends on your travels. They gave us the lowdown on Bolivia where they had just spent 5 weeks.

^ After 6 years in the Air Force reserves, and 6 years in Corporate America I had never had the chance to grow my hair long. Its become clear, I am working on an amazing Afro (thanks Dad, I look like your pictures from the mid 70´s). I am thinking a thin headband will soon enter the picture, and I am pretty happy about it. I am not being sarcastic. I want a huge Bill Walton Afro.

> Any of the good pictures above were most likely taken by Don. He took close to 350 photos during the trip. I am officially extending him an invitation to join the DaveFordDoesEarth team as ¨photog extrodinaire¨. He just needs to quit his job as a scientist and we are good to go. He could also be the staff scientist.

^ I have either been attacked on the bottom of my right leg by a giant spider or a pack of fleas. At this point I am going to go with the giant spider because it sounds better. Nonetheless, it itches like crazy. Damn those giant spiders, damn them straight to hell.

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