Posts in the Treks Category

April 12, 2007

The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu

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.

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Peru, South American Trip (2007), Top Life Travel Experiences, Treks Comments( 8 )
February 15, 2007

Torres del Paine: 35 miles with an Englishman and two Israeli Soldiers

Yesterday I escaped Torres Del Paine. It was one of the most worthwhile yet extremely painful adventures of my life. We walked the equivalent of 35 miles up mountains, down mountains, through valleys, by lakes, up more mountains, over the river, and through the woods. We saw glaciers, wildlife, and natural wonders that I had only seen in books and movies.

When I say that this is one of one of the toughest endeavors of my life, I mean it.

I feel like there are four factors that attributed to just how hard it really was:

1. Torres Del Paine is a physically challenging place to hike. In the four days we were there we ran into backpacking and outdoor enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes. We met mountain climbers, mountain guides,  park rangers, and trail runners.

2. Any day in the park you can encounter up to 4 seasons. It goes from 70 and sunny to 40 and windy in a blink of an eye. Then 15 minutes later it is 80 degrees. You are constantly putting on and taking off layers. The winds can be unpredictable and very strong as well.

3. We hiked the 35 miles in 4 days, where we should have broken it up into 5 days.
This was stupid and I paid for it.

4. At this point in my life I am in the worse shape of my life.

The trekking and backpacking options for Torres Del Paine are to take a day trip, to hike the 4-5 day “W” path, or to do the 10-12 day circuit. We choose the middle of the pack and decided to hike the “W”.

Pictured below is a map of the trail. The Red W shape is the path we took. The first day we went up the far right hand side of the W. The second day we walked from the top of the right spoke to the base of the middle spoke. The third day we walked up and back on the middle spoke, then to the base of the far left spoke. The fourth day we walked up and back on the left spoke. FYI: I would have died if I would have attempted the 10-12 day circuit.

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Chile, Natural Wonders, Patagonia, South American Trip (2007), Top Life Travel Experiences, Treks Comments( 2 )
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