Dec 28, 2010 | Written by Patricia Murphy

Day 5 ???

Another effect of the high altitude is shallow breathing during sleep. John said he woke several times to make sure I was okay and that my breathing was so faint he had to get closer to hear it. I slept a few minutes here and there, the sleeping moments separated by waking moments during which I tried to imagine when I would be able to come back to Peru to do this trek. I was certain I would need to go back to Sacred Valley and find a hotel then meet John in Machu Picchu by train.

At 4:30 am the alarm went off. I blinked a few times, sat up, and dug deep just to get out of bed. John rose too, and asked how I was. I told him I would let him know.

First off, I was severely dehydrated. So I started pounding Gatorade and I got into the hot shower. I got dressed, went down to breakfast and ate some papaya and not much else. The dear waiter Hugo who had been so kind to me kept repeating, “Lady, you look very tired lady. Oh lady I don’t think you make it. Very hard.”

I kept after the Gatorade, and had some chamomile tea. Soon, the guide from Peru Treks came but he left right away without picking us up. Later I learned that he told the Doorman that we should come around the corner, and the Doorman insisted that he bring the bus up our narrow street because “the lady does not feel well.” Soon the bus pulled up right in front of the door, and we boarded in a blur. We sat near the back and I told John that if I had to I would stay in Ollantaytambo, which is the last outpost before the Inca Trail.

The bus picked up several more Trekkers. Our group would include 16 hikers, 21 porters, a guide and an assistant guide. We stopped to pick a few supplies, then we hit the highway. I promptly fell asleep.

The sleep served me well. When we stopped for breakfast in Ollantaytambo, I was able to eat a pancake and some eggs. I chatted with several of our Trek mates and started to feel like I might not fail.

So the bus moved on to Km 82. We gathered all our gear and headed to the trail head where we took the first group photo of our 4 day adventure. Our guide Freddy told us that we were a family and that we would take care of each other, which made me feel better since I was going to need all the help I could get. It was an interesting group. Three 20-something girlfriends from England, 2 British chiropractors celebrating their 30th birthdays, 20ish brother and sister from Brazil, 30ish brother and sister (and best friend) from Australia, two 30 ish law students from Chicago, a college student from Texas and a college student from California. John and I slowly discovered that we were the oldest folks on the hike, including the guide and assistant guide. I was worried we might get voted off the Island.

Day 1 of the hike started along the river with a gradual ascent through landscape that looked not unlike Arizona. The trail was lined with cactus, some red rock, and lots of low brush. I spent my time up front with Freddy, asking him about his family and his work. Soon we came to a small village where we had a rest. Some members of the group bought candy and water. We would do 7 miles totals of walking and I was glad the path was not too steep. Soon Freddy stopped us at a ruin called Llactapata and explained the layout of the small Incan outpost with its terraces below and residences above. We continued hiking for about 20 more minutes then stopped by a small stream for lunch. The porters had rushed ahead and set up two tents, one for cooking and one larger tent where 18 of us sat on folding stools and ate a three course meal starting with soup and ending with tea. We all agreed it was delightful. Then, after about 1 more hour of walking uphill we stopped to camp. The porters had our sleeping tents set up, and we filed in two per tent for an evening of lovely sleep. I felt much better, though still weak, and nervous about Day 2, the most challenging hike of the trek.

Trish asleep on the bus.