Inca Trail: Day One

Within the first two weeks of arriving in Ecuador a group of us got together and planned our once in a lifetime trip to Machu Picchu. This trip consisted of a four-day backpacking trip through the Inca Trail in which we would arrive to the famous ruins on the fourth day. After months of planning and anticipation the day had finally arrived.

We were picked up at our hotel, Yamanyá Backpackers, at 4:00AM and as we entered the bus we were greeted by the faces of fellow backpackers with whom we would be spending the next four days. It took us about three minutes to realize that we were not only the only Americans but also, the youngest backpackers on the trip, hands down. The two-hour bus ride took us to a tiny deserted town where I enjoyed banana chocolate chip pancakes, and ham and cheese omelets in hopes of fattening up for the long trek… little did I know we would eat like kings during the hike. Once we arrived at km82 we strapped on our 25 pound backpacks, sleeping mats and bags, etc and began our trek through the historic Inca Trail.

Three words to describe day one: pain, misery, and accomplishment. When I signed up for this 4 day backpacking trip I was not aware of how difficult the trek would be. While, in my defense, the first day was the longest and toughest day, anyone of my BC guys knows that I was not a happy camper (pun intended). When we arrived at lunch I sat by a woman named Brienne from the UK who has been traveling around the world for the past four years. Her lifestyle fascinated me, which was made obvious through the thousands of questions I had for her. She was living the life I had always dreamed of… that was until Kevin (the wise soul he is) made me contemplate why Brienne is always traveling. The concept of Brienne running from something or never being able to commit was a thought I reflected upon for a large portion of the trip. I realized that the fear of failure after graduation was a large contributing factor towards my appeal of traveling the world. Being able to admit this to myself really guided my thoughts regarding my future throughout the rest of the hike.

After lunch we started what I consider God’s way of punishing me for being an Atheist because there is no way that man has the power to chastise an innocent soul in such a powerful way. The second leg of day one was an uphill, stair intensive, journey through what not resonates in my mind as hell on earth. Imagine climbing uneven stairs for three and a half hours in the pouring rain with skinny jeans on an 25 pounds on your back. Writing this reflection about this day almost gets me frustrated because there is no way to accurately describe the mental punishment of turning another corner to find that the campsite you hoped would be there was nothing more than another grueling set of inclined rocks. Had I not had Dave, Amos, and Damien on my iPod I don’t think I would have made it to the top of that mountain until jetpacks were commercially sold.

When I finally arrived at our first overnight campsite, a sense of pure achievement and joy overtook my body.  Despite the events just described the BC Gringos were among the first to reach the top where we passed the time by throwing around the football that Pat brought. Once everyone had arrived, an hour and fifteen minutes later, we drank hot tea and enjoyed our first dinner together. Rob and Emma, the newlyweds from our group, taught us a plethora of slang British phrases like “right minger” which is a bad hookup, “Did you pull last night” which means “did you get with anyone last night”, “and “I’m going for a Gypsies” which means I am going to pee.  After dinner we all went back to our tents and passed out by 8:00PM.