One Majestic Day!

The day started with a little more ache in my bones. Today we would return to the sacred site of Machu Picchu. Unfortunately the sun would not make an appearance due to the high cloud coverage. This alone allows me to appreciate being able to visit the site twice because I was blessed with an amazing sunrise the day before. I started the day by observing parts of the site I was not able to see in the prior day. We descended through the terrace platforms admiring the irrigation techniques used by Incas. The platforms were packed with technology from the inner materials used within the terraces to the canals and pools. The lower side of the site contained complex rooms linked with narrow doors and passage ways.

Huayna Picchu

The smaller group congregated outside of the Huayna Picchu entrance prepared for the climb. The trek began with signing in followed by a decent before the climb. Just like Machu Picchu Mountain, Huayna Picchu was nearly all steps. There were an abundance of tourists compared to the prior climb on Machu Picchu. The trail used switchbacks to guide us skywards. Dr. Brown pointed out how hard it would be to create such a path and that the Incas most likely obtained the stones from a source closer to the mountain. Also, the stones at the bottom were bulkier and carried more weight compared to the stones at the top.

The Great Cave and The Temple of the Moon

The summit was not flat. After some intricate ruins, we crawled through a cave and climbed a ladder onto some uneven jagged boulders. We had reached the top of Huayna Picchu! People were sprawled out in all directions on the rocks taking pictures and enjoying the view. Twenty minutes went by fast and the site official told us we need to disperse from the summit. Matt, Michael, and I were quickly on our way to The Great Cave. The path veered downwards on the wrong side of the mountain and I was quickly apprehensive. After the steps became so small that I couldn’t help skipping a few at a time, I realized we had gone further down than we first started from. We kept on until we came across a ladder. The group after a pause decided to push on to this cave we were seeking. The ladder was steep and slick due to the rain that was starting to fall. Nearly an hour passed of descending the mountain before we saw the ruins which we found was The Temple of the Moon and The Great Cave. We got our picture taken from the attendant on guard, and I received the long awaited knowledge that we would not ascend from the route we came. The sign with the arrow read an hour and a half yet after a sweaty 45 minutes we could see the entrance to Huayna Picchu. What an adventure it had been. My whole Machu Picchu experience has been an unbelievable journey. I cannot wait to return one day to see this majestic scene!

Viva Peru!

~JH...Signing out