El Camino Inka
43km in total or 26 miles over four days. Yes, they do run marathons on the Inka Trail! The record time is three hours forty minutes, held by a local Peruvian farmer.
My group was a lot of fun! Folks from England, Ireland, Holland, Australia, Canada, and the US.
The first day we walked 12km along the Urubamba River.
Really cool ruins along the way. This one is called Patallacta.
The food was exceptional! The porters, they call them runners or chasquis, were unbelievable. They ran ahead of the group and set up camp as well as incredible meals. The amount of food they provided for us was excessive and delicious! They even provided a hand washing station!
Chillin´ at camp the first night.
Day 2: Rise and shine!
The second day we walked 11km, mostly uphill. Very steep like this!
I do not know why the Incas built their steps so steep when they were such little people! It´s true.
The amount of food prepared for us was ridiculous! Snack time after breakfast and before lunch! Popcorn on the Inka Trail!
We certainly needed the energy for Dead Woman´s Pass at 4215 meters, or 13,828 feet! Headin´ up.
And up!
Whew! Made it!
¨Dont stop believin!!!¨
We are so proud of ourselves!
Muchas turistas, takin´ a break.
Day 3: Walked 15 km. More gianormous steps.
And more amazing ruins. This one is called Runkurakay.
It rained a bit!
Another ruin called Sayaqmarka.
Did I mention how steep the steps were? We debated which was harder…walking up or walking down!
¨¡Hola!¨
Wiñay Wayna
Just hangin out on an Incan terrace…
Only 6km more to Machu Picchu!!!!! Almost there!
Day 4: Up at 4:00am to get a place in line at the gate.
Gate opened at 5:30am and then a near sprint to Machu Picchu to be the first to see the Lost City of the Incas.
Arrived at the Sun Gate before 7am. A bit of clouds…
After four days of treking 43km, we were ready for our reward…to be one of the first of the day to see the ancient Incan city, the biggest tourist attraction in all of Peru, one of the seven wonders of the world…
I don´t see it either. Only clouds.
Two hours and several coffees later, the clouds cleared and there it was!!! Machu Picchu!!!
We all agreed that it was even more beautiful than we had seen in the photos!
After withstanding five hundred years time, the Spanish conquest, and several massive earthquakes, the sun dial was broken a few years ago during the filming of a Cusquena beer commercial! Film crews really should be a little more careful. 
Celebratory feast!
Thank you to the 7th and 8th graders at Mill Creek Middle School for inviting me to come speak to their spanish classes. I really enjoyed sharing my volunteering and traveling experiences with them. They are a very sharp group of young people. I particularly enjoyed our Q&A session and answering the questions, “If you were living in the rain forest with no electricity, how did you update your blog?”, “What was the first food you ate when you returned home?” and “How big was that tarantula really?” 
