We were woken up at 4 a.m. for a quick pack up and start to the trail. There was a line waiting to start the trail and the gate from camp didn’t open until 5:30 a.m. Gavin brough the “G” bag so waiting in line was a party even at 5 a.m. in the morning. The gates finally opened and the swarm of hikers jolted for that first peek of Machu Picchu. Little did they know that the Sun Gate was about an hour hike away. We got there just in time to see the light cover the impressive ruin. The Sun Gate was high above Machu Picchu and overlooked the valley into Aguas Caliente, the nearest town. We camped out at the Sun Gate to wait for the progression of the rolling sun over the Incan Ruin. It slowly crept over the city and within 45 minutes the city was completely covered by the morning sun. The walk from the Sun Gate was about an hour downhill. As soon as I arrived at Machu Picchu my jaw just dropped at hot intricate the architecture was. It sat high above the valley floor and yet it glistened with greenery and mystique. Each stone looked liked it served a purpose and each turn provided a new fresh look at the Incan ruin. Our guide showed us the in and outs of the city giving us little history lessons all along the way.

The rest of the afternoon was provided for our own exploration of the city. A few of us decided to hike up Waynapicchu. It looked like a good idea at the time but it was pretty difficult. It was kinda like hiking up that last few miles of Half Dome at Yosemite. Small steps quickly turned into pretty high 2 foot leaps. It was a good workout on the quads. Going up and down proved quite difficult. Once we reached the top we didn’t have much time to hang out. We had to catch our bus to Aguas Caliente. We ran/walked as fast asa we could and was just in time to have lunch with the rest of the group. It was pretty good pizza and beer. I don’t think beer has ever tasted so good.

The train/bus trip back to Cuzco was a short 3 hours through the Andes. We saw our start point of the Inca Trail and the snow capped mountains surrounding the area. It was a nice relaxing ride back. A hot shower and some unpacking was in order as soon as we got back to the hotel. After everyone freshened up we headed down to the Inca Grill in the Plaza de Armas for dinner. I ordered the Guinea Pig with a bottle of Peruvian red wine. The guinea pig was good. It kinda tasted like a mixture between duck and pheasant. I wasn’t expecting that but it was pretty good. The wine flowed for a few hours and a few of us were feeling funny. Lots of pictures were taken and lots of stupid pictures should appear. It was a fun evening. A few of people in the group decided to hit the Disco. I was tired so Kate and I walked back to the hotel and crashed. Tomorrow we’ll explore Cuzco a little more. No plans as of yet.