Day 3 - 10 miles

Roger says our group has a good pace, so we didn't need to get up extra early for our 10-mile trek today. Right out of the gate this morning we had a 2 hour hike up to 12,900 feet. We were so glad it wasn’t 6 hours like yesterday, but it was still exhausting, and we felt every step with our sore muscles. It was amazing to see the Valley below us from where we camped and the Valley in front of us, these mountains are so vast. Again, we ran into the LDS family from Texas on the summit and the kids teased Sydney and got the boys phone number so they could connect at BYU. So funny to meet other members of the church in such a remote area.

After the summit we had a steep downhill section until the trail leveled out. We visited another impressive site that was accessed by very steep steps. The rest of the morning until lunch was spent on our favorite part of the trek thus far. It was like we were walking through a Hawaiian jungle. There were vines, colorful mosses, and a mostly flat trail sections and gorgeous vistas. We had no idea there would be so many eco systems along the Inca trail. Just before lunch we ran into a llama nursing her baby directly on the trail. We had to walk around her, within inches, we stared eye to eye with her, but passed by without problems.

At lunch the cook surprised us with a cake, complete with jello topping. I have no idea how he pulled that off, it's not like he had all morning to sit around and bake. After lunch we had the difficult task of descending over 3000 ft completely with steps. There were a few flat sections, but for the most part we walked downstairs for 3 hours. Our legs were screaming at us. We walked slowly and carefully so that we wouldn’t trip and fall. The porters, on the other hand, hopped and skipped down the steps. We would yell out "Porter" as they came down the trail and quickly we would moved hillside so they could keep their momentum.

The last moment of the trek was impactful. About 20 minutes outside of our camp, we came upon yet another site with an impressive hillside filled with terraces. We could see the Urubamba River below us and the back side of the Machu Picchu Mountain. Our guide just let us sit down for a long time and soak in the beauty of the place. It was peaceful. We didn't talk much, we just reflected on the magnificent mountains.

Our final camp was at 8500 ft and felt so much warmer than the previous couple of nights. We said good-bye to our porters and cooks as this would be the last time we would see them. They were very gracious, and we were grateful for their help, attentiveness, and excellent cooking!