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After completing the four-day Inca Trail trek into Machu Picchu, a few of us decided we needed one more challenge. Halfway up the mountain behind the lost city of the Incas, all I could think about was “why?”
The ancient city of Machu Picchu is what visitors come to see, but the iconic mountain looming in the background of almost every photo shot there is the frame without which those pictures would look like many other ruins. Access to that backdrop, Huayna Picchu, is strictly controlled; at the time we were there, only 400 people were allowed to climb it each day. We were up at 5 am, in line before 7, and to the gate and moving down off Machu Picchu (Old Mountain) and up onto Huayna Picchu (Young Mountain) by 8 am. My initial plan was to go as far as my fitness and fright would allow. Within minutes, my group had left me behind, and I stumbled and clambered and whined in my head as I ascended steadily but fearfully. Huayna Picchu is not that steep or that high, and the path is not that narrow, but the combination of pretty steep, pretty narrow, and no impediments between the path and a 1000-foot pitch off the mountainside made this little morning diversion a real adrenaline rush for me.
Whether it was through stubbornness, a need to prove something, idiocy, or sheer momentum, I finally reached a plateau near the top where the trail diverged and signaled the point of no return to the summit. I rested a moment and considered, looking toward the peak for some sign of my companions, unaware that they would descend a different way. I had gone this far, and my lungs and legs were saying yes, so I turned right and headed up the tiny stone steps. At times, I crawled like a baby, and I steadfastly kept my eyes on the stairs and away from the dizzying precipices on the sides. There were some ropes and wires on the most exposed sections, but not nearly enough to make me feel secure. Simply put, I was scared sick.
Finally, I reached a tunnel, which I had to squeeze through on my hands and knees, holding my backpack out in front of me; I emerged from this channel of hell almost on my stomach. My relief was short-lived as I next approached a creaky wood ladder leading up through a crevice onto a huge, slanted slab of granite. I crawled off the ladder and onto the rock, and there I was – at the peak!
I had little time to exult. The summit was crowded and I knew I needed to get down in very little time to meet my family. Starting the descent made me almost as panicky as the climb, for I first had to slide down another inclined hunk of granite with no hand- or foot-holds. I crabwalked gingerly, scraping the bottom of my pack the whole way down. The rest of the return journey was a nightmare in reverse, but I had one of the greatest feelings of accomplishment ever when I reached the bottom. So why Huayna Picchu? To quote George Mallory who was, I admit, describing a much greater challenge: “because it is there.”
sageblessings said:
I did this climb as part of a spiritual pilgrimage with a group. It was amazing. Congratulations!
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lexklein said:
That’s so cool! I had no idea there were groups doing this. We just showed up and climbed. I could see how it would be a group growth opportunity, though. Congratulations to you, too!
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sageblessings said:
Did it in my 60’s. We went down the other side and into a cave where we did toning and then proceeded to hike through the jungle for about 6 hrs! Exhausting and exhilarating both.
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annathrax said:
4 days in a trail was enough for me, I wasn’t walking/climbing anymore after that! Next visit to Peru will be the train to MP, and than I might try this one!
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annathrax said:
Inca trail***
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anna said:
Lol i see i had already visited this post before! I stand by my last visit, no way was i doing this after days of hiking! With a fresh pair of legs maybe…. But it still sounds terrifying! This climb wouldnt even be allowed in australia for obvuous safety reasons. But in peru, anything goes!
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lexklein said:
Oops, yeah, you had! Imagine the lawsuits in the U.S. if they let people do this! Ha!
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badfish said:
I missed this hike. I guess that means I’ll have to return to Peru one of these days. I did not get the photo of Machu Picchu that I desired either.
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lexklein said:
Bummer … I know we lined up well before the opening hour because they let so few people climb up there each day. A return to Peru would be a good move! I went back 4 times in a 18-month period and found new things to enjoy every time!
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badfish said:
Four times, 18 months??? You are my new hero! My biggest disappointment was that I did not get to see those Nazca Lines. They simply amaze me–what ARE they? I’m thinking space aliens.
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lexklein said:
In 4 trips, I never saw the Nazca Lines! They amaze me, too, but I’ll go with advanced Nazcan peoples over the aliens, even though a space mystery would be more fun! I was quite enamored with Peru in 2007-08, but I didn’t really branch out much – just kept going back to Cusco and the Sacred Valley area. Mountain towns transfix me. Still. Trying to get back to the Himalaya next summer for my fix …
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badfish said:
Advanced Nazcans…with some pretty tall ladders. Or maybe they left their bodies while eating some exotic flower? The question for me, though, is WHY?
Mountains…right. Very cool places. Addicting. I can see why you’d go back to Cusco! Who wouldn’t?
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snowsomewhere said:
Was the area elevated enough to give people altitude trouble? Just curious, as always! I always wonder what I would do if hiking and a problem like that occurred…. Interesting post! 🙂
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lexklein said:
I would say not really, but for many people 8-9000 feet is pretty high! If you hike the trail in to Machu Picchu, you cross a pass at about 14,000 feet, but MP itself is actually “only” at about 8000′ and Huayna Picchu at about 9000′. Maybe these two spots produce a little breathlessness, but not real altitude problems. If you had a problem with altitude, you would head right back down!
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backpackerlee said:
It’s an amazing experience. I love your photos. 🙂 Huayna Picchu is a greater challenge that Machu Picchu and it’s good to experience that “strange mountain in the distance”. 😉
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lexklein said:
At least it’s a much shorter challenge! Steep and scary but done in a few hours – that’s my kind of challenge! I was reluctant to do it, but so glad I did.
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rhiydwi said:
Reading your post was like being back there, and now I don’t want to look out of my hotel window in fear of having been transported back to that flat rock they call a peak!
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lexklein said:
Haha – it was definitely trauma and nightmare inducing! Glad I did it, though!
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daveply said:
Hey Lex, just so you know, you guessed correctly, Peru was my destination. I figured you’d get it, as I saw this post even before I left. We didn’t do Huayna Picchu, just MP, and I hurt myself even doing that. It’ll be interesting writing the stories, just to see what comes out.
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lexklein said:
Oh, how awesome! Peru is one of my favorite countries. It has so much to offer (as your list suggested!); it is physically beautiful and the people are so friendly. I was lucky that after my Inca Trail trek one year, I was able to go back three times soon afterward to do more exploring in Lima, Cusco, and the Sacred Valley. I can’t wait to read your posts and see what all you did!
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