A Real Hike

We donned our hiking gear today and headed for a short but steep hike to see another set of free ruins. Although the forecst for today was rain, it was actually only partially cloudy and a perfect day for a hike  

On a mountainside across from the temple, the Inca built graineries - storage for the corn, quinoa and potatoes that were grown on the terraces.

Unfortunately, I don't seem to have a picture of them from a distance. They have a very distinct and attractive look. They appear to be a series of engraved monoliths.

Closer views revealed the truth.

We found 3 separate graineries, each set on slightly higher ground. They are long narrow rooms with window openings every few meters. Of course the roofs are long since gone and the tops of the walls have begun to crumble, sometimes including the archways above the windows. This is what, from a distance, looks like engraved monoliths.

The location of the graineries and the window openings were strategically placed so as to benefit from the cold winds that come from the glaciers and snow covered peaks of the Andes. Very clever refrigeration with no carbon footprint.

The trail was pretty much all stone steps. It was uneven, irregular, and required careful attention to one's footing. I wondered if the Inca were tall people because some of those steps were quite a stretch for my short legs! We went slowly, stopped for frequent short breaks, and were surprised by how quickly we arrived.

On the way up, I lost the tip protector on one of my hiking poles. You are not allowed to hike the trails to Machu Picchu with poles that don't have tip protectors. So, because we took a side excursion to another smaller set of ruins and didn't come down the same way, we hiked back up to the graineries a second time hoping to find it. We did! Plus, we found the going much easier the second time round.

All in all, it was a good day.