Cuso Challenge Day 7

 
Update

I couldn't find words on the day. The picture really says it all. But for the record, here's a description of the day. 

Having completed the Ancascocha Trail in the first 3 days of the trek, for this fourth day of hiking we transferred to the last leg of the Inca Trail that leads to Machu Pcchu through the infamous Sun Gate.

The transfer was interesting.

 First we had a short bus ride into Ollantaytambo then we took the train to Kilometer 104 where we were dropped off at the side of the tracks to begin our day's hike. 

We were clearly on a tourist train. There was entertainment - music and dancing, followed by refreshments and a snack. It was a weird interlude between the days of trekking.

I was a bit worried about this day's hike. Described as 3,000 steps up, I wasn't sure I was up for it. It is also the busiest section as pretty much everyone who treks will do this final ascent to the Sun Gate. After 3 days of not seeing another single touist, I wondered how the traffic flow would impact our experience.

Turns out, it was probably the easiest and best day for me. We encountered relatively few other people on the trail, and if there were 3,000 steps, they were spaced out enough that it was manageable.

We were also blessed with cloud cover. Our guides explained that when it's sunny, this hike can be extremely hot making it much more challenging.  And, of course, this was the day that we reached Machu Picchu which provided extra motivation.

This trail was very different from our previous one. Here, we found ourselves in more of a forest ecosystem. It was humid, lush and green, with waterfalls and ruins, trees and flowers. Beautiful!

In the final approach to the Sun Gate one must climb what is known as the monkey steps. These steps are so steep that it is best to climb them using your hands! It wasn't as bad as it sounds.

And then we got our first glimpses of Machu Picchu! The excitement was palpable! 

 And very shortly thereafter we arrived at the Sun Gate where there was much celebration and picture taking before we headed down into the main Machu Picchu site. 

We arrived in the late afternoon and the sun was bathing the site in a warm glow. It was breathtaking! 

A few lamas were hanging about just to make it perfect!