Ok, to be clear, it’s
not 9 days of hiking. The tour is 9 days in total - from March 27 to April 4,2020. According to the itinerary, the first three days will be spent in and
around Cusco to allow for some acclimatization to the altitude. Days 4 through
7 are days of actual hiking, followed by a day to explore Machu
Picchu and return to Cusco. Day 9 is departure day – which ends after breakfast
so really, it isn’t a day!
One of the things I’m
looking forward to is visiting a Cuso project on Day 2. Apparently, they have a
long history of working with partners in the Andes and have several projects in
the area. I don’t know yet the specifics of the project we’ll be visiting, but
it’s sure to be an opportunity for a more up-close and personal connection with
a local community.
Day 3 will be a short
hike close to Cusco to get a taste of what is to come and to give us another
day to adjust to the altitude.
Altitude! That is
going to be the challenge. I think the route is just over 50 km in total.
The expected time on the trail is 7-8 hours a day. So you just know we won’t be
covering that distance with any speed. That’s because not only is there
elevation gain, it’s all done at what is described on one site as high altitude (2500-3500 m) and very high altitude (3500-5500m).
Cusco, at 3400 m is actually higher than Machu Picchu at 2500 m, and people
report feeling the effects as soon as they get off the plane! (I’ll explore the
effects of altitude in another post.) It looks like we will go up and down a
few times on the trail with the highest pass being at 4600m!
There are several
trails to Machu Picchu, the most famous known as the Inca Trail. We aren’t
taking that one. Well, actually the last day is on that trail, but the first
three days are on one of the alternate routes. When I did a search to learn
more about it, I learned that the Ancascocha Trail is the least travelled, most
remote and one of the more challenging routes! Yikes!
I’m glad to be away
from the crowds but more than a tad worried about my capacity to do this! I’m
counting on the fact that in previous Cuso Challenges, everyone was able to
successfully make it to Machu Picchu including people older than me!
I CAN do this!
Oh my!
2 comments:
Amy! Congratulations on taking up this challenge. You sound confident and ready for this, your determination will reward you and I believe will take you places that will amaze you. I’m looking forward to reading your entries as you hike the Machu Picchu. So proud of you!
(If you need to get some hiking practice in come visit me here and we can get in some good walks...no need to be shy with your cousin!)
Charlene 💕
Thanks Charlene. Determined, yes. Confident, not so much! LOL I’ve seen the pictures of some of your walks. Looks like you have some wonderful trails!
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