(G): This is it. The final 6km to Machu Picchu to be completed at 5.30am when the gate opens. Juan had us up at 3am wolfing breakfast so that we could be first in line when the whistle blew, and even though it was painful, it was totally the right call. By 5am all the campsites had emptied and the queue at the gate stretched 200 people back up the trail.
The lead group of me, the old man, young Max, and speedy Stephanie soon left the crowds behind, but there was something determined about the Brits and, though it nearly killed them, it was they who climbed – on hands and feet – those last few burning steps to the Sun Gate, the first to see Machu Picchu resting silent and serene in the dawn.
Even 20 minutes later when we arrived at the ruins the coach loads of American pensioners were only just being allowed in. So, for a few precious minutes it seemed like we had one of the most amazing places in the world almost to ourselves. By lunchtime the crowds and the heat had dampened the magic, but by then it didn’t matter, we had our victory, and our memory of that first amazing glimpse to savour forever.
(L): Sometimes I surprise myself. Usually by doing something truly daft. But not today. Today, with packs on our backs and boots on our feet, we ran to the Sun Gate, and on to Machu Picchu; covering the 6km in 40 minutes. Even with the caveat that we were in the lead group through the start gate, to be the first to stand and look down on the ruins was an unexpected, moving, and exhilarating experience. And although I felt several times that I was close to some sort of cardiac or pulmonary seizure, it was worth all the pain. As a great competitor once said ‘Pain is temporary… If I quit, however, it lasts forever’. It is amazing how bloody minded us Brits can be.
January 15, 2010 at 7:54 pm |
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