There are no words to describe this place. Not enough space on the internet to delve into it’s history. And no camera that can capture just how vast this sacred site is. All I can say is that this is one place that everyone needs to visit. But the city itself is not all there is to experience. Machu Picchu is located between two mountains, named Huayana Picchu and Machu Picchu. While Huayana is not as long or as high as Machu Picchu, it is considerably more difficult because of the sheerness to the sides of the trail and steepness of the route. I chose to climb Machu Picchu, however, it was not a choice I made then and there. I signed up for the additional hike up the mountain several months before I left for Peru. On the days leading up to this final hike, I had been hiking for 40 miles up to 15,000 feet, in the cold. Needless to say, I was beyond exhausted by the time I was reminded that I’d also signed up and paid for that extra hike. Luckily, as with many hikes in the past, I had the encouragement of my hiking crew to make sure I didn’t consider skipping the hike for long. After almost 2 hours of climbing, infused with occasional 5-minute stretches of crawling on my hands and knees, I was able to look down at the wonderful city of Machu Picchu from above.
