Day Three of the Inca Trail

Day 308 - Day Three of the Inca Trail

Me looking gay

After yesterday's Herculean efforts (OK, a touch of hyperbole there) we thought it was downhill from now on. While literally this was true (barring an initial ascent), metaphorically speaking this was not the case. The day encompassed a further 18kms of walking and dropped another 900m. Unquestionably walking downhill is less physically demanding than up but it's not without complications.

The Incas favoured the steps method of climbing and a lot of these stairs dwarf the conventional household variety. With stiffness setting into my thighs from yesterday's exertions, trekking down well over two thousand of these uneven giant's steps (the Incas weren't even big people either) takes its toll. Neither do the rocks they used lend themselves to the climate we've been subjected to today - incessant rain. The stones take on a dangerous gleam and were it not for my trusty third leg (the bamboo walking stick I bought at the start of the trail, nothing kinky) I would have slipped to a perilous fall on countless occasions. To add to the pain and make you feel insignificant, the porters, carrying around 25kg in a rice sack on their back and wearing rubber sandals made from car tyres on their feet, run past you with infinite energy. If only they could have transferred some of this fitness!

Porters looking hard

Our third and final campsite, while crowded with the extra hikers doing the two day trek (we don't like them because we've obviously all become Inca Trail snobs by now), offered, for a price naturally, two luxuries - hot showers and a bar. Everyone indulged in the former but the majority were impressively restrained in the latter. With only two hours and 7km of walking left tomorrow I was convinced the trail was all but over and let my hair down over more than just one too many beers. Well, what fun is it if you can't reward yourself?!