Even though we had an early wake-up call, 5:30am, we could start a bit more leisurely since we only had about 9 km to hike. We had the third pass to get through but needed to climb only 200m or so to reach it.  The big challenge of the day would be the 1000 meters (a little over 3000 feet) in altitude we would be descending. The third campsite, a mere four kilometers from Machu Picchu, would be crowded.  Most everyone expecting to reach Machu Picchu the next day would be camping at this final site tonight.  Erick’s plan had us arriving at lunch to get settled in before the hoards arrived.  In the afternoon we would be visiting an Inca site near the campsite.

Some of the trees we passed in the cloud forest. There was plenty of water so moss and algae was everywhere.

After another delicious breakfast and an eventual gathering of stuff and water and packs we headed out for our last major climb.  By now we were ready and able to tackle the seemingly endless steps.  It was cloudy but not raining and again only sometimes were we able to glimpse the surrounding peaks.  But the cloud forest was lovely and we continued to spot orchids, some smaller than a pea, as we walked along.  The variety in size and shape of these beautiful flowers was impressive.  At one point we had to go through the “Inca tunnel” which was a place where the trail went through a sort of cave.  It is not clear whether the Inca’s carved it out, as is claimed, or whether it was a natural formation that they took advantage of.  A little of both I suspect.  It had, of course, some very steep slippery steps going down through it and it was necessary to travel with caution, using poles to help brace.

We were able to get glimpses of the surrounding mountains every now and then during the morning as the clouds moved around.

Once over the pass the long 1000 meter descent began.  It seemed to go on forever, and really did, as it took us for the most part the whole morning to get down to the campsite.  The sky remained overcast but the rain held off and the temperature was comfortable.  The path wandered through trees and heavily wooded areas and in some places emerged to offer incredible vistas as it hugged the mountain with a steep drop off on one side.  The path was slick and it was important to pay attention so to take in the beautiful views I would stop walking and just stand there and stare at the majesty of the jagged landscape around me.  We did not hurry down but still made it in time for a comfortable lunch.  We were able to settle into camp in relative peace as the other groups had not arrived yet.  To make things even better the sun started to come out and chase the clouds away creating yet another great set of scenic views. Like the previous campsites our tents were placed such that we had a glorious view of the valley below.

A rare place where the path was flat as we were walking through part of the cloud forest.

Standing on the path just in front of the "Inca Tunnel" where the path continues to go down through a tunnel either bored into the rock or a naturally occurring cave.

Looking down the trail. It was quite steep at places.

Lunch lived up to the usual standards and after a short rest we were off to visit a nearby Inca ruin called Winay Wayna which turned out to be a smaller version of Machu Picchu even though it was quite large.  It was a short 10 minute walk to the ruin and once there Erick found a comfortable spot and we sat down.  We had the whole place to ourselves with the exception of some llamas which were grazing on the terraces.  Because we were not sure what the weather was going to be like when we arrived at Machu Picchu Erick took advantage of the sunny afternoon to give us some background not only on this ruin but also the history of Machu Picchu and the story of it’s discovery. It was beautiful and very peaceful  to sit there in the ancient site and listen to his stories which hinted at what we were going to experience the next day.  After Erick finished his lecture we spent some time just wandering around in the ruin, taking in the construction, trying to imagine what life was like there and also enjoying the spectacular views.  Like Machu Picchu this complex was built on an incredible slope.  There were steps, of course, and fairly steep ones at that.  We were getting tired of stairs but did not let that stop us from exploring.  The complex had numerous fountains which cascaded one after the other down the hill next to the steps.  They were functional, having been restored to show how the Incas delivered water to the various terraces and buildings. The Incas were incredible builders!!

The Winay Wayna ruins. While a very large complex it was small compared to Machu Picchu. We had the place to ourselves, though, which was spectacular!

After spending most of the afternoon at the site we headed back to camp for tea time.  As we approached the campground it was obvious that the hoards had arrived.  The place was a mass of activity with porters and tourists everywhere, tents going up, food being prepared, people walking about.   We had secured a somewhat isolated campground away from the main paths, but nonetheless when we arrived at our tents it was to find a group setting up right next to us.  So as long as we did not look left we could pretend we were alone.

The stairs next to the fountains at Winay Wayna. Very steep and totally typical.

We had a decision to make at dinner that night.  In the morning, before being allowed to continue to the Sun Gate and after that down into Machu Picchu it was necessary to go through a check point that was located at the start of the Inca trail leading out of camp.  This checkpoint did not open until 5:30am.  Erick said that with 22 groups waiting to go through (and this was not even high season, remember) that it got a bit crazy at the checkpoint in the morning.  We had two options, we could get up early to get in line to be one of the first groups through, in which case we had to get in line around 4:00am, or we could sleep late, let the hoards go through first, and leisurely bring up the rear. It was pretty much unanimous that we wanted to get up early to be one of the first ones through.  We had enjoyed our solitude at the ruin that afternoon and were hoping to get some quiet time at Machu Picchu as well.  We agreed to get in line at 4:00am which meant a 3:20am wake up.  Erick had planned our campsite close to the checkpoint so the dash over in the morning would be easy.

View from my tent at camp! Spectacular!!!!

Having made that decision we headed for bed shortly after dinner hoping to get some sleep.