Hola!

Today we climbed up to Runkurakay, our third pass of the trip, a smaller ask than yesterday’s monster but still not nothing at this altitude.

The ruins there are round, almost like a watchtower, and it’s wild to think Inca messengers once used spots exactly like this as rest stops while running the length of an empire on foot. Meanwhile we needed a full snack break.

From there, into the cloud forest. Colonies of orchids appearing out of nowhere.  Some so tiny you needed a magnifying glass to see. Hummingbirds doing their impossible physics. The trail itself turns into pure engineering, stone causeways, a tunnel some ancient crew carved straight through solid rock.

Sayacmarca was a highlight: a ruin perched on a cliff edge, reachable only by one narrow staircase, tall rock wall on one side and a straight drop on the other. Edgar walked us through what it might have been, part checkpoint, part ceremonial site, nobody’s entirely sure.

We stopped for lunch at our fourth and final pass of the trip with views looking straight at Machu Picchu mountain and beyond. The clouds began to build (as they have most afternoons) but this time instead of dissipating, they got darker.

So we packed up and started the long descent into our camp for the night. And even though it is “dry season” the rain poured down. By the time we made it to camp it was a full on thunderstorm.

We piled in the dining tent, played our nightly Scum games and enjoyed our final dinner on trail. Tomorrow morning we wake up and hike to the Sun Gate. Cross your fingers these clouds clear so we can see Machu Picchu!

- RMI Guide Jess and the Machu Picchu team