Las caminatas de Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, y Machu Picchu

Throughout our past weekend excursions, we have been on plenty of fantastic hikes as a group. The first weekend we ventured to the city of Pisaq, followed by the ancient ruins of Ollantaytambo, and finished with one of the seventh wonders of the world---Machu Picchu. I enjoyed the variety of hikes and the different elements incorporated in each excursion. For this post, I will be discussing what elements I enjoyed and what aspects stood out the most to me.

Pisaq: When we went to Pisaq, it was Mother's Day and we were unsure if we would be able to find a ride up to the top of the ruins. Fortunately, we found a ride and were dropped off at the entrance of the site. We hiked up and explored several different houses and saw a mountain where grave robbers have been seen excavating valuable items; however, the view from the top of the last house was amazing! All of us took a picture sitting on the edge of a balcony constructed of rock. After we had made it to the top, it was time to come down. I was pretty nervous on the way down because I had heard the hike would take around two hours. With this being our first major hike, I was concerned I would not be properly adjusted to the altitude and lag behind everyone. The hike down consisted of gorgeous views of the Andes and the river near the city of Pisaq. One of the most interesting things I noticed was the variety of colors of all the buildings (since I was able to view them from above). Additionally, I learned that just because you hike downhill doesn't necessarily mean it will be easy. Many times I had to concentrate of my footing and strengthen my calves and thighs to maintain my balance. I was sore afterwards for about two days!

Ollantaytambo: This was a relatively short uphill hike, but from the bottom, it looked incredibly steep! Although I was nervous, I kept in mind that it was only supposed to take around 45 minutes and that I had accomplished a tough downhill hike the weekend prior. For this hike, I decided to put in headphones and listen to my workout playlist for motivation. I found this strategy to be incredibly helpful and I felt as though I was more capable of keeping up with the group's pace. The views from above were awesome too! I also enjoyed the additional trail we took when we got to the top because it was a little more risky and allowed us to curve around the ruins instead of just continuing to go straight up. The only issue was it was HOT and I was sweating during the entire hike!

Machu Picchu: One of the seventh wonders of the world! We drove up to the initial entry point so there was not too much hiking in the beginning. Everyone took photos and the sun was shining right over the ruins! After we finished taking pictures our entire class decided to hike to El templo del sol. The trail is an uphill, narrow, stone path with little to no barriers on the edge. It is around 0.8 miles and is surrounded by lush greenery. In the beginning of the hike I was with the group, but when I became tired, I struggled to keep up and ended up in the middle. Eventually, I was met by a few other classmates who were traveling at the same pace as me and wanted to take an equivalent amount of breaks. Even though I didn't have my music this time to keep me going, it was nice to have a smaller group whom I  felt comfortable with to lift me up when I was fatigued. The view at the top of the hike was insane and I just remember feeling so small among all of the mountains. Overall, I'm glad I did the hike because it was totally worth it!