Inca Trail/Cuenca/Ingapirca

As soon as we got back from the Galapagos, Kelsey and I had to immediately start getting ready for this camping trip. We literally got off the plane, dropped our stuff at Kelsey’s place, and took a bus to the Mariscal to find a place to rent a tent and such. While we were searching for this camping store, it started pouring. We eventually found it, and rented two sleeping bags, two mats, a tent, and a huge backpack for us to share. After that, we went to Supermaxi to buy food: peanut butter, bread, water, gatorade, candy, and fruit. Then, I went home to pack. About two hours later, Kelsey showed up at my door and we caught a cab to Cumbayá. From there, we met the rest of the group and took a bus (overnight) to Alausí. We ate breakfast there, I bought a hat and some gloves, and we took pickup trucks to Achupallas. After eating lunch and waiting for longer than we should have for our burros, we started the hike on the Inca Trail. We eventually made it to a tambo and set up camp. The next day, we were supposed to make it to San José and take trucks from there to Ingapirca (Inca ruins), but one student got lost. So, we had to set up camp in these huts we found while the guide went and looked for him. They eventually found him, and he was fine. The next day, we set out for San José, but it took longer than we thought, so we wound up bagging Ingapirca for the day and just going to Cuenca. The next day, we spent some time exploring Cuenca, and then went to Ingapirca. From there, we took trucks to Tambo, and caught a bus to Quito. Overall, the hiking was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but it’s definitely an accomplishment for the books.