The Inca Trail Trek - Runkurakay

Given the previous day’s difficulties, Matt and I hit the trail super early. This gave us a head start and allowed our pace to be rather pedestrian as well as allowing us to walk without feeling like we were on a street in New York City. We moseyed along nicely all the way to the first set of ruins, Runkurakay, before the pack engulfed us once again. The humble stone ruins were nondescript in comparison to the those that would follow. However, it made as great a resting spot for us as it had for the Inca messengers centuries before. Still, for all the hype about the Inca Trail, these were the first set of ruins that were even remotely interesting. This was especially true once we hiked above and looked back at it’s unusual double walled semicircular architecture.

There was no question in my mind; they should rename the Inca Trail to the Inca Highway. Even with the strict limits placed on the number of trekkers, the trail still seemed overly crowded.

The story continues...