Building Memories (BM) uses personal experiences and relates them to topics of importance to building.
This BM explores hiking the Inca trail in the Andes Mountains
The Andes Mountains in Peru are nothing short of magical. Our family trip in 2016 included stops in Lima, Cusco, and several unforgettable places along the way. But two things stood out above all: the incredible Peruvian cuisine and the four-day trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
The hike covered roughly 26 miles of ancient stone paths, an unrelenting journey that was either steeply uphill or sharply downhill, with elevations ranging from about 12,000 feet to mountain passes just over 14,000. We spent Christmas Day, 2016, hiking over one of those passes, surrounded by breathtaking vistas of jagged peaks and sweeping valleys. One of the most striking summits, Warmiwanusqa—or “Dead Woman’s Pass”—takes its name from the mountain’s profile, which resembles the face of a reclining woman.
The trail itself varied from rough gravel paths to endless sequences of ancient Inca stone steps. After hours of climbing, I gained a new appreciation for modern building codes that require uniform stair risers of 7 to 8 inches—because the Incan steps ranged anywhere from 2 to 30 inches high, forcing you to focus intently on every step.
On the final morning, we woke at 3:00 a.m. to begin the last stretch of the trek before sunrise. As dawn broke, we caught our first glimpse of Machu Picchu from the trail above the ruins—an awe-inspiring view of the perfectly organized city emerging from the mist. Approaching the site up close, we were struck by the precision of the walls—each stone uniquely shaped and perfectly fitted, all built by hand without wheels or metal tools, high in the Andes around 1450 AD.
Standing there, surrounded by that achievement, it was impossible not to feel a deep respect for the vision, ingenuity, and determination of the Incan people who built one of the true wonders of the world.
Photo 1: Inca Trail – 14000 Feet
Photo 2: Lots of Stairs
Photo 3: Andes Mountains Sky
Photo 4: Machu Pichu from above
Photo 5: Dead Woman’s Pass
Photo 6: Inca Trail – Typical Trail Section