Machu Picchu day 1 (11km)

  I've always been excited about hiking the inca trial and seeing Machu Picchu. Granted, I was always about nervous for the unknown but one thing I know about myself is, I do not give up.As the days grew closer a whirlwind of anxiety and excitement circled around me. I thought about the beautiful sights I would see, the altitude I would climb and the ability to say "I hiked the inca trail" (like a boss) hahaha. Anyways, the day before the hike Camden and I prepared by drinking lots of water, loading up on snacks and packing our gear we would be carrying up the trail.***Side note: thank god for the porters who carried mostly everything we actually needed to survive like food, water and shelter.***The day came to hike the trail. We had a great breakfast and hopped on a bus from ollaytaytambo (the city stayed in the night before) to the starting point for the inca trail. We were debriefed (we were hiking 11km today) , given our hiking poles, went through a checkpoint and we were off. The scenery was to die for. Climbing a mountainside with a rushing river below us. The mountains were so gargantuan and green. I have never seen anything like that before. As we began to ascend I thought, " okay i can so do this". The the real ascent begun, as well as more magnificent views. It was a good hike to train us for the next day, which would be much more intense. We stopped often to eat our snacks and hydrate. I always ended up in the back (asthma, an injured knee and a longing desire to appreciate my surroundings slowed me down from the rest) but I didn't mind.The guides were incredible and I got to learn a lot about heir culture, as well as practice my Spanish! We were shown some Incan archeological sights along the way and learned about how life was back then. It was incredible. Five hours into our hike we settled for lunch next to the river. The food was amazing and I had rainbow trout (for the first time!) from the Andean river. safe to say, I will be eating that again when I get back to the states!We continued our hike and the intensity began to increase. There were some times i doubted my abilities but I always remembered my initial goals and I made my way up the mountain slow and steady. We got the the campsite around 4 and settled into our new homes for the next four days, our bright orange tents. We had our introductions with the porters (who had set up our camp and carried our necessities). We learned their names, where the came from, how old they were and any other facts. It was very humbling to meet these men who worked so incredibly hard for some extra cash to give their families a better life. (the porters carried 25kg each). After their introductions it was time for ours. I introduced myself in Spanish and was later told that everyone was impressed by how good my Spanish was (can't lie I was very proud of myself ).We had dinner, played some card games and looked at the stars. THE STARS WERE AMAZING!! we all retreated into our tents and quickly fell asleep. Safe to say, the first day of the inca trail was definitely a success!