Machu Picchu day 2 (12km)

Today we knew hell was around (or UP for a more literal description) the corner. We were woken up at 5am by, our new friend and guide, Ceaser who offered us coca leaf tea in our tents. After we came to our senses a bit we packed up our gear and headed to breakfast. Again, the food was amazing. We had pancakes with Spanish and Quechua words, written in Carmel on them, and quinoa porridge. By far the best breakfast I have had in Peru ( I'm excited for what's in store for tomorrow). Once breakfast was finished and everyone was all packed up we headed up what would be our first of 5 hours of an inclined path. This day was INTENSE. But so worth it. The views were amazing. We hiked through cloud forests and acres of canopies. The path was lined by the sacred river of Peru and beautiful waterfalls. We surprisingly hiked the sections fairly quick; even though I was dead last every time. who cares, not a race haha. And I got to really appreciate the scenery. Whatever makes me feel better right?! Any ways, after the first five hours of death we had two more of down hill rockiness. Looked pretty sketch but I was able to manage pretty well. It was amazing to walk through the mountains and see their gargantuan presence all around. The weather ranged from hot, hot heat to freezing fog and 15 feet of vision. The Andes is an incredible region. Once we reached our campsite wept our things away and had some lunch. Lunch was very good, per usual on this hike. We had some first world problems, like the fact we were down to our last container of hot chocolate, but we survived haha. Lunch was over and everyone retreated to their tents. Camden, Adam (our new friend from London) and I played cards in our tent and watched the rainfall over the valley. It was pretty rad. Again another experience I will always remember. We had our nightly routine of dinner and getting ready for the next day. Camden and I were exhausted so we went to bed fairly early to prepare for our next big day!