Machu Picchu day 3 (16km)

Going into this hike my mom told me that this day would definitely be the hardest. I didn't realize what she meant until this day came. After the brutal day we had the day before, I felt like I could conquer anything. Until I tried to get out of my tent. My knees ached and I could feel muscles I didn't even know I had hahah. We were briefed the night before about what was to come. 16 kilometers. Five hours downhill, two hours down, three hours of up and down all on rocky terrain. The Peruvians call this hike the "gringo killer". With breakfast in our bellies and our gear packed up we headed up the closest mountain.I surprised myself how I just went up with a breeze. All the obstacles I had seemed to disappear and I thought I brought my A game today. We visited an Incan archeological site and drank up the view. It was simply incredible to say the least. The skill and finesse of creating these structures thousands of years ago continues to blow my mind. We hiked for hours before we camp to our lunch spot. The hike that led us to our food source was a bit strenuous but the view was to die for. Camden and I were soaking up the amazing panoramic views of the cloud forest we were walking through.We had lunch and were presented with a surprise cake that said "welcome to Machu Picchu". This was our last lunch on the inca trail and it was so special to see us all come together as a family to celebrate the closing of a fantastic four days.We only had two to three hours left until we reached camp. Camden and I took our time as we entered the Amazon forest. One of our guides stayed behind with us and explained what plants we were seeing, the history behind the trail and much more. It was another moment I will never forget. Our guide was born in the city of Machu Picchu and he was so passionate about his heritage. We were incredibly lucky to score a private tour with our new friend. We learned so much about the Peruvian and Incan culture and how they are where they are today.We took a quick detour to one more Incan site to take pictures and watch the alpacas graze on the terraces. We could t see the Machu Picchu mountain due to the fog but the view was still incredible.Unfortunately I wasn't feeling too hot all day and it started to really hit me when we began the descent to our campsite. Once we arrived I bundled up into a sleeping bag, listened to the sound of the rain hitting the tent and tried to rest up for our biggest day tomorrow, when we would FINALLY get to Machu Picchu!!!