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adventure destinationThe Road Less Traveled:Machu Picchu Via the Salkantay TrekStory and Photos By Jason HeflinBy now most of us have formed alife’s list of adventure travel destinationswe want to visit before wego. That list might live in a MicrosoftWord document, on a Facebookpage, scribbled on a drinknapkin, or just in the recesses ofyour mind. There are some tripsthat make the list over and overagain such as trekking the Himalaya,seeing the great pyramids ofGiza, or climbing Kilimanjaro. Onedestination that kept rising to thetop of my list was Machu Picchu.HistoryRoughly fifty years before ChristopherColumbus sailed acrossthe ocean blue a great citadelwas being built high in the Andesmountains of what is now Peru inSouth America. The Incans namedthis peak Machu Picchu, or OldPeak. It was to be an importantlocale, not only to the civilizationthat carved it’s stone walls,but for those who were to follow.Machu Picchu is situated on asteep mountain ridge 2,000 feetabove the Urubamba river. Thislandmark lies only fifty miles fromCusco, a major Peruvian city. Yet,unlike most other Incan settlements,it was never discovered ordestroyed by the Spanish conquistadorsas they invaded. MachuPicchu was instead abandoned. Itis not known why the residents ofthis sacred city left, or where theywent. Machu Picchu has remainedin remarkably pristine conditionthroughout the past 600 years.The great explorer Hiram Binghamre-discovered this place in 1911and brought the “lost city” to the attentionof the world. Today MachuPicchu is open to the public; it isa heavily traveled tourist attractionthat is seen by thousands of visitorseach year from around the globe.The Road Less TraveledMachu Picchu was on my life list.A few years ago I decided I wasn’tgoing to wait on this one. I didn’twant to visit this remote sanctuaryby tour bus, as is a common practicethese days. Many take what isknown as the Inca Trail, but I soonlearned there is more than one IncaTrail to Machu Picchu. The standardtrail leads the trekker throughthe highlands and up to MachuPicchu in much the same way theInca visited the city. In my life Itend to choose the road less traveledhowever. I was told the traditionalInca Trail was very busyAdventure World Magazine May 2009 24
and didn’t provide much of a wildernessexperience. So, I opted forthe Salkantay Trek. This alternateroute follows another ancient roadthe Inca used to connect villages.The Salkantay Trek is not your averagemulti-day hike. I chose thisroute for its difficulty and because itgot me so close to some of the highpeaks of the Andes along the way.Most journeys typically start inCusco. This city sprawls throughouta valley which sits at roughly10,000 feet. From Cusco a bus istaken to the village of Mollepata. Atthe bus stop we were offered tea andporridge for breakfast, but opted towait. Once in Mollepata we weretaken to a local woman’s home. Shehad several picnic-type tables in acourtyard and fed us well for onlya few dollars. Then we were off.The trek took us up a typical mountainslope in the Andes. Dry anddusty trails snake up the hillsidesthrough low scrub brush. Bandanaswere a necessity to keep from swallowingtoo much of the dust. Oncewe reached our lunch spot we hadour first glimpse of the high peaks.The view of these glacier coveredgoliaths was breathtaking. Thatnight we camped above 12,000 feetin an abandoned village. In theseremote mountains the milky waylooks as if it were painted acrossthe sky with a brush. Dense starclusters and bright constellationskept us out of our tents until late.The next morning we began thetoughest part of the trek, the climbto Salkantay Pass. This pass liesat 14,763 feet and tested our lungpower as did the hours of switchbacksthat took us up to the crest.All the while porters with hugeloads on their backs passed theflatlanders as if we were standingstill. Once at the pass, however,the view was reward enough forthe tough journey. Standing underthe glaciers of the massive Salkantaypeak and watching chunksof ice break loose in the middaysun would not be soon forgotten.That afternoon the trail led usdown a huge valley and into a jungleclimate. Crossing rushing riverson handmade log bridges andencountering local Peruvians goingabout their daily business wasa great way to see the rural culture.The women braid their silkyblack hair into long strands downtheir back. Their clothing is madefrom bright colors that stand outagainst the sea of green jungle. Themen are dressed in more earthyAdventure World Magazine is a GreenZine 25
Page 3 and 4: Featurescontents10Gone To The Dogs-
Page 5 and 6: contributorsAfter diving into debt
Page 7 and 8: news from the fieldCrossing The Ame
Page 10 and 11: Gone To The DogsBy Amanda JonesFor
Page 12 and 13: keep you motivated.”Only 2 other
Page 14: Lessons Learned At HuairasinchiStor
Page 17 and 18: calmly for the event to begin,watch
Page 19 and 20: Then Sean started to panic, “Myli
Page 21 and 22: Yet, I couldn´t help but thinkabou
Page 23: Adventure World Magazine is a Green
Page 27 and 28: and culture of the Inca people whol
Page 29 and 30: I remember being a young boy siftin
Page 31 and 32: The Coastal ChallengeRainforest Run
Page 33 and 34: We “hit the wall” which is best
Page 35 and 36: trainingNutrition: Feeding the Mach
Page 37 and 38: Adventure World Magazine March 2009
Page 39 and 40: Photos courtesy of Project Athenate
Page 41 and 42: How The Barkley Tamed Me!By Jon Bar
Page 43 and 44: did not help that the map was notve
Page 45 and 46: Adventure World Magazine Navigation
Page 47 and 48: gear closetTrail Runners For 2009-P
Page 49 and 50: gear closetVasque Blur SLMSRP: $100
Page 51 and 52: gear closetSome of our other favori
Page 53 and 54: Kid’s ZoneNomad Kid’s ShelterMS
Page 55 and 56: As we looked out on the water forwh
Page 57: out to meet them.After a few moment

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