We arose in the morning to find that it had rained during the night and everything that had touched the sides of the tents was damp.
After breakfast the staff and the hikers were formally introduced to each other, at last. We took some time to take photos and socialize.
After such a difficult hike the day before, we looked forward to todays journey. Our third day was my favorite. The descent was a gradual 700 m. and the distance shorter at 10 km., which made it easier on the heart and lungs and legs. Not only that, but we were able to hike through a high rainforest, which was so beautiful and very different from anything else we had seen thus far.
The scenery was like something out of an adventure movie. The flora was lush and colorful. Moisture soaked moss in colors of yellow, greens and orange clothed the cliff walls. Vines hung from the trees and crossed our paths. We could hear the constant quiet chirping of frogs which live in the overgrowth.On our way to Phuyupatamarca, or the Town of the Clouds, we passed through two natural tunnels. Here we are(Isaac, Margaret, Steve, and Tyler), posing in one of the rock clefts in our path. Tyler is wearing an alpaca hoodie he purchased at a roadside market the week before.
During a short, midmorning break Steve asked one of the porters if he could try wearing the pack they carry. It is amazing to us that each of these tiny men wear an enormous bag weighing about 75 lbs., keeping it on by holding straps of a woven hammock. They travelled much faster than we did and although some wore haraches or other similar footwear, we never saw one stumble or misstep. 
We approached Phuyupatamarca from above and hiked down through the site. The group didn't stay and look around too much for we were all anxious to keep moving along to the next place, although I would have enjoyed looking around a bit more.
One of the features we saw at this site, as well as many other of the Incan places, is a series of interconnected pools descending down from terrace to terrace. It is understood that they may have been used for irrigation and perhaps domestic purposes as well. 
The bench terraces that characterize the Incan establishments are amazing feats of engineering. They are built up on steep hillsides with first a layer of large stones, then a layer of smaller stones and then gravel, upon which sand is layered. The topmost layer is soil, which is fertilized by the guinea pig and llama which were raised as livestock. Terracing enabled a variety of crops to be raised in a relatively small area. The temperature and even humidity varied in one farming terrace due to the change in altitude among the steep slopes. They could raise corn, onions, potatoes, coca, beans, quinoa and vegetables all in the same season. Down the center of the terraces was built a canal with intermittent fonts, or chambers, for the irrigation water to fill, which came from run off and underground springs. Along each level ran a small trench leading from the water chambers to the far ends of each terrace, providing water to crops along the entire length of farming area. Each terrace could be accessed by small stairways built into the rock walls.
We soon left the rainforest and hiked down nearly 2,000 steps to Winaywayna. It was a struggle for those in our group with knee problems. Even I was hurting a great deal by the time we reached it, and I don't have issues with my knees. We arrived around midday and explored a great deal. Our guide showed us how most of the establishment was yet to be exposed. The majority was still hidden by the dense overgrowth. It is no wonder that these Incan ruins were not discovered by the world until the late 1800s. He led us up into the jungle to see the hidden village, but I opted to stay on sure ground since the climb was covered in wet, tangled vines and rumored to be a home to various snakes.
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