We were awakened in the dark by our guide tapping on the tent and shining a flashlight. We had to arise before 4 a.m. so that we could reach Inti Punku, the Sun Gate, by sunrise. We were a pretty quiet bunch as we huddled in the food tent for breakfast trying not to get wet from the steady rainfall. We prepared our packs by headlamp before leaving camp a final time. We got to the checkpoint and stood in line in the rain, in the dark, waiting for the park officials to open the gate so we could begin our final hike.
We hiked for a couple of hours while it drizzled and slowly turned light as dawn approached. Our last bit of the trail before arriving at Inti Punku was the steepest set of stairs ever. This photo I took at the top of the stone steps that led to the Sun Gate.
The rainfall increased as we waited for the rest of our party to climb the stairs and we had to hide our cameras and try to cover our packs to keep things from getting even wetter. Our reason for arriving at Inti Punku was to overlook Machupicchu as the sun rose in the east. Well, all we were able to see for quite a while was a thick blanket of clouds.
Eventually the covering enshrouding the city drifted aside so that we could see Machupicchu. Although not the photographic image we had hoped for, our view that morning was eerie and beautiful in its own way. I could understand why it was not discovered by anyone until the Yale professor of Latin American history, Hiram Bingham, officially found it in 1911. I'm sure it eluded many before then.
From the Sun Gate to Machupicchu itself was about a 45 minute downhill hike, in the rain. As we descended below the cloud level we were able to see quite clearly the structures and terraces which make up this ancient city. I was amazed at how much there was to see. And to think, much of it is still hidden beneath vine and leaf.
We hiked for a couple of hours while it drizzled and slowly turned light as dawn approached. Our last bit of the trail before arriving at Inti Punku was the steepest set of stairs ever. This photo I took at the top of the stone steps that led to the Sun Gate.
The rainfall increased as we waited for the rest of our party to climb the stairs and we had to hide our cameras and try to cover our packs to keep things from getting even wetter. Our reason for arriving at Inti Punku was to overlook Machupicchu as the sun rose in the east. Well, all we were able to see for quite a while was a thick blanket of clouds.
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| Our first view of Machupicchu |
From the Sun Gate to Machupicchu itself was about a 45 minute downhill hike, in the rain. As we descended below the cloud level we were able to see quite clearly the structures and terraces which make up this ancient city. I was amazed at how much there was to see. And to think, much of it is still hidden beneath vine and leaf.
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