After 5 days of hiking, we had finally made it. Machu Picchu. With our legs numb and our energy completely depleted, we made one final climb to the top of Huayna Picchu, which translates young man. This green rock mountain carved with thousands of stairs is the famous peak you see in the above picture. It was our final summit of our 37.5 mile (60.5 km) journey across various terrains. Visitors up Huayna Picchu are restricted to 400 per day so we had to sign up ahead of time. This last push earned us an amazing view of the ancient Machu Picchu city carved into the side of the mountain of the same name.
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| Selfie from the tip top of Huayna Picchu! We made it! |
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| The dangerous climb down from the top of Huayna Picchu. Cuidado! |
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| Where's Jacob? This perspective is pretty crazy. Jacob is maybe 50 feet below but all around is a virtual straight drop of over 1,000 feet! |
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| The Coca plant. Alive and well. |
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| This was a temple where they didn't use any mortar. All of the stones fit perfectly into place. The corner of this temple has begun to sink into the ground. |
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| Did the Incas have lasers? The precision of their rock carvings are absolutely astonishing. |
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| A rock carving in the shape of Huayna Picchu in the foreground of Huayna Picchu |
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| The famous sun dial. We heard it was damaged during the shooting of a beer commercial. Since then, they no longer allow massive corporate film crews. |
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| Trains an hiking are the only two ways into Aguas Calientes, the city at the base of Machu Picchu. |
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