Magical Pagosa Springs, Colorado

From the Appalachian Mountains to the Rocky Mountains: Colorado is our happy place.

Almost five years ago, we drove through a quaint town in Southwestern Colorado. We fell in love with the small town of Pagosa Springs and the surrounding San Juan mountains. We have been going back at least a couple times a year ever since.

As the kids wrapped up homeschooling, we got our library cards from the local library. We visited twice a week and got to know the librarians. We stayed at our friend's cabin while they were away and got to really immerse ourselves in the peace and quite of the forest property. We explored the national forest and took long walks, we got to practice high altitude baking, cooked a lot, read, played board games, crafted, and ended our days with many movie nights. The cozy cabin was exactly what we needed to relax and reflect.

We gave ourselves a month to decompress, but of course, we also adventured! Every few days, we set out to explore a different area of the San Juan Mountains.

1. Buckles Lake and Harris Lake:  At 9,700 ft. at the trailhead, the hike to the lakes is easy and beautiful. We walked through massive pines and large aspen groves. As we hiked further up, we were surprised to still see snow in the early summer. This was an out and back for four miles. Perfect for an afternoon walk in the southern San Juan Mountains.

*****

2. Fourmile Falls: One of the most popular hikes in the area is to Fourmile Falls. Somewhat challenging with the 1,000 ft. altitude gain over three miles. The early summer wildflowers were lovely with the still snow capped mountains in the background. The weather was perfect, high in the 70s to low 80s. The 300 ft. falls is a show stopper falling from almost 10,000ft. This hike is absolutely worth the drive and the walk.

*****

3. Opal Lake: Don't be fooled by this 1.2 mile hike. It was a consistent climb up to a small lake in the mountains. Kaia took the lead and kept a fast space. The lake is small but set in the most stunning background: layers of pines and aspen reflecting off the lake. The trail proper ended 1/3 of the way around the lake so we had to bush whack the rest of the way to go all the way round it.

*****

 

4. Continental Divide Trail: We took the kids to the CDT, one of the three long distance trail in the US. It is around 3,100 miles from Mexico to Canada. There was still a lot of snow left on the trail. What's amazing about the CDT is that it is a "choose your own adventure" hike. Unlike the Appalachian Trail where the way is marked with white blazes, you need a map and compass or GPS to navigate the Rockies. We saw several hikers in town resupplying. Navigating your way on foot through the Rockies is no easy feat. When we saw a hiker in town, I got goosebumps thinking about their journey from Mexico and onward. I know it is crazy hard but what an adventure.

*****

5. Wolf Creek: while hiking on the CDT, we got off the trail a bit where the snow was still deep and ran into a "ski boundary" sign. We stumbled into the Wolf Creek Ski area where we ski during Spring Break! We walked up one of the ski runs that we frequent and made our way to one of the lodges. It was awesome to hike the routes we ski with our kids. We heard thunder in the distance so we made our way down quickly since we were exposed at over 10,000ft.

*****

6. Treasure Falls: We've driven by Treasure falls a dozens of times but never stopped because it is always so busy. At only .2 mile from the parking lot, it just never appealed to us. But we stopped this time and it was nice. The waterfall was running full and it was tall. This is an easy one to visit and it is pretty.

*****

7. Piedra Falls/Piedra Trail: This was our second time at Piedra Falls. We had friends visiting us and we wanted to take them on a short hike. It's over an hour drive to get there but the hike is only half a mile. The falls were flowing like a raging river and then it started hailing on us! Thank goodness we always bring our gear because we needed it. The temperature within that hour dropped 25 degrees, from 80 to 55 in no time. It was fun walking through the hail. June in Colorado is wild and fun.

*****

8. Piedra Trail: This is probably our favorite trail in the Pagosa Springs area. The box canyons with the Piedra River running through it does not disappoint. Our first time walking it, we had brought our fly fishing poles and walked eight miles out and back while crossing the river more than a dozen times. This trail is fairly easy in the best mix of river canyon, meadows, and forest.

*****

In a month, we covered a lot of ground! We got to all the places we've passed by over the years and didn't have time to explore. There's also the hot springs and endless fishing opportunities in the San Juan River. We've also covered many sections of the river for fly fishing. 

Even though we were active, we also had a lot of downtime in the cabin. It was wonderful to have he time to relax and reflect on our incredible year.

There is so much to do in southwestern Colorado, it is an absolute stunner in the winter and in the summer. We can't wait to go back. 

The Appalachian Trail

 

On a bright and sunny spring day in the Smoky Mountains, we took our kids to the trail that changed our lives forever.

The Appalachians Mountains hold a very special place in our lives. In our mid-20s, Parker and I thru-hiked (walked end to end) the Appalachian Trail. We hiked 2,174.1 miles from Georgia to Maine, through 14 states (GA, NC, TN, VA, WV, MD, PA, NJ, NY, CT, MA, VT, NH, ME), in 5 months and 11 days.

After dating for four years, we decided to go on an “adventure of a lifetime” before settling down. The AT fit the bill. Thru-hiking in 2004, was truly an adventure in every sense of the word.

Starting at the southern terminus of the trail, we began walking north with only a paperback guidebook for resupply and water source info. No GPS, no cell phones, no apps. On the trail are “White Blazes”, a simple paint brush mark on trees that marked our path from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Katahdin in Maine.

We carried everything we needed in our backpacks to survive: food, clothing, shelter, and water (we had to find springs along the way and filter our water for hydration and meals). We walked 10-25 miles a day (about 100 miles a week), for 5-7 days at a time. Towards the end of the day, we would find a good campsite near a water source, set up camp, build a fire, cook our dinner, and rest up for another day of hiking.  

When we ran out of food, we would hitchhike into town to stay a night in a hotel or hostel and resupply for another week (100 miles or so) of hiking. We had to find a payphone to call our parents and a library to get online.

We took our kids to the trail at Fontana Dam and found the three-sided shelter that we stayed in decades ago. Decades! Along the 2,000+ mile path are lean-tos (three-sided shelters) provided for all hikers. It’s first come first serve so if there is room, you roll out your sleeping bag and you might sleep next to someone you’ve already met on the trail or an absolute rando hiker! If the shelter is full, you must continue to the next shelter or pitch a tent. For the most part, Parker and I cooked dinners at the shelters to socialize but tented down the trail because we preferred the privacy.

The Fontana “Hilton” is not your typical shelter, due to its accessible and popular location, it’s huge and well built. It can probably hold up to 30 hikers or more if the weather is bad. We were surprised to find a solar charging station, a water bottle filling station and a bathroom nearby with a hot shower (an absolute luxury on the trail back in the day when the best you could hope for was a nice spring to refresh). Wow! We saw a small group of thru-hikers by the shelter. We said hello, but they were pre-occupied with their phones.

When we thru-hiked, no one knew where we were. We feel lucky to have had the experience of being completely unplugged in nature. Make no mistake, it was not an easy hike. Although it was more of a mental challenge than a physical one, we were beyond exhausted at the end. But of course all of the pain was worth it. We walked the entire Appalachian Range wild and free.

We told our kids that if we kept following the white blazes north we would end up in Maine by September. They said, “nope, we’re good”!

*****

Day One and Summit Day

April 10 - September 21, 2004

The Appalachian Trail truly changed the trajectory of our lives. It changed our perspective on how we wanted to travel and explore the world.

Little did we know that this hike would ignite our love for the outdoors and travel. Five years later, in 2010-2011, we took off on our first trip around the world, scheduling our itinerary around hiking in New Zealand (hike the Te Araroa) and Nepal (hiked Everest Basecamp and the Annapurna Circuit). In 18 months we traveled to: New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Nepal, India, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. For the second time, we honestly thought that this was indeed our “last adventure before kids”.

But of course, we realized on that trip that we would absolutely have to show our future kids the world one day. Now here we are!

*****

One of our favorite AT stories is that on day 7 of our hike we met a hiker named Brad. The three of us got along well and we hiked together for nearly 1,000 miles. Once we got to Harper’s Ferry, our schedules/paces didn’t match up anymore, so we parted ways but kept in touch.

Long story short, he came to our wedding the following year and met Parker’s sister. Brad and Amanda got married two years later! In 2004, over 4,000 hopeful thru-hikers registered, only a little over 400 made it all the way to the end. The three of us where one of the 10% to complete the hike that year, and yes, decades later, we retell the same trail stories.

 

 

 

We are Stateside!

 

We have made it around the globe and we still have some traveling a head of us.

July 2024 (Texas - OK - TN) - NYC - UK - France- Spain - Portugal - Egypt - the Philippines - Vietnam - Japan - Peru - Costa Rica - Tennessee!

After ten months of international travel, we flew into Tennessee from Costa Rica. I may have shed a few tears when our flight attendant, whom we chatted with about our travels, welcomed us home. We will be spending the next couple of months visiting family and doing some summer road-tripping through parts of the US.

Parker’s sister Amanda and our brother-in-law Brad live close to the Smoky Mountains with their daughters Krislyn and Lissa. It was great to be around family again. The Kaesers met us in Japan to ski in March, and the cousins were excited to have more time together.

Tennessee is a beautiful state with so much to see and do. The kids had some homeschooling to catch up on since we took the longest Spring Break ever. But after school, the cousins were able to hang out. We also enjoy spending time at the Kaeser's homestead where the kids swam, rode mini-bikes, harvested honey suckles, jumped on the trampoline, and took Rahab (their goat) for walks.  

It was time to unpack for a bit and begin adjusting to the American Life (where you must drive everywhere to get anything done amongst other things). During our travels we had mainly stayed close to city centers where everything was walkable: stores, restaurants, etc. Parker had left his vehicle in storage at his sister’s house while we were gone, and we drove for the first time in ten months. We rented motor bikes in Asia but nothing else during our travels. I was a little anxious, which was silly because although it felt weird at first, it just wasn’t a big deal.

Parker is an avid fisherman and the Smokies are a fisherman’s haven. One Sunday, Parker and Brad went fishing at The Little River. It was their lucky day because they both caught their limit and brought home ten rainbow trout.  The trout were beautiful and delicious. The big boys were very proud of themselves. And the rest of us were very happy to eat the killer fish tacos and yummy smoked fish dip that Brad made for us. 

*****

One day we decided to visit Fontana Dam and we unexpectedly ended up on the Tail of the Dragon in the Smokies. The Tail of the Dragon is a famous 11-mile section of Route 129 with over 318 curves. It is popular with sports cars and motorcycle enthusiasts. We knew it was nearby, but we didn’t realize we were going to be driving it that day.

It is popular because for 11 uninterrupted miles this route has no houses, driveways, businesses, or intersecting roads. We started seeing groups of super fancy sports cars (Porsches, Maseratis, Miatas) and they were going around the curves fast!  

Kaia was starting to get a little motion sickness from all the turns. Then Parker said, ”I think the Tail of the Dragon is near here somewhere”. To which Kaia responded, “well, it says Tail of the Dragon on your navigation screen”. Ha…found it!

At one end of the route is Deal's Gap where we stopped for lunch and watched the racers zoom by. In the parking lot was “The Tree of Shame” where vehicle parts (mainly motorcycle parts) were hung, collected from crashes along the route. There are a couple of  deaths on the Tail of the Dragon every year and the Tree of Shame was a stark reminder.

There were  professional photographers at the more exciting turns taking photos of each passing vehicle (even ours - photos are available on line for everyone driving through). Also, people were pulled over the side of the road sitting on lawn chairs, watching the racers. When there a was vehicle behind us, Parker would pull over and let them pass. The drivers always gave us an appreciative wave as they sped off around us. It was fun seeing all the fancy sports cars and motorcycles. We waved at the photographers and the spectators as we rolled by in our slow, lifted 4Runner, at the posted speed limit of 30mph. 

*****

Citico River is famous for trout fishing. We had stored all of our outdoor and camping gear with our vehicle so we would be ready for the outdoors when we arrived in the States.  We headed out to camp and fly fish for a couple of days. We had previously scouted this river and knew that we would have no cell signal. We found a great camp site right next to the river, it was the perfect place to unplug. 

It was a beautiful area with no one camping anywhere for miles around us. Parker has been taking the kids fishing since they were toddlers, not only do they enjoy it but they are also improving their skills. They switch off between fly fishing and spinning rods. It was a great few days of doing everything and nothing. We fished, we read, the kids carved things, and we ate a lot of smores.  

Pura Vida! - Costa Rica

Peru was fantastic.  However, due to the State of Emergency in Lima, we decided to move on to our 10th country, Costa Rica. We were looking forward to relaxing in the sun.

For over two months, we had been on the move: biking/hiking through northern Vietnam, skiing in Japan, and hiking in Peru. We were tired. We decided on a spacious two-bedroom AirBnB by the beach. The pool was the size of five pools combined with a great lounge area. It was the perfect spot for us to unwind.

It was also nice to finally have some room to relax and have a fully stocked kitchen. We had been eating out every meal for most of our trip. The kids were getting decision fatigue when it came to ordering food. Sleeping in and cooking breakfast instead of having to get dressed and find a restaurant was a welcome change to our routine.

*****

Costa Rica is known for it’s thrilling outdoor adventures. Our kids wanted to try out zip-lining. Our ziplining tour started in the late morning and it was already steamy. There were ten ziplines in our package and the kids were nervous and excited.

The side-by-side took us all the way to the top. As usual, I was anxious. Parker and I have done a lot of wild things before we had kids. We’ve both bungee jumped, and sky dived, which are two of the tamer situations we’ve put ourselves in. But with kids, trying something new gets my stomach in a knot. Will they remember not to place their hand in front of them on the line so it doesn’t get smashed against the block at the end? Will they remember how to break if needed?  Will I remember?

Fortunately, Parker is always confidant and enthusiastic (at least he hides any nervousness well). We were high up on the mountain, deep in the jungle. It was hot but at least shady. We started off with a couple of slow and short lines for practice. Then we escalated to faster and longer lines. On the sixth line, the kids and Parker hung upside down. The next one was really long and super-fast. We all remembered to keep our hands behind us.

It got extremely hot (mid-90s) and extremely humid very quickly. Cruz got a little dizzy but pulled through. It was a great tour through the jungle and we also got to see the ocean. After, we enjoyed a nice lunch. It was a fun outing.

 

*****

Costa Rica is known for it’s surfing, so of course we checked it out. The waves were beginner size but strong and consistent. We have been slowly building our surfing skills and  can easily pop up and ride the beginner to medium waves. The rocks on the beach were not pleasant to land on but the waves were solid. On this trip, we have surfed in Portugal, the Philippines, Vietnam, and now Costa Rica!

The rest of our time was spent doing absolutely nothing other than eventually making it down to the pool by mid-afternoon and walking the beach at sunset.

Although we enjoyed our time in Costa Rica, we did find it overly touristy and extremely expensive. Everything was more than US prices, ($30 for a 10 inch pizza...no thanks!). Surprisingly, it was the most expensive destination on our trip. Also, we had just been immersed in some of the most culturally rich countries in the world and we found Costa Rica to be somewhat lacking in that.

However, Costa Ricans (Ticos/Ticas) take their lifestyle of Pura Vida (Pure Life) very seriously. We can see the appeal for those looking for the simple and carefree life. That is certainly what we did during our time there, no schedule and no stress. Pura Vida!

The Sacred Valley: Ollaytantabo

The Sacred Valley

Ollantaytambo was our next destination after we dodged the landslides on our train ride from Machu Picchu. Ollantaytambo is a small Incan city of roughly 12,000 people in the sacred valley next to the Urubamba River.  It was the perfect city to explore due to its well-preserved culture and proximity to many hikes. The ancient city is known for its Incan architecture, cobble stoned streets, and open drainage system. It is considered one of the living Inca cities because residents still maintain traditional ways of life that have been passed down for centuries.

The city has historical significance in that it was a stronghold against the Spanish Invasion. Due to the defeat of the Spanish in Ollantaytambo and the isolation of Machu Picchu, the Spanish never found the Lost City of the Incas. Stepping out of our hotel at the city center, we went on three amazing hikes to: the Granaries, the Sun Gate, and the Fortress.

*****

Hike 1: The Granaries

The Granaries can be seen anywhere from the city as it is perched high on a cliff. Our kids were excited to hike up to the mysterious structure hanging off over the city.

The trail is well marked and is straight up the mountain. Although it’s a short hike, it can be challenging with the altitude. The granaries were used by the Incas to store grains, corn, potatoes, etc. Its unusual location was effective to keep away rodents and the weather. The kids went straight up and started exploring right away. The slight drizzle made the walk more interesting. It was a nice morning hike with a rewarding panoramic view of the valley.

*****

Sunrise Start

Hike 2: Inti Punku/Sun Gate

Our big hike from Ollantaytambo was the 10-mile round-trip hike up to Inti Punku, the Sun Gate. The Sun Gate sits on top of a mountain at 12,700 ft and serves as the main entrance to Machu Picchu (four days trek away).

When we told our kids we were going on a 10-mile hike to 12,700 ft, they said, “Piece of cake!”. Our little rock stars have walked hundreds of miles in the past year and have hiked up to 16,300 ft. We love how strong and confident they have become outdoors.

Anticipating that this walk would take us 6-8 hours, we began at 6am. We came prepared with food, water, and all the layers for every weather conditions. As the sun rose and as we began our ascent, we warmed up quickly and started shedding layers. The trail was lined with beautiful wildflowers, and we had fantastic views of the river valley below.

This hike has an elevation gain of 4,000 feet from the river.  Along the way we passed the stone quarries where the Incans shaped the massive stones for the fortress in Ollantaytambo.

Resting Rock

The kids took as many breaks as they needed and rested on giant stones that were discarded long ago, on their way to build the fortress in the city . They laid on the boulders like lizards soaking up the sun. We let them rest but we had to make sure we kept moving forward and upward.

The elevation gain was challenging so I lead and kept a slow and steady pace. More than halfway through, we could see the Sun Gate ahead. Sometimes this is good and sometimes it is not helpful to see how much you have left to go. We had been climbing for almost four hours.

So close...

Cruz got a little impatient. I told him to imagine himself on top and finally seeing the great view. He said, “I’m imagining my self at the top and enjoying my lunch”! We cracked up as we watched him practically run the last half mile or so.

For the last two hours of the ascent, we could see the Sun Gate in the distance. It was so close yet so far, we all felt the four-thousand elevation gain and were relieved to finally reach the gate.

The Sun Gate is a simple yet imposing structure on top of a mountain. In the morning (and especially during the solstice) the sun’s rays passes through the stone door. It was a religious site and an astronomical observatory, a gateway between the living and the spiritual. We stood alone on top of the mountain, completely exposed to the elements. As we took in the 360 panoramic views of the Andes, we felt the incredible energy of this site.

The Beautiful Andes!

We took a well-deserved hour lunch to rest and enjoy the view.  We could see Ollantaytambo five miles away, the Urubamba river below, and the impressive peak of Mt. Veronica at 19,226 ft. It was starting to get chilly so we decided to head down and practically ran down the mountain. Descents are always fun, but you still must be careful. What took us four hours to climb, we hustled down in two hours.

This hike was one of our favorites on our entire trip. Surprisingly, we only saw a few groups the entire day. This hike had it all: no crowds, killer views, challenging altitude gain of 4,000ft, a great day hike at 10 miles, and cultural significance.

 

Hike 3: Ollantaytambo Fortress

Our final hike was to explore the Fortress that was at the edge of the city. The fortress was a religious site turned into a military post during the Spanish invasion. The fortress was built with the huge boulders from the quarries (4 miles away) that we passed on our hike up to the Sun Gate.

The terraces are massive with over 200 steps that take you to the Sun Gate and temple. The kids were surprised to hear that there was a Sun Gate right in the middle of town after we hiked over 10 miles to the other sun gate a couple of days before! Yes kiddos, there are multiple sun gates in the sacred valley.

The most impressive structure was Temple Hill. The Temple del Sol consists of six huge rectangular stones, with each stone being approximately 13 ft. tall and 6 ft. wide. The rocks found in the complex are perfectly polished and precisely cut.  Somehow, the builders were able to transport these giant stones and placed them perfectly beside and on top of each other. We continued a trail above the site. On top, we could see the granary, the city, the river, the quarry, and the sun gate.

We all loved Ollantaytambo. It felt like we had stepped back in time. From where we were staying in Town Center, we could see all our three hikes.  The locals were friendly, the food was delicious, and the views were fantastic.  Most visitors only see it while passing on their way to Machu Picchu but it deserves at least a couple of days to explore.

Peru easily became one of our favorite destinations on our trip. We’ll never forget hiking up to Rainbow Mountain (16,300ft), our week in Ollantaytambo (and eventually pronouncing the town name correctly),  and seeing Machu Picchu for the first time. We also might have developed a slight alpaca obsession. Peru is a beautiful country that is incredibly rich in landscape, history, and culture.

 

 

 

 

Machu Picchu: The Lost City of the Incas

1 subway, 2 trains, 2 buses, 3 taxis, and 6 flights later ...

... we finally made it to Machu Picchu!  We took 14 modes of transport to travel from Northern Japan!

*****

Last year, we booked a 6 night/7day trek on the Salkantay/Inca Trail that would lead us to Machu Picchu.  This is how we hoped to experience Peru, by hiking through the Andes and hiking up to "The Lost City of the Incas" with our kids. However, nature had other plans. Our trek was cancelled (along with our entry tickets to the ruins) due to landslides in the Salkantay region. The Inca Trail was also closed due to the inclement weather. 

Our trek was cancelled while we were in Japan. We had been preparing for this since our walk across Spain. We had also been carrying our basic gear and layers for ten months in preparation for the conditions in the Andes. Also, while traveling through Vietnam and Japan we started breaking in our kids' hiking boots. Parker and I were heavily disappointed to say the least.

Flights and accommodations were already booked so we decided to continue on to Peru. We had to redo our entire itinerary literally on the fly (while we were plane hopping across the Pacific Ocean). It was a stressful situation but we decided to make the most of it.

PeruRail to Aguas Calientes

After a lot of research, we found out that the Ministry of Cultures reserves tickets for walk-ins at Aguas Calientes, the last town before Machu Picchu. Tickets online have already been sold out for months.  Imagine booking 14 modes of transport to a destination and not be guaranteed an entry. It felt risky to go all the way to Aguas Calientes without tickets to Machu Picchu but this was our only choice. 

We explored beautiful Cuzco (and Rainbow Mt) for five days, hopped on a two-hour bus to Ollantaytambo, and then a train to Aguas Calientes. The Vistadome Train on PeruRail was a great way to see the Andes. The train provided panoramic views with windows all around with the skylight overhead. The scenery was breathtaking as we followed Urubamba River to the base of Machu Picchu.

It's a whole process to get these tickets. As soon as we arrived, we had to go to the Ministry of Cultures, get an appointment time for later that day, come back for our appointment, and hope for a good circuit ticket for the following day.

Machu Picchu tickets are divided into three main cuircuts: Circuit 1 is the Panoramic, Circuit 2 is the Inka City, and Circuit 3 is the Royal Circuit. These three circuits have a total of ten options combined. To our surprise, four tickets were available for the 2A circuit (the best circuit with the the best views). Finally, a little luck was on our side.

*****

Our Machu Picchu day was filled with much anticipation (mostly from me). The morning was overcast and drizzly but when we arrived at the site the rain stopped. Another lucky break! The circuits are one way and you only get two and a half hours to explore your designated route. Although it was busy, the groups tried to give each other space.

My first glimpse of the City in the Clouds took my breath away. I saw that it had the same effect on Parker. We made it. Below us was one of the New Wonders of the World. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Lost City of the Incas was surrounded in mystical clouds. 

The site has an indescribable palatable energy. Perched on top of the mountain were the ancient ruins of the last Incan Civilization that perfectly blended into the Andes Mountains.  We were in awe. 

Machu Picchu was built for the Incan Emperor Pachacutec. It served as a religious site and royal estate. The city sits on top of the mountain at 7,972ft, surrounded by the stunning Peruvian Andes.  The citadel consists of temples, terraces, fountains, and an intricate water management systems.

We walked up several platforms where we could take in the panoramic views. We spent about an hour on top and when we made our way down, it started to drizzle as the clouds came in. The poor visitors with a 12pm entry didn't get to see the panoramic view. 

Our guide lead us around the ruins in the rain. Of course we came prepared for the rain and really enjoyed experiencing the ruins that way. Due to the precipitation, we saw the intricate irrigation system in action. Machu Picchu has many natural springs and has 19 interconnected fountains.

The primary structures of the citadel are: Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Three Windows, and the Intihuatana (Sacred Rock) where religious ceremonies and rituals took place. The Sacred Rock is believed to have been used by the Incas as a sundial and as an astronomical calendar. The Inca's architectural and astronomical knowledge is remarkable.

On our way out, we walked by llamas that lived at the site. We felt so lucky to that we got to see the panoramic view of the whole of the ancient city and got to explore the citadel in the rain.

The rain stopped at the end of our tour. We opted to walk down the mountain to Aguas Calientes instead of taking the bus. It was 1,600 carved steps from the top down to the river! The 8kms to town had an elevation drop of 3,600ft. Our legs were jello when we got to the bottom. Walking down through the subtropical foliage was a memorable way to end our remarkable day.

*****

The next day, on our way out of Agua Calientes, a train coming towards us called for our train to stop. We were only 15 minutes into our one and a half hour journey to Ollantaytambo (the only way in, or out of Aquas Calientes is on this train line near the river). There had been a landslide ahead of us on the tracks, and an earth mover was called to remove the rocks.

Our train was delayed five hours, turning our one and a half hour train ride into a seven hour all-day ordeal. We learned that it was actually two land slides and a section of the tracks was damaged and had to be replaced. When we were finally cleared to move forward, we saw the rocks and the old track casted of to the side. The landslide was only five minutes away from where our train stopped.

My heart skipped a beat as I realized how close we were to the landslide. All of our disappointment in the cancelation of our trek dissipated in that moment. Parker and I exchange glances, acknowledging our luck in dodging a dangerous situation.  

This trek was originally on our last Around the World itinerary in 2010/2011. But we decided to go home early, at 18 months, to start our family. Parker and I promised each other that we would take our future children on a trek to see Machu Picchu.

In the end we got to see the Natural Wonder of Machu Picchu. I lack the words to describe its marvel. We are grateful that in our once in a life time chance with out kids, the clouds parted briefly and we got to see and experience it together.