Machu Picchu...Where Incas Once Walked

“The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast and you miss all you are traveling for.” And so, as my time in Peru was coming to its end, I reminded myself of this very thing. Machu Picchu was the end of the trail for me, the final big moment of my entire adventure. But hadn’t the whole journey and everything that I’d seen and done been just as spectacular as Machu Picchu was sure to be?

I pondered these thoughts as I stood in the bus line for Machu Picchu. It was 5:00 a.m., the rain fell steadily, and I tried to reconcile my excitement for the approaching Machu Picchu experience with the rest of the trip. I also worked to temper a growing rise of despair. After a week in the rainforest where we saw virtually no rain, I now faced a rainy and cloudy day. There was no alternative to the plan. I had only one day left to see Machu Picchu, and it was today. If this weather didn’t cooperate, I would head back to Ohio without the final jewel in the crown of this trip…Machu Picchu.

The bus ride up the mountain found us on a switchback road where every turn nearly brought us into a head-on collision with another bus. The drop from the side of the road was a sheer plummet down the side of the mountain. One wrong turn would bring certain death, but I pushed that thought as far out of my mind as I could. My focus was on the ancient city of the Incas, which had been hidden in the mountains for hundreds of years. An amazing feature of Machu Picchu is that it cannot be seen from lower elevations. The Incas positioned it to be perfectly hidden. In fact, the site was unknown to the Spanish who invaded in the 1500s, even though they had taken over and plundered many other Inca cities nearby. I was filled with anticipation as we made our way up the mountainside, and I felt impatient that there wasn’t anything to be seen as we traveled.

Finally, the moment arrived. And, the moment was shrouded by rain and clouds. I was disappointed. I had hoped to enter the city and see the beautiful vista that is always shown in pictures. With the cloud cover and rain, I couldn’t see anything but the structures in close proximity to us. I felt let down, but I kept reminding myself that the day wasn’t over yet. It was still early.

Our tour guide led us around to the major sights. He spoke English, but his accent was quite thick, so I found it difficult to understand what he said. I sympathized with some of the other people in our group for whom English was their second language. I wondered how much of the information they were getting. I tried to absorb as much as I could about the Incas and this city they had built. It has stood the test of time, but much of its purpose can still only be speculated.

As the tour wound down, I felt encouraged as I realized that the cloud cover was lifting and the rain had stopped. I now realized that I might actually get to see the city as a whole. While waiting, I explored more of the city and watched as the skies started to show more and more blue sky.

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Finally, I got to see this breathtaking view of Machu Picchu!

Finally, the clouds were practically gone, the sun was out, and the sky was blue. There it was…this majestic city of the Incas laid out in front of us, and what a magnificent site it was to behold. I kept climbing up higher and higher until I stood at one of the highest peaks of the mountain. I looked down across the city, the surrounding valleys, and all the mountains adjacent to this one. A bird soared high above the summits, and I could clearly see why the Incas chose this site of splendor for their city. It truly was as if we were closer to God in this place, a place that brushed the heavens.

With the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair, I felt like I never wanted to leave. I sat down on the ground and just tried to absorb the beauty and the power that this place held. Like a scene from another world, it seemed to have a life all its own. This, my end of the trail, could not have been better. The journey, with all its trials and difficulties, was worth it. It was worth every step, every drop of sweat, and every tear. It was a journey that changed me irrevocably, and because of that, I knew I had seen everything for which I had traveled.