May 8 2025 – Chiquisca to Cusco

I had a fitful night of sleep last night. It was hot, humid, and the mosquitos were BAD. Even sleeping under a mosquito net they still got me.

I ended up leaving in the morning probably a little later than I should have. I did stock up on water before leaving. I had 4 liters, plus a 20 ounce bottle of Coke. That wasn’t enough. It was a hot, exhausting day.

The last 900 vertical feet are probably the most brutal stretch of the entire trail, and I was probably precariously close to getting heat stroke.

But!

Fortuitously, when I plopped my ass down on the last switchback to take a long break to find the willpower to actually finish the damn trail, a guide sat down next to me to wait for one of the stragglers in his group. He ended up offering me a ride back to Cusco on the van they were bringing his group back in. It wasn’t free, but it was still significantly cheaper and faster than I could’ve got it done myself, and I didn’t have to figure out the logistics. Bonus.

So now I’m back in Cusco. I’ve rented a hotel here for 2 nights. Tomorrow is going to be spent doing some post trek relaxing, and figuring out how I want to make my way to Aguas Calientes, and then the next day I’ll head off on whatever adventure I come up with.