Our Honeymoon // The Inca Trail


One of the first adventures Mark and I ever talked about taking was to the Inca Trail. We’d both always wanted to see Machu Picchu, and the trail made it feel like some untouched, unreachable place (even though these days it’s anything but). Once, early on, Mark even brought me a magazine with a picture of Machu Picchu on the front just because we’d talked about it so much. We promised each other that someday, we’d go.

Since then, the Inca Trail has joined a long list of dream treks we hope to accomplish… and since it’s one of the shortest (this is my ultimate) and can’t be completed without guides and porters (something a little more luxurious than the 30 lb packs and tuna in a bag we’re used to) it seemed like the perfect honeymoon adventure

inca trail / a thousand threadsinca trail / a thousand threads
We considered a lot of other alternatives, but none of them quite fit the way Peru did… so we went for it, and reasoned that if the combination of the wedding weekend followed by a 4 day trek to almost 14,000 feet really killed us, at least we’d have a few days at the beach at the end of the trip defuse.

our guide carlos / a thousand threadsinca trail / a thousand threadsinca trail / a thousand threads
But it didn’t. The trek was hard as hell, don’t get me wrong — in fact, combine a 4,000 foot ascent straight up on day 2 with the thinnest air my lungs have ever seen and ya, I was dying a little — but the hard work was rewarded with some of the most amazing views I’ve ever seen, some seriously gourmet camp food (I don’t even know how they do it, but Peruvian porters are geniuses with a camp stove), and more than one very relaxing evening under the stars.

inca trail / a thousand threadsinca trail / a thousand threadsinca trail / a thousand threads
(Those guys above were incredible… running up hills that ruined us and laughing and drinking chicha – Peruvian corn beer – along the way. Apparently, a race was held one year to see how quickly some of the fastest porters could run the trail, and the winner finished in 3 hours and 45 minutes… on a trail that took us 4 days. We were in awe of them and continue to be so grateful to them for making our trip an incredible experience.

If you ever decide to do the Inca Trail, here are a few things to keep in mind about your porters.)

inca trail / a thousand threads
The Inca Trail was hands down the best, most rewarding and amazing part of our whole trip (honestly, better than I ever expected) and in the end I’m so glad we decided to include it. Our trip just wouldn’t have been the same.

Let me know if you ever decide to go, I’d love to tell you more — our guide was the best!

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