The Urubamba River rattles and hums like the sound of its own name as we begin the four-day hike. With porters to carry the heavier gear on the mountainous 43km track, our group spreads out along the trail, ducking through forests and crossing alpine pastures. Above us, the 5860m peak of La Veronica keeps watch like a silent, snow-veiled nun.
Quechua Indians skim past, seemingly unburdened by the huge bundles they carry. We reach our first set of ruins, Patallacta, with its unmistakable pillow masonry, then keep climbing until our first campsite, Wayllabamba village, at 3000m, comes into welcome view.
Day two is the big one. We start early, heading ever upwards. Behind us, the valley is a wedge of air driven into the earth while the spires of the Cordillera Vilcabamba loom above us. It’s exhilarating, breathless work but after three hours we reach the dramatic Abra de Huarmihuanusca, “Dead Woman’s Pass.” At 4420m, this is the highest point of the trail.
After a good night’s sleep we hoof it up to Runkurakay, a lonely fort that has guarded the Inca Trail for half a millennium. Its mortarless stones still dovetail so perfectly that you can’t slip a piece of paper between them.
Fantastic twists of vapour sweep up from the valley floor as we attack a short, steep incline to the next pass at 4000m. The descent is literally historic — we’re now on the original stones of the Inca Trail, walking in the footsteps of messengers from across the Incas’ vast empire.
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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