Huaynapicchu

 

A little about Huaynupicchu from Wikipedia . . . . .

Huaynapicchu rises over Machu Picchu, the so-called lost city of the Incas, and divides it into sections. The Incas built a trail up the side of the Huayna Picchu and built temples and terraces on its top. The peak of Huayna Picchu is 2,693 metres (8,835 ft) above sea level, or about 260 metres (850 ft) higher than Machu Picchu.^[4]

 
According to local guides, the top of the mountain was the residence for the high priest and the local virgins. Every morning before sunrise, the high priest with a small group would walk to Machu Picchu to signal the coming of the new day. The Temple of the Moon, one of the three major temples in the Machu Picchu area, is nestled on the side of the mountain and is situated at an elevation lower than Machu Picchu. Adjacent to the Temple of the Moon is the Great Cavern, another sacred temple with fine masonry. The other major local temples in Machu Picchu are the Temple of the Condor, Temple of Three Windows, Principal Temple, "Unfinished Temple", and the Temple of the Sun, also called the Torreon.^[5]

I stole the above picture as well because you can see Huaynapichu. It is that big mountain on the far side of Machu Picchu. Amber and I were excited to hike it. The rest of our group decided they were done hiking so we got to go at this one alone. I would call this hike the Angels Landing of the Andeas for those of you that have hiked in Zion's National Park. We were on a narrow trail, with lots of steps, and sheer drop offs pretty much the entire hike. I will have to steel some pictures so you can see it for yourself. It was foggy so we couldn't see much while we hiked. There were at least 2100 steps from what we read. It was definitely a cardio burn and it felt good. As we got closer to the top the steps got smaller and steeper. At the end we had to climb up on all fours. It was crazy.

They only let 400 hikers hike Huaynapichu a day. 200 at 8am and 200 at 11am. We had the 11am time slot.

 The sign before the entrance.

 Eating a few snacks while we were waiting for the gate to open.

The hike was really fun. I am so glad we did it.

 Trying to capture the stairs.

 It really wasn't too bad. I wonder if I would have been more nervous if I could see the drop offs. The clouds parted a few times and we got some views of the river below.

The mountains were so magical.

We made it to the top.

The cloudy views.

 Another picture of the so called death stairs. I mean if you slipped you would probably die:)

 The top of the mountain.

 It was cloudy and rainy the entire time we were on the mountain. We waited for a few minutes to see of the clouds were going to part but we didn't have much time so we were out of luck. From the top you are supposed to have an amazing view of Machu Picchu. Below is the view we were hoping for.

 We didn't get it but it was a really great hike and we were so glad we decided to do it.