Mystical Machu Picchu - an over the top experience

Saturday, our second day at Machu Picchu, found us hiking to the very top of Waynupicchu, which is the taller of the two mountains that form the backdrop for the sacred ruins. The mountains that surround Michu Picchu are like the setting for Jurassic Park. The hike is limited to 400 people at a time. We were 337 and 338 up the mountain at 9:30am. The hike was a strenuous 2 1/2 hour hour hike, one hour to the top. We used cables and ropes to help us up the steeper slopes with 1000 foot drops. The Incas believed in big steps - all at least 2 feet high. Sometimes we simply climbed up rocky inclines. We even had to squeeze thru a tunnel to reach the apex. We literally felt that we were on top of the world. It was a great feeling of accomplishment. The beautiful clear day provided extraordinary views of Machu Picchu and the surrounding Peruvian Andes with snowcaped peaks as high as 21K feet. We had several pictures taken sitting on top of the highest rock at the apex. The photos say it all about this over the top experience.