DAY ONE :

On the eve of before the Inca had even begun I surprisingly slept rather well even though I was a bag of nerves and not knowing what I had got myself in to! I knew it was my last night in a bed again for another 3-4 day stint although this time we wasn’t going to be sleeping on no rocking boat. Oh no! It was time to face reality and my biggest task in my life to date so, let’s do this!

Due to the demanding climb for obvious reasons Roland and Janice were here strictly on sightseeing basis only and were only wanting to witness Machu Picchu itself without any hiking or climbing involved. I don’t blame them in the slightest as you won’t be catching me do anything like that at sixty plus years of age, wise move if you ask me! So it was here we waved goodbye to some of our good fellow Brits and promised to meet them at the end of the trail.

Traditional early start began with some coca tea. Standard! Then a fairly long bus journey to Wayllabamba Camp to get all our necessary bits, equipment etc. This is where it all starts…

The group had been getting on fine and there were no awkward scenarios other then feeling incredibly sorry for noticing how unwell Hans and Kristine our Norwegian couple were feeling. They weren’t looking too good! If you remember back in my Cuzco post I mentioned that I happened to not go along to a particular meal on one of the evenings due to feeling too tired. That night sadly for Hans and Kristine they went for something they probably should of avoided for food (chicken soup/chicken leg with rice) which ended up giving them both food poisoning literally bang on cue before the trek was about to start itself. Surely it wasn’t the salad?! It obviously had taken a day or so to get into their system and as white faced as they were they was determined to put it to one side and depend on some bottled water to flush it all out. Never drink from taps in South America by way! If I’m honest I was unsure how to console them as this was a huge part of their itinerary which obviously meant a big part of their trip altogether to themselves. We all as a group kept encouraging them in hope they would both pull off the unthinkable but sadly I think it was only a matter of time before they were powerless to do much more about it and have the inevitable start to take over.

At the starting point we met our porters whom were going to be our lifesavers throughout the hike in itself. They took each of our bags and some of their own (which were obviously food equipment, camping gear, various other things). They were going to be carrying around 20kg up and down, round and round everyday so we can’t have any reason to be complaining about what we had to carry ourselves with our measly 5kg and water/energy drinks!

We then had to decide whether we were going to need hiking sticks or not. Now me being the novice I am at hiking in general I decided to go with just one stick where really it would of been a lot easier going up these stairs actually using two but with not knowing this in advance I needed to learn and find that out the hard way. Normally the same old same old with me always in life!

I was rocking out my traditional hiking cowboy hat for the first day as I wanted to put it to good use and it came in handy for some memorable selfies with the group. Here’s a few of Billy The Kid #teamwilliamwallace and at the entrance gate of the trail itself!

It’s here where we get our passports stamped for the first time and walk over a fairly well designed bridge to finally get this show up and running! It’s a hot morning and a good job I am dressed appropriately as sun is belting down on all of us. We were asked to bring a hoodie or something warm to wear overnight as temperature can drop very low at night so it was certainly worth having something packed away. Great opportunity for my big woolly hoodie from San Cristóbal me thinks!

After walking for about twenty mins or so we saw how tough the conditions were starting to get for Hans and Kristine being as both still looking as white as Casper the Ghost and were clearly sicker then your average. They both decided maybe it was best to head back before they went too far to even attempt to get back. We were all feeling ever so bad for them and it must of been hard enough for them to admit defeat on this to themselves I’m sure but I think personally they did the right thing as it would of been twice as hard throughout on both of them. We promised and vowed to one another we would all meet again at Machu Picchu and continued onwards where as they were escorted back to the start with two of the lovely porters who would be catching us all up again in no time I’m sure! Onwards Team William Wallace!

So the first day consisted of us getting used to Elias and his vision of what flat ground looks like to him. Not very flat for that matter! Inca flat is up and down but can have a tendency to mean more uphill then down! This lead to a lot of light humoured banter between me and Elias who obviously saw something in me (what I don’t know?) but we were bonding that well and I got to say I am proud to admit he felt like a brother from a different mother! Throughout the first day his witty humour with me and amongst the group as a whole was infectious and got us all through it feeling like champions but I won’t lie to you his assurance and self belief helped me in general as there’s only so much of the steep sets of steps that kept dawning upon me which were starting to get the better of me already. A long enduring day it was but not impossible.

Day Two will however be uphill for three and a bit hours so all that still to come tomorrow! What did I learn today? That I need to work on my fitness and there are fitter ones in the group that’s for sure! The clap from the porters when we had all made it to the next campsite made it all the worth it though! Plus coming to terms with not being able to wash and using holes in the ground as our toilets was a big wake up call for me being the normally squeaky clean type. Here’s some shots from making it through the first day.

DAY TWO :

Well that was an interesting first nights sleep! A single man tent with not a lot of ventilation and god knows what walking past me at night time. All that matters was I was feeling recharged and ready enough for the second day. The food cooked last night was very fulfilling and satisfying. Yesterday was tiring but certainly by no means impossible to achieve, so let’s find out what fun and games today will bring. Where’s that coca tea at guys?!

We set off at around nine in the morning after some breakfast cooked up by our porters which was delicious and got us all wide awake and set up for the terrifying hill we have coming up on ahead. It’s named ‘Dead Woman’s Pass’ which doesn’t sound too encouraging to say the least! Better known as the long steep path to Warmiwanusca. It’s uphill for the best part of about three plus hours and not just a normal walk uphill but these are Inca flat stairs which are steep and horrible to look at. Elias asked us to walk from side to side as we went up as it didn’t take as much out of you as going up directly does with one lunge after another. Ok Elias, not all of us are as fit as you!

A pattern started to form within the group from of who was based where and in what order. Bec’s and James were clearly rather good at this and were storming up the stairs with pace. The American girls Jess and Britney were also pretty dam nifty at this and weren’t that far off from the front either as was Colleen. Being a woman’s high intensity rugby player was obviously paying high dividends as she was kicking Dead Woman’s Ass not Pass! Storming up them stairs she was! Then there were the other Norwegians Erik and Liv who were from my previous trip in Galápagos and myself and John. John was amazing for me and his encouragement and the sheer will he had to go on gave me the strength to give the dead woman the best send off we could all possibly hope for! After us were Monica, Linda and bless her heart Lisa who was very close to calling it a day after the first day. For her, this was incredibly tough as Elias close friend Miguel made sure he stayed with her and others behind to help and get through the journey up ahead. The heat and altitude was getting to her more then the majority of us and I myself outta common courtesy held up my own hike to give her some much needed encouragement as well. We were all family in this group and we are going to achieve this together somehow or another. Lisa was incredibly grateful but insisted to me me to push on up ahead and prove to myself that I can smash this also as well and that she was in safe hands with the girls and Miguel. Think Miguel was enjoying the attention all to himself anyways if I’m honest anyways lol!

Elias fitness and the hundreds of Inca trips he had done before see him leaping up the stairs and in and out of the group checking up on everybody’s progress. William Wallace this and William Wallace that. It’s all I heard him saying half the time but me and Elias were getting on like we had known one another years. His desire to push everybody through this was intense but infectious. All of us had a high amount of respect and extreme loyalty towards him and we guaranteed that we will ‘all’ make it through the hardest part of the trail itself as surely it’s all plain sailing from here onwards surely!?

Suddenly we were approaching a bend on the hill and I caught wind of conversation up ahead that the top of the hill was within sight after a long hard walk upwards. This filled me with enormous joy and gave me a second wind I didn’t think I had. I got to the top or what I thought was the top!? You can see from the pics below how delighted I was originally only to find out there was still another 40-45 mins to go, uphill! Now if you speak to John about this he will tell this to you all about it with tears of laughter in his eyes. John had seen the reaction on my face and let’s just say I wasn’t best pleased to put it nicely. F this and F that. I am hitting the god dam rocks infront of me with my walking stick! I am fuming! How can this bit of the journey not be over I ask myself!? What makes matters worse is I can see some of the others who were already at the top bouncing around with joy shouting down to me ‘Come on Will!’ ‘You can do this!’ ‘You got this!’

Bec’s trotted downhill to give me some much needed encouragement but I remember being a complete utter idiot and wasn’t in the greatest of moods for conversation with anybody other then myself (sorry Bec’s!). Done that a lot already on this trip. Think that’s as kind as I can be trying to describe that moment to you all. One convo I do however remember having during Day Two that did jeer me up was oneI had with Colleen about all the doubters/haters I had back home who thought I was out on a jolly the whole time on this trip. I was on a holiday an all that rubbish!? They couldn’t be further and farer from the truth! This trip was about achieving something in my life. Proving I can prove others wrong as well as myself. How well I could handle situations like this? When you win a large amount of cash from a game show it can come with the envious type who are genuinely happy for you and see the good in the person you are to get that special gift. Sadly though this can also come with a hint of jealously and sometimes a bit of hate, all part of the parcel I guess. Colleen got what I meant entirely though and shouted down at me from above ‘Do it for the Haters!’ This then gave me the final kick up the ass I needed to join the others up at the top. There was no way on earth I was going to be stopping now! I was given the final bit of ammunition I needed to meet the others at top and embrace the moment we all got to share together. John was still in hysterics and we used this as a defining moment in the trek itself to remember the time that I lost the plot temporarily! I had to laugh at myself. Dead Woman’s Pass? Kiss my Ass! Enjoy the pics! 13,769 ft high! That’s 4,198 meters above sea level! Wow, just wow! Views are insane!

After waiting for our amazing ladies Lisa/Monica and Linda to join us we then had the joy of looking forward to some much needed lunch, a huge clap from our porters and afterwards a two hour hike, downhill! It wasn’t a slope but just the average huge steps we had been climbing up originally. Watching the porters jump down these did make me feel slightly ever so uncomfortable as one bad landing was easily a leg break especially with the 20kg plus weight on their backs yet they make it look so dam easy! Incredible strength.

So after a couple of hours we all eventually made it to on the next campsite and knew the hardest part of the trail had been completed. We could rest, have some hot chocolate/coffee and of course coca tea then get ready for supper that evening. Day Three was dawning upon us and some much needed rest was needed for us all to be in right frame of mind of what to expect for tomorrow. The stars were out in full force that evening and our cameras just couldn’t give the views we all had any justice. It was a moment to embrace. Yes it was a colder night that night but we were all fully equipped and ready for it. The group were getting on better then ever and we we all knew for sure that we had all made friends for life no matter what happens from here onwards. We were one.

DAY THREE :

So we are now on the third day and the body is certainly starting to feel it. My feet now have blisters and physically I have never felt so tired and drained as I was that day. Day Two had sucked out all of the energy of me and we still have today and tomorrow to get through as well. Time to find that second wind me thinks!

Elias started out the day spraying some liquid substance on our hands for us all to inhale, same way you would vicks for example back home. No idea what it was as he smiled back at us saying he “couldn’t say”. Whatever it was it did just the trick. I and the rest of us were pumped and I discovered it was called Florida Water.

The day in itself was going to be an all day hike with two breaks in between and although it was not going to be anything like it was yesterday there still will be some Inca Flat stairs, only some… Well it didn’t make a blind bit of difference to me as this day I am prepared for. I had never felt so more determined and some of the guys even had clocked it asking me if I felt okay lol? One thing I hadn’t spoke about much though here was obviously the hygiene efforts I was trying my hardest to maintain. With no showers and holes in ground for toilets you pretty much have to add it up yourself on what we had to do when we needed to go and it’s not for the faint hearted I tell you! Particularly for one of the group who will probably hate me for revealing this but he got the shits and had to nick one of my spare loo rolls at random times throughout the hike. I felt for him I really did, not literally and It couldn’t of been nice not being able to control your bowels whilst climbing up stairs, not to mention not being able to clean either what you have until we were back! I won’t say who it was though ;).

So we finally got to lunchtime and found our temporary Paqaymayo campsite where we were going to be having food and would you believe a cake as well also that our wonderful porters had made for the whole group specifically! Check it out! Unbelievable work! A cake cooked up in the Incan Mountains!?

How on earth have they pulled this one off with being up so high!? Just goes to show no matter how hard the task infront of us is and had left the guys assisting us along the way they were pulling out all the stops to make this the most memorable experience of our lives. Well done Team William Wallace! Well done everybody on that note! We are three quarters through it I’d say now and all that we had left was another four hours or so hiking up and downhill and an early morning start tomorrow to be at the Sungate before sunrise. We are almost there now.

That afternoon I got to speak with more members of the team on a more profound level. That would be Jess and Britts our good American allies who met us a day before starting the trail itself. Conversations turned to our paths of where we are heading to after the trail and funnily enough I had some decision making of my own for where I was wanting to go after Peru. Isn’t it lovely that I was free enough to make that choice myself with nobody to tell me what I should be doing. Free spirit and all that but the girls were saying Bolivia is supposed to be worth seeing and more in particular a traveller must see of witnessing the Saltflats based in Salar de Uyuni! Google it for yourself if your having any doubts on not seeing it! Their plan of action was to get to Bolivia and then ride Death Road in La Paz first then head on to Uyuni itself. I have to say Death Road was not as appealing as the Saltflats and if anything I was probably just making sure I saw out the rest of my trip alive! Crazy American girlies but heck I will defo be visiting La Paz I think and be meeting up with both for an emotional reunion no doubt about that!

Questions were flying round from everybody about who we all were outside of the trail and I think John dropped in conversation the whole reason I was lucky enough to be based on the trip itself with the MPD day out on channel 4 and let’s just say the girls were a little excited to know a bit more about what happened to me on that special day! To be fair I can only imagine it sounding amazing to everyone I described it to, particularly somebody who has never been on TV before and how we won it etc but after telling the same story to most people who I had become fond of it did feel like an effort telling them how everything went down that day. You all know by now I’m sure what happened but this got certain members of the group very excited and wanting to YouTube it when they got home. I suppose at least it’s all out in the open now eh!

One thing I had forgotten to mention so far was how lucky we had been with weather. Climbing up/down steep Inca stairs in wet conditions is incredibly dangerous and it was because of that it delayed my brother Toms Inca climb earlier this year. We however were super lucky and the Inca Gods were obviously with us throughout the whole journey. The worst we had was a cold night which was easy to tackle with a thick poncho for warmth. Monica took such a liking to it she offered to take it home for me when going back to England to free up some space in my rucksack and so I could get some new wintery bits for Bolivia when back in Cuzco. Monica, Linda and Lisa were all equal mothers to me in their own individual ways. They were like Sisters to one another but Mothers to me and having them at all at my side throughout for anything at all gave me a great sense of comfort knowing that they were there for us no matter what and we were there for them, always. I had really grown close to Lisa especially as she was from my previous trip in Galapagos. It was like she took me under her wing and looked out for me the same way she would if she had a son of her own there with her! I’m all for Canadian citizenship if their willing to have me! In all seriousness though I’m so glad I got to share something like this with somebody like her. Its been a test for the both of us but something that will mean the absolute world to us for the rest of our lives. If Elias was my Brother from a different Mother then Lisa was certainly a Mother exactly like my other. We are so close now …

So back to the last afternoon of the trail after our mammoth sugar overload of cake! Just a few more hours now and we are at the last campsite for the last supper. If I’m honest the last part of the hike was probably the easiest so far as it was mainly up and down and but neither continuously. Feet were sore and all of us had been bitten by the dammed small flies that took pleasure in biting us all, particularly Bex! Elias showed us two more archaeological sites along the way and some with even some llamas to have selfies with! Hi John! It was here where we had one of our most memorable photos sat together all on the edge of which looked like the world. Take a look for yourselves! The Urubamba Valley Sagrado de los Incas! 12,136 ft up (3,700m).

That same evening was our last dinner where we had one of the best cooked and very much appreciated suppers we’ve all ever had. Think I recall there being starters, main and desert! Endless amount of hot choccy to keep us warm also Elias’s gripping and jawdropping Inca history tales after dinner keeping us all on edge!

Elias then got each of the porters/chefs to introduce themselves to us all while he translated what they all said to us in English from Spanish and even Incas own language ‘Quechua’. Isn’t it amazing that in the 16th century the Incas used a system of knotted strings known as ‘quipu’ to send messages around their own empire!

How each of them had their own story was quite remarkable but a lot of them do it for the small amount of money they make from every hike just to feed their families. Walking around for majority of their days with 20kg on their back all day everyday is all they are ever used to but some of their stories brought a tear to our eyes and made us all realise again just how lucky we all were that they had accompanied us every step of the way so far. Their climb is at an end after tonight and then it’s on to the next one the day after to start the whole process over again with another group. Phenomenal human beings! We even had a stray random dog accompany our group along the way but rumour had it most don’t make it to the end without it having being put down. No way are we letting that happen. We are finding this chap a home to go to someway, somehow!

It had got to the stage where being unwashed for three days with just towel wipes as our cleaning apparatus made us all incredibly dirty and itching for a hot shower! Just one more sleep and the bathroom I’m in next will be the longest time I have ever set foot in a bathroom #ever! For those that know me properly they will find that probably very hard to believe but after an early nights sleep it’s going to be up at 03:30am to begin the hike to the SunGate at sunrise. Sooooo close! The Gods will be and are now watching!

DAY FOUR:

Wallace! Wallace! Wallace! Wallace! Wallace! Team William Wallace has made it to the fourth and final day Ladies and Gents! It’s been a heck of a journey but we are now in touching distance of making it to the holy ground and achieving something very special in our lives indeed. The feeling amongst us all is very hard to describe I would say. Nervous, excited, proud, overwhelmed all sprang to mind but what stood out the most is that no matter how hard it has been it’s been without doubt in my lifetime the most rewarding and fulfilling experience you could ever hope for. An emotional roller coaster like no other and who would of thought with random people from the world all over that after just a week together you now see these people I can now call friends for the rest of my life. We have all been in this together and now its time to finish this altogether in style!

It’s finally 03:30am and we are awaken for the short trip down to the SunGate for sunrise. Being woken up earlier then usual was a bit hard to take at first but once full of coca tea and bit of breakfast we are all set and ready to go. We then set off to a check point where other groups who had also been travelling along the way all had formed together and waited before setting off in stages so there wasn’t any overcrowding. This is so well thought out this trip I couldn’t believe it.

The final hike trip now begins and we all set off towards the most emotional and breathtaking experience we will ever encounter. Hiking has never seemed so easy now and after doing it three days straight the hike in itself was pretty easy actually and we were even put through our paces of climbing a mini wall with just our hands and feet. Wasn’t that big but was enough to make you wonder that you’ve come this far so nothing is stopping you now. Once all up and over and some funny photos taken of us all we are within site of what we have been trekking to come and see. Machu friggin Picchu! We are now officially at the SunGate at sunrise and it’s just absolutely incredible. I can’t even begin to describe to you how that feeling felt but to give you some idea I would say floating on air was certainly up there for a moment or to! Selfies galore! Group pictures galore! Tears, cuddles, hugs galore! Raw emotion is in full flow here! So so soooooooo proud of everyone and myself in particular. I don’t think I could of done it without them and having Elias there by our sides throughout gave us all that reassurance we were going to finish this no matter what. I had no idea it would feel this way! William Wallace Team is within ten mins walking distance of the one and only Machu Picchu! Please excuse the sweat in the photo!!!

So we had finally made it! Four days and three nights. No Facebook, no social media, no contact with loved ones back home. All that to come but first time to celebrate and take it all in!

Machu Picchu is absolutely amazing to witness you have to believe me. Especially when you been on a journey like we all have. We had all achieved with what looked like the near impossible at one point and this view we have right here infront of us had made it all the worth our while. So so beautiful. Emotions running high! Keep on reading below! Nearly there!

To all of our astonishment we bump into Kristine and Hans who had obviously recovered from their nasty food poisoning encounter almost instantly and we embrace within one another’s company. I can barely even string a sentence together to talk to them and say how it has been and how tough it must of felt to hear about it all from us. Janice and Roland were there also too. Think the train trip to Machu Picchu must of been a little easier! Will be getting that on the way into the village of Machu Picchu itself shortly soon but first let’s show you all those amazing photos of the place itself! An also lastly one of the William Wallace Team!

Still scratching my head! How have I done this!? Absolutely gobsmacked! 4 days, 38 miles and near enough 15,000 feet high, no showers and the worst toilet facilities you could possibly imagine so without any more delay let’s get on the beers and get those passports stamped once again! Throughout the trail passports are needed for entry and at the end so that people behind this idea know you didn’t get lost on the trail itself lol! I just wanted the bragging rights as proof that I’d done it if I’m honest! All about the stamp when it comes to travelling folks!

Me and the American girls head off onto the coach waiting for us (due to high volume of people surrounding site itself the group had all evaporated) and into the village ‘Aguas Calientes’ for food and much needed alcoholic beverages! After using holes in the ground as our luxurious bathroom measures past few days some of us paid a visit to the bathrooms a bit longer then the usual! We ordered up some food there as the group we had heard were heading to a particular bar that is one of Elias favourites. Time to neck some well deserved Cusquenas and toast with my new found friends to the good life! Plus I gave a heart felt speech on behalf of Team William Wallace towards Elias to say a massive Thank You for this opportunity to have been given to us all. The sheer privilege of achieving something so special and remarkable in our lives! As the alcohol poured a few of us became deservedly so a little bit tipsy and it wasn’t long before we continued the binge sess on the train back towards Cuzco town. Bec’s used that opportunity to try help me learn how to tie up my hair without me having to keep asking people how to do it. Sad but true I know! Here’s a couple of Aguas Calientes and that all important passport stamp!

So we are back in Cuzco and it’s make your mind up time Will! Where am I gunna go next and what am I gunna do without the group anymore?! The girls were nagging me to join them for Death Road in Bolivia but in fairness I was physically and mentally shattered so because I had time on my side and they didn’t I chose to remain in Cuzco a little bit longer with some of the others who were still based there for an extra day or two going in different directions. I intended on staying for a week and ended up getting three massages, not back to back but I did have two in one day! Well deserved! Different types that all did different things to help me recover quicker and I also got in touch with my brother Tom knowing he had found a wicked hostel here previously earlier that year so thought I’d try that out as I was fed up with being in the hotel as it wasn’t as close to everything that I wanted to travel around and see. Cheers for that advice Tom! I booked a private double!

The remaining members of the group got together one last time and we all had an emotional last reunion at dinner that night and as well we did after drinks in Roland and Janice’s hotel room. Elias even came along too and asked when would I be heading back to do it all over again?! Maybe in my afterlife Elias lol! We all said our emotional goodbyes to one another where more tears were shed and we all went our separate ways. I knew I’d be seeing the American girls in Bolivia, hopefully alive and well after their Death Road trip experience though!

A decision had been made. Next stop is a 11 hour coach ride to La Paz Boliviaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!