Food From Afar - Inca Trail

Vacations are often to get away from it all, to rest, relax, and replenish the body and mind. My idea of a vacation is to load a backpack with approximately 40 pounds of gear and hike for four days along the same path the Incas used as part of their spiritual journey to Machu Picchu. The trek began at 9,200ft altitude at 88 km checkpoint. We started out around 7:30 in the morning, while the porters, carrying the food, cooking appliances, and tents, were still organizing their equipment. We soon learned that these unassuming farmers possessed serious athletic ability, as they would pass us from checkpoint to checkpoint, readying and taking down the campsites. Much of the trail remains original Incan construction, so in an effort to preserve it, only 500 people are allowed per day onto the trail, only 200 of which are tourists. Checkpoints along the way along with steep cliffs, cloud forest, and Andean Mountains prevent would-be trail crashers.

The majesty of the Andean Mountains is difficult to describe in words. Rather than being a single range, it looks like enormous mounds, covered in scrub, or jungle, or shear rock faces, were arranged at random next to each and seem to go on forever. The Inca trail itself describes a tiny line along their facades, passing at its zenith, Dead Woman’s Pass at 13,829 ft. a feat my group of six trekkers, two guides, and seven porters achieved on day two of the hike. Incan ruins periodically appeared from the forest or fog, displaying terraced gardens amongst stone and mortar construction. Just the thought of hauling that amount of materials up the slopes of these mountains was daunting.

After hours of breathtaking scenery, we came upon our campsites. The porters-turned-cooks had already constructed the eating tents and set the table. Dinners were always prefaced by tea time, where we sipped coca tea and munched on freshly made popcorn. Lunch or dinner, we were perpetually amazed at the quantity, plating, and quality of Peruvian food that was created from little more than a camp stove. Carrots, cauliflower, peas, onions, potatoes, corn, and pasta/rice were present at almost every meal. These were often presented in a variety of combinations, a fried rice with peas onions and carrots, a mashed potato topped with boiled corn, we even had a few “pizzas” made with a mashed, then fried potato base and topped with vegetables and queso andines.

Every meal was also accompanied by a protein. Peru is not known for its cuts of beef, and considering the conditions, I wasn’t expecting a seared rare fillet. That said, the chicken dishes were clean and flavorful, often using the carrots, onions, and celery along with tomato in different quantities to create a vegetable puree, sauce, or filling. We were happy to know that the enormous portion sizes were intentional, as the porters ate what we did not.

While dessert was often another round of coffee or tea before we crawled, exhausted, back into our tents, we were not without dessert. On two different evenings we enjoyed a warm, soft-set jello, the first flavored with a peach syrup, the second with purple corn, giving it an almost berry flavor. They say “hunger is the best spice,” but much of the food on the trail would be delicious anytime.

Our trek concluded on the fourth day, as we met the sunrise at the sun gate, overlooking Machu Picchu. Our group, along with the others who had made their way across the ancient path, shrugged off our bags for pictures of elated celebration at our achievement.