Inca Trail trekkers reach Machu Picchu

September 4th, 2024

: At the Machu Picchu citadel with the rocky peak of Waynapicchu rising behind (Tyler Nachand)

: The team at Runkuracay ruin near the second pass (Tyler Nachand)

: Looking down on the Winaywayna ruins from near the third campsite (Tyler Nachand)

Yesterday the team traveled the rugged traverse of the ridge and visited the archeological sites of Runkuracay, Sayacmarca, and Phuyupatamarca en route to the 3rd camp at Winayhuayna (11,930′).

This morning the team was up early with headlamps on the trail, in order to reach the Sun Gate at dawn! Dropping down further they toured the Machu Picchu Citadel, before descending by bus to the hotel in Aguas Calientes (6,724′) for showers, a nice lunch, and some rest. Tomorrow the team will go back up to Machu Picchu to climb the small peak of Waynapicchu (8,835′) in the morning, before they catch the train back to Cusco in the afternoon. Well done team, you survived the Inca Trail!

Manaslu climbers on the way!

: Unloading in Samagaon (Phunuru)

: Samagaon view from the helicopter (Phunuru)

: Ready for the duffel shuffle (Phunuru)

: The IMG Manaslu Team at the hotel in Kathmandu (Ang Jangbu)

Sept 3, 2024 – Ang Jangbu and Phunuru report from Kathmandu that our Autumn 2024 Himalayan season is starting! First up are the Manaslu climbers, now on their way to the eighth-highest mountain in the world (8,163m). After a day of gear packing and preparations in Kathmandu, the team headed to the airport today for the helicopter flight to Soti Khola and then on to Samagaon. The team will spend several days in Samagaon doing some acclimatization hiking, before they move up to the Base Camp. Meanwhile, the sherpa team hit the trail a few days ago from Dharapani with additional equipment and food. They trekked over the Larkya La Pass to reach Samagaon from the west. All’s well in Nepal!

Inca Trail trekkers across Dead Woman’s Pass

: On the Inca Trail heading to the Dead Woman Pass (Eric Simonson)

: Rugged hiking on the Inca Trail (Eric Simonson)

Sept 3, 2024 – The Inca Trail team continued the gradual ascent out of the Urubamba River valley, all the way to the famous Dead Woman’s Pass (13,780 feet). Then, a nearly 2000 foot drop down the rugged stone steps of the Inca Trail led them to the second camp at Pacamayo. Tyler reports the weather has remained dry, though they had some clouds which kept the temperature nice for hiking. Everyone is acclimatizing normally and doing well. Next up is the most rugged section of the route (a few thousand more stone steps!) as they continue traversing the ridge that leads to Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu trekkers hit the Inca Trail

September 1st, 2024

: The Inca trail sign (Tyler Nachand)

: Inca Trail Map

IMG leaders Tyler Nachand and Maximo Henostroza report that the team were out the door early from the hotel in Ollantaytambo, on their way to the trailhead at about 8200 ft. Once they arrived, the trekkers needed to show permits and passports, since the number of trekkers permitted to start the Inca Trail each day is limited. While they were getting checked in, Maximo was getting the local Quechua porters and camp staff squared away for the journey. They started the hike at the Urubamba River (one of the highest tributaries of the Amazon) with the goal of a long gradual ascent to the first night’s camp at Wayllabamba (9,840′). Tyler said that it was a bit cloudy today, which was going to keep it a bit cooler. Maybe they will get a sprinkle. We’ll see!

Inca Trail trekkers head to Sacred Valley

August 31st, 2024

: Machu Picchu trekkers visit the Sacred Valley near Pisac (Tyler Nachand)

: Visiting Ollantaytambo (Tyler Nachand)

: At the llama farm (Tyler Nachand)

The team departed Cusco this morning and traveled to the Sacred Valley, one of the main centers of the Inca culture. They visited ancient archeological sites at Pisac and Ollantaytambo, and made a visit to the llama and Alpaca farm (and some shopping at the woolen mill gift store!). Tonight the team are enjoying their final hotel night before hitting the Inca Trail in the morning. All’s well in Peru!

Second Machu Picchu/Inca Trail team arrives to Cusco Peru

August 30th, 2024

: Team at the Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas (Tyler Nachand)

: The famous 12 sided stone (Tyler Nachand)

: The team visits the ruins of Sacsayhuamán (Tyelr Nachand)

IMG leader Tyler Nachand reports that our second IMG Machu Picchu/Inca Trail team all arrived yesterday. They got together for dinner and then a walk around the Cathedral in the central square, the Plaza de Armas. Since they are at 11,000 feet, moving slowly is important! Today they team visited the Ruins of Sacsayhuaman, the Incan Qurikancha temple to the Sun God, and other interesting local sites, before returning to the hotel for some rest. Tomorrow the team is off to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. All’s well in Peru!

First Inca Trail Machu Picchu Trek is a wrap

August 28, 2024

Team photo from Machu Picchu looking towards Waynapicchu (Tyler Nachand)

The view of Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail route from summit of Waynapicchu (Eric Simonson)

Tyler Nachand reports the team made a smooth return to Cusco yesterday, by train and road, and today everyone is departing. “After touring Cusco and the Sacred Valley, climbing the endless stairs up to Dead Woman’s pass, crossing into multiple valleys where the ecosystem changed from dry, cactus filled slopes to high altitude rain forest, we finally arrived to Intipunku, the sun gate entrance to Machu Picchu. We enjoyed 2 visits to this breathtaking site where we took lots of pictures of the area and explored agriculture terraces, store houses, the temple of the Sun, royal residencies and the main event terraces that were once used for social gatherings. Along the way we learned from our local guide about the differences in stonework styles and architectural intricacies. Today we went back up to reach the summit of Waynapicchu for a majestic view of the entire area. We then made our way back down to Aguas Calientes for lunch and then caught our train back to Ollantaytambo. We are back in Cusco now and soon to begin our travels back home. Another inspiring trip in the books! “

Inca Trail trekkers arrive to Machu Picchu

: Approaching Machu Picchu (Tyler Nachand)

: Machu Picchu with the rocky peak of Waynapicchu behind (Eric Simonson)

: Descending into Machu Picchu with the peak Waynapicchu behind (Tyler Nachand)

Aug 26, 2024 – The team got up very early this morning to get to the Sun Gate for the big entrance view to Machu Picchu (7,875′). It was cloudy, but they waited for a while and it cleared! Descending down into the Citadel is quite an experience. After a couple hours looking at the stonework and various buildings, the team headed down in the tourist bus to the hotel in Aguas Calientes (6,724′) for showers, lunch and a rest! Tomorrow the team will go back up to Machu Picchu and climb Waynapicchu, the cool looking peak that overlooks the site. The view from up there is pretty neat, but it is a steep trail with ladders in places to get up to the summit, so not a very good place for people who have acrophobia. Well done team, way to go!

Inca Trail trekkers reach Camp 3

August 25th, 2024

: Climbing out of Pacamayo camp on the way to the second pass (Dustin Balderach)

: The ruins at Sayacmarca (Eric Simonson)

: On the Inca Trail to Phuyupatamarca (Eric Simonson)

Tyler checked in on the sat phone to report that the team had a nice day of rugged hiking along the crest of the Inca Trail, traversing countless stone steps along the way. This gives a whole new meaning to “following in the footsteps” of the Incas! Their trek started with a steep climb out of the Pacamayo Camp (11,808′) to the second pass at Runkuracay (12,470′), then bumped up and down along sides of the ridge to the ancient sites at Sayacmarca (11,726’), Phuyupatamarca (11,930′) eventually to the 3rd camp at Winayhuayna (8,660′). Tomorrow the team will get up early to reach the Sun Gate at dawn, before descending down into the famous Machu Picchu citadel.

Success on Rainier!

August 25th, 2024

: Summit Success on Little Tahoma (Max Bond)

: Little T Route Belay (Max Bond)

: Emmons Shoulder with Climbers (Max Bond)

IMGs climbing teams had a successful morning on both Little T and Rainier. Lead Guide Annabelle Kays lead her team to the summit of Rainier via IMGs Emmons Shoulder Route under clear skies. Senior Guide Max Bond lead his team to the summit of Little Tahoma and captured photos of Annabelle’s team climbing!