Guest Episode: The Inca Trail with Kayla

The Inca Trail ascends over 14,000 feet to the ancient Incan site of Machu Picchu. Today, as we launch our new guest interview series, we speak with Devin's sister, Kayla, to hear from her experiences atop the Andes Mountains.

We are also pleased to announce the launch of our free Substack newsletter, The Long Ways. This newsletter will feature tips on how to prepare for long hikes, stories from behind the trails, and ways for you to get more information on the #hikinglife! Click here to start your subscription.

For more from our hiking trio, follow us on Facebook , Instagram and coming soon - videos on our YouTube channel.

Have a comment or an idea for an upcoming episode - contact us through our website or email us at hikewithus@thelongwayspodcast.com.

Transcript

…Hey everyone This is Devin with the long ways podcast. I'm here with just a few brief announcements to start with. First off you might notice that we are starting a new long ways substack that will be our place to find everything you need to find about the long ways podcast will live there but also we're gonna be providing some new materials some random materials some recommendations, and a few other exciting things that come your way So if you haven't already registered to the long way sub stack you can find a link to the description here. And also you can find it on our social media channels and our website. Also, we'd like to announce that this is kind of a new podcast series we're starting right now Instead of us talking about our own hikes, each month we're going to be talking to someone about a different hike that they've done and what it meant to them a different long ways around the world So we're gonna start with actually interviewing my sister Kayla, who recently went on a pilgrimage of shorts,
along the inca trail to Machu Picchu. Kayla is not a as you'll probably hear during the podcast she is not necessarily a long ways hiker herself. And so we wanted to get a different kind of perspective of what it is like to do on these trails, for someone who this isn't you know their yearly experience. So it's a really great episode we are excited to listen to her story and I'll let us go from there
…
Hello and welcome to the Longways podcast. I'm Devin Windelspecht. And today we are bringing you a new guest to the podcast It's not just me and Michael or occasionally Eric we are bringing in my sister, Kayla, who recently actually hiked the Inka trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. So today we thought we'd do something a little bit different because Normally it's me my father Eric kind of talking about the hikes we go on our our yearly hikes. But today we wanted to talk to someone who doesn't do this all the time, who is not like someone who does, you know, a hike every year but did something really really cool this past November, in December, like the Inka Trail.
So Kayla I wanna, you know tag you in Tell us a little bit about yourselves Tell us who you are just besides my sister. And tell us you know a little bit about why you guys decided to hike the the inka trail to machu Picchu. Yeah Hi everyone I'm Kayla Windlesbeck i am as mentioned
Devin's younger sister. And in this past December So December of twenty twenty four me and my mom actually did the Incat Trail hike four days to Machu Picchu as part of a trip we went on to Peru. And kind of like Devin mentioned, I am not really a, multi day hiker, like, Kevin and and dad and Eric are I am very much a day hiker. I really don't do the kind of, camping out hikes so even this four days which I guess is kind of short compared to a lot of the hikes that you guys usually do was kind of a big a big change and a big challenge for me personally. but it was it was definitely I think definitely worth it and I know we're gonna get into talking a little bit about about Machu Picchu towards the end but it was I would say it was definitely worth it to to do this But I'm not sure if I'd do it again So But we'll get to that part I mean I think the the first thing to to ask is like, You know the Inka trail is a pretty famous trail but for people who don't know what the Inka trail is can you just give us a bit of a description of what it is and maybe a little tiny bit of history to it Yeah So…
kind of as a disclaimer I am not a historian i read a couple books about this before I went because I thought it was interesting so the Inka Trail is part of a, the Inka Trail today kind of the modern Inka Trail that you hike on. Is part of what was a very very lengthy and very intricate network of roads, created by the Inca empire before Spanish conquest in the fifteen hundreds. And the part of the Inka Trail that we hiked was about twenty six miles I think that's about like forty forty some kilometers everything is in trick so I had never had any idea how long we were actually going for That's you know the curse of the dumb American but…
so the part that we hiked on, was a about twenty six miles over about about three and a half days You get you only really high half a day the last one, and…it goes to what I believe used to be part of a pilgrimage trail to the site of Machu Picchu back when Machu Picchu was a, a Inca city basically so you go through, the Andes You start you started about…
eleven thousand feet You go down a bit and then you go back up to fourteen thousand feet. And then yeah that's that's definitely the hard part I actually right now I'm living in the Colorado I live in the Rockies. Or right outside of the Rockies. And so I definitely thought that you know what's fourteen thousand feet It'll be fine you definitely feel it once you get up that high. It was not it was not easy that part of it And then you go actually back down from there You go all the way back down the mountain to Machu Picchu which is I believe at about eight thousand feet and you end at Machu Picchu and take the the tour of of the archaeological site…
Yeah So while you're hiking the Inca Trail you're going past a lot of old Inca sites I mean they still have all of these kind of really well protective really well preserved archaeological sites. And definitely shout out to all of the guides on the Incatrail who our guides especially were incredible and new, you know, every detail about literally everything that we've asked so we're able to give us you know the history the knew everything about not only the incocytes but also about like, every plant. my my mom is a big, Porticulturalist so she was stopping about every five minutes to ask about you know what's this plant What's this plant What's this plant And they knew every single one And they knew you know like the the the history and like the uses and the the ecology of every single one So that was pretty amazing. This is not the full Incatrail. You know these these these four days isn't this like it's a vast network of trails that go back to the the time of the inca empire Correct?
Yes so
I mean I have no idea how long the inca trail goes in, in total and there's not there's not you know just one Inca Trail There's Inca Trails you know there's it it's this it was this huge network of roads that pretty much went for the whole through the whole Inca empire which I believe at a tight went pretty much down the entire west coast of South America I mean it was from a you know Southern Ecuador to Northern Chile I think and up through in in the Andes it was actually it was pretty amazing while we were hiking this thinking of the people who had to build this you know and how they had to Yeah Bring all of these you know just all of this stuff up into the Andes not only to make the not only to make the trail but also to make the the sites that we went through You know there were, there were villages old Inca villages There were like, storage depots There were check points you know before you went into Machu Picchu and everything
we went through the gates of the sun, right before you go through Machu Picchu which is really really amazing but it is really incredible to think of not only how people built all of this you know up here in the andes but how they built just all of these trails like pretty much all through, Western South America I mean this was a really really incredibly…large and and, well maintained empire I mean the the Incatrail has been they when we were on it they were talking a bit about…
you know the the restoration efforts that they've they've done for the in control but for the most part I think it's it's held up pretty well I mean this is this is you know minimum about five hundred years old at this point and we're still walking on it So well I mean I think Yeah I mean unless we forget that you know you're walking through the the ruins of the old incan empire but the people are still there Yes. As well especially the first day when you're hiking you're hiking through, you know towns and villages where where people live and that was that was actually part of the Incatrail where they were telling us at the beginning They were like you need to make sure And anyone who wants to hike the Incatrail this is my my first…
my first recommendation you need to make sure for the first couple days that you have small change because you do have to pay to use the bathrooms for the first couple days. Good to know Good to know. well I mean let's let's pull it all the way back. How did you find yourself like what was the series of events that found you about to hike to fourteen thousand feet of elevation on the first day of the inca trail How did this all start? Oh well actually I got roped into it a little bit Like I said I went with my mom who is a bit more of a traveler than I am tech typically.
And she really really wanted to take this trip to Peru and invited me to go with her And so in total it was a two week trip so actually the Incatraz part of it was only four days but it was definitely the the most intense four days of the trip for sure. So we actually had about a week in Peru
as part of this trip before we started the Inka Trail which was actually pretty nice because before we started the Inka Trail we actually had a couple of days at the city of Puno in Lake Tidihaka, which is I think at about twelve thousand feet so we were able to acclimate a little bit before we started which was nice but it was still there it wasn't you know it wasn't just me and mom We were part of a a large group We had about eight people total in our group. And, one of the people in our group I felt so bad this girl she had terrible terrible altitude sickness, through the whole through the whole inca trail like she was she was really really sick and I was really impressed that she still did the whole thing I think if I'd been that sick I would have I wouldn't have made it through the first day you know. but it was it was definitely…I think…harder It was I mean it was definitely harder than I than I thought it was going to be.
but it was also I think just just really rewarding it was definitely you know whenever I hear you and dad talk about these trips You always talk about how how hard it is and kind of miserable it is And then at the end it's always but I'm really glad that I did it you know and I always thought that that was kind of dumb And then I did this And I'm like oh okay I see it now because it was kind of miserable but I am really glad that I did it So Well I mean you're talking about the elevation a lot I remember, you know I was hiking way back I brought this up a couple of times in the podcast but way back when I was eighteen, I me and my high school friends decided to go hike the Colorado Trail Colorado. And above ten especially like eleven twelve thousand feet you really feel it. you really yeah Yeah Yeah Like every step's so much harder and breathing's harder And You just can't catch your breath I mean that was what really got me
so the second day we was kind of when we were going straight up we were going to dead women's pass and I'm sure we're gonna kinda go through a step by step of of the trail a little later But, it was you pretty much go straight up all day And it was like you take five step or at least for me and I was definitely in in the back of the group I was the last person to finish that day, but it was you know if you take like five steps then you have to stop and and catch your breath and then you take five steps and have to stop and catch your breath And I just, I think that was kind of part. That was definitely part of why it was so difficult It was just I think I didn't really understand how how much the altitude affects you And you're especially living at five thousand feet right now and older So…Yeah Yeah I'm and I I you know I've been up higher for hikes I just haven't I I think fourteen thousand feet is It it is the highest I have ever been Yes
that is the the, highest elevation I've ever been to I've ever hiked at and it was it was rough Yeah Unless we forget I mean going back to Colorado that's the height of the tallest mountain Colorado that you were at Yes so those those massive peaks that you're like I'm not climbing that That's where you were at So Yes so again it was very nice Not sure I'd do that again. Well let's walk us through like it was a you said three and a half day Just walk us through each day Like So someone who is going to get on the in control right now or is thinking about it, what should they expect with each day…
Yeah So so that's actually kind of interesting one thing that I didn't know before we started is that, It's actually kind of luck of the draw what you do each day I mean there's kind of general similarities on no matter what but they it's kind of luck of the draw which campsites you get. so people get assigned to different campsites we we went in December which is the start of the rainy season So it was really the off season for the inca trail so it wasn't really as busy I as it usually is. but there's the the campsites are kind of spread out. And you get assigned different ones So you might be sharing a campsite with like one other group but it's not going to be you know packed I think they do a they do a really good job with they they really focus on managing the the Incatrail and keeping it keeping this you know heritage site, together I mean they really don't want you don't want you know thousands and thousands of people trekking through and you know throwing their garbage everywhere and and kinda ruining these sites They do a really good job of kind of
really strictly managing that for the parks there But we for for our trip, we kind of got lucky where we got really good campsites. so the first day, The first day wasn't so hard the first day was about oh I'm trying to convert from from kilometers it was about seven miles I think and it was a little up and down but it wasn't you weren't you know, doing the the straight up hikes or anything it was just kind of easing you into it And then the first day you're walking through a lot of again like kind of a lot of towns where people obviously are are living and you can buy you know they they have all these little stands set up or you can buy some some junk food from them which is always nice because you you do end up really wanting you know like some Oreos when you're when you're on the trails and you can buy water from them and everything and…
And, the second day is where it gets really…hard So for us the way that we got our campsites, the second day was the shortest but it was the hardest that had the most elevation game We had something like eleven hundred meters I have no idea how how that is in feet Sorry I A lot A lot of feet Yeah A lot of feet It was eleven hundred meters of elevation gain in in the first half of the day on the second day. so our the way that ours was set up was that the first day was about seven miles The second day was much shorter but it was much harder because you were kind of going straight up the whole day. and then the third day was our longest day. And but it was pretty much all downhill on the third day So I thought that was going to be much easier It ended up being, if you could it turns out if you go downhill for like seven hours straight it hurts Yes Exactly so we figured that one out on our hike too So Yes Exactly.
and then the fourth day you you have to get up really really early We had to get up at three in the morning, and then you hike into Machu Picchu And that that was only like I think only like seven kilometers so So not bad It was just it was just very very early at home and then you get to spend the day in Machu Picchu But so that was our campsites and that worked out really really well there were other groups that…
kind of had a a less lucky…draw where their second day was much much longer. so they basically had to hike up this giant mountain and then hike down the mountain and then hike up another mountain Yeah That sucks Which would have been that would have been really terrible But for us Yeah So the first day is just kind of easing you into it It's kinda up and down a little bit but it's not it's not so bad And then the second day you or what we did was that we had to hike up to what's called dead women's pass, which is the highest point of this part of the inca trail It's about fourteen thousand feet. And what you do is you just you they get you up at like five in the morning and you just walk straight up until yeah So we were told we were going to end early in the afternoon That was kind of the the good part that we'd be at the next campsite by like one to two in the afternoon and we were we actually made pretty we actually made pretty good time but it was,
it was several hours of just you're just hiking straight up this mountain. And for us because we were at the start of the rainy season it did start to rain on us And it is technically summer in the southern hemisphere but if you if you're up at fourteen thousand feet that doesn't really matter It was quite cold. and it was it was pouring on us And you know we were sitting there with our rain gear and our ponchos on top of our rain gear And just it it was kind of one of those…
one of those moments where…
so you you can on the Inka Trail you can technically turn back. it's kind of
I don't know if I can say this on the podcast It's kind of a dick move. Yeah because like not you know if you're sick or if you're injured that's a different thing you know but it it because if you turn back then for the Incatrail you have a team of porters who are carrying your things And you know first of all god bless these guys. I could I could never do it. but if you turn back then they have to get all your stuff and go all the way back with you. and…
I think that there was a moment…
several moments probably the second day were kind of the only reason I didn't turn back was because I felt like it would be too much of a dick move to ask these people to go back with me, because it was the second day was pretty miserable and then it kinda gets to the point where it's like alright at this point the shortest route for me is just to go up the mountain Mhmm You know like you just had like the shortest the the way that this is over the fastest is that you just get up to the top of the mountain. I wanna come back to you know before you did this hike, you know you kind of told me like I'm not really sure I can do it Like, I'm you know a little afraid I'm not gonna be able to complete it and you did which is amazing. But I think what you're saying right now is something we've we've all encountered on the trail but that is that mental aspect of the trail It's just really hard sometimes. and I'm kind of like asking like how did you get through besides just like the weird like peer pressure not even peer pressure just like the I don't wanna be addicted to these guys pressure. Like how did you get through, like the mental challenge of this?
Yeah
so I think first of all I think that this you know the the second day of the trail was something that I was definitely dreading you know not just for the hike but kind of the whole week that we were in Peru beforehand because I kept thinking you know I'm not going to be able to do this and…one of the I think one of the things that was really probably the the main thing of how you're able to get through it is that everyone, not just in our group but also the guides that we have were so supportive and we had first of all we had a really really good group. everyone in our group you know got along really well and was like really really supportive to each other and everything And but our our guides also were very much you know…
telling us you know like, you it it is a very mental thing You you can't tell yourself I can't do it And they were telling us you know it doesn't matter if this takes longer You know it doesn't matter if you're the last one and then the group And I was I was one hundred percent the last one in the group especially on the second day but they're you know they're saying you know like it doesn't It it doesn't matter how slow you have to go You know you you can get to the top of the mountain. And they they told us these stories actually of you know like the people that they've they've had on on the group you know they
they were telling us this story about this guy who was like like eighty two or eighty three and it had always been his, his, kind of bucket list thing that he wanted to hike the incontrail And then finally he's like well I'm just I'm just going to do this you know and they were talking about how it was you know he was it took him a really really long time but he he got to the campsite at the end you know and they they helped him up the mountain and everything And so I think that the that was that kind of like mental attitude…
Was a big part of it but I think that there's also kind of the mental attitude of a little bit of like, I want to be able to say that I did it You know like I don't want to be the person who turned back. and and again I think that it's different you know like they they if you know like if you like just frame your ankle on the trail or something like that's that's very different Or if you get really sick you know like I was talking about this girl in our group I was like genuinely really surprised She didn't turn back because she was like Like she was like throwing up you know like she was she was really really suffering from this altitude sickness. but I think it did kind of become just a personal thing you know not just kinda the the peer pressure but kind of a personal thing of like I'm all the way out here and I want to be able to say that I did the Incatrail I want to be able to say that I hike Yep. To Machu Picchu I don't I don't want to have to say to myself that I gave up doing this.
and I will say that as soon as you get to the top of the mountain or at least for me as soon as I got to the top of that mountain and I was up on the the dead woman's pass I was like alright I'm good for the rest of the trip because nothing I do in this trip is gonna be as hard as that Like, it felt like it was such a weight because like I was I had been dreading it so much and then it was such a weight off my shoulders that I'm like alright I don't like I've got like two more days of this but nothing is gonna be as hard as that was so, and then you have to go down the mountain and that was also that was actually also quite tough because it was pouring rain It's the Incatrails all stone It was very very slick so it did take us actually quite a long time to get down to our campsite as well but yeah and then after that the third day the third day was just really long
or longer than the other days but it was pretty much you go for us the way that our campsite was We had to go a little bit up, in the morning. but then after that it was just kind of all downhill because dead women's passes you know what fourteen thousand feet and then you have to get down to Machu Picchu which is at like eight thousand feet So it was just all downhill the whole day. and I slid a couple times lucky for us you know no one in our group got hurt but we all kinda wiped out on the white stones a couple times so Well I mean we talked about the challenge of this And I think you know for for people who are listening kind of being real about the challenges is important. You know you don't you don't want to tell anyone like hey it's not a challenge It's not gonna be difficult. You know?
Well that was what you told me So I'll, So I called I called Devin, the night before we went and I was telling him…
you know I don't think that I can do this You know I was talking to you saying like like I'm I'm really kind of freaked out about I don't know if I can do it you know and your advice to me you because you were asking me you know what are you afraid of And I'm like well I'm afraid it's going to be too hard And and your advice is pretty much You just have to exactly. Going to suck so, which I thought was terrible advice when you gave it to me But then when I was actually doing it I'm like oh shit He was right Yeah Well that's basically it sometimes Like we've had I'm gonna get to this part up with you but we've had these wonderful moments in the trails but like you have to accept sometimes that like you're gonna be in torrential downpours or horrible heat And like, I mean obviously the worst thing that could happen could be like a serious injury or worse But if you come get into your head, Okay The worst thing that's gonna happen to me is that this sucks. Yeah Then like okay That's it It's like it just sucks you know And like that's fine. And it is definitely I think that
I haven't really experienced this before because like I said I do…I do day hikes You know I don't do this kind of camping stuff or this kind of multi day stuff. but I I did have kind of this experience of of kind of like alright this sucks And the only thing that you can do just keep walking Yep And you know every step you take is is one step closer to being able to pass out tonight So, Well what about the but let's talk about the good parts of this trail What was like the best moment on the trail for you…
Oh that's a good question well first of all it was really really pretty. the Andes are just really beautiful and I think probably the best moment on the trail for me. oh it's hard to pick one But…when we were going down from dead woman's pass, it was it was raining very hard but I was I felt…I felt so much better knowing that that was behind me I think was part of it Like my mood just like immediately lifted as soon as you get as soon as I got up to the top of it But then when you're hiking down dead women's past you're kind of going beside this…like really really beautiful waterfall that goes all the way down this mountain And you couldn't really see it from where we were but the the guides were talking about how there's this like lagoon on the top of unlike the very very top of that mountain and…
there's just this really beautiful waterfall that goes all the way down and you're there was a couple times where kind of the, the the rain kind of paused for a second You could see a little better you know and it was just this gorgeous gorgeous view of like the whole Andes mountains And I think there was kind of that kind of paired with the the feeling of like oh god I actually did it Yeah You know the thing that was just I felt so good coming down that mountain And then even though I did you know almost killed myself a couple of times falling on rocks and I think that and then getting down to the camp site and then having lunch and then napping…
Mhmm In the tent, right after that like being able to change into dry clothes and just like passing out for like two hours that was really really nice I think I've had some of my best naps of my life after a long hike on one of these trails So yeah So so, yeah So that feeling of coming down the mountain tied probably with right after that like changing into dry socks. was also probably one of the best feelings on the trail. Yeah So definitely, my advice especially for if you're going in the rainy season…
bring more pairs of socks than you think you're gonna need bring extra pairs of socks It's worth the wait…
That was a big thing, also with…
preparing for it is that you do have a pretty strict weight limit of what you can bring because again like you have the the porters who have to carry all of this stuff So you know don't don't don't be a dick to the porters Don't try to get the porters to you know don't try to like slide stuff in there You know they've they've gotta carry this and they've gotta carry it way faster than you are Yeah And my other I guess my other recommendation would be…
get the hiking poles Like either bring your hiking poles or rent hiking poles because Always get hiking poles Always get hiking poles Because especially going down like going down on that slick rock was I was so glad that I had those hiking poles. There was actually someone in our group who didn't get hiking poles And it was actually because she had arthritis in her hands So that was why she didn't use them but for that downhill part another member of the group like gave gave her one of his so that because it's like otherwise you might you know it's Yeah It's important It it is really it is really important but yeah and then…The next day was actually really nice weather wise We got really lucky where we only really had the one rainy day And honestly if we were going to have one rainy day I'm actually kind of glad that it was the second day because we we were all gonna be miserable that day anyways So, it wasn't so bad. And then the second day yeah it was just kinda long.
but we went through I think the second day we we went through the most Inca sites We hit like like four different inca sites And it's really, kinda cool because the closer you get to…Machu Picchu the more…
oh I don't really know how to say it Like almost like the more like spiritual…they become because Like the guys were saying this did used to be a a pilgrimage route. and…
the last site that you hit this was actually the the fourth day in the morning but the last site you hit between…the gates of the sun, and which is this really cool kind of like fort almost that's like right up in a past And you can usually see Machu Picchu from it we again rainy season There were a bunch of clouds in the way but it was still it was still really really cool to be up there…
But between the gates of the sun in Machu Picchu if I'm remembering right the last site that you hit before Machu Picchu they had. It was this big I'm blanking on the word altar basically It was this big like black rock that had been used as as an altar. and when you pass by it you can see that there's still…people still leave offerings of like coca leaves. On this this rock and people still leave a little like coca candies like without the wrapper yeah don't don't leave trash on the inca trail place but and it's just really cool to kind of pass by that and and just kind of think about…
I guess just like how many people did that before you like not not so much like the not just you know like the tourism and the hiking but like the the people…
who did this as, you know a a religious or or political you know pilgrimage back in the Inca empire of like how many people passed through like passed by that same rock and passed through this same area And it was…I mean saying that it's really cool is you know a huge understanding you know, but it was it was It was so so cool to all of that Well we're coming up on time here but you know, one of the things I want to ask you is, so, you know we're we're doing this thing more on the long ways but we're we're talking to more people who are doing their hikes And I wanna like one of the things I always wanna ask is like what you got out of the hike And I want to take a step back here and say like, when I did my first hike like this which was the Tour Mont Blanc was with that. Our response was oh my god we wanna do this every year all the time and that's what we did But, you know your yours is just a little bit different It seems to me You've already said I probably wouldn't do that again even though it was a amazing experience. So what do you take out of this trail But are you you know, it sounds a little cliche but like what is it you bringing with you Coming from the trail. Yeah
that's a good question So yeah I'm not sure, you know you you never wanna make definitive statements about that this kind of thing because you don't know what's gonna happen I I'm not sure I would do something like that. Again I think I'm for the foreseeable future going to stick to to day hikes but I think…it definitely felt…know first of all it did definitely feel like a bucket list thing It did definitely feel like a bragging rights thing that I get to say that I did it but I think that…the main thing I'm taking away is that I I did do it You know like I and now I know that I can do that I can do it because I was so nervous and so anxious about it beforehand and I was so convinced that I like physically could not handle it And I think kind of the the lesson to take away is that…
I guess I'm capable of more than I thought that I was you know the and it is one of those things where it's like yeah this is this is just going to suck but you you can get through it you know, and I think that that's kind of a really…
a really good thing to be able to take away of just kind of like you're you're capable of more than you think that you are. I think that's a really good place to end Well Kayla thank you for joining the long ways. maybe we'll see you on another trail like that in the future Maybe not Yeah Thank you for having me To end our podcast I'm Devin Widdlesbeck Yeah And I'm Kayla And this is a long ways podcast Thank you for listening
…