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Published November 07, 2010, 12:00 AM

Hiking the Inca Trail

Hudson couples hike up Machu Picchu ruins in Peru


The terraces and stonework of Machu Picchu stand atop a mountain, 2,000 feet above the Urubamba River. The sacred city of the Inca people dates back to the early 1400s. Submitted photos

  • The terraces and stonework of Machu Picchu stand atop a mountain, 2,000 feet above the Urubamba River. The sacred city of the Inca people dates back to the early 1400s. Submitted photos
  • Judy and Jim Freund have their picture taken high above the campground at the end of the first day’s hike. The tents are visible in the background, below ancient Incan ruins. Jim Freund is retired from 3M Co.’s finance department. He’s the treasurer for the Carpenter Nature Center and a member of the town of Troy Park Board. Photo submitted
  • Craig and Nancy Shirley return to an Incan ruin in Cusco, Peru, that they first visited 15 years ago. Craig is a retired Hudson dentist and Nancy helped start the Special Children’s Center and Camp Avanti. They’ve both moved on to new business ventures. Photo submitted
  • Eighteen porters carried the group’s tents and gear along the Inca Trail. The men moved faster with their 40-pound loads than the Freunds and Shirleys could with their smaller packs, Craig Shirley reported. Photo submitted
  • Hiking the Inca Trail takes stamina, according to Nancy Shirley. The path has some steep climbs and goes through a mountain pass 13,200 feet above sea level. Photo submitted
  • The hikers encounter a steep climb along the Inca Trail. Photo submitted
  • Jim Freund looks over the 2,000-foot drop from Machu Picchu to the river valley below. Photo submitted
  • The Freunds and Shirleys were amazed by the stonework and terraces of the Winayhauyna Inca ruins they passed along the trail. Photo submitted
  • Judy Freund gets a lesson in spinning wool on a drop spindle in Cusco, Peru. Photo submitted