Message in a Bottle, along with some other things

Ok 7, this one is especially for you.

We arrived in Aguas Calientes which is the town outside Machu Picchu around 1:30. By the time we checked in and got some lunch, we only had a few hours of daylight left. We decided our best chance at successfully hiding your time capsule was to go on this remote hike that starts from the train tracks leaving town. It had a sign next to it that led us to believe it was closed, but decided to go for it anyways.

Trail head tucked away

It's one of the most amazing and challenging hikes either of us has been on. We decided it rivals the Precipice trail (a trail in Acadia National Park) that we also thought was fun. It started with just some stone steps and gradually got steeper and steeper. Eventually we came to a ladder. Then another ladder. Then a SUPER long ladder which you can only see about half of in the picture below. This ladder had a few loose rungs as well as one missing rung which made it extra exciting.

After lots more hiking, we finally came above most of the trees where we could get some amazing views of the surrounding mountains and Aguas Calientes far below. It wasn't until you climbed the final steps and came onto the mountain's top that you got the grand reveal: Machu Picchu. What a reward for the one and a half hour hike up the mountain!

Clouds settling in on some mountains at the top

On our way down the sun was setting fast. The whole way up we were looking for good spots to bury the bottle. We carried all the way to the top and then decided the best place would be at the top of the big ladder, where the soil was rich and easy to dig up. It was also the first point where we realized what an amazing hike this would be.

So 7, your harmonica, carabiner, and note are now safely tucked away under some dirt, under a rock, at the top of the biggest ladder of a hike you can only reach by taking the railroad out of town. Unfortunately, by the time we reached this point it was almost night, so the pictures and video aren't the greatest.

Bonus tid bit; while searching for the trail we walked past a bar that had this playing on all the tvs. No one was watching, but it still cracked us up! What a small small world it is!