Inca Trail, Day 2: The dreaded day had arrived - we had been told by many that the second day of the Inca Trail was \" a hard slog\", \"the toughest of the 4 days\". Whilst we had taken these comments on board nothing was to prepare us for what was to come. We were woken with a cup of tea by the porters - an unexpected but very pleasant surprise ! After packing our bags we headed down to a fine breakfast of fruit, yoghurt, bread and tea - superb! We were then given a cup of porridge - all energy food we presumed. The others took ages to come down to brekkie, so instead of setting off at 7am we were delayed until 7:30. Finally we set off ensuring we werenīt behind the slow ones. To begin with Evert kept stopping us to show us orchids and other plants. Whilst this was interesting it broke the rhythm and both Trev and I wanted to crack on with the walk. Despite Trevīs illness the day before he was on good form today, the colour was back in his cheeks and he was ready for the walk. Finally Evert told us to walk on at our own pace, he would see us at the camp. If we got into trouble we should wait for him as he had the oxygen bottle. He was going to walk with the last person today to make sure we all made it safely there. Relieved to be released Trev and I set off up the hill at a steady pace. The first part was at a fairly steep gradient but was just a path, no steps or anything. The sun was out and we were beginning to wonder what all the fuss was about ! We went past the first stopping place to see our porters having a break ! We then started to head into some woods where Evert had told us we would find a microclimate. Virtually as soon as we entered the woods the rain began, first lightly and then a downpour. With the rain came the steps ! The further we went the steeper they got. Through the trees it wasnīt so bad as you couldnīt see where the path went so you didnīt get so demoralised. Trev was beginning to struggle at this point due to lack of calories taken on board or rather lost the day before. After a hefty climb and a lot of panting later (Trev started panting to the rhythm of Simon and Garfunkel tunes ) we cleared the wooded area and saw our first hopeful sign of a ridge. Trev was sure that our camp was at 3600 metres and assumed that we wouldnīt go much higher than that. We passed a sign saying 3715 metres so started to get hopeful that we were close to the top. This was when Evertīs words of \"the top is 4200 metres \" came back to us. Sadly the ridge we had seen turned out to be a false ridge ! We rounded the corner and saw the colourful procession of porters and hikers ponchos heading up the trail. It was a relief to see the porters finding it hard work as we passed and were then repassed by the same porters as both they and us snatched the odd quick breather. As we rounded another corner a porter told use we only had a little way to go - it seemed he was having a wee jape at the tourists expense. As we got to the next ridge you could see the whole of the valley starting from the highest most ridge which was miles away. Without our glasses on we thought that there were trees on the ridge. After a while though it dawned on us that the apparent trees were in fact moving and that the furthest, highest ridge we could see was where we had to get to ! The trail followed the curves of the mountain so for a while the ridge was out of view - you could fool yourself into thinking it was getting closer quickly. For the final and toughest part of the hike you could see the summit and it was a case of so near but yet so far. It didnīt seem to be getting any closer. The last 100 metres or so were the steepest and hardest, but finally with one last push in our legs we had made it. It was still raining hard and by now we were soaked. At the top it was very cold and windy, the cloud cover preventing any good views. I was very cold so switched my wet T-shirt for a long sleeve top and fleece. Trev also donned his fleece as the wind began to bite at our hands making them totally numb. A much deserved cookie and a few piccies later we started our descent down steep and slippery steps. Whilst is was a relief on the lungs to be going down the steep drops took their toll on our knees. It also seemed a real shame that having struggled to gain height we were losing it so quickly. After a while the temperature began to rise as we got back below the cloud line. We could then appreciate the valley and glorious waterfalls and see our ultimate goal of our camp and lunch. They purposefully donīt give you lunch during your hike as the altitude and strain of the walk isnīt ideal for digestion. As we got closer to our camp we could see the trail heading back up steeply tomorrow, at least we hoped it was for tomorrow - another daunting prospect ! We found out later that the original trail remained much higher following the lines of the hills rather than going down into the valley. The trail was amended to enable tourists to camp in the relative flat of the valley. We arrived at camp at 1pm and meandered around trying to find our porters and tents, getting a little bit worried that we might be camping further up the hill as we saw one group set off to do. After asking which pitch we were on we finally found our porters and was greeted by our head porter William Wallace. We picked a tent and dumped our stuff in it before heading off for a much needed toilet stop ! On our return we tried to freshen ourselves up a bit, a bit hard when all of your clothes are damp ! Then started to do our stretching outside in a vain hope that our legs would work again tomorrow. About an hour later Myriam arrived, followed by the Peruvian couple, Nadia and then Jerome who was still suffering with his tummy. It was then time for a much needed lunch of soup, rice and a meat and potato mix, followed by a lovely chocolate dessert and a mint tea to aid digestion. What with the walk and a full belly we all headed off to our tents for a siesta. At 5pm it was time for tea and popcorn, the rain that had briefly stopped was back and back with avengeance ! We found out we had a leaky tent - super ! Between tea and dinner we played cards which was a good giggle and then soon after dinner we headed off to our tents, to let the porters sleep in the tent we used to eat our meals in. Both Trev and I hoped we wouldnīt need the loo in the night as they were a long way away down a rather slippery path which involved two river crossings !