On our trek, we camped in small enclosures that were fenced by owners to keep out the livestock. It was typical for there to be dogs and chickens in the enclosure. At Soraypampa , there were pigs just on the other side of the fence and horses, cows, and sheep grazing on the mountainsides beyond. There were small buildings at the campsites, including ones where the family lived and sold soft drinks and beer and a shed for our cook and a sheltered place for us to eat. In our last campsite, in the village of Playa, there were puppies and children with the chickens in our enclosure.

On the last day of our trek, we rode in a van from Playa, through the town of Santa Teresa to Hidroelectrica. Deep in the steep-sided canyon of Urubamba, we saw the signs of damage from the summer flood. We walked along the river, deep in the canyon from Hidroelectrica to Aquas Calientes. We were excited when we spotted structures of Machu Picchu high on the canyon wall above us.