By Shannon Montgomery, The Canadian Press

CUZCO, Peru - Frost crunched underfoot as I pushed through the tent flaps into the foggy, pre-dawn Peruvian darkness.

When we headed to bed the night before, the stars were so thick it was impossible to pick out familiar constellations. The brighter stars were overcome by a fabric of twinkling lights visible only in areas of the world where no city lights infiltrate.

But as I pushed my body, groggy from a day spent unaccustomed to the thin air of the Andes, to get ready for a 6 a.m. departure, I was greeted by a different type of glow.

My head lamp picked up the shining eyes of dozens of cows that had, for reasons unknown, gathered around our campsite as we slept, turning to follow me with glinting gazes as I made my way to the small enclosure that sheltered our makeshift toilet.

It wasn't the kind of face-to-face interaction I expected on a four-day adventure hike through Peru, but the Salkantay trek offers many surprises as it winds a steep path up and over a mountain pass, above the tree line, before plunging into the jungle to arrive at the foot of the country's most famous attraction, Machu Picchu.

The classic way to trek your way to the world-famous ruins is along the Inca Trail.

But government restrictions have limited that path to 500 people per day - including porters - and it's completely booked months in advance, which has led to a spike in the number of people seeking alternative hikes.

Erick Irsula, who helped us book our trek and has hiked many of the country's pathways himself, said some people also are turned off by the overcrowding that can plague the Inca Trail.

Not so with the Salkantay, named for the highest peak in one of the mountain ranges in the Peruvian Andes. Our guide, Rolfi, told us that the term "Salka" means "one who cannot be tamed" and looking up - and up and up - it seemed appropriate.

While we didn't trek anywhere near the top of the peak, the path as we left the cows behind was full of steep switchbacks until we reached a pass at an elevation of 4,650 metres. In comparison, Everest base camp sits at about 5,400 metres.

The altitude affected our group of seven in many different ways. Two young men from California set the pace, bounding ahead with no problems at all. But some of us felt dizzy and increasingly queasy as we shuffled behind.

"Baby steps," urged Rolfi as he followed closely with a mule that collected more and more of our gear as we stumbled along the rocky trail.

Irsula says to tackle the Salkantay trek, most people need at least an intermediate fitness level.

"I've seen some people in pretty bad shape do it. They just have to take extra time," he says. "Some people, if they're not in top-notch shape, then they'll just end up riding for a little portion to get up to the top of the pass."

After posing for some pictures at the highest point, we started a downward hike that was accompanied with the strange feeling of rushing through time. Layers of clothing were peeled off in a matter of a few hours as we descended from barren and windswept into a lush rainforest dotted with bright yellow flowers.

It's this rapidly transforming terrain that makes most people appreciate the Salkantay trail, said Irsula.

"It's a lot of diversity and microclimates that only Salkatay gives. No other trek around does that."

Our descent was followed by a quick romp at natural hot springs, where we camped a final night in tropical luxury. By that point luxury was defined by flush toilets and our first showers in three days.

We then made our way to the base of Machu Piccu.

The Inca Trail's main advantage over alternative hikes is it allows trekkers to walk to the ruins, with many groups arriving by foot just as the sun begins to rise.

Our group spent a short night in a hotel before crowding into a bus to make our final ascent before dawn.

The iconic Incan ruins are the country's best-known draw, bringing in explorers from around the world to get a glimpse of an ancient civilization. Built around the 1400s, the buildings, which are believed to have served as a royal retreat and religious sanctuary, were likely abandoned within a century.

The crumbling walls and steps of intricate polished stone remain largely untouched, with food vendors, souvenir hawkers and even washrooms kept outside the gates. The site is carved within the top of a granite mountain called "a unique artistic achievement, an absolute masterpiece of architecture" by UNESCO, when it was declared a world heritage site in 1983.

Visitors can wander the ruins unaccompanied, inspecting abandoned temples, clambering around tombs and quarries and up and down sloping agricultural steps.

The ruins were rediscovered as early as the 1860s and introduced to the rest of the world in the early 1900s. They have particular significance as one of the few monuments undiscovered and unplundered by Spanish invaders of the country.

We caught the first bus up, approaching the ruins while they remained shrouded in a thick fog. Our group moved in with a line of other tourists already stretching away from the gate, but we were quickly isolated in our own little corner.

As the sun began to rise the mist slipped away and the towering walls slowly became clear - and just for a moment it was easy to pretend that we were the first to set foot there in centuries, looking up and imagining what once had been.

-

If you go . . .

To book a trek: Erick Irsula is with Andina Travel: http://www.andinatravel.com/ and their email is: andinatravel(at)terra.com.pe

Health: We required a number of vaccines before travelling to Peru, and decided to purchase pills to help treat the altitude sickness. Find a travel clinic here at least six weeks before your trip: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/travel/clinic-eng.php

Safety: The government of Canada advises that some areas of Peru are not safe for travel, check reports here: http://www.voyage.gc.ca/countries-pays/menu-eng.asp

For more information: Peru's travel website: http://www.peru.info/default.asp?leng2