I slipped back into the backpacking lifestyle quicker than I thought I would. The act of tossing your things into a tent and diving in before the bugs could felt natural. The altitude didn't though - I laughed and laughed until I literally could not breathe.
In terms of physical pain, this trip was as Type 2 fun as you can get. My feet were blistered and sore, and my left knee did not like the extra 30 pounds weighing down each step when descending.
The Salkantay Trek felt fundamentally different than my bikepacking trip. Maybe it was the fact it was a fourth of the length, or maybe it was the amount of people we saw. I'm glad it was a wholly different experience, though.