Touching the Sky
Last fall I had the opportunity to experience a ‘dream vacation’ hiking to Machu Picchu in Peru. It was a beautiful, challenging and transformative experience. I am grateful to Brava Magazine for giving me the opportunity to write an article on my experiences in their May 2008 issue which I am happy to share with you here. I hope that you will share your own ‘dream vacations’ and experiences hiking with me too!
Climbing To The Top
Somewhere near the top of Dead Woman’s Pass on the Inca Trail in Peru, I began to doubt whether I would make it to my ultimate goal; the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu. Walking along a rocky trail that, over the past few hours, had become increasingly challenging, I was enveloped in self-doubt and fear. I took as deep a breath as the altitude would allow and hiked on. Six days earlier, a friend and I had arrived in Cuzco, a small town in the Andean highlands. Our plan was to spend three days exploring the area and acclimating to the 12,000-plus-foot altitude before starting our four-day hike along the classic Inca trail. The trail we would be walking along — part of the original network of trails from the era of the Inca Empire — winds its way through the Andes and passes through a series of steep inclines, rocky steps, overgrown jungle and cloud forest. Everything about the experience was new to me. (more…)
