Preparing for Peru!
I am in serious countdown mode for the most challenging trip of my life!!! Soon this will be me!!!
Except not standing so close to the edge. Probably clutching the rock behind that person!!
Heading to Peru as in South America - not the Peru, IL I was born in many years ago. This is a bucket list trip so I'm super excited....and just a tiny bit nervous . As with all my trips research, information and planning are half the fun for me - so I have done lots of all three. The main focus of the trip is to get to Machu Picchu - so let me start with a little bit of history about it.
Machu Picchu was built by the Inca's in about 1450, and is believed to have been a royal estate or sacred religious site for Inca leaders, whose civilization was virtually wiped out by Spanish invaders in the 16th century. For hundreds of years it was a secret known only to peasants living in the area.
In 1911 Hiram Bingham - an American archaeologist from Yale University stumbled upon it as he was looking for the "Lost City of the Inca's". You might be wondering - how could it have just disappeared? Well, Machu Picchu sits in the midst of a tropical mountain forest on the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes and blends into the natural setting perfectly. When the Inca's were wiped out the forest just overtook Machu Picchu and grew over it!
Machu Picchu covers over a 5 mile distance and features more than 3,000 steps that link it's different levels. It is a prime example of the Inca civilization's architectural, agricultural and engineering mastery. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World!
Breathtaking!!! Can't believe I'm really going to be there!
As far as my research, I have been doing it online, talking to people who have been there, and reading books. I have read the typical travel books but my favorite has really been "Turn Right At Machu Picchu" by Mark Adams. He is a New Yorker that decided to recreate the journey that Hiram Bingham made in 1911 when he discovered Machu Picchu - so he goes through a lot of the history but then also his personal journey which has been interesting and humorous. He had never done any camping and almost no hiking so I've picked up some good tips. For long distance hiking you wear 2 pair of socks so that the socks rub against each other and not your skin and give you blisters - Nice!!!
Speaking of socks - that's been the smallest item I had to purchase. I have zero hiking equipment so over the past few months I have made numerous trips to REI to get my gear. Hiking pants, boots, hiking poles, day pack, hat, gloves etc. The people that work at REI have been great! Very knowledgeable and helpful. The challenge for me is that I need to be prepared for weather from 30 degrees to 80 degrees, but we are only allowed to bring 20 pounds in our bag - Challenging!!! Either I will be carrying it, another person (porter) or a mule. So here's a heads up - I will be wearing pretty much the same thing in all upcoming pictures. I will put layers on and take them off as the temperature goes up and down, and I will be wearing my hiking boots from the minute I leave KC to the minute I return home. They are too big to pack!!!
The boots look new but I have walked all over KC to break them in - very important!
Next up in getting prepared is activity. Yes I am a runner so I was not so concerned about my legs being able to do the walking. But I felt like I needed to work on my endurance as the hike will be 7 days long - and to an elevation of 15,000 feet - higher then I have ever been! So in addition to trying to get in a cardiovascular workout almost every day to build up my endurance, I have added in planks and yoga to strengthen my core. I'll know soon if I did the right things and enough of it - fingers crossed!
You might be wondering about vaccines and medications - and that was an area of concern for me as well. Based on my research the areas I will be in do not require Yellow Fever, Malaria or Typhoid- but I did make a trip to my doctor to get a Hepatitis vaccine and a Shingles vaccine. The Shingles one is something that I have been meaning to do just because you should. If you've had the chicken pox in your life and your immunity gets low it can trigger shingles - and I do not want that if at all possible! I also found out about a medication called Diamox (Acetazolamide) which is indicated for altitude sickness prevention and treatment - so I got a prescription for that as well. It is well tolerated and I figure why take a chance and ruin some of my trip. Kansas City sits at about 900 feet above sea level - and I will be at 15,000 feet in the middle of the hike - so I have no idea how my body will handle the thin air. I also got a prescription for a course of antibiotics just in case through no fault of my own (or possibly pure stupidity) I ingest something in the way of water or food that doesn't agree with my system. Recommendations are to eat ONLY cooked food. Nothing that could have been washed in unfiltered water such as fruits and veggies and isn't thoroughly cooked, and drink and even brush your teeth with filtered or bottled water, No ice cubes!!! Cuy (guinea pig) is a delicacy in Peru and I won't be consuming any of that - so cooked veggies it will be!!
No need to worry that I'm taking this trip alone as I have been known to do. I'm going with my dear friend and soul sister Julie - and we'll be with a group of about 12 on the hike plus a head guide and an assistant. One at the front and one pulling up the year for stragglers! I wouldn't dream of doing the hike alone - and in fact it isn't allowed. The Inca Trail and Machu Picchu are hundreds of years old and with so many people trying to get there and see it it's taking a beating. In order to preserve it for future generations the amount of people that can be there is highly controlled. There are only so many passes issued for any given day, and the tour companies snatch them all up the minute they are available - so you must be part of a group to make the trip. You can see Machu Picchu without taking the 7 day hike as we are - but the journey through the mountains, 9 bio-zones, meeting the local people, and learning about the Peruvian culture is going to make this an even more memorable experience for us I'm sure. And we'll get to spend a few days and see some sites in Cusco - which is where the trek begins. Cusco is an hour flight from Lima and it is highly recommended that you arrive at least 2 days in advance of the hike to acclimate to the altitude. Cusco is over 10,000 feet and from my reading also has some beautiful historical buildings and markets. Then on the back end of the hike we will spend another day and night in Cusco recuperating!
I'll be blogging about the trip for sure - probably multiple posts, but will wait till I return as I really don't want to haul a computer through the Andes mountains. I will be taking lots of pictures so will have plenty to share when I return - but frankly taking a break and getting away from email and the internet will be a pleasure. I like them both but a break will be nice. So check back the latter part of May if you're interested in hearing the details and seeing my pictures. Wish me luck and safe travel!
