peru – Two Wild Tides

The Trek of My Life: Day 5

September 2, 2019 | Leave a Comment

The morning of Day 5 I woke up crying as a result of the physical pain I was in. After 13 years of competitive figure skating, not even that could compare to the knee and foot pain I experienced on this trek. Sliding my hiking boots on felt like an insurmountable task, but I did it. Besides we were going to Machu Picchu today – how cool is that?!

As we walked down to hop on the bus to Machu Picchu each step was filled with so much pain, I honestly did not know how I would get through the day. The entire bus ride I was psyching myself up to do it. I literally kept repeating in my head “You cannot feel any pain, You cannot feel any pain”. We had purchased the additional hike of Machu Picchu mountain with our tickets and we were not going to let that go to waste. It was completely foggy, you couldn’t see, but we were on the edge of the cliff on the way up. We didn’t care because we were there. We climbed over 2,000 steps that morning and we were both feeling the burn but we made it. You couldn’t see anything from the top at all but we got a picture with the sign (haha!). Going back down killed the knees, and was a little sketchy on some of the stairs but we felt so accomplished.

After that we had a little tour of Machu Picchu and time to explore. We both wished we had more time but we were happy to be there at all. Unfortunately, there was some confusion with our tour and we almost missed the major views and photo ops however, after a little sweet talking we managed to see Machu Picchu from above. It’s as breath taking as the photos, it does not disappoint. It truly is a hidden treasure that we need to preserve. We learned of a young boy who back in the early 1900s used to play there. What a playground? You could have the most epic game of hide and seek amidst those walls.

My childhood dream of seeing Machu Picchu in all of its glory came true. It’s a humbling, spiritual, and immaculate place in this world. Machu Picchu was a wonderful experience but the journey to get there was equally as wonderful. It truly is all about the journey, and the work, and the struggle and the camaraderie. I was grateful to have my boyfriend at my side. We were each other’s biggest cheerleaders and he had the opportunity to see just how stubbornly determined I am. We learned a lot about each other, how well we work as a team and in moments of crisis. When you’re hiking 20-30km a day your perspective changes. I found myself excited and looking forward to smaller things like a hot shower, a light in my room, the ability to call my parents. I was grateful for the everyday things in our life at home. It was humbling. Getting off the grid in the middle of the Andes allowed me the opportunity align my priorities and be so damn grateful for a hot shower, fresh band aids and a hot meal.

This trek has taught me so much about my own personal resilience and determination. I was in physical pain/sick almost the entire time but I did it. Every day I chose to put one foot in front of the other even when it wasn’t easy. I know that if I could do that, I can do anything. And so can you!

The funny thing is even with all the pain and sickness I was ready to do it all again. Call me crazy but by the time we finished I was dreaming of the next mountain. Patagonia? Kilimanjaro? Everest Basecamp? Climbing mountains is all about learning – it teaches you about yourself, others, different cultures and the world around us. It’s humbling and fulfilling but most of all it gives you perspective.

xoxo,

linds

The Trek of My Life: Day 4

August 26, 2019 | Leave a Comment

Day 4 started early as always. I devoured a protein bar and we headed off in the early hours of the morning. We were all a little excited because today was supposed to be a little easier (whatever that means). We came to realize that 2 more hours often meant 4 and easier was not necessarily a great descriptor. But we loved it!

We hiked for hours and hours today, chatting along the way. We reached our first Machu Picchu check point where we had to leave our names and passport information. Records of who was on the trail were etched in giant books on the worker’s desk. Then after a quick coffee tasting we were off. Our morning was quite challenging all uphill terrain which was very steep. We saw some beautiful ruins and had great views of the mountains. We were drenched in sweat by the time we reached our lunch stop and the meal was delicious. There was cold juice with our lunch, a rare treat on our last few days of trekking. We devoured it.

The afternoon was all downhill and quite steep. I was grateful for my poles which took some of the impact off of my knees. It was always faster going down because although it was hard on the joints we didn’t need to take rest stops. This made the time pass quickly and allowed us the opportunity to have conversation; something that wasn’t always possible on the way up. By mid afternoon we reached the train station where you could hop on or choose to continue hiking to Aguas Caliente. Stubborn we all were – no one took the train. We were a group of very determined individuals who were not going to quit. Let me tell you walking into Aguas Caliente was a sigh of relief, a real feeling of accomplishment.

That night we all had dinner and then went to our hostel to fight over the hot water for a shower. Then we all headed to explore the quaint little town, take in one of their festivals and get some grub.

It wasn’t long before we were sound asleep dreaming of Machu Picchu.

Hi from the morning protein bar pit stop!

Keep reading: Day 5.

The Trek of My Life: Day 3

August 8, 2019 | 1 Comment

We started hiking this morning before sunrise as usual. The cold Peruvian winter air in the mountains is a very real thing. Those early mornings before the sun rose consisted of coca tea and many layers of clothing.

Today marked our entrance into the jungle which provided us with hot temperatures, a lot of sunshine and a few drops of rain. The scenery was beautiful and I could feel the oxygen rushing into my lungs as we quickly became surrounded by the lush jungle. The scenery was much different to the previous day which consisted mostly of rocks, snow, ice and very little plant life. Today, however, the plants and trees were abundant. I felt much better.

Day 3 was our shortest day of trekking by far as we made it to basecamp before lunch. Our muscles were in full aching mode by now and the raw blisters scattered over my feet made me feel like Reese Witherspoon in Wild. We were truly pushing ourselves to our limits. Our group collectively agreed that you get to this point where it’s all in your head. It’s a complete mind game and it’s all about putting one foot in front of the other no matter how tired, sore, or hungry you get. It’s all about continuing to move forward. This day marked the half way point of our trek. The first thing we all did upon arrival to basecamp was take off our hiking boots, and sit in the grass, soaking up the luscious sunshine.

After lunch we were in for a treat. It was hot spring day! There was an option to head into the nearest town (by van, thank god) to visit the local hot springs. We were all over that! My boyfriend and I were so excited to have a chance to rest our muscles and treat our bodies to some well deserved down time. When we arrived there were only a handful of people there. After a quick cold shower, we headed for the pools. There were a couple warm pools and one hot one. We alternated back and forth and enjoyed the mountainous scenery. We stayed in those pools for a few hours and when we got out we definitely noticed a difference. It really helped my knees and gave them a little break.

On our way back from the hot springs, our van broke down and our guide was on the hunt for some Inca tequila for us to try that evening. After driving on the steep cliff sides, through a couple of streams and down the narrow roads we made it back to basecamp. We were always eager to unwind after a long day of hiking and the Inca tequila really helped. It was basically moonshine and we were told the best way to drink it was to add it to your hot tea with a bit of sugar. Sure enough, it was delicious. After dinner this evening we all socialized around the table and later on at a campfire. And then it was bedtime.

Keep reading: Day 4.

The Trek of My Life: Day 1

July 29, 2019 | 2 Comments

I have been back on Canadian soil for the better part of a week. It always feels nice to come home after an adventure. To throw that back pack down on the floor and curl up in my bed. However, this time curling up in that bed felt even better because I had just finished hiking roughly 100km in the Andes.

Rewind a couple of weeks…

My boyfriend and I stood outside in the cold hours of the morning, with our packs on and hiking boots tied waiting to be picked up for the trek of our lives. Around 3am, the van pulled up; tired eyed we jumped in. We were simultaneously exhausted, excited and eager for the journey that lied ahead. After about a two hour drive and gobbling down a protein bar it was time to start hiking.

The beginning of the trail was steep, all uphill and the altitude definitely weighed you down as you tried to get a full breath. We were already surrounded my mountains, I practically had to pinch myself it was so stunning. Despite the physical exertion and limited oxygen we were all in awe of the view. We hiked for a number of hours that day, our group of 10 getting to know each other and arrived at basecamp just before lunch.

Basecamp on the first night was absolutely incredible. We stayed in glass domes that were tucked in the valley of the mountains. After lunch there was an optional hike to Humantay Lake – which we all jumped on! The hike was intense, extremely challenging and forced you to focus on your breath. I was very grateful for all of my vocal training from Acting school in that moment. The optional hike was straight up the mountain but so worth it! Upon arrival at the lake, you immediately forgot about the struggle you just experienced for the past 90 minutes. The sun glistened over the turquoise water before slowly setting behind the mountain. It was beautiful. It also felt amazing to sit down for a few minutes (haha!).

This was taken on the hike up to Humantay Lake. Note the small tents in the bottom right hand corner – that was our basecamp.

The moment we realized “What did we get ourselves into?!” but were loving it at the same time!

After arriving back at basecamp from the lake we were all tired and hungry. We had a quick snack and got ready for supper. This is when everything switched for me in a split second. All of a sudden I felt so ill. My evening went downhill fast as I became dizzy, had a piercing headache, and loss of appetite. I thought – oh no, here we go: altitude sickness. Bingo. It hit me like a ton of bricks and next thing you know I was vomiting. I couldn’t sleep because I was so nauseous, sitting on the side of the bed, wrapped in sleeping bags. We were very high and as soon as the sun went down the temperature dropped quickly. I was stressed about being able to continue but I’m a very stubborn person so I wasn’t going to give up. I must say my bf was absolutely amazing that night and took the best care of me.

Eventually, I laid down and looked at the stars through our glass dome. They were incredible; unlike anything I had ever seen before. With zero light pollution, the sky was filled with millions of them. They were literally twinkling. And as our guide had mentioned, when you’re up in the mountains you can actually see that the stars are blue. Despite being extremely sick – for a minute the stars took all of it away and I was in awe.

**Note: My blood oxygen levels were checked and while they weren’t good, they weren’t horrible. It was deemed safe for me to stay there for the night.

Keep reading: Day 2.

The Trek of My Life: Day 5

The Trek of My Life: Day 4

The Trek of My Life: Day 3

The Trek of My Life: Day 1

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