Inca Trail - Day 2, Dead Woman's Pass

Every night we were on the trail it rained off and on while we slept. We had good tents that kept the water out, and I stayed nice and cozy in my bag. Unfortunately this is where the bathrooms along the trail started getting pretty disgusting. Mary burst out of one the bathrooms (the one with an actual commode rather than the hole in the ground) because a huge spider had decided to call it home. As our time on the trail continued, spiders became the least of our worries. The bathrooms became more and more disgusting because of the large number of people using them.  (And by bathrooms, I mean holes in the ground.) You see in Peru you are not to flush the toilet paper. You are to put it in a trash can.  If someone doesn't have a trash can in the loo, all bets are off.  Now, back to day 2...

The morning started with the porters coming to the tents saying, "Coca tea?" That sure beats an alarm clock. Around 7am, we had a good breakfast and then were formally introduced to our awesome porter team. It is amazing to watch these guys carry huge backpacks and move up and down the mountains.

I didn't know this at the time, but the day would start at a little under 10000 feet and reach almost 14000 feet. All I knew was that we were going to be walking uphill for hours until we were above that clouds. After we reached the clouds, we would keep going up. After reaching Dead Woman's Pass, we would then go back down until we reached the camp. I can safely say that I have never walked uphill for so long.

Not the top. A "heart stop" as Marg would call it.  A bit after this, it would once again start to rain.

                  Ines and Matt ascending
                              in the rain

After many, many hours and a pretty convincing false peak about which we had been forewarned, we reached the top of Dead Woman's Pass. Our celebration was very short lived because...
1. It was extremely windy.
2. It was extremely cold.
3. It started to hail.
4. There were people at the top freaking out because they didn't know which way to go.  (When in doubt on the Inca Trail, take the stairs.)  In their defense, it was very hard to see due to the hail and fog.

I took a few seconds to put a jacket on under my poncho and get a picture of Marg and Mary at the top.

There's Camp! Looooong way down.

As soon as that was done, it was time to get the heck off of that mountain. That meant going from 14000 feet to 11000 feet on steep steps in hail and rain. I was cold, soaked to the bone, and ready for this day to be done. You cannot imagine how happy I was to see our camp flag...

At camp it continued to rain, but life was a lot better after getting some dry clothes and some food since we had not eaten since breakfast. It was now around 3 pm. After a little bit of rest, the group met in the tent for dinner and to prepare for the next day. Day 3 would include two more smaller ascents, the longest distance traveled in a day on the trail and the most awesome downhill.... ever.

Lost some GPS signal. Closer to 7 miles, but here is the gist.

Inca Trail - Day 1

The morning before the Inca Trail we boarded a bus and met our Inca Trail guide, Gerson. After a 40 minute bus ride that included a very scary looking drop off very close to our two left wheels, we arrived at "Kilometer 82" where our journey began. 

Team Loco: Mary, me, Marg, Stephanie, Zeo, Ines, Matt, Jo

The beginning of the trail was lovely. The sky was blue and the mountains were green. The first day, there were a number of places along the trail where you can purchase something to drink or use the restroom (for a price just like almost everywhere in Peru). 

The Beginning of the Trail - Uphill

Mary and Gerson

Marg on the Trail

A few miles into the hike, it began to rain. During the next four days, my poncho would be my best friend. As we hiked along, Gerson told us all about the Inca Trail and the Inca.

Mary Enjoying the View

Our first lunch was a big surprise. I really had no idea what to expect. As soon as we walked up, we were shown the bowls for hand washing and then handed some juice. The porters had the tent all setup, and I would call it down right fancy considering we were out hiking!

Mary, Marg, and Matt: Time for lunch!

Approximately 7.5 mile later, we arrived at camp for our first night out on the trail. Our tents were set and ready to go, and the porters had made tea and coffee and little snack. I have to say, we were seriously spoiled when it came to food and care by the porters. The bathrooms on the trail, however, were another matter. (More complaining about that later.) During dinner, the group sat around chatting and getting to know each other. It was nice to be away from the city and enjoying the great outdoors.

Day 2 would be a completely different story and one of the toughest days on the trail: ascending Dead Woman's Pass. 

Day 2: 2.5 Miles after Lunch

Day 1: First 5 Miles

Welcome to Peru!

After walking up two flights of stairs, I was huffin' and puffin'. The elevation stuff was rough. Luckily we decided to arrive a day early to at least get a head start on acclimatization. The Inca Trail portion of the journey didn't begin until Tuesday. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we were greeted with coca tea which is often given to help with the high elevation. Does it help? No clue, but it was nice to be given some tea.

Since we had an extra day to look around Cusco, we spent some time finding a place to exchange dollars for soles and going to a few markets. Unfortunately at one of the markets, we chose the wrong door. As soon as I entered, I smelled the worst smell ever. This is what I saw...

We had managed to walk right into the meat section of the market which had all sorts of fun things (intestines, for example). Mary tried to stop for a picture, and I told her I had to keep walking before I tossed my cookies. The second time through, it wasn't as bad so we managed to get a few photos. That isn't to say there weren't some nice things at the market, but I was in no mood for eating after that.

We once again found ourselves in the same market after meeting up with our group. This time we had Arturo from Active as our guide. The meat section barely fazed me the third time, but I still wasn't about to partake. Arturo spent some time introducing the group to different fruits, vegetables, breads, spices, etc. After lunch (NOT at the market), it was time for a hike straight uphill to Sacsayhuaman which sounds a lot like sexy woman when pronounced. On our way up, it began raining. Since the tour was taking place during the rainy season, we would get used to be rained on multiple times a day.

Looking back on the way up to Sacsayhuaman   

Mary making friends on the hike

Yep, it's raining

This is what it looks like when it is not raining at Sacsayhuaman (obviously, I did not take this picture....)

After an 8 mile day of hiking around Cusco and Sacsayhuaman, the next morning we were in for a real treat. It was time for a bike ride. This bike ride was downhill the whole way (not kidding, 12 miles of downhill awesomeness) through the Sacred Valley. It was the most beautiful bike ride I've ever been on in my life.  I have the pictures to prove it....

             Team Loco (L to R, T to B): Jo, Matt, Ines,
                    Zeo, Stephanie, me, Marg, Mary

The afternoon was another trip to a very nice market in Pisac and then a straight uphill hike to the Pisac Ruins (elevation gain: over 1000 feet, distance 2.5 miles).

The rain was so worth it once we managed to get to the top. We were greeted with a beautiful double rainbow.

With the day's (straight uphill) hiking practice and our bodies getting used to functioning with less oxygen in the air, the next day we would begin our four day journey along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu! Day 1 on the Inca Trail...

Prelude to Peru

Once again, it was time for a yearly adventure trip with my best friend from college.  Now, people who know me know how these things can turn out.  The first adventure trip included a lovely item called the groover (see an example here), kayaking and backcountry camping in one of the prettiest places in the United States: the Grand Tetons. Yep, it was soooo worth the groover. The next adventure trip was probably way too easy: bicycling (and eating) around Tuscany, Italy, for over a week. I should have realized that meant it was time for another difficult one. The conversation went something like this:

Mary: I have vacation time in March.
Me: Hmmm, too cold in March to bicycle around Ireland. What's warmer?

So while reading a list aloud, two words were of interest: Machu Picchu. I must say I really knew nothing about Machu Picchu. Mary was sure it sounded like a good idea.

Mary: Let's hike that trail that they only allow so many people per day to hike.
Me: Okay. Since we are going to South America, I at least want to spend a day or two in the Amazon Jungle, too.

So with that, we signed up with Active South America for a Peru "vacation" in March to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and visit the Amazon for a few days. Sometimes it pays to do a little more research before jumping in feet first, but for whatever reason, I only do a minor amount of research before these adventure trips.  Perhaps that is where the adventure comes into play? A month before the trip, I decided to start looking into the materials that Active sent our way to prepare. I call that planning!  Right? The whole thing was already a done deal in any case.

"It is highly recommended that visitors traveling to Peru get a yellow fever vaccine if they have not had one in the past 10 years." Huh? "Malaria tablets are not required in the portions of Peru we visit." Well, that's good at least, but aren't there a lot of mosquitos in the Amazon Jungle?  "Don't drink water from the tap and don't use it to brush your teeth." Hmm, perhaps I should look into this hike we are doing... oh wait... at elevation (above 11,000 feet)...  uh oh.  No biggy, 27.5 miles in 4 days.  Heck, I run ultras.  I could do that in ONE day. The second day is up a mountain with over 4000 feet elevation gain at elevation? Okay, maybe it would take me a little more than 1 day. At least it is at the END of the rainy season so how much could it rain?

What surprised me were the number of people who commented on how they had always wanted to go hike the Inca trail or how they knew so and so who went to Machu Picchu and thought it was amazing. I have to say that with comments like these, I was getting really excited about the adventure that was about to take place, with or without a yellow fever shot. (P.S. I got the yellow fever shot.)

On March 9th, I boarded a plane headed to Cusco, Peru, and hoped that the little bit of Spanish I learned in high school would come back to me. One of my first lovely views of Peru was from the the hotel window...

I would see a lot more than that of Cusco over the next two days.  Stay tuned! Next Up: Welcome to Peru!

Guest Blog: Return of the Chicken!

Hello again! Dayton’s Charity Chicken here with another local  race report. This time I was in Beavercreek for a heart disease awareness 2 mile run/walk: The Greene Goes Red for Women. It happened this past Saturday. Much to my great relief after my earlier debacle at The Frostbite 5, the temperatures dropped to below freezing, well into my happy zone and just in time for the event.

I waited until the day of the event to pick up my packet (spiffy new shirt – woo hoo). Registration was held at Urban Active Fitness. I wanted to hop on all their weight machines but I resisted. Instead, I dropped into the Panera for a decaf coffee. A very nice lady helped me find the coffee cup lids. Warmed from the inside I mingled for a bit and then went for a little warm up walk around a square block of The Greene. Soon enough it was time to line up at the start.

I was very nervous after dropping out at the beginning of The Frostbite 5 (see my earlier blog posts). But when the crowd eventually surged forward to start the event, I leaned in and did some speed walking with a very short stride. This kept me out of last place (and prevented me from experiencing Frostbite 5 flashbacks, inducing a chickie panic attack). I was doing better than my last time out, but my legs started cramping. I did my best to just keep pushing through it. I was hoping that I would finish in 36 minutes, but I had a feeling I might go a bit slow and take 38 minutes to complete the course. I continued past friendly course marshalls who complimented my look (they must have loved my awesome boxers). As I turned the last corner and approached the finish line, I was surprised but pleased that the clock read 32:00:00, meaning I would cross it just after 33 minutes, far better a time than I thought I could hope for.

 This was a big comeback. I celebrated my success by getting breakfast at Panera with a big, friendly, and curious crowd. And afterward, I did a little chicken dancing. J

Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

John 21 ...     Lead the way!

When I found out I would be traveling for work to Fort Benning, Georgia, for two weeks in February, I felt like it was most certainly a gift. Firstly, Ohio is COLD in February. Secondly, I was excited about the work we would be doing. It was a multiday experiment, and I love experiments.  It also helped a great deal that I have great coworkers. It also didn't hurt that I was staying in an awesome hotel near the 15 mile Chattahoochee Riverwalk.  The weekend I would be in the South also happened to be the same weekend I needed a long run. After a quick search, I found the 26.2 with Donna Race to Finish Breast Cancer and signed up. 2.5 miles of the event were actually on the beach! Does it get any better?  Yup. I dropped an email to college bud, Major Mary, who happened to be stationed in Georgia and told her about my plan to spend the weekend in Jacksonville, Florida. She had a free weekend and met me in Jacksonville. I had enough frequent traveler points that I wound up paying very little for a nice place close to the beach. Bonus! A gift? Oh yeah.

I picked the run because the timing and location were right. When I signed up, it didn't really dawn on me that there was a lot more to the event.  On the bus to the start, I spoke with a woman who was a cancer survivor. She told me her husband was a retired Navy pastor, and it was her third time doing the event. She was running the half with her son. The first few miles of the race I was surprised that my thoughts were of my granny who passed away from cancer when I was 10. Running and crying aren't so easy to do since it makes it hard to breathe so I choked back some tears. One of my favorite parts of the course was running 2.5 miles along the beach. It wasn't long before I was grinning from ear to ear.

Seeing the survivors was inspiring. Seeing all the people who care about others who have lost the battle and those who are enduring the cancer struggle really made me think about how wonderful people can be. Many of the runners had the names of others on the backs of their shirts. Mary joined me at mile 20 for the last 10K of the run so we both managed to get in a great training day.

It was a beautiful course, and the entire thing was really a gift. I didn't know that I would get to run this, and I am thankful. God had a better plan than I.