Today I added a new experience to the small group of accomplishments I consider "exhilirating." Jumping out of an airplane and parachuting to the ground was exhilirating. Learning how to really attack the powder in Jackson Hole was exhilirating. And hiking a very steep trail to Dead Woman's pass (the highest point on the Inca Trail at 4201m) was exhilirating.
Our day started at 530am with a wakeup call and hot coco tea. Actually, my and Emma's began at 317am with dueling dogs barking and then a rooster who was 2 hours too early. After breakfast, we began our trek at approximately 650am. It was, for me, tough from the start; however, I kept Fred's principles in the back of my mind: positive attitude, a focus on breathing, and setting my own pace. And so it went for 7 hours. We stopped for a brief rest every 25 to 30 minutes to wait for the group stragglers to catch up (which, to my happy surprise, was never me). I have to say that as much as I appreciated the breaks, I did feel that they were often too long and broke my rhythm a bit. But, it went like this a s a "family" trekking to the 14,000 foot summit.
As we rose in altitude, my body began to feel the effects even more. My breathing became more labored, my feet began to tingle, and the muscles in my neck tightened up. But I kept on.
At last we could see our destination, and though it looked so close, at the same time it seemed like infinite steps separated me from the top. The last 600 feet were particularly brutal. The size of the stone stairs got higher; at times I was climbing steps that were as high as my knees. My lungs burned from trying to suck in as much oxygen from the thin air as I could. But as I got closer, I began to hear cheers. Fellow hikers who were already at the top and had reached their goal called out encouragements to their teammates. Every time someone reached the summit, cheers erupted.
And so, inspired by the shouts from my "family members" who were already there, I persevered. I literally bounded up the last 5 steps with a burst of adrenaline and was immediately overcome with...exhiliration. Of course, I joined in the cheers as my fellow Yellow Llamas each made it to the top, and I think the smiles on our faces say it all in the group photo! And to think...this wasn't even Machu Picchu yet!
But alas, with every high comes a low (literally) and we spent the next 90 minutes going down steep rock stairs to our campsite below. It was totally exhausting and I got hit with my first bout of altitude sickness, which made the last 30 minutes particularly unenjoyable. But alas, here I am at camp and tomorrow we will set out for Day 3. It's the longest at 20km, but not nearly as steep and rigorous. I feel ready and...exhilirated!
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