fbpx

Yesterday the trekkers accessed the famed Inca trail under sunny skies and a light breeze, the perfect weather conditions for trekking in the Andes. The four-day forecast called for sunshine and more importantly, no rain. All were emotional and apprehensive as they set out. The started the trek at 7,000 feet and trekked eight miles on gently rolling hills and a path that ran parallel to the Urubamba River.

Today they rose at 6 am to get an early start before the heat of the day set in as they climb to Dead Woman’s Pass at 14,000 feet. As they set out the temperatures were just above freezing and will reach the high sixties or low seventies by midday.

Today each of them will find out what they are made of. It is the toughest day of the four days on the mountain. The ascent is steep and the winds that blow through the mountain pass increase the trek’s difficulty. It is almost 7 pm in Peru as I write this post for the blog. I have an agreement with their trek guide that he will only contact me if there is a problem and since I have not heard from him I can safely assume that all of the trekkers cleared the pass and are having dinner in the mass tent now sharing their stories from the day.

I am sharing some of their photographs from earlier in the week. The group acclimated to the elevation in Peru with trial treks and a little shopping. I can confidently tell you that they had an impact on the Peruvian GNP. This is important because the women they have purchased goods from are economically disadvantaged and we know that when you economically empower these women they spend their money on food and education for their children and that’s good for everyone.

More to come.