Salkantay Trek

These pictures are not in order at all and I am not in any kind of mood to change them.  They are from the Salkantay Trek.  Pretty much one of the hardest things I have ever physically done.  It was also a mental mind challenge to continue on knowing that the beginning was more difficult and it would get easier as the week went on.  After this trip I am so thankful to live at a lower altitude where it is easy to breathe and think and function.  That being said I would go on this trek again. Being able to start up in the mountains and finish in the cloud forest was amazing.  I had lots of time to think about my life and what I want and the future while taking in amazing views!  There are many more pictures on Facebook if you want to take a look over there.

Machu Picchu

This is Cusco. We left here in the dark in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

The mules and pack horses that carried in our tents and sleeping bags.

Heidi & I hiking up to the top of the mountain.

This was actually on our first night in Cusco. The Peruvian peddlers had "problem, problem" with our torn dollars. The mom here wanted us to pay to hold her lamb and take a picture. The little girl on the right and the boy knit little llamas that I ended up getting for Kaden.

Spectactular views!

Me, Brian, Chris, and Heidi on the morning we left for the trek. We had to be up at 4:45am. I think we look pretty good for just a few hours of sleep.

Our "family" after we finished hiking riding the train to Aguas Calientes. We look pretty great for not having showered in 4 days and hiking over 35 miles!

After the train ride with Freddy & Valentine our amazing guides.

At the summit of the mountain. I had to take a horse ride to the top because I couldn't breathe this morning. My lungs were not wanting to expand and I was getting numb and dizzy.

This is the Salkantay Mountain we slept under the first night. It was so cool.  The stars at night were so bright and the snow glowed in the dark. It was so quiet around and FREEZING cold. -10/15 Celsius.  Hiking into camp that night my hands were bleeding they were so cold.  During the night you could hear the avalanches cracking down the sides of the mountain.

Here is our gear crossing one of the many rivers.

Vanessa, Christine, and me looking back to where we came from as we were cold and exhausted climbing up the huge rocks.

Brian & I at one of the many scenic spots.

This was the last day of the trek about 1/3 of the way up 800 meters.  In the "jungle." 

The final day I hiked machu picchu and wayna picchu (the mountain in the middle) in flip flops because the day prior my socks rubbed a huge blood blister under my toenail and I could not wear my hiking shoes anymore. I was exhausted, swollen, but did not want to miss out on the main purpose of my trip to see this wonder of the world. So I continued on. There were some tears of pain but I could smile!

with Carlos & Thuy. I loved hiking with these new Texas friends!

This was on the 4th day, my first peek at Machu Picchu. Made going on worth it knowing that I was so close and would be there tomorrow!

The family! We lucked into being a part of an amazing group that ended up being like family by the end of the week. I am glad that we were with these wonderful people.

After this trip I was able to spend the night in Miami with Tia because it was an ordeal to get home. They closed the Cusco airport because of high winds, so we were put on an earlier flight then when we left Lima we had to make an emergency landing in Guayaquil Ecuador because an old man had a heart attack.  This delay caused us to miss our connecting flights and be forced to wait on stand by all day. I had them change my flight to the next day so that I could spend the day with my sister.  When I got there, her dog jumped on my toe and we spent the afternoon at the podiatrist getting my toenail cut off and hoping to see my bones stick out of my body once again.  Edema took over my entire body and I was told to lay down and put my feet up.  We had fun going out to dinner and watching the olympics before I was on the plane the next morning with more travel problems and mechanical problems.