Inca Trail Day 2 - Part 2

I looked at the guide (Leo) and asked if I could turn back. This really seemed beyond my ability. He simply said "Too late now - no going back" So I sat down on a rock, closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. What was there to do? I stood up and started walking and one foot in front of the other began the journey anew, understanding truelly for the first time, that this would become the biggest hurdle i had ever faced in my life.

We reached the half way point where our walk leader was waiting. He looked at me and said "you will not make lunch but you will make it" and promptly wiped medical alcohol under my nose and across the back of my neck. The effect was fast... it woke me up and before we knew it we were powering up the mountain. Dad developed a rather effective technique that had us making good ground. Pick an object in view and walk to it. "That pretty flower 3 meters ahead on the left" "That unusual rock 5 meters infront and around the bend" We reached the summit around 3pm. There was a small group of climbers there, Americans from california who cheered for us at the top and I realised not only I, but everyone around me was crying! We had climbed a mountain! We meagre humans were witnessing a sight reserved for only very few and boy was it magnificent!!

--Interestingly enough the notion of this being Mother Nature's 'lovely lady lumps' crept into my mind at some point and before i knew it that damn song was going around and around in my head. --

Unfortunately, the moment of elation was short lived as we were at extremily high altitude and exhausted and so the pressure of 4650m.a.s.l was bearing down on us strongly . Dad was experiencing a fierce headache and it was time for us to begin the descent.

Going down started off well we were buzzing excited and were racing down the mountain trying to make up for lost time. but alas, the ground was very uneven and each step required thought and planning. After 3 hours of climbing down our knees were aching, our heads were pounding and the sun was setting...

We were in the clouds so visibility was poor but we knew we had a ways ahead of us yet so we put on our headlamps and just kept on going. After all... we'd done the impossible we could and had climbed a mountain and survived.

The truth of climbing moutains however, is that most mountain climbers die on the way down the mountain. Why? because you put all your power and mental focus into getting there and once the initial glory of success wears off you are exhausted, climbing down which is harder on your body and the day is over...

And as fate would have it, Mother Nature had yet another challenge for us... Rain. So it was dark, raining and we had been walking for 11 hours without stopping for food. Oh goodie!

Slipping and sliding in the rocks we picked out each step with great care. Maintain 3 points of contact move one. Slow going work. Exhaustion and fear were taking hold and my teeth were chattering, my tears were flowing heavy with the raindops on my cheeks as my brain chanted 'do not fall - do not fall". We didnt even slow down to put on raincoats, we just kept going.... and me made it!

To the cheers and hugs of our fellow climbers we made it just after 7pm. We had done it! We had survived! We were at the camp. Safe to rest.

Pete hugged me and asked in his casual joking tones"so how was your day?" My response "Well... its had its ups and downs" and we all had a bloody good laugh at the absurdity of our accompolishment.

I hugged my dad, went to my tent, stripped off, wiped down. covered myself head to toe in anti-inflamatory gel and passed out.