Mind Over Matter

My hands are numb as I write this. Just thinking about hiking four straight days at elevations reaching 14,000 feet is giving me goosebumps. Literally.

I don’t know what I was thinking when I signed on for it five months ago. I don’t like the idea of camping. I hate porta-potties. I’m not keen on the notion of no showers for four days. My ears hurt at high elevations. I get dizzy at heights. My knees swell to the size of a cantaloupe after an 8-mile 4-hour hike. And I like to be able to breathe without stressing my lungs. Yet, despite all of these misgivings, here I am preparing my packing list for a trip to one of the most photographed locations in the world.

Machu Picchu.

And there you have the answer. How could an obsessed iPhoneographer like yours truly turn down the opportunity to document the stunning vistas, the lavish terrain, the man-made wonder in the womb of natural beauty?

I haven’t prepared for it the way I should have … no lunges or StairMaster for me (August felt like a million years away when I said “si” to this trip … and then time just slipped away). I am not fluent in Spanish … far from it. I have no idea how my body will react to the altitude. But I am going anyway.

Tempted by the photo opps, lured by the foolishness called “testing one’s mettle,” seduced by the idea of securing bragging rights, iPhone in hand I’ll plow away.

If you have any tips to share, encouragement to give, chiding to deliver … please know I am all ears!