APRIL 20 19
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1. Re c e iv ing an An de an b le s s ing 2. Tak-
ing in Machu Picchu 3. Trekking into
the jungle on the Inca Trail 4. Soaking
post-hike at Mountain Lodges of Peru’s
Salkantay lodge 5. Refusing to get bug
bites with my stylin’ face net 6. Celebrat-
ing on top of the Salkantay Pass
HI I T se s sion s a we ek to bu i ld my
cardio, plus incline tread walks. I
felt ready but still scared of a vari-
able I couldn’t control: the altitude.
There was a 15,200-foot pass on the
trip! My doctor, Gabrielle Lyon, DO,
and I decided I should take Diamox,
an anti–altitude sickness Rx.
Trek Time
No joke, within the first 15 minutes
I felt like I was going to pass out—I
saw spots and couldn’t catch my
breath, the air was so thin. I was
de sp er ately t r y i ng to ke ep up.
Thankfully, our incredible guide,
L e o, told me to go at my sp e e d. S o I
swallowed my pride and took breaks
when I needed to (read: frequently).
The next day I huffed and
puffed uphill (when I wanted to give
up, I’d tell myself, “I deadlift 225
pounds—I can do this!”) to Lake
Humantay with its unreal turquoise
waters. There, an Andean priest led
an offering, called a despacho, to
Pachamama (Mother Earth) to bless
our trek. We each made a wish.
Mine: to believe in my strength.
Facing My Fears
I was so nervous, I barely slept the
night before our hike over the noto-
riously difficult Salkantay Pass. We
spent the crystal-clear morning hik-
ing alongside a roaring river and
grazing cows on the mountainside—
it wa s so pret t y t hat it se eme d fa ke,
like a movie screen.
L ater, my he ad st a r te d to fe el l i ke
it was in a vise. Each step up became
harder and harder...and then the
f re ez i ng r a i n h it. We got p ou nde d.
I couldn’t go 25 steps without stop-
ping. Five hours after we began, we
reached the top—cold, wet, and ex-
hausted. But the battle wasn’t over.
The four-hour descent to our next
lodge was rough. The trail was so
sl ipp er y a nd ste ep. My lef t k ne e wa s
screaming, and I fell crossing a river.
But I did it—at my pace—without
emergency oxygen or a mule ride.
Finishing Strong
I was next-level sore the following
a.m., but I pushed through. The fifth
day, I freaked—how could I do two
more days of 10-mile hikes? I had to
look in the mirror, tell myself I could
finish, and shadowbox to psych my-
sel f up. By t hose la st d ay s we were i n
lower altitudes, so I could breathe
again and ended up loving the hikes.
When we arrived at the train station
to head to Machu Picchu, I couldn’t
believe it—had I just done that?!
The Wonder of It All
The energy at Machu Picchu is inde-
scr ibable. It m ade me t h i n k ab out
our ability to do the seemingly im-
possible. Looking back, I realize this
t rek wa sn’t a te st of my phy sic a l
st reng t h so much a s my ment a l for-
titude, something Dr. Lyon and
I have been working on by breaking
old patterns. I couldn’t have done
this life-changing experience with-
out my brain telling me to push
through and stay positive and confi-
dent—even if my body wasn’t. Cliché
though it may be, I truly believe if we
set our mind to it, we can accom-
plish anything. Now, where to next?
SCAN
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