The importance of surrounding yourself with people that are supportive has certainly proved to be true for me this past week. I have been around wonderful people all week while in Peru. Most of us were all strangers prior to meeting up in Lima. Half of our group has struggled with various symptoms of altitude sickness after arriving in Cusco. Initially I was feeling ok, but by the end of the first day at high altitude I had no appetite. By the next morning I felt like I had a bad case of the flu. At one point I briefly considered possibly coming home early due to how sick I was feeling. My mind tends to overreact especially when I'm not even close to 100%. I discovered that in order to benefit from the support of others a person needs to step outside their cave or invite some one in. Everyone has been helpful and supportive of each other as we adjust to the altitude.
We all helped each other to push through and made it to Machu Pichu. Not only did we make it, we were also blessed with a beautiful sunny day! The following day 7 of us went back to Machu Pichu for a two hour return hike up to the Sun Gate, which is another 940 feet higher than the main site at Machu Pichu. I have a huge fear of heights which probably would have kept me from attempting the Sun Gate hike If I had known about the heights (9000 feet) and the drop offs that we would encounter towards the top. Going up isn't quite as bad as going down. It was great to make it to the top, but coming down was very difficult. I was literally petrified and only made it down with the help and support of one particular lady in our group. I am so very grateful for her help and support, and I accomplished something I wouldn't have been able to do on my own.
Namaste,
Michele Ward
Machu Pichu
View from the Sun Gate
Sun Gate
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