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A huge thank you to everyone who has sponsored us thus far.  For those who haven’t and would like to, the page will remain open until 30 November 2011 or you can pass money to any one of us.  See below for a little summary of our trip... As the traumas of the experience fade away the team has been left with good memories of what was a fantastic trip to Peru.  We gathered in Liverpool Airport at 10am on Thursday 27 October, 3 planes and 40 hours later we arrived in Cusco.  Immediately upon stepping off the plane we felt the effects of the altitude – somewhere between a hangover and a rough trip at sea.  We tentatively collected our bags and made our way to the hotel for 3 days in the city to acclimatise.  Cusco is a great place, very lively, busy, noisy and beautiful to look at in parts.  The 3 days were spent getting our bearings and having as many new experiences as possible, including a visit to the night market and a session in Peruvian cooking school! We were collected at 5am on the Monday morning (Halloween!) to begin our trek.  The 4 of us were put in a group of 14 trekkers, 2 guides (Elistan and Ernesto), 16 porters (to carry tents and food etc) and 1 cook.  We travelled for 3 hours by bus along the valley floor to KM82 where we were left with our bags to begin the trek.  The weather was good and we were cautiously optimistic in setting off.  However, it soon became apparent that although the effects of altitude we had initially felt had subsided, they were back!  The moment the trail sloped uphill or we encountered any steps it became very obvious that we were 3000m+ above sea level.  Your heart would start to race, it was near impossible to catch your breath and your legs felt like dead weights.  This made it particularly daunting as day 1 was supposed to be the “easy day” or the day that prepared you for days 2 and 3! Memory has blocked out the worst of that day and the lingering thought is relief at reaching our camp after 8 or so hours walking.  An uncomfortable night passed and we were awoken at 5am on what is dubbed the “hardest day of the trek”.  After a breakfast of porridge and fruit we set off to climb a total of 1200m to cross “Dead Woman’s Pass”.  We were told that the worrying name was not a result of how many women die there but rather as the mountains look like a dead woman lying on her back!  The climb was very difficult indeed. It took between 5-7 hours of uphill, a mix of steep slope and huge Inca “steps” – basically metre high boulders that we had to scramble up.  The sun was hot in the sky and many of the party were sunburned and bitten repeatedly by unfriendly mosquitoes.  However, the relief at reaching the top was immense and after a quick photo by the altitude marker it was a scramble over the top and down the other side to escape the freezing winds.  2-3 hours down Inca “steps” the other side had us at our camp for the second night. Day 3 was the longest day and we walked from 6am to 6pm stopping only for lunch.  The walk took us over 2 further passes although not quite as high as Dead Woman’s Pass.  We saw many beautiful settlements and stunning scenery.  However, as the day progressed, the cloud thickened and the rain started.  Never to stop again!  By the time we reached camp we were soaked through.  Despite our best efforts of hanging up our wet clothes in the tents etc when we awoke at 3am on the final day the clothes were still wet and so we dressed for Machu Picchu in a very miserable mood.  We walked for 2 hours in the dark to reach the sun gate to see the spectacular sunrise.  However, the weather had different plans and all we got was a soggy, misty and wet Machu Picchu.  Funnily enough this did not manage to detract from the relief and sense of achievement of finally reaching our goal and as we walked on the mist cleared and we were able to have an interesting and (clear!) tour of the ruins. A crazy bus ride and a 3 hour train journey later we arrived back at our hotel to have the best shower anyone has ever had.  Then 1 sleep, 3 flights and another 40 hours later we were home.  Challenging both physically and mentally, the Inca Trail is completely worth it.  We had a great time and it was made all the better by the fact that it was done to raise money for such a wonderful cause. Natalie, Amy, Claire & Graham :-)  _____________________________________________ On 27th October this year Amy Roberts, Natalie Hargreaves, Claire Feely and Graham Evans of Brabners Chaffe Street LLP will travel to Peru and complete the Inca Trail Trek to Machu Picchu. This is an arduous 42km trek through dense rainforest done over 4 days at an altitude reaching 4200m, whilst battling against inclines of 40%, insects, fatigue and altitude sickness before reaching Machu Picchu.     We will be raising money for Marie Curie Cancer Care and we need your support. In order to raise the levels of money that can really make a difference to the lives of those people that use the services provided by Marie Curie Cancer Care we are relying on meticulous planning, hard work and the kind support of sponsors. Both the Brabners Chaffe Street team and Marie Curie will be sincerely grateful for any sponsorship or donation that you are able to offer, no matter how big or small. Any support would be greatly appreciated. The Inca Trail Challenge Team **Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. So please dig deep and donate now.

Inca Trail Challenge 2011

Inca Trail Challenge 2011

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