Machu Picchu has always been a bucket list place for me to visit, and after my cousin's stage three cancer diagnosis earlier this year I decided life is too short to keep putting off those things I want to do 'until the time is right'.

Shortly after making that decision, I came across a Facebook post from Tŷ Hafan: they were planning a fundraising expedition to Machu Picchu in April 2027, and the timing couldn't have been better. I decided what better way to do something I would love to do anyway than to do it while supporting a great cause.

Tŷ Hafan are a wonderful charity who support families of children with life threatening and terminal illnesses throughout Wales, including the grieving process. Currently, they can only reach 1 in 10 families who desperately need their support and this is why I feel it is so important that I am joining this particular charity for my bucket list trek. Losing a loved one is hard enough at the best of times, when they have had a long, happy, and full life, but losing a child is something no one should have to go through alone.

The trek itself will take eleven days and will follow the Salkantay trail, rather than the Inca trail, and will wind through coffee plantations and jungle as we climb to the peak. Temperatures will reach as low as -10 degrees at night and around 20 degrees during the day, and due to the altitude we will have to spend some time acclimating on the climb. So, as part of the training process, I will be taking part in other events to help raise the much needed funds for Tŷ Hafan, and which will help to support my training for the trek. These may include races, other hikes within the UK, or even gym challenges so don't be afraid to ask how my training is going.

Signing up to this challenge is a great incentive for me to get fitter and eat better in order to prepare my body for the demands of the trek and, if you wish to follow my progress as I train for this once in a life-time opportunity, you can do so at https://moragkitson.co.uk/machu-picchu-and-ty-hafan/

But ultimately, this trek isn't about me, it is about supporting a great charity who are there for families going through some of the hardest times a family can ever face. While I will be changing my body for the better and crossing something off my bucket list, they help people survive the toughest challenge any person, any family can ever endure: the sometimes slow, but always heartrending, loss of a child.