It’s good to be back!

It’s been a while since my last post, but I’m back and would love to share the reasons for my break from blogging.

The trip to Peru was even more amazing than I thought it would be, and not for any reason anyone could possibly have imagined.  Within 24 hours of arriving in Cusco (3,500m up in the Andean mountains & our trek departure point) I was extremely ill and diagnosed with Acute Mountain sickness & spent the day allowed for acclimatisation to altitude in bed accompanied by strong medication.  I overheard the doctor saying that if I wasn’t much better within an hour he wouldn’t allow me to go.  It was at that point I realised that the only person who was going to get me up & on my feet & well enough to trek was me, and that I hadn’t spent the last 9 months training and fundraising to stay in an Andean hotel bed! It won’t surprise you to know that I was much better the next morning – indeed it was hard to believe I’d been so ill the day before.  The power of intention certainly worked.

It’s impossible to adequately describe the incredible adventure that was the 6 day trek to Machu Picchu – words are sometimes inadequate to describe experiences and feelings.  It was simply one of the best times of my life.  To say the scenery was breathtaking is an understatement, especially in the high Andes.   We climbed up to 4,900 metres along snaking single track paths, sometimes with a sheer drop to an isolated lake or deep valley with a river so far below you couldn’t even hear it.  On one particular day a 6 hour walk became an 11 hour walk, when rain had washed away most of the track and what remained was extremely exposed & required deep concentration & a highly developed sense of balance to master.  The rain had also washed away a bridge which forced us to stay on the high path as daylight faded.  Fortunately I had my head torch in my backpack, although my fellow trekkers weren’t so fortunate.  Eventually our support team (accompanied by the inhabitants of the local village) came out to meet us with torches and lanterns – and a party atmosphere started!  As we sat around the fire that evening with our meal, we were unanimous in agreeing this was the best day of the trek so far and we wouldn’t want to change one single moment.  We’d all been pushed physically and psychologically way out of our comfort zones, but never at any point did any of us think we couldn’t do it – we’d been living in the ‘now’ so totally over those 11 hours.  It’s amazing how much we can all achieve when tested.  We are all capable of more than we know.

Each day had its own challenges and its own rewards.  We camped one night at 4,000 metres & the temperature fell to -15oC during the night.  Fortunately I’d borrowed kit from a friend who’s climbed Everest, so even though I looked liked Michelin woman, I was very warm!

The last day of climbing up to Machu Picchu was the toughest for me personally.  It was very hot and humid and there were more than enough mosquitoes buzzing around.  We had joined the Royal Inca trail that day, and the climb was up consistently large boulders (steps had been hewn out of the solid rock by the ancient Incas).  The path was very narrow and uneven with occasion sharp drops to the tropical rain forest floor.  All this at altitude, after 4 nights of little sleep  is guaranteed to press anyone’s buttons!  We were seriously impressed at the Peruvian guides and helpers who run up & down the track every day without seemingly to break sweat.  The last section before The Sun Gate (the ancient entrance to Machu Picchu) is a vertical climb up cut black rock and looked daunting at first glance.  But at the top our trek leader appeared (she’d left us the day before) with a huge Beating Bowel Cancer banner in one hand & a fizzing bottle of champagne in the other.  Our reward at 4pm in the afternoon was a simply stunning view across to Machu Picchu in the evening sunlight and with no one else in sight.  Emotional and relieved would sum it up for us all, I think.  Nothing can prepare you for the sight of Machu Picchu when you walk through the arches of The Sun Gate – absolutely nothing.  You want to laugh and cry simultaneously as what you’re looking at is so breathtaking and you are so exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. 

My adventure didn’t end after the Machu Picchu ascent. When I returned from Peru I felt unwell for a few weeks, and a scan at Addenbrookes A&E revealed I had a brain tumour behind my left eye.  A body scan has revealed multiple tumours in both my lungs.  Over the past few months I’ve had radiotherapy, which was largely unsuccessful, so I needed to have surgery to remove the tumour in my head.  I’ve been recovering from the surgery, radiotherapy and copious amounts of steroids since then.  I’m now having chemotherapy to deal with the lung invaders.  As I said earlier, the Peru trip was amazing as I did it with brain & lung tumours as well as emboli in my left lung.  If I or anyone else had known this, would I have gone?  Probably not! 

I see the return of the colorectal cancer I had 5 years ago as a very precious gift.  It is part of my life’s journey at this moment, and many of the lessons I learned in Peru are coming in unbelievably handy.  Another reason why the trek had so much to teach me.  Have faith in yourself and your own abilities.  Trust that everything will work out just the way it’s meant to & trust those around you to help when you need it.  I am full of hope and optimism for my future.  

My final fundraising total was a little over £5,600, with the total amount raised by 10 trekkers an amazing £58,000.   I am thrilled to have raised so much money and to have been part of such an incredible team of trekkers & shared so many memorable experiences with them and the rest of our brilliant support team. If you’d like to see more of what the charity gets up to look them up on line:  www.beatingbowelcancer.org.

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