I was a little nervous about the trip because it was not like most of my trips. We would be up in the Andes Mountains in high altitudes and we would be climbing up high slopes. There were warnings from the tour company about altitude sickness and the need for medication to help. There were warnings about what not to eat. I consulted my doctor and 2 people who had been on Mount Everest for advice. They were very helpful.
I packed up my hiking poles and my things and prepared to face the challenge, hoping that I would not disappoint myself and the others in my group. I figured I would be the oldest in the group, but was I in for a surprise. The oldest was 5 years older than me. One older man had even had knee surgery recently and an older lady had hip surgery.
As previously stated, this trip was amazing; but one of the most amazing things was the people in our tour group. We were quite a varied group- from young couples to middle aged couples to 70 and beyond couples. We were all ready to conquer the heights of Machu Picchu. And we did! Not only that, we went to even higher elevations- up to 13,000 feet. The path was not easy. There were uneven steps, rocky slopes, slanted pathways, and stops to catch our breath in the low oxygen heights. We did this day after day for ten days.
I’m afraid that sometimes I was the slowest getting up to the top, but others were kind enough to give me a helping hand. It made me smile to see so many being kind and supportive of an older person. I was so grateful!
All this gives me faith in the human spirit. Determination to face challenges keeps us young. All of us “oldsters” kept up with the “youngsters”. All of us in our group deserve a “high five” for our accomplishments.
70andbeyondblog 