• Peru: The Inca Trail

    The Inca Trail Day 3: Choquicocha to Wiñay Wayna

    I feel so privileged. Privileged to be here in Peru. Privileged to have both the health and means to undertake The Inca Trail. And beyond privileged to experience ancient Inca culture in a way only a few ever will.  Today was always meant to be our “easy day” on the Inca Trail. A day when we would take our time, and make frequent photo stops as we descended into the Cloud Forest that serves as a gateway to the Peruvian Amazon. As beautiful as yesterday was, I spent so much of it just trying to catch my breath that this was a welcome respite. And while the fog was our constant…

  • Peru: The Inca Trail

    INCA TRAIL DAY 2: AYAPATA TO CHOQUICOCHA

    A view of the Andes Mountains along the Inca Trail

    This second day on the Inca Trail began at 4:40am with a knock on my tent door and a cup of coca tea. A hot water basin and soap were left outside as well allowing me to freshen up before breakfast  The meals here truly are over the top. How in the world our chef manages to whip up such a varied spread for 15 in just about an hour inside a kitchen tent is beyond me. Day two on the Inca trail is the hardest. At least it is if you sign up with Alpaca Expeditions. For one there are two mountain passes to overcome. Then there are the…

  • Peru: The Inca Trail

    Inca Trail Day One: Ollantaytambo to Ayapata

    Group photo taken at the start of the Inca Trail in Peru

    Day one on the Inca Trail started early for Debbie and I. But not as early as it did for the rest of our Alpaca Expeditions group.   Back when I first started to research the ins and outs of the Inca Trail one of the first things I learned was that the overwhelming majority of tour groups will pick up their people in Cusco.  Located in Peru’s Sacred Valley, Cusco is one of the oldest, continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere. It is also the ancient capital of the Incas. As such it is the starting point for anyone looking to visit the Lost City of Machu Picchu. …

  • Iceland: The Laugavegur Trail

    Day 6 on Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail: Reflections on My Last Day in the Valley of Thor

    All good things must come to an end. Lest we forget to appreciate them. Our final morning in Thórsmörk began—finally—with a leisurely coffee and the bacon and eggs we’d all been craving since our Laugavegur Trail adventure began. We had to check out of our room by 10am. So we all made sure to have our things packed and outside the huts before breakfast. Once done it was time for one last short hike. More of a walk really. But what a walk. Up a steep hill it was for one last magnificent view of the surrounding area. Then a quick jaunt to a super cool spot called the singing…

  • Iceland: The Laugavegur Trail

    Day 4: One trail ends…another begins

    I’m Writing this a day late. Mostly beause I was having too much fun yesterday. Which is a good thing.  The Laugavegur Trail is officially complete. The next two days will be for day hikes in the area of Thorsmork where we are now.  We hiked about ten miles in mostly rolling terrain. While there was, like yesterday, some walking through black sand plains, we also walked through our first Icelandic forest. Yes! There are forests in Iceland. Though definitely not what we think of.  You see, while hundreds of years ago Iceland was about 40% tree covered most of those trees have disappeared. There is, very little vegetation here.…

  • Iceland: The Laugavegur Trail

    Day 3: Ice cold river crossings and a whole lotta black sand

    I’ve never slept in a bunk bed in my life. Tonight that’s going to change. I’m lying on the top of a six mattress bunk. I kid you not. Thankfully two are free so there is room to stretch out. Such luxury. Especially after the two ice-cold river crossings we had to do today. So what’s the big deal with these river crossings I keep harping on? Well they’re kind of fun. But they also take a heck of a lot more time than they should. Why? Well because you can’t just walk through in your regular footwear or you’d end up hiking in wet boots and socks. Not good. So…

  • Iceland: The Laugavegur Trail

    Day 2: The Land of Fire and Ice

    I’m writing this a day late, as I lie inside my sleeping bag—my roommates beginning to stir inside our little mountain hut. There are clothes hanging everywhere, including from an improvised clothes line devised last night in an effort to get our soaked clothes to dry. Our first official day on the Laugavegur trail was nothing short of epic. At fifteen miles long it is billed as the longest and hardest day of the trek, including well over 3,000 feet of elevation gain.  The first half was stunning, breathtaking, otherworldly, all those adjectives commonly ascribed to Iceland, a country who’s landscape changes in the blink of an eye. As does…

  • Iceland: The Laugavegur Trail

    Day 1: Hiking the Laugavegur Trail and then some…

    I’m sitting at a picnic table with my toothbrush sitting next to me, looking at one of the most stunning views Mother Nature could have devised. Located at the very start of the 55-kilometer Laugavegur trail in Iceland, the huts we are staying at are quite basic. There is no electricity. Just solar power. Bathrooms and showers are in a separate building. Our rooms are mixed dorms for about 16 people. To say we are quite cozy is an understatement. But I’ve always said, if there is something I really really want to do, I will do what needs to be done to go there. I’ve not always been that…

  • Ecuador: Galapagos & the Amazon

    Sierra Negra Volcano, Isabela Island, Galapagos.

    The National Geographic special continues. Geological edition.  This was a day dominated by a 10 mile (16km) hike to Isabela Island’s Sierra Negra volcano. It probably comes as no surprise to say that the Galapagos archipelago was formed mostly as a result of volcanic activity, but what makes Isabela unique is that unlike every other island here, which only have one volcano each, Isabela has six. Three of them are still active. Sierra Negra last erupted in 2018.  It is the 2005 eruption however that nearly eradicated the giant tortoises from the island, but more specifically from the area around Sierra Negra. And while It’s estimated that some 800 of…

  • Camino a Santiago

    Camino a Santiago Day 32: O’Pedrouzo to Santiago de Compostela

    Distance: 12.24 mi Elevation gain: 1,139ft Duration: 4h 40m Steps: 35,316 Calories: 1,297 It’s been 48 hours since I arrived in Santiago. I’m now sitting on flight number 3 of 3 to get me home: Munich to Chicago.  It’s been a whirlwind. A visit to the Pilgrim’s office to get my Compostela, post-Camino celebrations with friends, not one but two different tours of the Cathedral, a spa day, and a Pilgrim mass I had no plans to go to, but ended up at after my cousin Gaby flew into Santiago from Madrid to spend a day with me. And of course, one last day in Madrid, which meant two things:…