C o m m u n i t y
In the Footsteps of the INCAS
Dawn McCafferty, Chairman of the RAF Families Federation trekked 45km along the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu, raising over £3,500 for the RAF Association. Speaking of the challenge, Dawn said, “I don’t think I’ve done anything so physically exhausting since giving birth but boy was it worth it! The main challenge was coping with the altitude – climbing literally thousands of stone steps, up and down, for up to 10 hours a day. Here Dawn gives a more detailed account.
I
t seemed like a good idea at the time: register for a once-in-a-lifetime trekking experience in Peru and raise
some dosh for the RAF Association along the way. To kick-start my fund- raising efforts, I did a sponsored ‘Walk- to-Work’ raising over £1,000. I then completed a 6-hour swimathon which took my total to over £2,500. Donations kept coming (many from Association members) and, by the time I set off for Peru, I had over £3,500 in the kitty, all of which went to the charity as I’d covered the admin costs myself.
On the training front, I started in earnest walking our faithful spaniel for at least an hour every morning before work and then doubling that at weekends. All was going so well until one month before departure, I injured my foot and was ordered by the doctor to rest. ‘Rest’ is a 4-letter word in my vocabulary so I found it extremely frustrating not to be able to train but I did as I was told (for once!) and just hoped my residual fitness would see me through.
The day arrived and I headed off to Heathrow with the biggest rucksack I’ve ever carried and a medical kit to put ‘Casualty’ to shame. A little apprehensive, I met fellow trekkers and we exchanged fears over fitness levels and altitude sickness. There were 15 of us, ages ranging from 23 to 64.
34 Spring 2010
The journey to Cusco took 18 hours which left me feeling like a zombie and looking worse. Having checked into our smart little hotel, we were taken on a gentle sight-seeing walk and experienced for the first time the impact of altitude. Just walking up a few steps took your breath away and gave the heart a work-out that frightened many. But the city was beautiful – far bigger than I’d imagined – and so colourful and vibrant. We endured a major downpour and realised how quickly the weather changes from blazing sunshine to torrential rain in a matter of seconds.
The next day included an acclimatisation trek. We toured Inca sites including an amazing temple at Sacsayhuaman (pronounced ‘sexy woman’) and ambled gently around. The next day we set off for the actual Trail and the sense of anticipation and the nerves were palpable. Many were concerned but I was just so excited that I strapped up the injured foot and refused to contemplate anything but a successful arrival at Machu Picchu some 4 days later. The three hour bus journey was a hairy experience – narrow bumpy roads and a driver determined to reverse at speed if anything came the other way. Nevertheless, we arrived at the entry point to the Inca Trail, donned our kit and set off. The trail was quite gentle at this stage, but still the altitude slowed us all down to a steady pace and we soon found ourselves in small sub groups of similarly-paced trekkers. I found
myself towards the front with Jo, Lily, Laura and our indefatigable Peruvian guide, Wilo. As we walked, he pointed out flowers and wildlife but nothing could prepare us for our first view of an impressive Inca city called Patallacta – ‘wow’ didn’t even come close.
The incline began to increase now and as we headed towards our first campsite at Wayllabamba, I could feel the feet beginning to ache a little. And here I should mention the amazing team of supporting staffs that accompanied us. Hardened porters, who could each carry 25kg of kit as we pathetic foreigners slowly made our way up the mountain carrying nothing more than a light day sack. They would set off after us, overtake us on the trot and then set up camp before we got there, preparing the most amazing food and boiling the kettle so we could all have a much-needed cup of coca tea (related to the cocaine plant but apparently very good for you!). I take my hat off to these fantastic guys – without them the Inca Trail would be a whole different experience.
Camping overnight on the edge of a mountain was a great experience and, as is my wont, I settled down to a full 8 hour snooze, despite the fact we were due to be up at 5.30. Day 2 of the Trail was reportedly the hardest day – only 11km but almost all uphill, climbing from 3,000m to 4,200 to the infamous ‘Devil
www.raf-ff.org.uk
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