Back in 2018 we decided to take a group trip down to Peru and hike the Incan trail to Machu Picchu. None of us were avid hikers or campers but this seemed like the most epic trip to take for a 30th birthday year. So we packed up our bags and headed south to hike the trails the first week of March.

We flew direct to Lima from Atlanta, spent one night is the sketchiest hostel and then popped over to Cuzco on the first flight out the next morning so we could acclimate.

Cuzco was so dreamy. The town center is in the middle of this valley with mountain peaks rising all around it. There was plenty of foot, drink & shopping to do before we started out trek. Our AirBnB was settled high up in the hills of the San Blas neighborhood.

After 2 full days acclimating to Cuzco’s altitude, we began our journey to reach the start of the Incan trail. We had a 3 am wake up call and then our group was shuttled about an hour & a half northwest to a tiny little town that I couldn’t even tell you the name of. They stopped so we could enjoy a nice hearty breakfast and get in a few last breaths of pure oxygen and then we were off! The first day was the longest, about 10 miles or so and it was the flattest part of the trek.

About mid-day, we stopped for some lunch. Let me just say… I was NOT expecting good food on this trek. I brought so many nutrition bars because I truly did not expect to enjoy the food. Wow. Wow. Wow. It was incredible. Seriously. So delicious. During one of the meals they BAKED A CAKE. A cake… over a camp fire. It was fantastic. We hiked and hiked.. took breaks when we needed. I was given the endearing nickname of paparazzi by our guide because I was taking SO many photos and so little steps. 

As the sun started to set on the first day, we rounded the bend and came to camp which had already been set up by the porters… who I can’t gloss over — These guys literally RUN up the mountain. We were barely able to take more than 50 steps and they were sprinting past us with 60 lb bags on their back. — 

So we get to camp and enjoy another tasty meal with the greatest star viewing. 

And that night was the last night I would have a working camera. Some how I left my camera on top of my camel-pack which was filled with water, and I woke up to my baby Nikon D750 floating in a puddle of water. To say I was upset is an understatement… the cost of a new camera was not even top of my concern but more the fact that I would no longer be able to capture epic photos from the trip.  In hindsight it was a gift, because I would have slowed us down tremendously but it was still a heart breaking situation. The remaining images are the only ones I have left from my camera… of course I did get some on my phone but it just wasn’t the same.  

The rest of the photos are a tiny selection from the iphone images I took after the tragedy.