More Information- Peru
Peru
Peru is a rich and fascinating country, with a wide diversity of landscapes and peoples. Over 50% of the population is indigenous, carrying thousands of years of living closely with the land. While Spanish is the primary language, many other languages are spoken, including Quechua, the complex, unwritten language of the Incas that is spoken in the highlands we will be visiting.
Our trip to Peru will introduce us to new perspectives, new routines, and different ideas. The familiar reference points that keep us moving in the same directions are gone, and with that comes the opportunity to re-define ourselves, our purpose, and our patterns. The itinerary is scheduled to unfold at a relaxed pace, allowing plenty of time for personal reflection, and structured activities to deepen your experience. During the trip, you will have the opportunity to expand yourself in whatever way is appropriate for you- whether that is physically, through challenging the stories or beliefs that stand in the way of change, or through cultivating the spirit and attitude you wish to embody.
Preparation
Any significant journey starts with preparation and intention. During the month prior to the trip, you will be given a series of exercises and activities to begin to identify a vision for your life, and an understanding of the internal and external paths to create it. You can expect a holistic process that involves creative activities, journal writing, selected readings, and discussion. Those who live in the Boulder/Denver area will meet three times during this period, and those from other areas can be included through speakerphone or email discussions.
As part of the preparation for your trip, you will be offered a 45 minute individual coaching session with Laura and/or Katie to explore your intentions and goals, and to identify the questions and approaches that will enhance your trip. These sessions can be conducted by phone for participants outside of the Boulder/Denver area.
Physical training for the high altitude mountain trek will be an important part of your preparation. (See Physical Fitness section below.) The daily commitment to caring for your body is an excellent metaphor for your commitment to crafting a new vision, and being in good physical condition will allow you to enjoy the hiking. Once you sign up, we will give you some training guidelines.
Integration Phase
Sharing a powerful experience with other women can create close, supportive relationships. And that doesn’t end when the trip is over. Two follow-up meetings in Boulder ensure that you have the supportive network to put your new vision in place. Those from outside the Boulder area will be included by phone or email.
About The Trek
Our trek has been arranged as a private expedition with a local guiding company. We will have one primary guide, and horses will carry your personal gear so that you may hike with just a daypack. A cook and porters will serve meals in a dining tent, set up our tents, and take care of chores so that we can relax in camp. Sleeping bags, Thermarest mattresses (foam mattresses are provided) and trekking poles can be rented for a small fee.
The area we will trek through is one of the ancient trails used by the Incas. It is on the other side of the Sacred Valley from the famous Inca Trail, yet receives far less traffic than the hundreds of people who walk the Inca Trail everyday. We will travel beneath snowcapped and glaciated peaks, through villages where families have farmed the same terraced land for centuries, and see grazing llamas and alpacas. The area is known for its traditional weavings, and there will be opportunities to buy the beautiful and colorful blankets of the region.
Physical Fitness
General good health is important, and a moderate degree of physical fitness will help you enjoy the trip. We will spend three days hiking on a trail at altitudes ranging from 11,000’ to 15,000’. We will have several other day hikes at slightly lower elevations to help us acclimitize. These trails were used by the Incas for centuries, but are rugged and remote.
The trek will be the most physically challenging element of the trip. The longest day will be approximately 6 hours of hiking, including nearly 3,000’ of elevation gain. We will travel at a relaxed pace, so endurance will be more of an asset than speed. We will have most of our gear carried by horses, though you should expect to carry a day pack with extra layers of clothing, snacks and water. A ‘backup’ horse is available to carry a person if needed, but you should plan on walking the full distance.
Aside from the three-day trek, all additional hikes and physical activity are optional and can be modified for your energy level. If you can walk several miles when you sign up for the trip, with two months of training you should be feeling strong, energetic, and ready to thoroughly enjoy the physical nature of the trip.
Katie and Laura’s Roles
We’re there to support you in getting what you want out of this experience . We have coordinated the logistics of the trip, and will take care of the details while we’re in Peru. We will provide as many options as possible to accommodate the group’s interests and individual needs. We both have many years experience as outdoor guides, and will establish safety guidelines for our outdoor days. We are both certified as Wilderness First Responders, an eighty-hour course in backcountry medicine.
As guides to the life visioning process, our role is to ask the relevant questions, and to support you in finding your own answers. Although much of this process is deeply personal, we see our role as coaches rather than therapists. We will provide information, activities, non-judgmental feedback if you want it, and support for you to look at your life at whatever level of depth you choose. We feel strongly that every participant needs to make her own choices, and we will never push you in a direction that you don’t want to go, or require any sharing that you aren’t comfortable with.
Logistical Details
Transportation
On the evening of October 14, we will meet and spend the night in Lima at a small guesthouse in a quiet neighborhood. Most flights arrive late at night, and either one of us will meet you at the airport, or transportation will be pre-arranged to bring you to the hotel. We will then leave the next morning for an hour’s flight to Cusco, where we will spend the first few days and nights in Pisac, absorbing the markets, ruins, and culture of the Sacred Valley while we acclimatize just below 10,000 feet. Please note that airfare to Lima and Cusco is NOT included in the trip price.
Accommodations
Accommodations are clean, comfortable, and congruent with the down-to-earth nature of the country. We will spend a total of five nights at Paz y Luz, a holistic retreat center in Pisac. At Paz y Luz we will have access to a beautiful meeting space, delicious breakfast, and a kitchen to make teas and snacks. For the three nights that we are out on trek, we will be camping in roomy three-person tents (two to a tent). The trip price includes shared room accommodations. For a single-supplement fee of $200 you can have a private room and your own tent.
What to Bring
We’ll put together a list of suggested clothing and gear. You will need a good pair of hiking boots, a medium-sized day pack, a sleeping bag, and casual outdoor clothing, but otherwise you shouldn’t need anything special. Sleeping bags can be rented if you don’t have one that will keep you warm down to around 30 degrees.
***Remember that you will need a current passport!***
What’s Included
Everything that you’ll need during your stay in Peru is included in the trip price. This includes three meals a day, lodging, all fees for the activities, and transportation within the country. You will want to bring some extra money for bottled drinking water, and in case you want special snacks, alcoholic drinks, gifts and souvenirs, or if you think you may get a wild idea to do something extra that’s not in the plans. You may want extra cash for the massage and healing treatments that are available at Paz y Luz. If you have special bars that you like to eat while hiking we suggest that you bring a few for the trek, as the selection of energy bars in Peru is limited.
Food
Peruvian food is an eclectic blend of indigenous tradition and a strong Spanish influence. In the Andean region, fresh, locally grown root vegetables, green vegetables and corn are the staples for most meals, supplemented with grilled local chicken and meats. The gastronomically adventurous can try cuy, the grilled guinea pig that the region is famous for. We will sample a variety of cuisines at local restaurants, and one night will have a chef come to prepare us a traditional Peruvian dinner. On the trek, a head cook will serve us (and do all the dishes too!). Breakfasts at Paz y Luz include fresh tropical fruit, delicious locally made yogurt, eggs, and fresh squeezed orange juice. Please let us know if you have food preferences or allergies- we will do our best to accommodate different diets.
Weather
Weather in the Andean highlands is similar to Colorado mountain weather- hard to predict! April through October is considered the dry season in the Andean highlands. The average high in Cusco in October is 70 degrees, and the average low is 42. There are typically eight days during the month with some precipitation. During the trekking portion of our trip, we will be as much as 5,000 feet above Cusco, however, so temperatures could range from warm to cold. We’ll provide you with a suggested clothing list that will give you a good range of adaptability to the mountain climate.
Please feel free to contact either of us by phone or email if you have any questions! You may also download printable copies of this information at these links: