I can see the sky begin to lighten through the heavy canopy. This is both good and bad. Good - soon I''ll be able to switch off my torch and trust my footing to the uneven paving stones of the trail. Bad - I'll need to increase the pace if I'm to reach the
Sun Gate by dawn.
The last four days of high altitude trekking have done little to reverse the effects of my sedentary, indulgent and very urban lifestyle. My energy reserves are depleted through lack of sleep and many months of a third-world diet. I've got to dig deep, depressing as it is that my body betrays my memories of youthful fitness.
"I need to take better care of myself" is a fleeting resolution in moments like this.
It's light enough to see the trail now and the heavy mist which lies over the jungle this morning, as it has every morning for the last week. There's still a chance that the mist will lift, that I'll see the sun rise. Enough of a chance to keep me running, cursing, surprised I haven't given up already.
"How many chances" I ask myself, "will I have to see something like this."
The mist is a blanket when I arrive, panting, at the gate.
-SRA.
Cusco, 2/ii 2002.
