Gill Fountain flew off to Peru at the beginning of October to trek up the Inca Trail to the infamous lost city of the Incas – Machu Picchu , raising money for IRHH in memory of her husband. Nothing tells a story like the words of the person who experienced it

“There were 25 in our group, representing various charities, and after arrival in Peru we spent 2 days acclimatising to the high altitude (3,350m) and exploring the ancient Inca capital of Cusco .  We then set off on our 4 day trek through some spectacular scenery.  Local guides were with us and helpers set up camp for us each night.  We were given a real insight into how the Andean peoples live.  The region has remained largely unchanged for more than 500 years and people dress in brightly coloured ponchos and live in thatched stone houses.  Farmers herd llamas and alpacas.  We had an opportunity to visit a local family home and local school children made a trip to meet us and entertain us with a song.

“The going was fairly tough, due to the altitude. Some of us suffered with altitude sickness, and the nights were extremely cold.   We hiked for around 6 - 8 hours with ascents of 500 - 600 m. per day. We arrived early morning at Machu Picchu and watched the mists clear from the ' Lost City of the Incas' - an extraordinary and beautiful sight.  The trip was certainly a memorable experience.”

Our sincere thanks go to Gill, whose endless fundraising efforts prior to her trip have lead to her raising a staggering total in excess of £5,500!

27th November 2007