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TRAVEL/LIFE LESSONS
A Hike to Remember
The Unexpected Challenges of a Machu Picchu Adventure
“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” — Tim Cahill
My son, his friends, and his girlfriend recently crossed a big one off their travel bucket list: Machu Picchu in Peru. Over dinner the other night, his girlfriend shared a story from the trip that stayed with me. It was a reminder that travel rarely goes exactly as planned, and that’s not always a bad thing.
This crew is always on the move, from Mexico City and Cancún to Turkey and beyond. Peru, however, was a trip they had been dreaming about for months. Even seasoned travelers know that no matter how carefully you plan, things can still go sideways.
The night before their big day at Machu Picchu, one of their friends (let’s call him Mark) came down with a brutal case of food poisoning. Everyone had eaten the same meal, but luck wasn’t on his side. After all that anticipation, having to sit out was a hard hit.
A couple of days later, the group set off on a demanding hike. Mark was still recovering but determined to prove he could keep up. It didn’t take long before he started falling…
