i survived the inca trail!

yes, i did survive... but barely.

so i've obviously been missing in action on the blog a lot over the past few weeks, as i traveled down to peru.

i mentioned going to machu picchu this summer -- and hiking the inca trail to get there. aka a four-day, 43 km (26 mile), up-and-down-mountains hike. definitely the hardest thing i have ever put my body through.

to be honest, there were moments i wasn't sure i was going to make it... my body was failing me in ways it never had before (read: weak knees & toenails falling off!) -- but with the help of a lot of prayer and the support of an amazing group of people on the trek with me, we arrived into machu picchu at sunrise on day 4, the trail and the work behind us. and yes, machu picchu is beautiful and magnificent and something to be seen. but i realized that it wasn't so much about just arriving, but more about the journey of how we got there... one step at a time.

would i do it again? probably not. but am i glad i did it? oh yah.

i've never before had such high highs and low lows all in the same adventure... both literally and figuratively. for example, day 2, we hike up 1200m up to the highest point (4900m!!) at the first pass... you start in desert terrain, then make your way through dense forests and waterfalls, finally up to the snow-peaked tops. it's truly breathtaking.

but then you have to go back down into the valley to camp. and the descent is by-far the hardest part. by the time you get to camp, the mountain top high is hours behind you, and your knees and toes are screaming.

as silly as it sounds, i really believe the inca trail was a lesson in trust & dependence for me. there were moments where i wasn't sure i was going to make it... where my body was in crazy pain. but i was reminded that God's power is made perfect in my weakness. there's a song that matthew west has called "strong enough" (that's the artist jeff plays with) -- and the line that kept repeating in my head as i hiked goes "you are strong when i am weak, i don't have to be strong enough" -- and as simple as that is, it was the perfect dose of humility i really needed. i went into this trip pretty prideful that it was going to be no big deal...i mean, come on...i teach spin classes, of course i can hike this thing. but i was reminded that i don't have to be strong enough... to hike a mountain, or for any other part of my life.

and life has hit me hard as i've returned. i'm learning to trust and believe in ways i never have. and i honestly think the inca trail helped prepare me for that. it's about this journey, this crazy life we are all living... not about some destination that we just need to arrive at.

so i'm finding ways to fight for joy and rest in the promise of each day... one step at a time.