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We have been training to hike the Inca Trail for a couple of months now, but recently we’ve moved into high gear. In addition to our regular dog walks and trips to the gym, we’re walking up and down the stairs at TCU’s football stadium twice a week, and we’ve headed out to Lake Mineral Wells State Park a couple of times in the past few weeks. It’s less than an hour away, and it’s surprisingly good hiking. We found a great trail today that heads out to their backpacking camping sites, but unfortunately Bailey decided it was time to stop about a half-mile down that trail.

For those who don’t know, we’re headed to Peru soon to visit Machu Picchu, known as the Lost City of the Incas and recently named as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. We’ll stay in a city called Cusco for three days before the hike begins to acclimate to the altitude. Cusco is at an altitude of about 10,800 feet above sea level. For comparison, Fort Worth is at around 580 feet.

The hike itself will be three nights and four days. We’ll climb as high as 13,200 feet on the second day, and we’ll get our first glimpse of Machu Picchu at sunrise on the fourth day. Looking forward to sharing the stories from our trip here when we return.