It's Easy Bein' Green

Happy 2010 everyone!

Just one of the many donkeys seen on the trail!

Over my winter break I had the wonderful opportunity of traveling to Peru with a friend.  We spent time in a few different areas, but the highlight of the trip by far was hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu!! The trek took four days, and I found the hiking incredibly difficult because of the high altitude and the hours of walking what felt like 90 degrees uphill.

My friend and I during the very difficult hike (I'm on the right)

While in Peru I spent time admiring the beauty of the mountains, desert, ocean, and forest.  During the times when I felt unhappy or low I was able to find comfort in appreciating the magnificent nature.  This pick-me-up activity is unfortunately more difficult in larger cities, especially during the winter months.  However, I encourage everyone to take some time when you’re feeling stressed, upset, angry, or sad and ponder the small things in life that you are thankful for.  We do not do this enough, for thinking about what you are thankful for is usually limited to pre-Thanksgiving dinner grace.

My group's rock offering

The main thing that prompted me to start doing this is something that happened on the Inca trail.  After climbing up a particularly steep part of the trail, it is custom to make a “rock offering” after reaching the peak.  Hikers place rocks, big or small, in formations and take a moment to thank pachamama, or mother earth, for the beauty of the trail and the opportunity to be a part of it.  This made me realize that so many of us take the wonderful things on this planet for granted.  There are plants and animals that are so beautiful and interesting, but we are too busy to notice.  In addition to trying to protect the planet by recycling and finding alternative energies we should also take time to appreciate Earth, and maybe this will help people to stop destroying ecosystems to build cities or factories.

After finally reaching the awesome Machu Picchu I was very happy that I took the Inca trail instead of simply riding the train.  It was quite a journey, and I got to see how amazingly the Incas lived.  They worshiped rocks and trees and plants and never took too much from the environment.  I hope that someday there will be more people like this.

After 4 days of trekking we finally got to see the lost city of the Incas