2005 In Review: By The Numbers (Addendum)

Two things happened to me this week. I don't deal much in mysticism, but this is just too freaky. Let's just call it Kharma.

I was home visiting my parents. Mick was with me. My mom mentioned she had seen one of my high school classmates in town. Janet was more than a high school classmate. She was my first "crush" way back in fourth grade. She was every guy's crush. Beautiful girl, tremendous personality, compassionate, caring. I had to give her a call.

We met for lunch and had the best time recalling old times and old friends. Turns out she's a raving liberal. It was a great day for me. We hope to keep in touch.

OK, that's one thing. Then this afternoon, on the last day I get a phone call. Now, I hate to answer the phone when I don't know who's calling. It's always some outfit shilling for something. But, this was a cell phone call. Couldn't be an automatic dialer.

The guy starts asking if I'm the Mike Wigal who went to Athens High School. I told him they'd never take me alive. This was Russ, who had a crush on Janet in fifth grade. Like I said, she was every guy's crush. Not only did Russ and I go through grade school and high school together, but college too. In fact, we were both in the 82d Airborne Division at the same time. It was Russ who pinned my Senior Military Parachute wings on me. Russ and I had a long, beautiful conversation. To make matters even better he had recently heard from one of our old college buddies. Now I have a connection to someone I sadly figured I'd never see again.

So tonight, in the waning hours of 2005, I celebrate not the passing of a year, but the beginning of a new year and a rekindling of old friendships once thought lost.

I could not have asked for nor ever expected to receive gifts as priceless as these.

Happy New Year...

2005 In Review: By The Numbers

After the worst year of my life 2005 definitely took an upward turn. It's not my top rated year. That will probably always be 1981, the year Mick was born. But this past year marked a HUGE change in my life.

Thomas Friedman in "The World is Flat" remarked on how everything that can be digitized will be. What does that mean? Darned if I know. But, maybe it has something to do with reducing all the events of our lives to data. So here are some of my data from 2005:

5 Trips outside the United States
22 Countries visited
15 New countries visited
14 UNESCO World Heritage sites

1 blogs started
167 blog posts
1 resignation
155 nights on the road (give or take)
283 new friends (I really have no idea. But, it was ALOT!)

Oh yeah, 2,515 miles run.
Lifetime total: 92,669 miles

Numbers just don't add up to the total experience. For all the miles, all the trials and all the smiles, I thank everyone who touched my life. It would be a lonely journey without you.

2006 looks to be another good one. In February I'll head back to the Middle East, after that there are elephants to tend to, Central American countries to explore, Mick in the Virgin Islands to visit, more Middle East countries and perhaps a climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Or would that be Tibet? When you have an itch you have to scratch it. And I gotta lot of itches.

See you out there...

Last Day in Peru

Welcome to Hell. Or La Fierno to be exact. This picture constitutes the entirety of the Greater Metropolitan La Fierno area. We all wanted to have our pictures taken with the "Welcome to Hell" sign. But, alas, no such sign exists.

The road out of Hell. The road to Hell may be paved with good intentions, but the road out isn't paved at all. Be that as it may, we were on the last leg of our trip to Peru.

One last night in Lima. One last sunset over the Pacific. Only two regrets.
#1. The trip was over.
#2. I never saw the Southern Cross.
OK, three things: That toilet flush business.

More Amazin' Amazon

Big ol' tree. This big boy actually starts out as a parasite climbing upward around an existing tree. Eventually it grows so large it completely surrounds and and smothers the original. The original tree dies and feeds this one. What is left is this huge, hollow monster.

Symbiosis. Remember Patty Hearst and the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA)? Well, this is the Symbiotic Life of Animals. The butterflies feast on the natural salts that exude from the turtle's head and neck. The turtle loves this and sticks his neck out as far as possible to help.

Futbol, the beautiful game. Every night the workers at the camp played soccer on this little field out behind the buildings. There were some pretty good players there.

That night we went upriver looking for caimans, a relative of the crocodile. We found several. They were at best three feet long.

This guy was heading into the water for a little night fishin'.

But, the star of the place was Wally, a six month old orphaned monkey. Wally prefers the company of women, as do I. Here he's cozying up to Jennifer.

And so only one more day remains of the trip. Tomorrow we go to "Hell." La Fierno, to be exact. From there we catch a bus to the airport in Puerto Maldonado. From there it's a flight back to Lima for one more night, then back to the States.

The Incan Hum

These recesses were used to store stuff in their temples, homes and other structures. But, they had a nice resonance. Turn up your volume.

Amazon Rainforest

From Cuzco we flew to Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon Rainforest. The Tambopata National Reserve to be exact. And it was raining. But, Pacha Mama smiled on us again. By the time we had finished the three hour motorized canoe ride upriver the rain had stopped and would not trouble us for the rest of our stay.

However, it WAS hot.

We weren't actually on the Amazon River, but a tributary, The Tambopata.

Our accomodations were actually pretty cool. No electricity but the sounds of the jungle around us in the night had me sleeping like a baby. The calls of the various insects and birds, especially in the mornings, were so amazing! I would love to have a recording of some of these.

What the Inca Trail lacked in mosquitos and other flying pests, the rainforest made up for. For the second time in my life I had a bed with a mosquito net.

Went for a short walk in the forest the first night. Several neighborly-like critters were out and about.

Tarantula.

Snake. I don't know what kind. Wasn't poisonous. But he could keep his body real stiff to emulate a stick.

Full moon through the canopy. Nice end to the first night.

The Trip Continues...

After some time at Aguas Caliente we headed back to Cuzco for one more day. I charged the batteries for my camera and it came back to life.

I always enjoy seeing the juxtaposition of old v. new.

And I enjoy watching people enjoy themselves.

But, I'm also a fan of big piles of rocks. This was the sacred site called Sacsuayhuaman (pronounced "Sexy Woman", sort of.) This is where the Incas had their last, best chance to wipe out the Conquistadors. They had 'em surrounded and outnumbered. But, a last ditch breakout saved the Spaniards and sealed the Incas fate. Sacsuayhuaman sits atop a plateau overlooking Cuzco. From here you can see the entire city in the valley below and the snow capped mountains off in the distance. As a group we loved Cuzco and wished to spend more time there. PErhaps one day I will return.


Plaza de Armas from Sacuayhuaman. The Plaza is the center of Cuzco. Cuzco was the navel of the Incan Kingdom.

Kids playing futbol below Sacsuayhuaman.

Self explanatory.

I thought this was interesting. This little bodega was built up against the original wall of an Incan temple. The Incas have been gone for 500 years, but what they did lives on. I guess that's what's so intriguing about them. You know, the Pyramids in Egypt were fascinating, but they were a Necropolis, built to honor dead Pharoahs. The whole culture and peoples of that time are dead and gone (Sorry, Hani). But, the Incans culture lives on in the Mestizo (mixed blood) people who still live high in the Andes and in their physical presence, both sacred and common. The Incan culture as we understand it only existed for about 200 years. Looking at what they accomplished in that amount of time one wonders what they could have become were it not for the introduction of the Old World upon the New.

From here our group reformed, said goodbye to Cuzco and moved on to the Amazon Rainforest.

Last Dance

In one final moment amidst the ruins of the ancient, mist enshrouded Incan city of Machu Picchu our little group huddled together for the last time. As a group of stunned Peruvian children looked on we spontaniously broke into a rousing rendition of the Hokey Pokey. Sadly, no photographic evidence exists of this ritual. It was truly a serendipitous moment.

Thus ended our trek to Machu Picchu. There were still mountains to climb and jungles to explore. But, for this small group the quest had ended.

From wherever our individual members came and to wherever we would go, at Machu Picchu we had turned ourselves around.

And that's what it's all about...

Members of the "Family" First names only

Freddie.

Kelly

Ashley

Rachel (Aussie)

Andrew (Other Aussie)

Paul

Melissa

Ken

Jennifer

The Happy Wanderer

Back to "Intelligent" Design

I support a third possible alternative...

Aliens came down in flying saucers and impregnated apes, giving them superior intellect. We should require a statement be read in our schools before classes in evolution and/or unintelligent design offering this possibility. After all, there are gaping flaws in the other two "theories." Alien-Ape Impregnation, or A-PI, makes at least as much sense(?) as Unintelligent Design.

Eyes on the Prize

The Big Day has arrived. I was up at 3:30 AM. Already had my stuff essentially packed and ready to move. After a quick bite for breakfast we March Ordered (old Artillery term) and skinned out for the checkpoint. After all, almost 400 people would have the same thing on their minds. 4:50AM. Freddie's "Family" was first to the check point. There was a steady rain and heavy fog. Fortunately we had a little shelter at the checkpoint while we waited.

Just before the gate was opened. The line of trekkers stretched back up the Trail as far as we could see. Machu Picchu was calling...

The race was on. With the quick start our group had the best getaway. And we were flying. Even though the charts showed a gentle downhill to Machu Picchu it seemed like all we did was climb. Among our group Paul had the point. I was behind him and the two longlegged Aussies were close behind. After almost an hour we hit one last climb. I didn't realize this was the big moment, but I was trying to get this hill behind me as fast as I could. For some reason Paul stopped to adjust his pack. I went past him, all the while grousing about yet another hill. Suddenly there it was. Intipunku, The Sun Gate. The first rays of the Sun on Machu Picchu each day passed through Intipunku. And I was the first person that day to see it.

Unfortunately that day's Sun was of liquid variety. The clouds and mist pretty much wiped out the view. But, for about 30 seconds I stood alone. Machu Picchu lay before me. The Quest was over. It was a powerful moment.

Others soon began arriving. The "Family" caught up and together we strode down the path into the fabled city. Those of you familiar with images of Machu Picchu may have a general idea of the view. The ruins layed out below. The tall mountain, Huayna Picchu in the background. What I call the "money shot." Four for days we had slogged over steep mountain terrain to reach this spot. Here it is:

Not exactly what I had in mind. To be honest the moment seemed anticlimactic. The place was socked in. We were soaked and most everyone was starting to get chilled. Spirits were down. But, Freddie told us not to give up hope. Pacha Mama (The Incan term for Mother Earth) would be kind to us. Hadn't we always given a small offering to Pacha Mama whenever we drank something? He was referring to our practice of pouring a small sip of liquid on the ground in thanks to the Incan God. To Freddie giving back to Pacha Mama would bring us good luck. We had enjoyed mild weather, no accidents, no illnesses, no problems. Pacha Mama would not fail us now.

Gradually the Sun began to burn off the mists. Machu Picchu was revealing herself to us.

As one of his last official duties Freddie took us on a tour of the city. Here we are below the Sun Temple. Built upon natural rock, the Sun Temple is actually a calendar used to measure the passing of the seasons. It was at this moment my camera took one last photo then went into a coma. Apparently this happens all the time. The combination of heavy moisture in the air and batteries weak from lack of charging (where was I going to get a charge?) puts many cameras to sleep. Jennifer's camera was trying to pass out, but still had a little juice. So my few pictures of M.P. were taken with her camera. Paul's camera was working well, but I won't have his pix for a few weeks yet. Anyway, here are some of the highlights.

The llamas were tame. They were put there for us turistos. Nice touch, but not the same as when I walked among the wild llamas that morning back at the first campsite.

The temple stones. Remember when I alluded to the difference in Incan building construction between the sacred and the utilitarian structures? The temples were built with fine precision. Each block was fitted perfectly together with no apparent gaps or mortar (experts actually believe some type of paste of thin mortar may have been used). The Andes is an area very prone to earthquakes. The Incas knew this. If a quake occurred the stones would simply slide apart allowing the structure to survive.

Think about that. Seven hundred years ago a people for which no written language existed, who had no electricity, no internet, no modern concept of mathematics, physics or survey; they didn't even have HORSES for crying out loud, built temples able to withstand not only earthquakes, but 700 years of conquest, nature and tourism. San Francisco was flattened by an earthquake in 1989. Parts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India were destroyed by a tsunami last year. Who were these "primitive" people?

Next to Machu Picchu is the mountain, Huayna Picchu. (Machu Picchu, by the way, means small mountain. Huayna Picchu mean tall mountain in Quechua.) We were offered the option of climbing it if we wished. Even Freddie said it was very steep and treacherous but if we wanted to do it to PLEASE be careful. I had met a New Zealand guy who had made this trek when I was in the Virgin Islands visiting Mick. He told me about this mountain. He said no one ever climbs it because it was too much after all the hiking.

Well, I guess Kiwis are wimps, because four of our group climbed it. And Boy was it steep! Yikes! You could NEVER have something like this in the States. WAAAY too much liability. There were spots where it was literally hand over hand climbing. At one point the "trail" was about 12 inches wide. On the left was a big rock. On the right was air. For hundreds of feet down. My palms were sweatin'. After about an hour of climbing we made the top. It was essentially just a pile of boulders teeming with other trekkers. The view was AWESOME!

Like so many places I've been this year and so many things I've seen, words fail to do it justice.

And that was basically it. We bussed down to the town of Aguas Caliente for some grub. Then after the opportunity to pump some life into the local economy we hopped the train for the ride back to Cuzco. After today the Family would no longer exist in it's present form. Some were off to other adventures. Several of us were headed to the Amazon Rainforest for a couple days. It's the nature of life.

But, as I remarked three days earlier after we had topped Dead Woman's Pass, we may do more difficult things in our lives. But, after this we would never be the same.

'Course, technically that's true with everything, but you get the idea.

New Year's Resolutions

If what you want to do is a good idea and you really want to do it, then do it no matter what time of year it is. January 1st is an artificial date. It has no significance other than a certain symmetry on the calendar. If, for example, you decide you want to stop smoking and it's August 18th, then that's a damn good time to stop. If you say "I'm going to stop smoking on January 1st" and it's December 23rd, then what you're actually saying is "I don't REALLY want to stop smoking, so I'm going to suck down all the smokes I can get my hands on between now and then." Once New Year's passes you realize you are still hooked and by January 6th you're back at it.

Screw Resolutions. When it's time, it's time.

Just so you know where I stand on this important issue...

Inca Trail - Day Three

This is Freddie, our guide. He always referred to our group as Family. Freddie was never without a smile. He loves the Incan culture and never failed to show his passion for the subject.

The porters. Before the trip I had heard how unbelieveable these guys were. Like they were Supermen. Well, I confess I had a fair degree of skepticism. This I had to see.

And in fact the first day made me think they were overrated. Sure they were hauling around 50 pounds on their backs. But they were all youngish, in the teens and 20s. On the first day I made a point to try to stay with them. Stride for stride I felt very comfortable. I admit I wasn't carrying as heavy a load, but I was also spotting them over 30 years. I felt pretty good about myself.

But, then came the downhills. I'm struggling down the previously described steps when here come these guys literally (and by that I mean LITERALLY) running. They were wearing these beat up sandals and carrying all that stuff. Some had propane tanks strapped. I saw a guy with a full pack AND two dozen fresh eggs. I take my hat off to the Incan Trail porters. They are indeed Supermen.

Cleansing my Shakra. At the exquisite little Inca site of Huinay Huayna ("Forever Young" in Quechua) we were encouraged to cleanse our Shakras in the flowing water of the ancient plumbing. The Incas set up the distribution of water in each village so the flow in the upper portions was only used for sacred purposes. The water then flowed down the hill to be diverted for household then agricultural uses. They built these magnificent terraces for growing crops. The terraces were massive and still in use today. You can see them all over the hills and mountains, some so high up the slopes it takes days to reach. Incredible.

The terraces at Huinay Huayna.

Huinay Huayna.

Last camp. There was a hostel at the last campsite. Every group arrived for the last night before Machu Picchu. I saw this rainbow while walking to the hostel for a shower and a cold one. In Incan tradition it is unlucky to point at a rainbow. So I just sort of...nodded.

The porters finale. Since it was our last night all the porters came out one last time to say goodbye. We all pitched in with tips, cocoa leaves and a brewski for each. They sang and danced. With our women.

This is Melissa enjoying herself dancing. Apparently one of the porters enjoyed himself too. Melissa got groped. All in good fun.

Tomorrow: Machu Picchu. There is a checkpoint a short distance from the last camp. It opens at 5:30AM. Everyone has to check in before the final 6 kilomter dash to the object of our quest. The camp area was aswarm with trekkers, mostly young (a few geezers like me) from all over the world. We had all crossed paths at various times the last few days. A great experience meeting them. But, it was important to get a good start in the morning. The Trail was too narrow, too steep and too wet to have to fight crowds of trekkers scrambling for the finish line. I haven't raced since the Athens Marathon in 1999 (4th overall, 3:11:09, my swan song), but I had the old "night-before-a-race" feeling.

Jennifer and Me.