A GROUP of 16 Islanders are getting ready to brave the Inca Trail of Peru next year.
The team, led by physiotherapist Anne-Marie Webb, will be raising money for the Jersey Cheshire Home, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
After touching down in Lima the trekkers will make their way to Huayllabamba, where they will join the Inca Trail. From there they will set off on the gruelling hike that will see them cover 43 kilometres and reach altitudes up to 4,200 metres.
Much of the trail is still of its original Inca construction and will lead the travellers to some breathtaking sights. The journey will take them to the so-called Peruvian cloud forests, along the banks of the River Llullucha and up to the heights of Dead Women’s Pass. However, the ultimate destination – Machu Picchu – will be the highlight of the expedition.
Referred to as the lost city of the Incas, the site was built in 1460 and many of the settlement’s temples and altars are still intact with their distinctive and intricate stonework. It was just last year voted as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
After embarking on two previous hiking journeys, Anne-Marie thought that a different sort of challenge was needed. ‘The Peruvian expedition’s emphasis is on dealing with the dizzying altitude rather than the distance, and it’s this difference that provides the journey with a unique twist,’ she said.
The group may be considered lucky to have secured a place on the trail, because in 2004 the Peruvian government imposed a strict quota on the number who walk the trail. The measure was put into place to tackle fears about the environmental impact of hikers on archaeological sites and on flora and fauna along the route.
Opened in 1983, the Jersey Cheshire Home caters for people with a wide range of disability. The home currently houses a hydrotherapy centre and a gym, enabling residents to have regular access to physical activity, which is critical to their health.
Participants on the journey have to raise £1,400 in sponsorship for the home and some members of the team have planned a ‘speed dating’ event, among other things. With the money raised from Hike Peru, the home hopes to
extend its physiotherapy services out into the community. Top of the home’s ‘wish list’ is a Motomed bike, an exercise bike created for convenient use with wheelchairs.
Information about the event is available from Anne-Marie Webb on 285858 (ext 3).
• Picture: Anne-Marie Webb and Jersey Cheshire Home administrator Antoinette Craig with their Peru brochures
Picture by Richard Wainwright (00590780)
Article posted on 29th September, 2008 - 3.00pm
