The 10 lessons I Learned On The Inca Trails

Ever since I had seen pictures of Machu Picchu, I wanted to walk the Inca Trails. In the process of completing the walk, however; I lost weight, and became a better person to be around. To benefit from the 10 lessons I learnt, read on.

I have attempted to lose weight many, many times before. Each time, it will start of as a new year’s resolution, but fade away by the time Valentine’s Day came around. I always had a clear goal. What was missing was the PASSION needed to light that goal aflame. It was a lifeless goal. With the Inca Trails, I had a PURPOSE that provided the PASSION needed to stimulate action and SUSTAIN that momentum. I wasn’t attempting to lose weight - I was attempting to get fit for the trail. It was difficult for me to get passionate about losing weight; I was always trying to MOTIVATE myself about losing weight. On the other hand, I WANTED to complete the Inca trails and that automatically kept me focused on getting fit; without any need to motivate myself.

LESSON#1: If you are spending energy trying to get motivated about a goal, or losing momentum on New Years resolutions within a few months, try another tack. Find a goal or activity that will provide purpose or meaning to you, and that will stir up your passions to light that goal aflame.

The trail starts at Cusco. Cusco is a neat blend of the old and the new. The streets are still those built by the Incas 600 years ago. The buildings are classic, Spanish, colonial buildings. This old-world charm is what makes Cusco such an attractive & memorable place to visit. The streets are narrow, but clean. Cusco also has all the modern elements needed for efficiency. Traffic lights control the traffic, and the traffic is very orderly.

LESSON#2: Every goal is an intent on your part to change something. Before you pursue that goal seriously, think about what was responsible for your success this far. What made you effective? What made you attractive? As you go about pursuing change, make sure you keep those elements that make you attractive & effective, and blend the old with the new seamlessly.

I was so enamored by the beautiful blend of the old and the new that I couldn’t contain myself. I was walking all over town, exploring every nook & corner. All that energetic walking so soon after landing in Cusco made me sick. I learnt that it is a bad idea – a very bad idea – to hustle & bustle soon after landing. Cusco is close to 11,000 feet above sea level. At that height, the body needs to get used to diminished oxygen levels. If you don’t let the body take the time to adjust, you suffer from High Altitude Sickness. The best way to avoid this is to take it easy for 2 to 3 days.

I learnt the importance of keeping the right PACE. All too often, we are so focused on climbing the ladder that we end up with High Altitude Sickness. Arrogance, egotism, stress, poor relationships, divorce, blood pressure, and heart attack can all be symptoms of High Altitude Sickness – too much PACE and not enough PEACE.

LESSON#3: If you find yourself short of breath, feeling dizzy with the heights you have climbed, feeling lonely at the top, or suffering from the ill effects of High Altitude Sickness, check the pace in your life. Do you need to slow down? Do you know how to slow down? Are pace and peace in balance?

I also realized that encountering failures can have the opposite effect – Deep Valley Sickness. Anxiety, nervousness, low self-esteem, fear, anger, jealousy, self-pity, and aloofness can all be symptoms of Deep Valley Sickness.

LESSON#4: If you are beating yourself up because you have failed, remember that just because you have failed a few times, it doesn’t mean you are a failure. How can you channel the emotions of failure into positive energy that can bridge the gap between success & failure? Can you recognize the symptoms of Deep Valley Sickness in yourself and others?

The Incas were perfectionists. As the whole region is prone to earthquakes and land sides, they experimented with different structures until they found a way to create walls and foundations that could resist earthquakes. They built the walls at a 130 angle, and they polished the rocks so perfectly that their walls were constructed without any mortar to hold the rocks together. As a result, the Inca structures have stood the test of time – the natural and man-made ravages of 600+ years.

LESSON#5: Start with simple goals. As you succeed in accomplishing those goals, think about more lasting goals. Pursue perfection. What can you leave behind that will be appreciated by future generations?

The toilets on the trail are the nadir of the whole experience. My suggestion: close your eyes; close your nose; get in & out quickly; take lots of the best anti-bacterial wipes; and pray to God.

LESSON#6: On the path to accomplishing goals, there will invariably be some “dirty” stuff that needs to get done. Often, it is these little things that can prevent you from accomplishing your goals. What are the things that you feel uncomfortable doing or saying that is preventing you from accomplishing goals? What are those mental roadblocks? How do you muster the grit needed to get the dirty stuff done?

The total walk is 28 miles. While the distance is well divided over 4 days, Day 2 is very intense because of the steep 3,000 feet climb. The climb really works your legs, knees, heart and lungs. It tests your character.

If I had known the intensity of the climb, I may have thought twice about going on the trail, as my legs would normally hurt even after a 2 hour walk on flat terrain. I realized that we often limit ourselves because we decide based on “what is”. However, our potential, or “what can be” is many times more than what we limit ourselves to.

LESSON#7: As you reflect on your goals, think about how much you are limiting yourself because of your beliefs about your own capability and capacity for results. Is that truly your potential? How can you stretch yourself and achieve many times more than what you are currently achieving?

By the time we reached the campsite on the second day, it was beginning to get dark. By the time we got the tent ready, it was fully dark. As I stepped out of the tent to eat dinner I looked up at the sky. I have never seen that many stars in the sky. I was so used to looking at an anemic sky with a few smattering of stars that the beauty of a sky ablaze with stars blanketing the sky was stunning.

The stars were always there, but they couldn’t be seen because there is too much light around. Similarly, opportunities abound. They are always there, and it is up to us to see them. We often think that life is zero sum game; that things are scarce, and we need to grab as much as we can. This experience taught me that there are plenty of opportunities; but we don’t see them because there are so many distractions that shut off the limitless possibilities.

LESSON#8: If your life is filled with noise, and you think you are in a rat race, check the amount of stimulation you are receiving. Reduce the stimulation. Reduce the couch potato activities that numb your mind & get your adrenalin rushing – movies, TV programs, video games etc. Replace them with activities that help you see & realize your true potential. You can then truly see all the bright stars shining in your sky – the stars that were always there but you couldn’t see because of all the stimulation that is stifling it.

At the end of the third day, after taking a brief rest in the tent, we went to see some ancient ruins. As we came to the clearing where we could see the ruins, I went to the edge of the hill to get a better view. It was a bad idea. The edge was soft, and I slipped and fell into the cliff. For a moment I blanked out. Fortunately, I quickly regained my senses and grabbed onto a branch on my way down. I was 5 feet down, and hanging precariously off a fairly flimsy branch. After what seemed like an eternity, the guides came and pulled me out of the mess.

We sometimes live on the edge without realizing what we are doing. We take high risks for little or no return. I did not get a much better view by going on the edge. I took a needless risk. There were hundreds of people who were walking those trails. I was the only one who fell off the edge. Clearly, the others were smarter. I was reckless.

LESSON#9: Don’t live on edge. Think rationally about all the things you do that are high risk, and no return. Thank God for giving you another chance, and eliminate these choices and habits. High risk, no return activities that should be eliminated include smoking, compulsive drinking, financial recklessness, behaviors that ruin relationships, reckless driving, and, of course, walking on the edge of steep hills.

The fourth day is a very early start. We are literally walking in the clouds for close to 3 hours. As the day progresses, the clouds lift gently and we can see much better. The views are spectacular - ruins of what must have once been a bustling city, surrounded by lush, green mountains, with clouds floating above that give it that mystical atmosphere. While I was tired after intense walking for 4 days, I found myself recharged with a new bout of energy as soon as I reached Machu Picchu. That energy gave me enthusiasm, and I was excited to explore every corner of Machu Picchu. I had so much energy & enthusiasm that I climbed Wyana Picchu, a very steep climb. I had always assumed that when you are tired, you are also drained of energy. For the first time I experienced that these may indeed be two different things.

Have you ever worked hard, and still felt full of energy? Have you not done much at all, and still felt drained and out of sorts?

LESSON#10: Think about the friends, relationships and work situations that leave you more energetic and enthusiastic. How can you spend more time in such situations? How can you reduce the time you spend on situations that leave you with less energy even when you don’t work very hard?