Conquering the Andes at his own pace

Hiking the 46km of Peru’s Inca Trail to Machu Picchu was a dream come true for Bunbury man Curtis Wild.

Picture by The Wild Family

Mr Wild’s guides for the trek believed he was the first person with Down syndrome to hike the trail in its entirety.

The four-day hike started with a bit of a shock for MrWild and his parents Percy and Angela after flying in to Peru.

Ms Wild said the group’s guides sent a horse to her son to catch him up but after climbing higher into the mountains, they found the altitude was not to the animal’s liking.

Mr Wild steadfastly refused any offers of help to hike the trail and continued for the four days at his own pace.

The guides sent three porters to help piggy back MrWild at the end of each day so he could avoid hiking in the dark but the offerwas flatly refused.

‘‘No step was the same size, you had to be on your toes,’’ he said.

The steep trail reached its highest point at Dead Woman’s Pass, more than 4200m above sea level, where hikers received a certificate for conquering the Andes.

Mr Wild said he had spent several months before the trip training for the hike at the gym and walking around Bunbury in preparation.

The trip also included spending several stormy nights on Lake Titicaca in a mud brick hut and visiting the Amazon Rainforest.

Ms Wild said it had been the trip of a lifetime for her whole family and was a completely different world to what they had experienced before.