Big News! Pathfinder Reroutes to Italy

John Lennon’s words ring true: “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” After a year of prepping for life on the Inca Trail, we faced a very hard decision. As you might have heard, the area of Cusco and Machu Picchu in Peru received heavy rains in late January and early February. While neither Machu Picchu nor the Inca Trail itself were affected, the railroad running from Cusco to Machu Picchu was washed out in half a dozen places. This means there is no transport to or from Machu Picchu. The railroad is being repaired, but the tentative April completion date put our April 17-25th tour date in jeopardy. We knew we had to make the call (and quick!), so we went straight to our Pathfinder Brain Trust: Pathfinder Margie Tosch, guest Chef Rodelio Aglibot, and Allan Wright of Zephyr Adventures. Late Wednesday night, we came to a decision.

In keeping with our Firestone Wines spirit of adventure, our Pathfinder and guest Chef will completely change their plans, instead traveling to Italy to undertake a self-guided, eight-day hiking tour of Tuscany, also organized by our partner Zephyr Adventures. That’s right, we said “self-guided,” meaning this journey is about to get interesting, and certainly open to its own series of discoveries. Pathfinder Margie Tosch will be blogging daily about life on the Terra di Siena, while chef Rodelio Aglibot will be preparing delicious Italian meals paired with Firestone wines for the group along the way. Better yet, you can join the crew on this trek! To read up on all the amazing trip details, or to reserve your spot on the trip, head straight to Zephyr Adventures.

Our sincere thanks to Margie and Rodelio for their sense of adventure and readiness to pick up and change routes!

A Day In The Life: Trekking The Inca Trail

We caught up with Allan Wright, owner of Zephyr Adventures, and official Inca Trail guide for our Firestone Pathfinder trek in April. Allan is a Seattle native who has traveled to over 50 countries and has lived on 3 continents, so he knows a thing or two about adventure travel. As the Pathfinder announcement nears (just days away!), we wanted to give you a little glimpse of what it will be like on the trail for the lucky winners!

FV: What time does everyone wake up in the morning?

AW: A typical day starts around 7:00 AM when our staff comes by with a wake-up call and hot drinks brought to our bedside. We all then take our time to get up and moving and have a hot breakfast around 8:00 AM. After breakfast, we pack our gear into our bags and leave it in the tents for the porters and hit the trail around 9:00 or 9:30. One of the secrets of our group is we leave a little later in the morning than most people so we have the trail mostly to ourselves but send a porter ahead earlier to grab the best campsite in the next dedicated camp area.

FV: What's a typical schedule like on the trail? And more importantly, what's for dinner?

AW: We walk until about noon, stopping for photos and visiting ruins. We have a guide at the front and one at the end, allowing each person to walk his or her own pace. Our porters will clean up from breakfast, pack up camp, pass us on the trail, and have a hot lunch waiting for us around noon. They are quite amazing. We usually have a leisurely lunch and then have another three hours or so of hiking in the afternoon, arriving to camp around 4:00 PM. We have a couple hours free time to read, take photos, play cards, etc and then have appetizers around 5:30 and dinner at 6:00. The dinners are quite amazing too - the cooks prepare a multi-course meal over camp stoves. Dinner might consist of a tomato and avocado salad, bread with a Peruvian salsa, pasta with a meat sauce (tofu sauce for the vegetarians), and pudding for dessert. It will of course be even better in April with the Firestone wines and our professional American cook.

FV: Do you have a favorite vista on the trek?

AW: The distances are not super long - perhaps 11 kilometers (7 miles) per day on average. The goal is not to rush but to enjoy the scenery. My favorite day of the four is definitely Day 3, when we pass two amazing ruins and hike along a section of trail that is composed entirely of original stones laid down by the Inca. That evening we have an incredible campsite on an open ridge with views of the nearby mountains and the Urubamba River below.

FV: Any recommendations for the most useful tools or gear?

AW: We will send everyone who joins us a Pre-Departure Packet with details about the entire trip, including a packing list. People actually carry very little on their backs: water, snacks, extra clothes, and a camera. One thing to consider is whether to bring hiking poles. I highly recommend them for anyone who has weak knees (they really help on the downhill) or has balance issues. For others, poles are not really needed. If someone does bring them, they need to have rubber tips.

Good luck everyone! Still have a few days to sign up your friends for a greater chance of winning!