If we didn't have the pictures, it would be hard for me to believe that Rita and I actually hiked the 26-mile Inca Trail to Machu Picchu just four years ago this weekend. In some ways, it seems like that was another life - especially given the last 18 months of COVID - but there are still events that are burned into my memory and remain vivid.

When we first set the goal back in 2016 I was morbidly obese, weighing just under 300 pounds. We knew there was no way I could hike 26 miles, most of it at altitudes between 10,000 and 14,000 feet, without a massive lifestyle change and training program.

The physical and emotional struggle to get to those first steps is chronicled in my book "An Uphill Climb: Survivor's Guilt and the Inca Trail". Although it received great reviews on Amazon (currently has a 4.5 out of 5 star rating), the first part of the book dealt with some pretty heavy and serious issues that had nothing to do with the hike itself.

For that reason, I later released an E-Book version of the second half of the book, which just covers the four days of the hike  - cleverly titled "Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu". This also allowed me to provide a reasonably priced version with color photos from the trip, like the ones in this post.

To celebrate the anniversary of our adventure, I have arranged for Amazon to offer the E-Book for just $1.99 if purchased during our anniversary dates, August 28th to August 31st. As usual, if you are a Kindle Unlimited member, it is available as a free read along with all of my other digital publications.

It was a remarkable trip, one that we were never really sure we could complete, and one that we are pretty sure we could never tackle again.

If you are interested, be sure to visit the Amazon page at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0927S1CPQ between August 28th and the 31st for the special price.