Number 43 - Hike Rainbow Mountain

I did it I reached the summit of Rainbow Mountain at 17,060 ft (5,200m). 

But it wasn’t easy. Those of you who know me will known that I am definitely not the fittest person at all and foolishly I’d done little to no training before my trip to Peru in preparation. 

We set off one day one of our climb through the Ausangate trek the terrain was mostly flat but there were definitely some hairy moments. 

But the biggest challenge wasnt so much your fitness level it was fighting against altitude and lack of oxygen. 

But the views on the way up were a welcome distraction, and dodging the roaming wild Lamas and Alpacas was pretty fun too. 

We arrived just before sunset at base camp where we spent the night and then set off at 4am the next morning on our way to the submit. 

It was sub zero degrees temperatures with ice on the ground which all felt quite magical bur so cold. But as soon as the sun rose over the side of the mountain it started to feel warm, and so one moment you’re feeling freezing the next you needed to de-layer. 

As we were getting closer to the summit I was definitely struggling to breathe. Our tour guides were great and we had horses on standby should anyone feel ill and oxygen too. 

I had to take a break and have a rest to try and regulate my breathing, I kept breathing through my mouth and just couldn’t get enough oxygen, and started to panic a little, I knew I was ok and safe and a lot of it was in my head and as realised this I was overcome with a sense of determination that I was going to do it. 

The last few moments were super tough and steep but I could see all my fellow hikers at the top cheering me on and I made it! 

As soon as I reached the top I was so overcome with elation I burst into tears. I couldn’t quite believe what I had just achieved! Me! I climbed a mountain to a summit the same height as Everest Base Camp. 

And the views from the top were nothing like I’ve seen before! The colours of the mountain are simply beautiful. The feeling of standing at the top above the clouds against the crisp blue sky I truly felt on top of the world! 

If you want to achieve anything, all you need is the right mindset, self belief and determination that you can! And you will!