Inca Trail Challenge

A COWDENBEATH woman enjoyed the challenge of her life and thanks to the support of the local community raised £1,500 by completing the Inca Trail, in the Andes.

Sandra Thomson took part in a challenge organised by the charity Find Your Feet, set up to assist people who have lost limbs through Sepsis.

Sandra, who admits she is now in her seventies, told Cowdenbeath Rotary Club on Thursday evening that she gathered enthusiasm for hillwalking through tackling the Scottish Hills system of Munros seeing her complete over 260 of them, and when the chance of joining the challenge of the Inca Trail, in Peru, came up she couldn't turn it down.

Said Sandra: “Find Your Feet was set up by Cor Hutton in 2014 after she lost her hands and legs below the knee to Sepsis the year before. “Recognising a need for peer support within the amputee community, she started a small group which has grown to a network of over 1,200 people in just ten years. Cor leads by example – she has completed the London Triathlon and was the first female quadruple amputee to climb Ben Nevis and Mount Kilimanjaro.

“Finding Your Feet has a strong impact on the community because of a positive and encouraging outlook, which stems from and mirrors Cor’s attitude.

“They we run clubs around Glasgow, Paisley, Lanarkshire, Dundee, Edinburgh, Ayrshire, Fife, Aberdeen, Inverness and Dumfries.”

Sandra added: “in the summer of 2024 I got the chance to join FYF's planned attack on the historic Inca Trail in Peru.

“While it was our summer, the adventure started as autumn was breaking out in Peru, but the conditions for Day 1 were perfect with a temperature of 22 degrees C and we had 28 people start the trek, many with prosthetic limbs and they took up the challenge strongly.

“The paths were solidly constructed, but not easy and the team of porters we had helped us all complete what was a 3,600 feet climb and Day 2 saw the famous Dead Woman's pass to tackle which is a13,799 feet elevation and it winds its way through forest terrain and after hours of hiking, eventually reaches the small village of Llulluchapampa.”

Sandra explained that some of the starting party had went as far as they could on the tough landscape and were escorted to safety while several were able to continue and she managed to keep going herself.

Day 3 was another challenging event that covered about 10 miles and traversed two small passes but she explained that each stretch had some truly dramatic scenery.

Day 4 saw the trail from Winay Huayna running through a cloud-forested contour path. After the forest, there was about 50 steep flights of steps.

Sandra added: “At the top of the staircase, you were presented with an unforgettable view as the famous Inca site of Machu Picchu is revealed through the Sun Gate, really stunning.

“It was something to experience and never be forgotten.”

But it has not dampened Sandra's ambitions to experience more exciting foreign challenges and plans to be jn Vietnam and Cambodia in 2026!

Sandra was able to play a part in Find Your Feet's challenge to raise money for their charity through the trip and she thanked everyone locally who helped her raise £1,500, of the £70,000 raised by Cor Hutton and the people who took part for the charity event.