When I finally booked my place on the Colca Canyon trek I was given a list of things to take - I filed and forgot about it immediately. I felt relieved that after a week of bumming around town that I’d finally decided to do something. Phew! Neither did I pay much attention to the itinerary that was being explained to me. “Blah blah blah”, I thought.

So when I found myself at the end of day 2 discussing a three-hour trek up the side of the canyon starting at 3 a.m., that is, in the dark! I wasn’t too happy! On the way down into the canyon I discovered that I wasn’t too great with heights, or large drops, as I prefer to call them. (Mostly I’m sat in front of a computer terminal or TV - walking along the edge of cliff-faces isn’t an activity that I normally include in my daily life). However, you’d have to be especially crazy to go trekking while you can’t even see where you’re going. During the discussion, I pointed out that I hadn’t brought a light (so going to the bathroom at night was tricky, as there’s no electricity in the canyon) and that I thought them all crazy just for thinking about doing this trek. I wasn’t making myself popular but I WAS SCARED!

After my little rant I remembered that I did have a light, of sorts. I sometimes use the back light on my mobile phone to get me to the bathroom and back. I rummaged around my rucksack and found it. Now I could get to the toilet without fear! Mountains - I’m not too sure about…

The following morning (sorry, the following middle of the night) a few ghost-like lights assembled in the middle of our camp, complained about the hour, then set off into the void. During the three hours on the way up, I counted 1..2..3 … 8..9..10, over and over. For this was about how long my mobile’s back light took before going out again. Also, every once in a while, I have a look at the battery indicator and try to estimate if I was going to make it all the way to the top with my dim light - it wasn’t much, but in the total blackness it did make a fair bit of difference. By my calculations it was going to be touch and go! Thankfully, at 5.30 p.m - with only half an hour to the top - the first twilight appeared over the mountains and with great satisfaction I could safely put my little baby back to bed.

Thanks to God, I’d survived another close one!