Estoy lista.

I'm ready!  Wow.  Packing was difficult.  I made a few trips to get items from friends (thanks Morgan and Drea!) and to EMS today.  I picked up some water purification tablets as well as some additional items like bug repellent, sunblock, and Eco-friendly soap for the trek.  I then tried on my hiker's pack and I sure hope it doesn't get to be too heavy.  There's so much you think you might need when you have to take everything with you, but you also have to be able to carry it all! 

A couple of notes before I go.  It looks like the weather in Lima and Cuzco is fairly similar, but definitely cooler (especially at night) than in Philadelphia.  In Puno, where I will be finishing my journey, SNOW is in the forecast for this week!  I decided that it was best to have layers, which is also why my pack is currently a little heavy.  :(  May need to rethink this again tomorrow morning.

Thank you so much to everyone for your help and support.  The calls, emails, texts, and comments really mean the world to me and I hope to see you on the next adventure! 

I will try to update during the trip if possible, but definitely stay tuned for stories and photos upon my return on July 14th. 

Next stop...to see my friend and Peruvian, Pilar, from graduate school in Lima...

Pilar and I long ago...