Johanne's Pain!!

Five seconds after this shot Joey-Lynn said, "I need a doctor Frank." So we left our group and didn't go into Machu Picchu at this point but took the bus down Aguas Calientes and our guide took us to a his friend's restaurant who had a bed in an upstairs room where Johanne could lie down and get some rest and see a doctor. We arrived and within two minutes the doctor arrived and examined Johanne and took blood and urine to the lab. Two hours later the doctor came back with the results and it was a massive kidney infection. Her white blood cell count was through the roof. He gave her the biggest needle I have ever seen. A pain killer and Antibiotic. He also gave some pills.

Final push for Machu Picchu

What a horrible night we had. Johanne was up and going to the bathroom every 30 minutes and then when she was a sleep she moaned in agony constantly. We got up at 4:00AM and there was a great sense of urgency to trek toward the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu. Once we got on the trail Johanne was doing great to keep up with everyone. I knew she was only doing this for me. Everyone wanted to see the sunrise over Machu Picchu and hopefully get some photographs. The hike was a mere 6KM mostly flat except the last little bit which was quite steep up. Johanne kept pace but just prior to getting there I could tell she was fading out so I forced her to step aside and let other trekkers pass. She was getting real sick real fast. We were the last ones to reach the Sun Gate, after sunrise unfortunately and had arrived just as the clouds moved in and covered Machu Picchu. We left the Sun Gate and walked around and had a great view of it.

Some Flora

As side note the scenery was spectacular but the even though it was the dry season and everything was brown in the cloud forest we did some great orchids and flowers.

Suddenly I realize I can put more than one pic up at a time

Our Camp to the right,

Some steep hiking below.

Inca cave

Part of the trail leads us through an old Inca cave.

Day 2 pics

Joey-Lynn puts on a brave face here but is really quite sick.

End of Day Two

Being the good future husband I left Johanne to hike to this old Inca ruin.

She was with one of our guides so I had no worries.

Day two I to went to bed at 8:00.... two hours after Johanne. She was really out of it. We decided to give her Ciparo, an anti-biotic used to fight travelers stomach but she took a swig of water and barfed it and the little bit she had in her stomach all up all over the camp.

I am crazy concerned as Johanne hasn't eaten solid food in two days only water. .. I know through my Dad's survival training that the human body will be in big trouble after three days of living on just water but I was glad she was drinking. She became very mad at me for constantly harassing her to guzzle water. I begged and cried to make her eat... she wouldn't.... or really she couldn't... she was too sick. I talked to our guide Carlos, who was amazing and did everything possible for Joey-Lynn. We discussed our options rescue by helicopter retrieval, by donkey, alpaca, or a small statured Peruvian porter. It was hard for me to picture this woman who was the perfection of fitness to be so incapacitated. I could hardly fathom it. After a long discussion it was determined that we would see how she was on day three. We were beyond the point of no return so it was just as well that she try to walk out... after all it was mostly down hill...(BTW... down a mountain is worse than up a mountain… way worse!)

I kept track of Joey-Lynn's water intake as she is complaining about her kidney more and more. She took in 3.5litres of water but hardly pee’d a drop. I was really concerned.