Written by Patrick Clark:
The book signing has come and gone, so we've asked a few of our authors what they've been up to since.
Where is Patrick Clark (and what has he been doing this summer)?
The book signing has come and gone, so we've asked a few of our authors what they've been up to since.
Where is Patrick Clark (and what has he been doing this summer)?
First and foremost, Patrick has been working closely with the editors and graphic artists at Koehlerbooks Publishing in advance of the release of his debut novel, The Monroe Decision. If you’re interested, you can check out Patrick’s web site at www.patrick-clark.com for more information about the book, including the release date and how to purchase a copy.
But, Patrick did take some time out to travel and make a trek that, in his words, “pushed me harder, physically, than anything I have ever done before.”
See if you can guess where Patrick was. (Don’t cheat by looking ahead.)
We started our journey in early June in a small town where the local population was in the midst of a ten-day celebration of the sun to mark the winter solstice. The photo on the left is an example of the many dance troupes and their native dress. The trek to our destination began at an elevation of 9,350 feet with a gradual climb. We hiked for about six hours on the first day which included the climb pictured on the right, then we headed into a lush valley before we climbed to our first campsite at an elevation of 12,467 feet. Along the way, Alpaca’s and Llama’s grazed on the landscape.
Day two was the most challenging. After an early morning wake up, we started on a fairly flat trail past stone houses with thatched roofs where the farmers grew potatoes and raised Alpaca’s. Within an hour, we began a steep climb which lasted almost three hours, to a pass at the highest elevation of the trek. In the photo on the left I was taking a breather during the climb, as I talked with our guide. This is where it got hard for this author that hails from sea level. The photo on the right was taken at the pass at 14,436 feet. You could hear the calving of the glacier in the background of this photo as it echoed throughout the mountainside. From here we descended to our second night campsite at 12,500 feet.
On day four, we reached our destination which is situated in the Peruvian Andes Mountains at an elevation of 7,972 feet. One of the Seven New Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, this citadel was built in the 1500’s by the Inca civilization. It’s exact use to the Inca’s is unknown but the construction of these stone buildings and terraces with their astronomical alignments suggests that may have had something to do with the Inca’s understanding of astronomy and agriculture. The site was abandoned in the sixteenth century when the Spaniards conquered the Inca Empire and remained hidden until the early 1900’s.
This trip to Machu Picchu was truly unique. The high altitude and steep climbs and descents made this very physically demanding but, along the way we saw breathtaking scenery, interfaced with farmers and herders who live just as their ancestors have lived and worked for hundreds of years. It was an experience I’ll never forget.
About the author: Patrick Clark is the author of “Boneyard” and "The Town Hall Incident" in By the Bay: East Beach Stories. His story “Dead Drop” will be in Volume II, to be published in 2017. For more information on Patrick and his other writings, please visit his website: www.patrick-clark.com.
Nice write-up. It was more of an adventure than a vacation, but probably one of our most memorable trips together (the 6 of us). I hadn't seen all your pictures, so thanks for sharing. Look out New Zealand!
ReplyDelete