In October of 2023, my husband and I hiked the Inca Trail. On Day 3 we climbed from Pacaymayo campground up and over El Paso Runcuracay to our lunch spot at Phuyupatamarka (12,040 ft.). Solitude is difficult to come by on the heavily traveled Inca Trail. But on this early morning, the mist, the quiet drip, drip of moisture from the overhanging moss, and the twisting path along the mountainside beckoned me to pause and consider the ancient feet that had passed before me.