travel

Machu Picchu

I spent the past three weeks traveling in Peru. The first week we hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu–a place as magical and mystical as everyone says and pictures attempt to show. The stone city rivals the pyramids. Machu Picchu may not be the engineering feat the pyramids were, but resting high on the peaks of the Andes where misty clouds glide in and out, it certainly feels more relatable. People lived here; they didn’t just get buried here.

Getting to Machu Picchu via the Inca Trail was a challenge, but made the arrival even better. Camping in the Andes for three nights provided some of the best views I’ve ever gone to sleep with. I haven’t stayed in any hotel that provides views of snow capped mountains and waterfalls with brooks so loud you can’t hear anything but water cascading down rocks. Until morning. Somehow roosters overtake the sound of water.

It is a journey I would recommend.

Machu PicchuMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:26:05-04:00

NO SHAMPOO: ONE WHOLE YEAR

As of tomorrow I will have gone one whole year without using shampoo:

Exceptions:

When I traveled to China and my boyfriend was concerned about me traveling overseas with a plastic baggie of baking soda.
When I went to New Orleans to visit my sister for the weekend.
When I went away with my family for a week and forgot baking soda.

So there have been a handful of times where I’ve used it, but I can’t say I miss it at all. And the truth is, my hair is less oily and greasy, so when I do travel, I need to use shampoo rarely–once every three or four days maybe. And I think I only need to use it that frequently because I work out and sweat around my hairline.

They say habits take five years to make permanent, but I’m confident I’ve said my final bye-bye to shampoo suds for the time being. When I think of it what I’ll miss most of all is making funny hairdo and Mohawks with a sudsy head, but, truthfully, I haven’t done that since I […]

NO SHAMPOO: ONE WHOLE YEARMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:26:05-04:00

Atop Mt. Lafayette

It was my first overnight hiking trip–the highest I’ve ever camped (around 4,000 feet above sea level). Each day began like a Comedy of Errors.

Day One: Up before sunrise, thankful for full moon to help me see, broke camp in the dark (and what I thought was cold), filled the Honda Fit with rucksacks and other gear, started to drive to trail head, realized I hadn’t closed the hatchback, heard a thud, stopped car, got out, reloaded the car with all the gear that fell out of the open hatchback. Felt confident that hike would go well.

Day Two: Up before sunrise (in hope of seeing sunrise), thankful for full moon, wandered into woods to get food suspended in trees in an attempt to outwit bears, was warned by other campers to watch out for their clothesline so as not to be decapitated, so worried about clothesline I walked into a sharp shard of […]

Atop Mt. LafayetteMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:31-04:00