Often there’s one place in the world that profoundly resonates with someone but feels unattainable.
For Jason Dekorte, of Fergus, that place was Peru.
He has carried a photo of Machu Picchu, the iconic Incan ruins of Peru, in his wallet for the last 10 years as a reminder of his dream of visiting the country.
At the end of April, Dekorte will be heading there with Elora’s Frederick Schuett, owner of One Axe Pursuits – but not quite like the other one million visitors to Machu Picchu each year.
Dekorte, 35, and Schuett, 40, will be trekking over 100 kilometres through the Vilcabamba mountain range in the Cusco region of Peru. The trail will take the duo through several remote Inca ruins, as they hike carrying 40-pound backpacks long hours at elevations up to 4,600m above sea level.
To add to the difficulty, the two men will also be filming their adventure for a documentary.
“It’s been a dream for so many years to actually do it … it’s probably going to push me further than I’ve ever pushed myself before,” said Dekorte.
The idea of hiking this area came out of Dekorte’s childhood dream of exploring the South American country, realized through Tintin comics and Hiram Bingham III, the man who publicized Machu Picchu in 1911.
However, Dekorte’s dream was put on the backburner after marrying Melody and having four children, the youngest of which has Rett syndrome. Retts compares to having epilepsy, autism, cerebral palsy and apraxia all at the same time, said Dekorte.
Scarlett, 4, is non-verbal but is mobile. She uses eye-tracking technology to communicate.
Dekorte said he bought a book about trekking in Peru to experience the ruins because he never thought he would be able to.
“Rett syndrome kind of threw a curve ball, but Scarlett is such a blessing; she is amazing, “ he said.
“If I could take her on my back instead of the backpack I would, because she depends on other people to give her experiences because she can’t get them on her own.”
Dekorte added, “She’s adventurous.”
Dekorte and Schuett met to exercise together, and at those workouts, Dekorte told Schuett about his Peru dream.
Schuett, who has a knack for adventure and had guided mountain treks in Canada, the United States, Mexico, China, Argentina and Antarctica, convinced Dekorte that Peru could become a reality.
While getting on a plane and seeing Machu Picchu was an option, Dekorte wanted more.
“That’s what we wanted to avoid, was the ‘touristy’ thing,” he said.
“The place we’re going takes two to three days to get there, and there should be … minimal people …”
Schuett was attracted to the remoteness of the trail.
“It’s pretty rugged. Obviously, not a lot of tourists are walking this trail when you’re hacking your way through it with a machete,” he said.
“That’s the kind of trail that interests me.”
Most hikers hire a guide and mule to take them through the rough mountain trail, but not Dekorte and Schuett.
“You have to go at their pace and the guides, because the trek we’re doing is so difficult, the guide wouldn’t want to go without a mule; they wouldn’t want to carry their own stuff,” said Schuett.
“They make all your meals, and everything’s set up,” said Dekorte, adding that wasn’t for them and everything they are taking with them will be in two backpacks.
“We want to do more… (the) real explorers type (of) way, feel like it’s actually our trail, and we’re navigating, and we’ll probably get lost a couple of times,” said Schuett.
“It’ll be fun, and that’s the kind of trip that we would prefer. It’s harder, but it’s way more memorable. You won’t forget that trip.”
The two men have been training twice a week for two hours over the last year in the Elora Gorge, walking up and down the stairs at Victoria Park.
The pair is anticipating a physically demanding trail in Peru.
“You’re pushing your body the hardest it’s ever been; you never know what’s going to happen, but that’s all part of the adventure,” said Schuett.
There are no GPS maps of the area, so they will have to rely on satellite images, GPS coordinates and a hand-drawn map.
“This is pretty remote; when no one has anything, the best you can find is a hand drawn map (that) looks like a pirate map from the guy that did the trail … to me that makes it exciting, the exploration,” said Schuett.
The pair will have to battle changing weather and altitudes, and they could encounter trails washed away during the rainy season. On certain parts of the trip, they will have to carry an extra 10 pounds of water.
Schuett said he is most afraid of a broken bone or sprain that would require them to call for a helicopter rescue.
Another concern is food. The constant strenuous activity will likely cause them to burn 6,000 calories per day, over three times the average recommended intake. Dekorte said he hopes they bring enough calories for the entire trip.
They will also have to take time out of the hike to film. At first, Schuett wasn’t keen on the idea of filming a documentary.
But Christa Niravong, Schuett’s wife and business partner, convinced them.
“I said ‘no’ like 10 times just because I didn’t want to carry the extra weight,” said Schuett.
“We’re going to be exerting a lot of energy just hiking this trail so to take extra time and brain energy to worry about getting this shot was not something I wanted to do, but she (Niravong) didn’t want to let it down, and the story is pretty interesting.”
Niravong has never produced a documentary before but has some experience in the filming industry.
“This is such a great story,” she said.
“In the beginning, it was just the guys going on this trip; then I started to hear more about the story of what was behind it … so I thought ‘this is a story I want to share with other people.’”
Dekorte and Schuett are scheduled to leave for Cusco, Peru on April 26 for two weeks. After they return, Niravong said it could take up to a year to finish the documentary.
In the meantime, they are fundraising to produce the documentary after the pair returns from Peru.
