While getting to know one another in Nantucket Leticia asked Mike to tell her all about his travel adventures. She expressed to Mike about her missed opportunities and dreams to travel. When Mike asked Leticia what her top travel dreams were, Peru was on the top of her list. Surprisingly Mike hadn't been there and it was on his list as well. Leticia had always wondered about the archaeology of Peru and the Incas as well as the  mystical powers of the Andes. Mike had always wanted to hike the Andes mountains. This first conversation sparked the many adventures they would have over the next two years.

The Peru trip became a reality in December of 2003. The hike on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu City would prove to be a true test to their relationship. The 4-day, 25-mile hike over three mountain peaks was longer and harder than either one of them had anticipated yet more beautiful than they imagined. It was a challenge that was met with great rewards when they reached the ancient, mystical city of Macchu Picchu. At the top of the city, they came to Intiwatana, a large rock carved as an abstract image of the mountain which was used in rituals to prevent the sun from slipping lower in the sky. It is said to be the energy center of the universe and gives positive energy and power to those who touch the rock. Mike was planning on asking Leticia to marry him in Peru, but he didn't know when or how, relying on his instincts to find the right time and place.

Mike was inspired at the top of Macchu Picchu. At Intiwatana, he got down on his knee and began his proposal by telling Leticia how much she meant to him, how hiking the mountain was symbolic of the exhilaration and difficulty of life's journey, and how he wanted them to forever be together. Mike slipped a simple ring on Leticia’s finger. Feeling dirty, hungry, and exhausted they put their hands together, shared a hug and a cry, and let the rock fill them with its energy. It was a moment that will live on forever in their souls as they travel up and down the mountain of life together.

 

Celebrating the engagement at an oasis in the desert of southern Peru—Huacachina, Peru.

December 2003

Intiwatana

Macchu Picchu City, Peru