?AMAZING? was the verdict of a Gunnislake woman, who has just returned from a trip following the footsteps of the ancient Inca people of Peru to raise funds for charity, writes Jane Honey. Retired teacher Alison Gillan was one of a group of 17 who spent two weeks in South America, four days of which were spent at high altitude on the Inca trail. Alison, whose husband John died from a brain tumour nearly a year ago, made the arduous trek to raise money for St Luke?s Hospice. All 17 in the party had links with St Luke?s ? which Alison said made the experience even more special. The group have been preparing for the trek since January ? but even after months of training, the high altitude was hard to cope with. Alison said: ?Everyone had really splitting headaches ? a couple of the girls actually threw up for 24 hours ? someone else had bad migraine ? I think it?s rare not to be affected by it. ?It?s not the distance you walk that?s the challenge, it?s the altitude. The total distance was 26 miles, but on the second day, we climbed the equivalent of eight Ben Nevis?s.? Carrying backpacks, several litres of water, clothing and waterproofs, the group trudged through mountains and valleys for between ten and eleven hours a day, camping overnight. The sleeping bags and tents were carried by porters. ?They were just amazing,? said Alison. ?You?d be struggling along and they?d just run past you, wearing these grotty old car tyre sandals. ?They?d set up camp every evening, there would always be hot drinks or soup and hot food from the minute you got to the camp. I?m vegetarian and they really catered well for me too. I?m missing being woken up with a cup of hot coffee in the morning now ? they were absolutely lovely.? Alison said she had deliberately set out for Peru with no pre-conceived ideas about the country or its people ? but was overwhelmed by what she found. ?It?s actually hard to describe the experience. The views were just amazing ? and the plants. There were humming birds, there were orchids by the ton, there was bracken that was about ten feet high, then the other extreme were these minute plants. ?We saw trees that were complete ecosystems in themselves ? then there were other bits that were actually quite like Dartmoor,? said Alison. ?The people were lovely ? very smiley. We went to Lake Titicaca and stayed with a family, which was quite a humbling experience. They have very little, they lead very simple lives, but they seem very happy.? She said the moment that will probably stand out in her memory was when the group reached the end of the trail at the ?sungate?, when they looked out over the ?stunning? vista before them. ?We were all terribly emotional. We scattered forget-me-knots,? said Alison, who has raised almost £2,000 for St Luke?s Hospice through sponsorship of her Inca challenge. She said her experience in Peru has whetted her appetite for more challenges and is hoping to trek in the Himalayas for St Luke?s in two year?s time. She is also considering the possibility of doing voluntary work in Peru. ?There is no provision for children with special educational needs in Peru, but we visited a school in the Sacred Valley where an English woman has opened up a school for three to 21-year-olds with autism, dyslexia and behavioural problems ? they are always looking for volunteers. I did teach for 30 years, so it?s a possibility,? said Alison.