Author: seenobarriers

The time for my adventure had finally arrived. After more than a year of preparation and training, it was really happening!  The 4-day trek along the Classic Inca Trail to one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Machu Picchu, Peru is a little under 27 miles and scales two nearly 14,000-foot mountain passes. … Continue reading Michael Meets Machu Picchu – Hiking the Classic Inca Trail (June 2019)

As indicated in a previous blog post, I began my mountain training in April 2018 with my first trip to Grand Junction, Colorado.  Over the next year, I planned and completed four additional mountain training hikes in Colorado and Utah (see previous blog posts on all of these mountain training hikes). Many people have asked … Continue reading Michael Meets Machu Picchu – Training in Houston (June 2018 – May 2019)

My fifth and final mountain training took me back to one of my favorite locations, Grand Junction, Colorado on May 16 – 27.  Grand Junction is an ideal place for hikers since its situated in a valley (Gran Valley) surrounded by mountains on all sides – the Book Cliffs to the north, Grand Mesa to … Continue reading Michael Meets Machu Picchu – Grand Junction, CO Training Hikes (May 2019)

For the 2019 Ski for Light International Week (January 27 – February 3), I traded in my hiking boots and trekking poles for ski boots and cross-country skis.  Although there would be no mountain hiking training here, I would be getting in some great cross-country skiing workouts at nearly 8,500 feet elevation. Ski for Light … Continue reading Michael Meets Machu Picchu – Ski for Light Training (Jan 27 – Feb 3, 2019)

My third mountain training hike took me back to western Colorado and for the first time in Utah on November 4 – 12, 2018.  I first met up with one of my Colorado guides, Janice Koppang, in Denver to catch the Texans vs. Broncos football game for which she had season tickets. It was a … Continue reading Michael Meets Machu Picchu – Grand Junction, CO and Moab, UT Training Hikes (Nov 2018)

Heading out for the Labor Day weekend show – not to San Francisco, but to the mountains surrounding Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  This was my second mountain training hike. Accompanying me were fellow visually impaired hikers, Mo Salama and Bonnie Vegiard.  For the first three days of hiking, we would have local Achilles Houston guides, Bernie … Continue reading Michael Meets Machu Picchu – Steamboat Springs Training Hike (Sept 2018)

I have always been adventurous and a bit daring since childhood. But Linda Lynch and Janice Koppang didn’t know that. Linda was one of the volunteer ski guides during a week-long cross-country skiing event for the visually and mobility impaired in January called Ski for Light. She is also an avid mountain hiker. So I … Continue reading Michael Meets Machu Picchu – The Genesis of My Training (April 2018)

I had some experience in my job working on parts of NASA proposals for projects like space shuttle operations and integration of the International Space Station. But the key word there is “parts”. I never fully grasped the extent of developing a complete proposal, until I set my sights on the Holman Prize. The Holman … Continue reading Michael Meets Machu Picchu- Go For The Holman Prize (Feb 2018)

I thought I would take a moment and share how this Machu Piccchu thingie got started.  Hiking to Machu Picchu has been on my bucket list since about 2004.  Life kept getting in the way (doesn't it always?).  In the spring of 2017, I retired from my job as an aerospace engineer at the NASA … Continue reading Michael Meets Machu Picchu – How it Got Started (Summer 2017)

Hi, I am Michael McCulloch, a retired NASA aerospace engineer and blind member of Achilles International Houston.  I have partnered with Achilles Houston to help train and guide me in undertaking my latest project called, "One Step at a Time." This project is a 4-day hiking trek along the classic Inca Trail to one of … Continue reading The Journey Begins – Michael Meets Machu Picchu