Have you ever wanted to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu?
Okay, that may seem like a strange question for a Web site devoted to wine, but read on. There is a wine connection.
Firestone Vineyard, which gained a good deal of exposure when Adam Firestone starred on one of the early editions of “The Bachelor” reality series, is putting together a “reality adventure” of its own.
The winery, located in Santa Ynez, Calif., north of Santa Barbara, is going to hire a “Discoveries Pathfinder.”
The person selected will:
* Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu next April.
* Keep a video and photo journal of the trip.
* File post-trip reports on the Firestone Web site.
* Report online about pairing Firestone wines with various dishes eaten while on the trip.
* Receive a stipend of $1,000.
As for the food, we’re not talking about boiled red ants or sauteed gila monster legs.
The person selected for this once-in-a-lifetime journey will be accompanied by a specially selected guest chef, who will prepare gourmet meals along the trail.
Here are some of the entry details provided by the folks at Firestone:
* To be eligible, one must complete an application on firestonediscoveries.com, provide a statement on why they would be the most effective Firestone Discoveries Pathfinder, and become a fan of the Firestone Discoveries page on Facebook. No purchase or blogging experience necessary.
* To increase their chances of selection, applicants can refer their friends to the Firestone Discoveries Web site using email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. For each referred friend who applies for the position, the originator will receive another chance at having their name drawn as a finalist. Applications accepted until December 13, 2009.
* Firestone Vineyards will then randomly select 10 lucky finalists to compete to be the Firestone Discoveries Pathfinder. From the 10 applications, three will be chosen via a selection process to include interviews, background checks, submission of resumes, writing samples and photographs. The three semi-finalists will travel to Firestone Vineyard for a final series of interviews.
“At Firestone Vineyard, we believe wine is all about the experience,” said John Calmeyer, Vice President of Marketing for the estate. “Imagine, great wines, incredible food and Machu Picchu looming in the background — this is what Firestone Discoveries is all about!”
