Adventure Chronicles™

04.04.01 - A Trekking we will go...
Pokhara, Nepal - The Annapurnas

We arrived back in Pokhara yesterday, after a five day trek in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas. I (Lisa) look back on the trek with mixed feelings. No doubt, I'm glad we did it, and I would definitely come back to do a longer trek someday. But, we bit off a little more than we expected, so it was one of the most physically strenuous experiences of my life. My calves are sorer than I ever thought possible.

We started our trek at mid-day on Friday, March 30th. We took an hour long taxi ride up to Nayapul, which is one of the main trek starting points. We were pretty excited, because the haze that had surrounded Pokhara since our arrival lifted that morning, and we got our first good view of the Himalayas. I always thought we had great mountains in Washington (and we do), but they simply do not measure up when compared to the Himalayas. For perspective, most of the mountains we saw were almost twice as tall as Mount Rainier. They rise up behind the hills of Pokhara in the most amazing away. They seem close enough to touch, but are so tall and imposing that I got butterflies in my stomach when I first saw them.

After reaching Nayapul, our taxi driver pointed to the side of the road and indicated that was where we should start. And so we did. It was a steep walk down the first hill, but a relatively flat journey along a beautiful river after that. There were waterfalls and river pools and the scenery really was breathtaking. I was feeling good and thinking that this trekking thing was going to be no problem. When will I learn?

A few hours into the trek, we hit our first major ascent, up to the villages of Hille and Tukhedunga. "Very steep" as our guide book called it. I thought I was going to die. It was almost all up - most of the time on rock stairs that were quite steep. My lack of training caught up with me in a big way, and I struggled to reach Hille. By the time we got there around 5:00, it was raining and cold. Poor Jay, I slowed our pace considerably that day. But, once we reached Hille we found a basic, but sufficient, guest house with a hot solar shower. After a hot meal with some other trekkers and some serious streching, we retired for the night.

The next day we set our sights on Ghorepani Pass - at an elevation of almost 9000 feet. We were sore from the previous day's walk, but I was determined to win the battle with my body and conquer this trekking thing. After a short walk through the next village, we crossed the river and started our ascent up the 3300 stairs to Ulleri. I don't think I need to explain just how tiring it is to walk up 3300 stairs (again, very steep stairs). But, we made it, slowly but surely. I was quite pleased with myself when we stopped in Ulleri for lunch, but dissapointed that it was cloudy again and our views weren't very good. After lunch, we still had several hours and many feet up before we reached Ghorepani. The trail ascended much less steeply after Ulleri, but those stairs had taken a lot out of me. It was a beautiful walk through a rhodedendron forest, but it turned out to be a nine hour day, with the last few hours being straight up again, and almost all stairs. Oh - and it started to rain again. Jay and I laugh about it now, but I was near tears when we reached Ghorepani. I really pushed myself past the point of exhaustion, but I made it. I remember walking on a narrow part of the path and thinking that I needed to be careful not to fall, but then thinking that if I fell down the cliff, atleast I wouldn't have to keep walking. In case I forgot to mention it, we didn't do like the masses and hire a porter. We carried our own packs throughout the trek. That has to count for something, right?

We found a great guest house in Ghorepani, and same as before, hit the sack early after a hot meal and shower.

The next day brought even sorer muscles, so we decided to take it easy and leave the packs at the guest house and take a day trip. We hiked up to the Chautara Ridge to Deurali. It was a much less strenous hike, although the thinner air definitely made you tire more easily. The view from the ridge was amazing. You could look out on five of the major peaks in the Annapurna range. Unfortunately, clouds plauged most of our trek, so we didn't get great pictures. We will be picking up some postcards before we leave Kathmandu. As we hiked back to Ghorepani, the wind picked up and it began to hail. We made it back to the guest house only a few minutes before a major hail and ice storm hit. Thankfully, we watched it from the warmth of the guest house. It was a reminder of how quickly things can change in the mountains, and that we were high enough that the mountains can start taking the upper hand when they want to.

The next morning, we got up before sunrise and made the trek to the top of Poon Hill, which promised some of the best views around. The pattern had been clear early mornings and cloudy days, so we were hoping for the views we'd missed on the rest of the trek. I was a little grumpy (sore muscles will do that), but am so glad we made the trip. It was very clear and cold and our views of Annapurna South and Dhauligiri were stunning. After returning down the hill to the guest house, we had a quick breakfast and set out back to Nayapul. It was our goal to get all the way back that day. It was all down hill, so we were optimistic. The first few hours were the best of the trek. I actually enjoyed going back through the forest that had killed me on the way up. We made decent time back to Ulleri, although all the downhill stairs had started to take their toll on our knees and ankles. By the time we reached the bottom of the 3300 stairs, I was almost limping. Damn this body anyway. I was prepared to go on, but the wind came up out of nowhere, and we were fearing a repeat of the previous day's ice storm and decided to stay in Tukedunga for the night. We figured it would be an easy day's walk the next day.

Despite stretching, my calves tightened up so much that it was difficult to walk the next morning. It was a long descent down lots of rock stairs, and the blister I had picked up the day before pestered me the whole way. However, we did meet an interesting couple from New Zealand and ended up hiking the rest of the way with them. Who cares that they were in their 50's or 60's and keeping a similar pace? :)

Today was Jay's birthday (the big 29), and although not very exciting, we enjoyed a much needed day of rest. Walking is still a little difficult. We took care of a few errands in the morning and then spent the afternoon walking around town and exploring the shops. It was very hot (in the 90's), so we decided to escape the afternoon sun in a cafe with great music, which can be hard to find around here. What started as a quick break for a soda turned into 4+ hours, dinner and several beers. Jay and I got into a philisophical debate on life in America versus life in the countries we've traveled to, which was quite interesting. Although we hold very different opinions on the issues, it is obvious what an eye opening experience this trip has been. I will only speak for myself when I say that I will never be the same. The magnitude of the poverty and hardship in this world is astounding. I always knew I was fortunate to be born in the United States, but had no idea just how blessed our lives really are. That said, I am also a little envious of the rest of the world. Because of the hardship many of them face, the people we've encountered have a strength of spirit and character that is admirable. If only we could transport that back home to "toughen" ourselves up a bit.

Also amusing during our very long birthday dinner was Jay's journey down the "what am I going to do when I grow up" path. Mind you, this came after several beers. He decided that songwriting just may be his calling, and tried out a few song ideas on me. Look for the "Dogs of Kathmandu" coming soon to a Tower Records near you. My husband amuses me.

Tomorrow it is back to Kathmandu, and then on to a river-rafting trip on the Bhote Koshi river on April 7th and 8th. This river is known as a pure adrenaline rush, and I have a feeling will be a bit more wild than the trip I took down the Skykomish a few years ago. (Mom, don't worry, they provide life jackets and helmets and have promised to fish me out if I fall in!)

We will try to sign in again after rafting. If not, then from Bangkok after April 10th. Until then, take care!

Want to contact Jay and Lisa?

william.gibson@airtreks.com