The Himalayan trek...
The Annapurna circuit is one of the most popular treks in Nepal, after Everest base camp. The plan was to follow a river upstream for about 10 days, go over one of the highest mountain passes in the world (~5400m), and then come back down and, at some point on the way down, grab a bus back to Pokhara. I had never done anything like this, and was excited to start. I met up with Jon, Heather, his cousin, Krista, and her boyfriend, Matt, in Besisahar after a fun morning on the bus. From there, we set out on the trek after a quick lunch, en route to Bhulbhule, our first stop.
There was a road from Besisahar all the way to Manang at ~3500m, so we had the option of taking a Jeep or another vehicle to shave a few days off the start, but opted not to. We were very glad we chose to walk the whole way, as every day was different, gorgeous scenery, and climbing gradually not only helped us acclimatize, it also helped get our legs into shape. We did have to walk the road sometimes, and other times we chose to, but for the most part we were hiking beautiful wilderness trails.
We hiked 15km on average every day. Our longest day was almost double that, about 28km, with an overall altitude increase of over 1km. That one was rough. Most days, we would wake up around 6-7am, have breakfast at our accommodation, get dressed for hiking, pack up, hike for 4-6 hours, stop in a village for lunch, hike 2-4 more hours, find accommodation for the night, eat dinner, and go to bed around 9-10pm. The hikes involved many breaks for Snickers and other snacks, and we ordered a pot of hot tea at almost every meal. I ate like a rabid animal but could never manage to feel full.
We expected "rustic" accommodation, but were met with a surprise. On the first day, we arrived at our teahouse in Bhulbhule and, after a brief rest, wandered into the kitchen and asked for "five dinners, please!" We got a quizzical look from the lady in the kitchen, who then asked us: "...what would you like to eat?" as she handed us a full menu. The menus included traditional Nepali dishes (dal bhat), as well as more western fare (spaghetti, eggs). In addition to the variety of food, the accommodations boasted mostly comfortable beds in dorm-style bedrooms, and bathrooms with showers (which were even hot, most of the time), and squat toilets.
As we journeyed up the river, we got closer to the mountains. At first we could see them peeking through hills along the horizon, one peak at a time. But after four or five days of heading north along the edge of the Annapurna conservation area, we finally turned and headed into the mountains to the west. Over the next few days, the scenery began to change: lush greenery and rice paddies were replaced with more desolate shrubbery and rocky terrain. There was still the odd forest here and there as we climbed, but as the temperature dropped, we began to see more white and grey than green.
The wildlife changed, too. Early on, we passed a herd of about 100 goats of all ages, lead by a few people and some dogs, which became about a 10 minute photo op for Heather and Krista. Yaks became much more common as we ascended; cows and goats, less so. To the girls' delight, there were dogs everywhere, though. We routinely walked right beside horses and donkeys, who served as porters to the locals walking the trails, carrying food and other materials back home.
While some things changed, however, others stayed the same. The people we met along the way were, on the whole, extremely friendly and hospitable. We were greeted with smiles and "Namaste!" no matter where we went by local people of all ages. Jon lead the group most of the time, using his new 3 pounds of pure muscle power that he packed on prior to the trip to haul an enormous 30 pound bag along the trail. Our group of five became six after a few days, when we met a 20 year old Swedish solo traveler named Gus and adopted him. He would stay with us for the rest of the trek, except when he decided to literally run down some of the mountains.
We had a good rhythm going into day 8. Everyone was feeling good. We were two days from the Thorong La mountain pass, and we were all eager to get there. But then, things changed...
There was a road from Besisahar all the way to Manang at ~3500m, so we had the option of taking a Jeep or another vehicle to shave a few days off the start, but opted not to. We were very glad we chose to walk the whole way, as every day was different, gorgeous scenery, and climbing gradually not only helped us acclimatize, it also helped get our legs into shape. We did have to walk the road sometimes, and other times we chose to, but for the most part we were hiking beautiful wilderness trails.
We hiked 15km on average every day. Our longest day was almost double that, about 28km, with an overall altitude increase of over 1km. That one was rough. Most days, we would wake up around 6-7am, have breakfast at our accommodation, get dressed for hiking, pack up, hike for 4-6 hours, stop in a village for lunch, hike 2-4 more hours, find accommodation for the night, eat dinner, and go to bed around 9-10pm. The hikes involved many breaks for Snickers and other snacks, and we ordered a pot of hot tea at almost every meal. I ate like a rabid animal but could never manage to feel full.
We expected "rustic" accommodation, but were met with a surprise. On the first day, we arrived at our teahouse in Bhulbhule and, after a brief rest, wandered into the kitchen and asked for "five dinners, please!" We got a quizzical look from the lady in the kitchen, who then asked us: "...what would you like to eat?" as she handed us a full menu. The menus included traditional Nepali dishes (dal bhat), as well as more western fare (spaghetti, eggs). In addition to the variety of food, the accommodations boasted mostly comfortable beds in dorm-style bedrooms, and bathrooms with showers (which were even hot, most of the time), and squat toilets.
As we journeyed up the river, we got closer to the mountains. At first we could see them peeking through hills along the horizon, one peak at a time. But after four or five days of heading north along the edge of the Annapurna conservation area, we finally turned and headed into the mountains to the west. Over the next few days, the scenery began to change: lush greenery and rice paddies were replaced with more desolate shrubbery and rocky terrain. There was still the odd forest here and there as we climbed, but as the temperature dropped, we began to see more white and grey than green.
The wildlife changed, too. Early on, we passed a herd of about 100 goats of all ages, lead by a few people and some dogs, which became about a 10 minute photo op for Heather and Krista. Yaks became much more common as we ascended; cows and goats, less so. To the girls' delight, there were dogs everywhere, though. We routinely walked right beside horses and donkeys, who served as porters to the locals walking the trails, carrying food and other materials back home.
While some things changed, however, others stayed the same. The people we met along the way were, on the whole, extremely friendly and hospitable. We were greeted with smiles and "Namaste!" no matter where we went by local people of all ages. Jon lead the group most of the time, using his new 3 pounds of pure muscle power that he packed on prior to the trip to haul an enormous 30 pound bag along the trail. Our group of five became six after a few days, when we met a 20 year old Swedish solo traveler named Gus and adopted him. He would stay with us for the rest of the trek, except when he decided to literally run down some of the mountains.
We had a good rhythm going into day 8. Everyone was feeling good. We were two days from the Thorong La mountain pass, and we were all eager to get there. But then, things changed...
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| Lots of waterfalls early on |
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| GOATS |
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| Rice paddies |
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| Suspension bridge selfie |
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