After two weeks of hot Burmese days, we were terribly excited to get to Nepal to do some trekking in the Himalayas. Brian did a lot of research on the different hikes and we ultimately decided on an 8-12 day route to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC). As soon as he said we were going to ABC, I belted out one of my favorite Jackson 5 songs and acted all tough, but the truth was that I was slightly apprehensive. The longest hike I had ever done up to that point was a 2-day, 1-night trek and I didn't have to carry all my stuff that time. Would ABC really be as easy as 1-2-3?
Day 1/May 5: Nayapul to Tikhedhunga
Ready to go!
We woke up on departure day to the sound of rain. After breakfast at our hotel, the Sacred Valley Inn in Pokhara, we made sure our rain gear was easily accessible and then took a taxi to our starting point, Nayapul. The rain had slowed down by the time we actually started walking, but then we had to slow down, too. While we had purchased our permits, we forgot to purchase our TIMS card back in Pokhara. Ooops. Thankfully, the gentlemen let us buy one on the spot. The walking resumed.
Our first glimpses of the region's scenery whetted our appetites for what the week held in store for us.
Yes! Dogs!
No, that's not a bush in the middle of the path -- it's a woman carrying food for her goats. She put all of us to shame.
Look at all the green! And the terraced fields!
We stopped for a quick lunch where we had our first taste of local trail food -- Tibetan bread and mustang coffee. Tibetan bread may as well be named fried doughy deliciousness because that's exactly what it is. Mustang coffee is not coffee, however, but rather a heated moonshine infused with melted butter. It definitely wakes you up at any time day.
When we reached Tikhedhunga we were excited to find a guesthouse with hot water. After 5 hours of hiking, we wasted no time rinsing off and hanging our clothes out to dry.
Day 2/May 6: Tikhedhunga to Ghorepani
Given the previous day's morning showers, we breathed a sigh of relief when we awoke and saw that there was no rain. Still, we'd been warned that rain is a daily occurrence in May so we wasted no time hitting the trail. And the trail wasted no time hitting us. Day 2 was undoubtedly the most challenging day physically. From the moment we left our guesthouse until we arrived in Ghorepani we were going straight up. We went from 5052 feet above sea level to 9429 feet above sea level (at one point we went up 1640 feet in just a span of 1.25 miles). Thank goodness we took pictures of what we saw this day because all we remember are all the stone stairs we climbed (there were 3400+ at the day's halfway point…then we lost count) and the porters chants of "Up, up, up. No down, down, down" as they passed us.
Yum :-)
I'm that little orange dot at the bottom. So. Many. Stairs.
Food delivery at it's truest. Nepalese are STRONG!
This little girl was so focused on getting to school. She was singing a song and skipping along in her sandals. Meanwhile, I was panting and stumbling just trying to keep up with Brian.
One of the few places with no stairs!
Despite having one final flight of stairs to climb before we reached the little town, arriving at Ghorepani felt glorious. And since it was the low season we had our pick of teahouses to choose from - Mountain View Guesthouse, Amazing View Guesthouse, Excellent View Guesthouse, (insert adjective or noun) View Guesthouse. We went with Green View Guesthouse and quickly fell in love with the man of the house and his little sister.
This was such a cruel joke! We thought we were there and then found out we had one more set of stairs to climb.
He did a good job running the kitchen.
Do you see her chubby cheeks?!?
The views were nice, but it wasn't until the rain finally came and the clouds cleared that the views stunned us. Definitely made us wonder how often this happens in life -- there's something beautiful right behind the clouds and the storm has to clear in order to see it.
Day 3/May 7: Ghorepani to Poon Hill to Ghorepani to Tadapani
Day 3 kicked off at 4am when we bundled up for our climb up to Poon Hill. The big attraction at Poon Hill are the views (so much so that Poon Hill is the final destination for many people) and, thanks to the rain 12 hours earlier, it was the first clear morning in several days. Watching the sun light up the Himalayas quickly made us forget that our bodies were craving sleep.
After taking a bajillion and one pictures, we climbed down to Green View for a quick breakfast and then we were on our way to Tadapani. By this time, the clouds rolled in again and our walk through the "jungle" to Tadapani felt like we were in Nepalese Lord of the Rings.
Day 4/May 8: Tadapani to Chhomrong
Both Ghorepani and Tadapani were cloudy and a wee bit colder than we were expecting, so the warmth and sun on day 4 were a welcomed change. That night we stayed at Heaven View Guesthouse. Although it was a 7 minute climb from what one might consider the Central Business District of Chhomrong (i.e., where there is a small cluster of guesthouses and supply shops), the manager was hilarious and won us over. Since Chhomrong is an intersection of several trails that all lead to ABC, we figured it would be a good place to see about hiring a porter. We'd been doing surprisingly well carrying all our stuff, but given that we were headed to higher altitudes - MUCH higher altitudes - we decided it'd be safer to split 3 people's stuff up among 4 people. The manager said that not only could she cook, clean, give massages, and do karate, but she could be our porter, too. We laughed, then she laughed, then we sorta laughed not sure if she was being serious, then she still laughed and told us she'd arrange a porter. We met our porter, her son, that night.
Follow the yellow brick road...or the white and blue stripes painted on rocks.
I was feeling quite strong...
...until I saw this guy.
Proof that we did shower at least once during the 9 days.
Our porter - the man, the myth, the legend.
Day 5/May 9: Chhomrong to Dovan
We were so thankful that we hired Biswash (pronounced Biz-wahs) because day 5 was all ups and downs and right when arrived at our guesthouse in Dovan, it started pouring rain. Like, torrential downpour kind of rain. If we'd been carrying all our stuff, we would've been going slower and thus would've gotten completely drenched.
Our hostess with the mostest sending us off by putting up her dukes (she told us she could fight).
Getting closer!
Good to know: "Notice! Notice!! Notice!!! Dear Honorable Trekkers, We would like to request not to take chicken, pork and buffalo meat in this special management zone from Sinuwa to Annapurna Basecamp due to ancient beliefs, holy temple, and natural secret mountains. If so, natural calamities and personal accident may occur. So we humbly request to follow such specified instructions. Thank you."
This sweet pup came outside our door to get out of the rain. I covered her up with my rain cover to keep her warm. And we shared my noodle soup :-)
Nothing better than great conversations with good company in the warmth of the dinning room after a long day's climb.
Day 6/May 10: Dovan to Machhapuchhre Base Camp (MBC)
Because of the high altitude and the change in elevation (we were going from 8400 feet to 12204 feet above sea level), we took our time on this day and went v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. But it gave us a chance to really absorb our surroundings. We walked through high plains, crossed over ice fields, and passed by waterfalls created from melting snow. When we finally did arrive at MBC, where we were planning to spend the night before hiking up to ABC to see the sunrise, the mists were so thick we couldn't see any of the guesthouses. It felt like an eery dream and at any minute I was expecting to see a yeti (ok...I thought I did see one, but then I realized it was just my bearded hubby with his pack on).
Up we go!
Brian's a big dude, but the scenery made him look so small! (Can you see him one the bridge?)
We all rested our feet (or paws) whenever we got a chance.
One of the many ice fields we had to cross.
I think Brian was saying, "Whoa."
This was the scene when we arrived at MBC (pre-rain)...
…and when the clouds cleared after the daily rainfall this is what we saw!
Day 7/May 11: MBC to ABC to MBC to Deurali
At 5am we started our final ascent to Annapurna Base Camp (note: in order to be at ABC to see the sun actually rise leave MBC at 4am). For the previous 6 days, the mountains had been a backdrop. Now, instead of looking out at them, we found ourselves staring up at the snowcapped peaks that completely surrounded us.
Our very first picture of the day!
My very best mountaineer pose.
My second best mountaineer pose.
Someone didn't have gloves ... but she did have socks!
We made it!!!!
The welcoming committee.
It was majestic and I could've stayed there all day, but what go up must come down. We retraced our steps to MBC, packed up our bags, and headed down to Deurali, which we had passed through on the way up. It was a short hike and while we would've liked to have covered more ground the other guesthouses were full. It worked out great in the end because that evening we got to witness the craziest hail storm. It lasted for several hours and by the end of it, the ground was completely covered in a couple inches of what looked like snow. Since we haven't seen snow since May 2013, I felt like a giddy school girl and wondered if we'd get a "snow delay" in the morning.
Walking across an ice field back to MBC.
The "snow" in Deurali.
Day 8/May 12: Deurali to Chhomrong
No delay for us. The "snow" was all melted when we woke up at 6 and so down we went. This was our longest day - 9 hours hiking. By the time we reached Chhomrong, we were completely exhausted - especially because the last two hours were up stairs!
Rockin' the mountain gear.
This lil' boy knew how to work it. He walked right up to Brian and set his head lovingly on his leg.
Our comic relief on the brutal climb. We'd turn up a new flight of stairs where we were greeted by a buffalo slowly chewing its food and staring at us like we were crazy (probably because we are…).
Day 9/May 13: Chhomrong to Siwi
It took us four hours to get from Chhomrong to Siwi and another two hours to drive from Siwi to Pokhara. The Himalayas gave us a beautiful send-off.
One last pose with Biswash.
A fantastic farewell!
When we returned to the Sacred Valley Inn, I brought back with me not just memories, an enthusiasm for walking 6+ hours a day, and shirts & socks that smelled AWFUL, but also a sense of accomplishment. Yes, I reached the base camp without any major hiccups, but the real success was what I learned over those nine days. I came to understand challenges not as opportunities to prove myself, but rather to improve. Once my ego was pushed aside, I recognized ways to become better friend, wife, and hiker. While I may have stopped focusing on whether I could make ABC look as easy as 1-2-3, however, I certainly didn't stop singing the song ;-)
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