TREKKING IN THE HIMALAYAS
The Annapurna Circuit in Nepal is over 200 miles of some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. It starts at around 2000 feet and crosses one of the world's highest passes at 17,500 feet. In addition, it offers the trekker endless breathtaking views, dodgy suspension bridges, some extremely basic lodging (and toilets), rats, yaks, apple pies, sleepless nights, injuries, impossibly blue skies, helicopter rescues, Maoist guerrillas, card games, trekkers from around the world and lots and lots and lots of walking.
Below are some of the highlights to accompany the photos on our site (see Annapurna Trek link on the sidebar)...
PEAKS, PADDIES AND PRAYER FLAGS
The Lonely Planet Nepal guide claims that every morning you wake up on the Annapurna Circuit, the views are more stunning than the next. We followed The Marsyangdi River for about 10 days, crossing it countless times. Some of the bridges didn't give us a second thought, while others instilled about as much confidence in us as my airplane window yesterday that was held together by duct tape.
As we climbed, the waterfalls turned to ice, the mountaintops became covered with snow, donkeys turned into yaks, the sky got bluer and bluer, the night skies blazed with stars, the trees disappeared, the locals and terrain became Tibetan and it got MUCH colder. Sunrises yanked us out of our down sleeping bags to gawk at the burning reds and oranges lighting up the peaks (though we quickly jumped back in to avoid frostbite).
BUDDHA AND DEEPAK, OUR LEADERS
The smartest thing we did after deciding to do the trek was hiring a guide and porter. Being firm believers in supporting the local economy (and not carrying heavy packs), we hired Deepak the Guide and Buddha the Porter. Buddha carried most of our things as well as his, half the time in flip-flops, and was always waiting for us with a smile. The strength, endurance and good nature of the Nepalese porters cannot be over-emphasized.
Deepak showed us the way, taught us about his language and country, translated, got us discounts, filled us in on trekking gossip and dramas, told us endless stories and kept us laughing for 2 weeks. Though some people feel ashamed to have someone else carry their bags or make things easier on them, Deepak and Buddha were saviors. (Deepak's email is deepgrgnp@yahoo.com if you need a guide for an upcoming trek).
RATS, YAKS AND ASSES
Lao Tsu (or someone like him) once said that a journey of 1,000 miles begins with one step. We found out on our 3rd night that a bad night's sleep begins with one rat. It wasn't the scratching around in our bags that annoyed me as much as FEELING THE RAT CLIMBING ON MY SHOULDER - while I had my light on reading!!
One of the first rules of trekking is: Stay to the mountain side of the trail when you encounter a donkey train. These unruly beasts carry up everything that the porters don't in the Himalayas, and they have been known to nudge people off the trail, slip on the ice and deposit their patties wherever you want to put your boots.
Deepak told us of one of his friends that got killed by a yak while guiding a tour. He apparently got between the yak and her calf, and it gored him in the stomach and took the life right out of him. Rule #2 of trekking: Be wary of yaks.
PANCAKES, TACOS, LASAGNA AND APPLE PIE
The standard fare in Nepal is a rice, lentil and curry concoction called Dal Bhaat. It can be found everywhere, is delicious, nutricious and quite cheap. What was extraordinary to us, however, was the diversity of food that came out of the most simple, wood-burning, lightless kitchens. In addition to the food, we consumed an average of about 10 cups a day of tea (mint, lemon, ginger, milk or black), partly because it was good and partly because it was boiled. Everything we drank was either boiled or iodized, as the last thing you need on such a journey is having to get up in the middle of the freeezing cold night 12 times to run to the outhouse.
And somebody please tell me how Pringles and Snickers have become a staple in every developing country around the world!
SLEEPLESS NIGHTS, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, HEADACHES AND TOUGH DECISIONS
The Annapurna Circuit provides one of the highest passes in the world (17,500 feet) that one can do without climbing equipment. And as you get higher, your body needs to acclimatize to the altitude. We went to a talk on altitude sickness given by the volunteer doctors at the Himalayan Rescue Association in Manang. They told us of the dangers of altitude sickness, scaring sense into us with tales of unfortunate trekkers who didn't take care of themselves.
One of them was a Japanese woman who was brought to their clinic with signs of High Altitude Cerebral Edema, a potentially fatal condition. She was very confused and disoriented, and they put her in a helicopter to get her to lower altitude ASAP. Once they were in the air, she came to and decided to jump out of the chopper, so they made an emergency landing. They called the clinic who told them to tie her up. They called the Japanese embassy to ask if it was OK to tie up one of their citizens, and they said it was. After another escape attempt, another landing and a full blown hog-tie, they got her to safety.
Fortunately, the worst we experienced were some sleepless nights (the rats didn't help there) and headaches. We drank lots of fluids, slept lower than we walked during the day and took a few Diamox just to be safe.
THE PASS
While we were still a couple of miles lower than Everest, 17,000 feet is way higher than either of us has ever walked. By this point in the journey, Alexandra's blisters caused by her boots were infected and very painful. She did the wise thing and hired a horse to carry her for a few days including the climb to the top of the pass.
We awoke that morning at 4:00, ate at 4:30 and were on the trail by 5:45 in the dark (thank goodness for headlamps). Several groups had joined forces in the final days prior to the pass, so we all climbed together.
Starting out, it was bone-chilling cold (Camel-bak was frozen), and it only got colder as we ascended. By the time we reached the summit at 7:30 am, the wind was screaming into our gritted teeth at 40 mph, creating a wind chill factor that made Chicago's February feel like Thailand. There was mild panic in the teahouse at the summit as people tried desperately to get some feeling back into their appendages and gulped down piping hot tea.
Then it was a couple of painful photos in front of the prayer flags, bundling up with every piece of clothing available and running downhill. We descended that day over 5000 knee-shredding feet and were rewarded that night with a deep sleep at 12,000 feet that felt like we were back at sea level.
COMING BACK DOWN
Fortunately, we had anticipated not wanting to walk all the way down from the top (my knees hate the downhills), and Alexandra's feet had still not recovered from their torture on the other side. So we hopped a plane (the one with duct tape on my window) and did the return trip from Jomsom to Pokhara in 18 minutes that would have taken us another 7-8 days of trekking.
We are now thawing out, relaxing in Pokhara's laid-back lakeside vibe and reveling in one of the greatest adventures we have ever experienced. Next up is either an animal safaris in the South of Nepal or another trek...
