Nepal - TREKKING Pt 1

Alright people.  Trekking.  This is one of the most difficult things I've ever tried to describe on my blog, or in writing at all.  Because this was an adventure unlike any other adventure I've ever had.  It was not only one of, if not the, most physically demanding, exhausting, challenging, and rewarding, stunning, and beautiful experiences I've ever had - it WAS all of those things, but not only.  It was also an emotional, psychological, and spiritual adventure.  The mountains were not only all around us - they were within us.  And describing that climb will be very difficult.

And that's why I'm going to use pictures, with the hope that they will draw out of me some words that will help me draw something out of you that just might resonate with our journey.  Have you ever felt in complete and utter awe of this world?  Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with beauty that you wanted to drop to your knees and cry?  Have you ever felt so exhausted that you knew there was nothing left inside you to give, but you had to give more?  Have you ever traveled beyond what you knew was possible and found yourself, by definition, walking through the territory of the impossible?  Then maybe you will feel those feelings again as you look upon these pictures and the story they tell, and you will laugh and cry and pray along with us.

DAY 1

Donning our cool new thermal gear, we left our hotel at 7 am after a hearty breakfast of porridge and "gurung bread", a traditional fried bread of the gurung caste - think elephant ears without the sugar!  Our spirits were high - but how could they not be when you look like a mountain grinch?

Here's me with our guide, Chakra, a hearty mountain-goat of a man who was born in a tiny village in the Everest range.  This season, before guiding us, he'd climbed Everest, led a 20+ day trek through the highest passes in the conservation area, and done ABC already once before.  He was humble, attentive, kind, and conscientious.  He seemed to live on Dal Baat (Nepali rice and dal), and had an imperturbable spirit and an infectious smile.  Not a bad singing voice either.  We, on the other hand, had no idea what we were getting in to.  At this point, we had just gotten out of the car, and were about to make our first steps.

The very first foothills of the Annapurna range.  This river is the Modi Khola, which has its source in our destination - the Annapurna Base Camp.  Without a doubt, this area is one of the most stunningly beautiful natural places on Earth.

Crossing the Modi Khola into the Annapurna Conservation Area - the Modi Bridge is covered in Tibetan Prayer Flags.  Blessings on our journey!

Lots and Lots and LOTS of walking.  This rare flat stretch started off our journey.  My pack looks big, but it really just has clothes and sleeping bags.  The staff helped.

Until we reached 3000+ meters (10000ft), the trail to ABC snaked through villages, homes, and terraced fields almost constantly.  This is a typical sight: a traditional Nepali homestead nestled into the hills with terraced rice, grain, pasture and vegetable fields surrounding it.  Can you imagine living in a place like this?

A Nepali woman walking through her millet fields on the edge of a cliff, carrying a traditional woven basket which straps around your forehead.  We saw Nepali people carrying up to 60 kilos (140lbs) (maybe more) in these, or strapped across their backs and foreheads in countless different forms, from gas tanks to cookies to backpackers' backpacks to jugs of cooking oil.  It never ceased to amaze us.  

It wasn't just the jungle, mountains, rivers, and other "Nature" forms that astounded us with their beauty - the human life in this area was just as strikingly beautiful.  It seemed almost paradoxical at first that human life could be a perfect compliment to the natural and wild life it was immersed in, because it's so foreign to our way of life.  But here it was - people living beautifully.  Human Beings, being, harmoniously.  And that was one of the most beautiful things there was to see.

After 3 hours, there were stairs.  And the stairs did not stop.  Whether they were going up or down, we had little more than 3 or 4 hours total of stairless walking over the course of the next 7 days.  Chakra was always smiling.

A Nepali vegetable garden - these were ubiquitous around the Nepali houses.  Cabbages, cauliflower, pumpkins, gourds, beans, corn - all kinds of vegetables, familiar and unfamiliar.  All grown as they have been for thousands upon thousands of years - fertilized only with cow manure.  Beautiful! 

And at the end of our first day: our first glimpse of the mountains, still distant.  This is Annapurna South, about 7800m (28000ft).  Photos cannot capture the immensity of these peaks - not just in their size, but in the way they make you feel when you look at them.  They are so vast, immense, and foreign, they make the world seem tiny, and so immediately close, like your life could fit in the palm of your hand.

DAY 2

The view from the roof of our first guest house, in Gandruk.  We watched the sun rise and strike Annapurna South and Himachuli, the southernmost peaks of the Annapurna range - to get to our destination, ABC, we would have to hike around behind these two peaks (at least not over them).  We had far to go.  But I also couldn't help appreciating how amazing it was that this village, which stretched across this mountainside and was home to maybe 2000 people, could exist in such a magical place.  We tend to think that places like mountains and jungles are "uninhabitable".  But these villages, and the people in them, really changed that perspective for me.  They woke up, every morning, to this view.

At this point, Spirits, still high.

Annapurna South in the sunrise.  Positively radiant.  How could it not buoy your inner wonder?  It's like a dream materialized.

Then, another day of walking.  And walking, and walking, and walking.  We shared this break, as we trekked through a small hardwood forest, with an indigenous cow, which you see mostly on the sides of the trail, although we met a few walking along it with us.

And here are some Nepali children, walking to school.  They walk this path every single day.  And countless tourists travel across the world and spend thousands of dollars to do the same thing.  How mind-boggling is that?

The scenery never got any less stunning.  Looking across the river-valley, you can see distant homesteads and villages, with their own terraced fields stretching up hundreds of meters.  Incredible!

We ended up hiking more or less alongside these 4 young Nepali guys for 3 or 4 days.  They were dressed completely casually, like they were going to the mall.  Here, they had stopped to pick some wild cannabis (weed) that was growing right next to the trail.  We didn't smoke any, but I bet they did!

After 8 hours of hiking, we finally reached Sinuwa, our destination for the night - and luckily, our room was incredible.  This is the view from the balcony.  The feeling of finally reaching the days destination after hours of walking is so sweet - it was only dwarfed by the knowledge that a few short hours of night later, you'd be at it again.  Trekking was an intense practice of presence, staying in the present moment - otherwise, the enormity of the task ahead of you could crush you like, say a mountain.  Drinking giant thermoses full of chai helped, too.

DAY 3

As we started getting higher - I think we were at 2800m (almost 10000ft) by the end of the day - the population got much less dense.  We hiked through the jungle most of the day, stepping over waterfalls and rivers.  Here we came across a goat herd camp - about 100 - 200 goats, which are herded up and down the mountainsides seasonally.  The smell was a bit rank but there were some VERY cute kids - their cries sound like a whiny child!!

And all the while, the mountains got closer.  Macchapuchere (fish-tail) is on the right, and maybe Gangapurna in front, and Himachuli on the left.  We were heading straight for the heart of them - Annapurna Base Camp.  At the end of the day, we would be in Derauli, just before the timberline; the next day, we would be heading for Annapurna Base Camp, at 4280 m (14000ft).  The air here was still dense, but we knew it wouldn't last long.  The nights were frigid, with the water lines frozen in the mornings.  

These prayer flags remind me of how sacred and mystical it felt to be climbing in that magical place, at the feet of those mountains, standing so resolute and concentrated, reaching towards the heavens like ancient sages.  It was such a gift to worship at their feet.  At this point, we didn't quite know how powerful they really were - it wasn't until we reached ABC that we felt their full force.

Even at this height, the Nepali people had no problem coaxing abundance from the fertile earth.  Check out this rockin veggie garden!  And they used fresh veggies in their curries and stir-fries - because it was easier than having it carried by porter up 3000m!

We passed through the village of Bamboo, named for the endless bamboo forest surrounding us.  Chakra and I are posing on top of one of the countless mountain streams, which line hillsides, making epic waterfalls everywhere.

A tiny Buddhist shrine along the trail was a perfect place to sit and rest and breathe deep, appreciating the moment.  Just what am I looking at?

Probably this.

Aphyna crossing a beautiful tributary to the Modi Khola, which we had crossed so many meters below.

After another 8 hours of trekking, we finally reach Derauli, promptly removed our shoes, bundled up, and drank a thermos of chai.  It was one of the only comforts to be had at 3000m, unless you smoked cigarettes or drank beer, both of which you could buy all the way up to the top.  And which, surprisingly, so many people - tourists and Nepalis alike - did! 

Here's a shot of the dining hall in Derauli, where the trekkers crammed into the guest house (we had 8 or 9 people sleeping in our room) all sat together for dinner.  It was actually a blessing to have others' body heat and warmth, as well as the warmth of their company.  Even if we didn't talk to them, it was comforting to hear and see other people.  It reminded us that there was a world before and after this trek.  Still, by nightfall, the temperature dropped well below freezing, and the altitude made sleeping really challenging.  Aphyna and I both started to feel ill at this point - her a headache, me a stomach-ache.  Aphyna's feet were covered in blisters - putting on and taking off her shoes was treacherous for her (she had even taken to calling them her "torture devices").  We were getting close to ABC, though - tomorrow we would be there!  We weren't getting turned around by a little bodily discomfort.

DAY 4

Uncomfortable and exhausted, we were still eager on this morning - because today was the day we'd reach Annapurna Base Camp, spending the night there.  We spend most of the morning alongside the river.  Here, hundreds of tiny rock towers had been balanced, sometimes with incredible care, by who-knows-who.

This morning we really had to bundle up, as we trekked past drifts of snow and ice.  The down jackets we rented really came in handy.  Aphyna, you are such a champion!!  She's holding both of our sticks, as well - my wooden one, and her bamboo.

The camera failed to capture the landscape due to the light differential, but you get the idea - the morning sun really made the white caps of the peaks sparkle!  What was waiting for us just through this tiny rocky mountain throat?

We were passing the tree level, and the landscape became far more alien - grasses and small shrubs and only the thinnest, stunted trees grew, mostly a dull brown or tan, among the metallic grey, black, and pale rocks.  Even the water had a very eerie greyish-blue color, which added to the eccentricity of the landscape.

Still, it was incredible to look at.

Progress here was much slower.  We only had 4 hours of hiking to do - but we would need all day to do it.  I'm taking a break.

But we reached our first stop of the day, halfway to ABC: MBC, or Macchapuchere base camp.  We had chai and a plate of momos, and even that only at the encouragement of Chakra.  Even though we had eaten heartily every chance we could all the way up, we had both lost our appetites at this altitude, because our stomachs felt so unsettled.  Skipping lunch would prove to be a grave error.  But at this point, we felt quite elated - we were only two hours away, and we really felt like we had emerged onto a new plane: at 3800 m, well over 12000 ft, we were in a totally different world.

As we tried to regain our composure, looking around us at the epic peaks (here's Annapurna South, now behind us, towering still 4000m above us), Nepali porters streamed by carrying 40 - 60 kilos of weight strapped to them.  Unbelievable.

The atmosphere here was so different - I can even see in these pictures a kind of ethereal quality that really reflects what we were seeing, feeling, and experiencing.  With so much less oxygen in the atmosphere here, we were feeling quite giddy and detached, as well as sick and uncomfortable.  Everything seemed quite unreal, like a dream.  Just look at the next few pictures.  But for me, as the landscape became more and more dreamlike, my body started to deteriorate, as well.  I was so close to the goal - there was no way I would stop now.

We pressed on from MBC, the final 2 hours, and 400 meters, up to ABC.  Looking back along the way, you can see MBC peering up at Macchapucchere (fish tail).  Absurdly beautiful.

This picture, and the next one, I think sum up the summit of our trek perfectly.  This is the north face of Annapurna South, and directly beneath it - if you can zoom in close enough - is ABC.  But something about this picture to me seems like a dream, totally unreal.  Can anything on Earth so powerful, so epic, so majestic, really exist?  In some way, to step into this reality, I must have had to exchange something of myself - to enter this dream of the physical world itself, I had to enter into it on a personal, experiential level.  And so, when we finally reached ABC, I collapsed.  I felt myself enter into a completely altered state of consciousness - I left my body, and I felt myself flying through the mountains.  I became light as air, I became light as light.  I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep - all I could do was lie down and feel my connection with my body, my mind, the earth, my life, dissolve.

Obviously, I was suffering from a pretty intense form of altitude sickness, including a wicked fever.  Luckily, Aphyna was there to save me.  She dragged me out of the dining hall, where I had left my porridge and chai untouched, ;laid me down in bed, and proceeded to lay every article of clothing we had in our possession on top of me, including both of our down jackets, a sleeping sheet, 2 shawls, 2 towels, a sleeping bag, and a thick blanket.  I was still shivering, unable to feel warm.  She helped force-feed me garlic soup (still one of the grossest things I've ever had to choke down) and liter after liter of water.  After that, it was up to me - I knew that if I was going to make it down off of this mountain, I had to come back to my body first.  We were completely socked in fog - you couldn't see 4 feet in front of you.  It was freezing cold.  The air was so thin it was difficult to breathe, even just sitting or lying down.  We were on top of the world, at almost 15000ft; but we were at the end of our physical, emotional, and psychological wellness.  The mountains had taken everything from us.  We were in for a long, long night.