Nepal ended up on our itinerary because of our explicit desire to trek in the Annapurna range. Even before we arrived, it was clear this was not the ideal time for trekking. The monsoon season from June-Sept brings rain almost everyday and obscures the mountains under an impenetrable layer of clouds. Our guide friends from the rafting shop in Pokhara gave us the real story we wouldn’t get from anyone else. They told us about groups hiking for days in a constant downpour, never seeing a single mountain. They also told us about the famous Nepalese leeches. If you stand on a patch of wet ground or brush up against some leaves, you will almost certainly pick up a few of the wiggly little bloodsuckers. Unless you flick them off, they’ll crawl inside your clothes to feast on your blood. Despite all this, we came here to trek so that was what we were going to do. We hired a local guide, teamed up with some Dutch kids and headed out for 5 days into the mountains with mild expectations.
Within the first 5 minutes, we spotted the top of Machapuchare (6993m / 22943 ft), poking up above the clouds. Our guide, Biem, told us we were extremely lucky and that it was a sign of good fortune. We all pulled out our cameras and snapped a bunch of pics, thinking it could be our last chance to capture an actual mountain. Note: in Nepal they only call it a mountain if it is over 6000m or ~20,000 ft. otherwise it’s a hill. By that logic, Mt. Whitney (the highest point in the continental US) should be called Whitney Hill because it is more than a mile too short.
One of the most surprising aspects of our trek were the locals we met along the way. The route weaved through villages and terraced fields, sometimes days from the nearest road. Connected by kilometers of stone stairs on impossibly steep hillsides, these people have a life and culture I didn’t think existed in the 21st century. Without technologies like roads, electricity or Walmart, they sustain an existence for themselves by farming terraced rice and corn fields and of course catering to weary trekkers.
There are guest houses throughout the Annapurnas that offer a solid meal and nice place to sleep. With this convenience there is no need bring a bunch of gear with you. We managed with a camera, water purifier, sleep sack (the bedding is not cleaned) and some clothes. All of it fit into a small day pack. These guest houses are also a great rallying point to meet other trekkers. Over tea, we swap stories about mishaps on the trail, amazing views and personal accounts of leech attacks – you’ll have so many that by the third day, you just rip them off and keep trekking without a second thought.
My most memorable mishap happened on the last day as I passed a particularly rocky section of the trail. At one point, I brushed up against a stinging nettle plant. A single prick from the poisonous thorns felt like a bee sting and hurt like hell. I remember wondering, “If one prick hurt so much, how would it feel to get stung a whole bunch of times?” Well, my curiosity was satisfied soon enough – after a little slip, my busted legs couldn’t catch me before I fell off the trail into an entire bush. I’ve ever felt a pain quite like it; my whole right side felt like it was on fire. Our guide immediately ran off and came back with another plant he crushed up and rubbed all over the affected area. It did the trick of stopping the burn for a while, but the poison left the area with a painful numbness and tingling for about a day. It was quite the way to end the trek.
Oh – did I mention the mountains? As it turns out, our good fortune on the first day followed us throughout the whole trek. Whether we were eating breakfast, walking along a ridge or peeking out the window to catch the sunrise, we basked in magnificent mountain vistas. After this experience, we have decided to return to complete the entire 21-day Annapurna circuit. So see you next year Nepal – we’ll be back for a second ass-kicking.
Wow, what a great taste of some real mountains. I’ll boycott nettle soup (still somehow a trendy ingredient) in honor of td’s run-in. Keep on trekking!
That is fucking awesome! You two do it right.
That sounds incredible. Sorry to hear about the bush, TD. It looked really bad.
You learned to be smart on mountain hiking. Get some kind of oilment or herb (careful with imitation in Chengdu, Sichuan) to take care of the infected areas.
Stranger