14,217 Stairs to ABC

Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Pokhara, Nepal


It turns out getting a bus driver during the Hindu festival Dashain is incredibly difficult . Thankfully, our Nepal director, Jeevan, worked his magic and in the early morning our packed van was on its way to Pokhara.

The sprawling city of Katmandu was left behind us as we drove through the lush, rolling foothills of Nepal. If we thought we were comfortable with the crazy driving in Kathmandu we were quickly reminded of the organized insanity of Nepalese traffic laws with our driver. A few hearth thumping moments and lots of Pringles later, we arrived at the drop off point for the rafting part of our travel.

The group split into 2 yellow inflatable rafts and as we pushed off into the massive Nepalese Trisuli river I couldn't help but be reminded of how long this ancient river has been sustaining life for the locals. With some imagination, someone watching us raft through the rapids might think have thought we were a crew on a Viking galley fighting the high seas, with Cooper shouting Valhalla on the bow and our rows paddling in unison .

The reality might be closer to a free for all of yelling and flailing when the frigid water crashes over the side of the raft, but either way, it was tons of fun.

Our rafting adventure ended with a bang when they told us we could try to swim the last rapid. I was taking a nice relaxing float down the river laughing at Kevin spinning in place beside me until we crashed into the rapids. Relaxing became exciting with some pinches of scary as the whirlpools tugged at my feet spinning be backwards into the chain of massive rapids. But sure enough, everyone made it out safe and happy, ready to relax in Pokhara.

(*Note from Brad: Thanks very much to our rafting outfitter, "Adrenaline Rush Nepal", for providing us with all of the photos from the rafting excursion, and for running a great, and safe, day of rafting for the team!)

The group set out the next morning to explore the lakeside town of Pokhara . Wide streets, less traffics, and fewer people offered a nice contrast to the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu. This vacation destination was the perfect place to grab gifts for friends and family as well as chow down on delicious food in preparation for our 9 day journey in the Himalayas.

Day 1:

A brief drive up into the foothills below the Himalayas and the group strapped on their heavy packs full of all their gear for the next 9 days.

The first morning of hiking was a slight up hill on a wide gravel road on the way to the trail head. By the time we reached our break spot for lunch I was dripping sweat from my nose and chin wondering how it could be so hot less than 10 miles from the frigid peaks of Annapurna.

The trail took us up a steep flight of stairs right into the foothills, but it was only after I rounded the first corner that I realized the ENTIRE trail was just like a massive, steep, up and down staircase .

That first day took us through many small mountain towns reminiscent of our rural home stay and pushed us all harder than we expected. By the 4th hour of the never ending staircase the loudest noises on the trail were our gasps for air mixed with the light jingle of the bells on the pack mules passing us.

The sights of our first tea house seemed like a dream, but when my legs collapsed on top of the bed the relief was real enough to me.

After everyone had time to recover, we would all meet and hang out in the communal dining halls playing cards and sipping hot Masala tea. I always had fun watching the long table fill up with travelers from all over the world, and as food started coming out the hall became an energetic jumble of Nepali, Korean, English, Italian, German, and about any language you could imagine.

Day 2:

The heat and stairs on the second day where as unrelenting as the first, but it seemed like we were slowly acclimating to the work . I don’t know if leeches have made their way into a blog posts yet but this time they have a very special highlight. At around 1:00pm we stopped for a lunch break and got our food ordered when I see Jacob walking back from the bathroom and right before he sits down he looks to his side and calmly announces, "oh wow, that’s a big one." A black leech had started feeding on Jacob through the side of his boxers right on his hip and was swollen fat with blood when Jeevan and Baasu, our trekking guide, tell Jacob to pinch it off and squash it. Jacob’s foot crushes the leech and a disc of blood sprays out from under his boot. Squeals from the girls turn into panicked gasping when I look over to see Mia and Emily’s legs splattered with Jacob’s blood. They may or may not have shed tears but definitely did as they both ran off to the bathroom to clean Jacob’s blood spray off their leg.

Despite that fun fiasco, day 2 took us to the tea house Chomrong where we met with the villagers of a local tribe who sang and danced for us well into the cold night . The women of the village danced to the melodic singing of the whole village that pulsed with the tribal drumbeats which all combined to create a totally exotic musical experience. While it was impossible to match the flow and rhythm of the villagers’ dancing, I’ll be damned if we didn’t rock the classic Nate double fist pump or if Kevin wasn’t the true star of that dance off.

Day 3:

I think one of the most frustrating things about trying to get to Annapurna Base Camp is how often we would trek alllll the way to the base of the valley and then alllll the way back up. Nothing is more depressing than feeling like all that sweat and pain from climbing for the past 2 hours is not only in vain, but every time we descend to the base of the valley there is the promise of an equal or greater climb back up. Nonetheless, progress is progress and we were one day closer to those beautiful behemoths at the end of the valley.

It was cool to see how quickly the group’s fitness and mental resilience was increasing, and by the end of day 3, every member of the team was capable and comfortable (enough) to hike 5 hours a day .


Day 4:

Day 4 was a relatively quick day, as our trek was only about 2 to 3 hours. We reached Himalaya, our tea house, at 12, so we had an ample amount of time to nap, journal, shower, and for Katie to dominate every game of Hearts.

These periods of free times were well used by the team, and allowed bonding time that so far during our time in Nepal we weren't really given much of as an entire team. 

Day 5:

We left Himalaya and climbed right into the clouds to reach our home for the next two days, Machhupuchahre Base Camp (M.B.C), at 3700 meters (12,150 feet). Although a difficult day, we arrived in the early afternoon and had plenty of time to play more cards, write in our journals, play hangman, and again more cards.

We ended the day with a quick 30 minute hike up to help us adjust to the the high altitude of M .B.C (climb high, sleep low). 
 
Day 6:

Our day began at 6:30am, which is the time we left to trek to the Annapurna Base Camp (A.B.C), our major destination.

We trekked up 400 meters (1300 feet) to our highest altitude during the trek, a total of 4100 meters (13,500 feet) above sea level.

We enjoyed a team breakfast and then headed out into a grassy valley at the base of Annapurna, with Machupuchare right beside us. The view was breathtaking, and its safe to say that the 5 days of uphill torture to reach it was worth it.

The group split up, and we headed off on our own to find a space where we could individually appreciate what was around us and take some time to think.

In a place like Annapurna Base Camp it is easy to contently sit on your own for hours, and just enjoy what is around you.

Eventually, the midday clouds rolled in and the group said goodbye to beautiful Annapurna


Day 7:

Our first day of downhill trekking greeted us with viciously cold weather. We said goodbye to M.B.C and our beautiful mountain view, but gladly bid farewell to the 3700 meter (12,150 feet) altitude.  

Going downhill was harder than many of us thought (muscles we hadn't used for quite awhile came back into play), but we didn't envy the trekkers we passed who were headed uphill. 
 
Day 8:
 
Our last full day of trekking was mostly downhill, with one large set of stairs up to Chomrong, where we congratulated ourselves with "German" pastries from the "German" bakery.

We continued onto Jhinu Danda, our final and most luxurious tea house, where after lunch, we hiked down to the the local hot springs, beautifully located right next to a roaring river. 
 
Day 9:

We started our last day of trekking the same way we did most of the past 9 days - yawns, groans, and begging Baasu for no more uphill parts . We left Jhinu and hiked for 3 and 1/2 hours back down (and some up) to the town we lunched at one Day 1, Birethanti.

We had our last tea house lunch there, and then loaded into a jeep. Unlike our previous transportation, the spacious tourist vans, the four girls of the trip squished into the back seat, meant for only 2 or 3 people, and the 6 boys as well as Baasu and Jeevan, were in the army-jeep style back. Somehow, they loaded all 8 smelly bodies into a space made for 4 people. Needless to say, the 2 hour ride back to Pokhara couldn't come fast enough.

Back in the city, the team enjoyed their first free hot shower in days, and had dinner together to say goodbye to our trusty trekking guide Baasu, and our hilarious and beloved Nepal director Jeevan.

 
Pokhara:

And finally today, our last day in Nepal. Although a nearby cyclone from India has caused an all day rain, it hasn't stopped us from saying goodbye to the first third of our trip in beautiful Nepal .

We all spent the day exploring Nepal for the last time, some walking the busy and tourist ridden streets of Pokhara, others visiting the Mountain Museum for some last minute history lessons, and almost all of us spending as many Rupees as possible.

We ended today with an all-team dinner (many of us reminiscing on the multiple times we fell victim to dhal bhat during the last month).

We leave Nepal and move onto India tomorrow, with a month full of growth, bonding moments, memories, and souvenirs migrating with us. 

Aidan and Katie



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