Happy Himalaya Hiker...(grab a comfy chair)

...in fair weather! it is nearing the end of the trekking season, so the four of us amigos had the trail nearly to ourselves...well except for porters, donkeys, and yaks. just a brief side note about porters (although they deserve more): they are superhuman! i was impressed by the porters in annapurna, but these guys (and 10-15yo boys) carried awkward loads well exceeding his own weight...200+ lbs of lumber, logs, food, beer, soda, whatever supplies are needed in the region is generally carried in as porters are cheaper than flying it in. his pace is slow but steady - sweat dripping from his face and his body an obtuse angle bent at the waist by the weight of his loads - he snakes his way down thru the valleys and up over the passes. so when i say my body "was put to the test," i mean it in the most relative way possible. the load i bared was much lighter and compact.

We began hiking in the foothills at a town called Jiri. Many people fly into Lukla due to time constraints as the hike in from jiri adds an additional week. but the vegetation was lush and the hills abound with terraced fields of potatoes and barley. Incredibly, the hillsides are covered with terraces maintained by the hard working villagers. how they don't tumble down the side is one of the world's great wonders, and their contours create a 3-D version of a topo map.

the lifestyle in the mountain region is romantic in that they have a close relationship with the land: animals that they eat or milk graze until their hearts' content, they compost plants and dung to replenish the soil, and their gardens in turn flourish (in the lowlands). they seem to be living nature's intent. however, with the exposure to an increasing # of westerners, locals crave more. "U.S. is a great country. Nepal no good." televisions and satellites are appearing in remote villages. but with that, good things have come as well: schools and medicine (most notably from Sir Edmond Hillary - Everest's first summiter along with Tenzing Norgay), solar energy and hydroelectricity.

after a few days of hiking, we began to catch glimpses of the "smaller" peaks in the distance (meaning somewhere in the range of less than 24,000 ft). it was only after a week that the elusive high guys began to show themselves...given clear skies. the mornings were generally clear, and this time of year, the afternoons brought clouds hugging the necks of the peaks and sometimes rain and snow party favors. (this is when i became a less happy hiker, although the precipitate did bring much beauty: chocolate rivers flowing beneath our feet, the greens became more vivid, and in the higher elevations, blankets of snow insulated the respective peaks.)

about 2 weeks in, we spent time in Gokyo (west of everest), a village known to provide fantastic day hikes with panoramic views of everest and other impressive enormous peaks. the clouds lingered most of our 3 days here, but our stroll along the glacier left us all speechless as we listened in silence to the life of our surroundings. chunks of ice and rock peeled off tumbling down the face slowed with a splash into a nearby glacial pond or lake. this area is probably most identified by its 4 larger glacial lakes and countless other small ones, and nearby Cho Oyo peak (one of the 8,000m-ers).

after attempting a shortcut over cho la pass during the first day of a 48 hr nonstop snow/rain storm, we didn't quite make it. we actually ended up just a few hours south (rather than east) of where we began the 9 hr day. excited to see a guesthouse, our bodies cold and wet, we hobbled in presenting ourselves as quite the motley crew. meg was doubled over with abdominal pain from giardia, tim was carrying 2 packs, gary had tweaked his knee and was unable to bend it, and i was more or less just cold and crabby but hobbling from the cumulative impact of the downhills on my knees. we decided to rest the following day as our bodies told us to and the rain and snow alternated throughout the day and consistently fell...hard.

the clouds cleared, and the trail beckoned. so we continued on (a different route) toward everest base camp. along the way, we became an enthusiastic cheering section for the everest marathoners whose course is on insane terrain starting at about 17,000+ft (about 3,000ft higher than mt rainier). awesome! and being the end of the expedition season for summiting everest, we encountered many traffic jams of yaks carrying loads of gear including the kitchen sink...literally. we slept in a village called gorak shep where we had crisp clear days. after hiking to a viewpoint called kala pattar, we were rewarded with absolutely stunning views of nuptse (a handsome mountain that was the star of the show), a 360 degree view of the impressive range, and finally chomolungma...sagarmatha...everest! from these views, however, it is dwarfed by closer peaks that are equally as mind-blowing. as we stood at over 18,000ft, the hunks of rock that have pushed themselves up through the earth's surface still towered above us...way above us!

the following day we strolled on to everest base camp which had just a few of the 600 tents remaining from the expeditions. i imagine it to be quite a circus during the summit season, and not the place to go for solitude. despite the steep $60 grande required to even attempt a summit, the mountain is swarming with people a couple of months each year. and to complete the city, a coffee house and bakery (among other conveniences) is set up right on the glacier. we met khumbu glacier and an american guide who answered our numerous questions about the season. apparently it was a successful one.

our last stop was Chhukung valley (often a starting point for climbing island peak), which is currently on my list of favorites. the hike itself was mild and it was pleasing to the soul: cool crisp air touching my skin, my body breathing its purity; sunkissed snow-capped mountains in every direction; the solitude and serenity that only nature can bring; yaks (and the cute babies) grazing on the vegetation; a stream peacefully running through its center. it felt pretty close to a shangri-la, as i blissfully strolling through the expanse.

and finally, we cruised back to lukla where i caught a flight back to kathmandu, but not without one more wee adventure. my motion-sick prone self reintroduced itself.
i tried to focus on the beauty below, a green topographical map peppered with mini houses and water trickles, but my distraction was no longer working. sweat began pouring off my head, my own personal waterfalls. i frantically searched for a bag durable enough to hold vomit. i closed my eyes and breathed deeply until we landed. i basically fell out of the tiny plane and gasped the biggest breath of outside air that i could before i was shuffled onto...another moving vehicle. arghh! "how will i keep it in any longer?" i was thinking to myself. but i managed and was pathetically bedridden the rest of the day.

back in kathmandu for 10 days, i am in the city and ready to leave it. although my body was put to the test over the 3 weeks we spent in the everest region, my soul was filled with pure, indisputable beauty. i yearn for the fresh air and the nature the city lacks, and i am looking forward to my departure to thailand in a couple of days.

thanks for enduring. i had actually expected to keep it short as i already shared much of my wonderment of the mighty Himals and snickers and dal bhat binges of mounded rice, bloating dal, and curried veggies while hiking around annapurna, but i couldn't help it.

Annapurna Circuit: in photos

here are some pics and my attempts at capturing the majesty of the mighty himalayas in all their glory...not possible, but it is my best attempt. the trail was certainly a highlight of my travels despite the physical discomforts. the changing vegetation, fresh, crisp air, face to face views to the peaks of the high guys, to the individual villages, each with its own culture and all extremely hard workers. feel free to browse at your leisure.

http://picasaweb.google.com/coffeewithkatie/AnnapurnaCircuitAndAround#

Annapurna Circuit: Culture and Food

the culture of the trail may vary from village to village. that in itself is another exciting draw of this trek. no matter how remote it feels, there is a village. and in this area, many of them are tibetan in origin and thus buddhist. so at the entrance of each village are prayer wheels (a row of drums inscribed with mantras; the mantras are scattered in the wind when turned); prayer flags; and some with a Mani wall (rows of stone slabs carved with mantras); or Gompa (a shrine or temple); or a Chorten (domed structure to ward off evil spirits and is the focus of religious devotion). in the lowlands toward Jomsom, Hinduism is the main religion practiced, reflected in the clothing and devotional symbols and deities. the politically radical maoists (nepal's communist party) are also more present in this area where rocks are graffitied with their symbols.

consistent throughout are the donkey parades, suspension bridges, the curiously friendly and welcoming attitudes of the locals, and the availability of tea or a snickers and a coke, although the prices increase with elevation. it makes sense considering the mode of transportation to get it there (human porters).

the accommodation is no longer the modest intimate guesthouse/teahouse it used to be, but rather more built-up basic lodging. there are a few still in existence if you look outside of the main towns, and they were my favorites.

no matter where you stay, however, the menus throughout are set. but what you order is always a mystery as the people preparing the food have probably never had spaghetti or pizza or a burger. it keeps the ordering process exciting and the spelling from menu to menu quite entertaining. oftentimes the food was surprisingly good (even if it wasn't as i know it), although the pizza with stir-fried veg (mostly cabbage) topped off with ketchup was a little disappointing. but the least pleasing to me was the local tsampa porridge (corn or barley based) - thick, brown, and...gag-inducing. but a local staple packed with energy, i had to try it.

Annapurna Circuit: Part 2

as soon as we crossed the pass, the views were quite hazy, creating the illusion of floating peaks - snow caps only were visible if we were lucky. this is not to say it was unenjoyable. they were behind blue and purple layers of foothills.

observing the changing landscapes more than kept our interest along the entirety of the trek: from hot, moist and green to drier subalpine climates where pine trees surrounded our senses, then the more barren landscape above tree line but more open mtn views; as we made our way back down, the landscape was desert-like dotted with various bushes and sporatic tufts of grass, then rocky dry terrain where the winds picked up to gale-force speed a couple of days; then eventually rhodadendon trees hovered around the trail; apple country in Marpha; and then we were back to hot, sunny, humid green weather with banana trees and corn and wheat fields.

after a couple more downhill days, our screaming quads and kneecaps welcomed the hot springs of tatopani (literally meaning "hot water"). after a couple more days of up and downhills, it was bittersweet to cross the finish line of the trail (although there were no ribbons to bust through or crowds to cheer us on. it was our own personal gratification that was the prize.)

Annapurna Circuit: Thorong La pass

the thorong la pass was the mysteriously built-up climax of the 15 day trek. after all, we were taking our time to acclimate and tackle the big day of climbing and climbing, passing the 14 false cols that tricked us into thinking we were there, our breaths more labored in the elevation, all the while being aware of acute mountain sickness and its dangers.

the day came, and the morning was slow with the first hour the steepest and most difficult climb of the day. the weather was a perfectly clear, crisp day, and with each step we were greeted by a seemingly more congenial view of the high (over 8,000m peaks): annapurna I, II, and III, and Gangapurna with its glacier staring back at us. and after 4 hours or less we reached the pass.

i cannot even describe the elation the himalayas bring to my soul, leaving me speechless and almost embarrassed at my smallness. but i was so thankful they welcomed me into their vast world, high up in the sky where the birds fly and the clouds hang out, looking face to face to the snow-capped neighbors. i had never been exposed at this altitude before. we were at 17,768 ft, and i wanted to jump some of the highest peaks in the world like they were hay bails.

we basked in the excitement and celebrated at the pass that welcomed us with a proper sign that has been draped with layers of prayer flags by people who have passed this way before us, and several other trekkers, many of whom we had been playing leap frog with along the trail. a couple of french guys indulged in the ham and wheels of cheese, and homemade liquor they packed from france. a couple of others climbed the extra couple of hundred feet to reach 18,000ft. an extreme unicyclist from the UK began his descent the way we just came.

after an hour or so, we decided we should face the inevitable 4 hour knee-crunching downhill that awaited us.

Annapurna Circuit: Part 1

after a 3 day train and bus journey from rishikesh in northern india, we crossed the border in Sonauli and cruised into Pokhara, Nepal. we spent a few days organizing ourselves and picking up a few more necessary items for the trek. we had been looking forward to this 150 mile trek since we started traveling 5 months ago, and could not wait to hit the trail.

we chose to approach the annapurna circuit from the typical counter-clockwise direction (besisahar to eventually meet the jomsom trek and finish in naya pul) as it allows for more gradual acclimatisation. at 6:00am we hopped a 5 hr bus from pokhara to besisahar and kicked off the adventure once we arrived.

the first few days were a nice introduction to the culture of the trail as we passed many villages in the lowlands, terraced fields of corn, and observed the hard-working nature of the people who live there. the deeper we trekked along the trail, the more remote it seemed, although a rough jeep road followed near the trail the first few days, and is in the process of being extended even further.

finally, we lost the jeep road. the climb was mostly gradual, with a few days of steep switchbacks (but only when absolutely necessary. oftentimes, switchbacks were not even a consideration...just straight up, baby!) that reminded me how sedentary i had been over the past 5 months. we were constantly passed by many a donkey parades and trekked alongside porters walking slowly but steadily in their flip flop sandals carrying about 150 lbs - more than most of them probably weigh - up the mountainside. my 20-25lb load neatly confined into a fancy backpack suddenly seemed menial compared to the awkward load of hay, chickens, or corregated tin carried on most of their backs, supported with a forehead strap. and the trekking porters carrying their customers' loads often completely bypassed the provided shoulder straps and added his own forehead strap instead.

about 5 days into the trek, the previously shy, introverted peaks began to expose themselves and their personalities. they have a contagious smile about them, attracting us further into their depths, desiring more of it.